Scout

Part 1

        They could see glimpses of the warm morning sun rising through the thick foliage of the forest as they woke. Drew sat up out of his hammock, brushing is long sandy brown hair off his face to see the beautiful view. Waking up to such a spectacular view reminded him of his days in the forces. Shortly after, Leo crawled sluggishly out of his tent, shading his eyes from the bright morning sun. Leo could see Drew going through his food bag and asked, "Hey Drew, what's for breakfast?." Drew just looked up at him and replied with "W.A.S." (Wait And See). Drew is very stubborn and can be very sarcastic when he wants to be. Drew took his flint and steel out to go and start the fire for breakfast. While Drew was getting the fire going, Leo was rummaging through his rucksack to find his M.R.E. (Meal Ready to Eat). In no time at all, Drew had a roaring fire going. They both sat around the fire to warm themselves up and also to admire the view. It was so silent, you could hear a pin drop. They both looked into the valley and saw a Bald Headed Eagle soaring above. They were both in awe of the effortless ease at which the eagle was gliding on the updrafts of the thermals. Drew began reminiscing and reflected back on a mission from the military, which he shared with Leo. It was a powerful and poignant moment for Drew. He explained how he and his three team members were engaging in a gunfight in a mountain range. Similar to the one they were hiking through. Drew went on to tell Leo how during this gun fight, he looked up to see a Bald-Headed Eagle soaring above, totally unaware of the chaos that was taking place below.

"Always remember, no matter how chaotic or terrifying the situation is, you

can always draw upon that one thing that keeps you calm and level headed", Drew said philosophically. Leo was a scout and for him there were many terrifying moments, whether it was seeing a bear while on a survival hike or loosing your footing while abseiling, so what Drew had just told him would stick with him forever. By now they had both finished their breakfast and began to pack everything up. Drew had planned an ambitious hike for that day. It was not going to be easy, they had deep gullies to manoeurve, rivers to navigate and were going through bear country.  Drew and Leo had both encountered a bear before so they were prepared and knew what to do if they saw one. They set off on their hike, excited but always very cautious of the dangers they might face.  During the hike, Drew was forced to continually duck to avoid the overhanging branches, as he was six foot three.

Approximately an hour into their hike, Drew noticed footprints in the soft ground. He raised a closed fist to Leo, indicating to stop. Drew knelt down to have a closer look at the footprint. There was no doubting that it was the footprint of a black bear.

"Get down, it's fresh, only half and hour old", Whispered Drew. Drew learnt how to track when he was a scout and was now very skilled at it. Leo immediately dropped to his knees, surveying for any signs of a bear. When they thought it was safe, they slowly and cautiously rose to their feet and continued on their hike, keeping their eyes peeled. They came across a Buffaloberry bush. Leo noticed all the berries were scattered across the ground. Drew explained to Leo, that Buffaloberries were one of the black bears favourite foods. This was a definite sign that a black bear had recently passed through here.

Leo spotted something in the bush just off the track. It was a mother Black Bear. Drew tentatively reached to one of his side pockets on his rucksack, where his bear spray was.  They both knew it was imperative to keep their distance. It was the safest thing to do because if there were any cubs around, it would signal to the mother bear that they weren't a threat. They knew not to try and make a run for it, because (as Drew knew too well) you cannot outrun a bear. The only thing to do was to stand their ground, join together to make themselves look bigger and scarier. Leo took a step to the side so that he was next to Drew. As he placed his foot back down next to Drew's, he stepped on a dry stick that snapped. It felt as if the sound was amplified through the entire forest in that split second of terror. The bear gazed menacingly at them and immediately began to charge. Leo was terrified and froze where he stood. Drew was frantically waving his hands in the air and yelling in an attempt to assert his dominance. The bear showed no signs of stopping. Drew frantically sprayed his bear spray as a final attempt to try to halt the charging bear. Drew fearfully dropped the bear spray and they both made a run for the clearing. Leo was terrified. He had never had an encounter with a bear like that before. They were both running for their lives. They came to an abrupt halt and found themselves at the edge of an unstable cliff. It would have been a least a 49-feet to the raging water below. They had nowhere else to go.

"Jump!", Shouted Drew. They plummeted down the cliff face into the raging rapids below. They were tossed around into the razor sharp rocks until they were brought to the waters edge. Leo crawled out of the water dragging Drew with him. Drew looked down at this leg and realised the severity of his laceration. Leo was desperately going through his rucksack only to find his first-aid kit was soaking, waterlogged and unusable. Leo ripped his t-shirt off and applied pressure to Drew's laceration in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Amongst all the panic and chaos, Leo heard the familiar high-pitched whistle of a Bald-Headed Eagle. He looked up to see it soaring in circles above him. It was in this moment that Leo remembered what Drew had said to him that morning. Leo closed his eyes for a second or two, gathered his thoughts and composed himself to remain calm. He glanced back down to see Drew slowly loosing consciousness due to the loss of so much blood. Leo came to the realisation that it was Drew's time to go.

Leo was now left alone in the wilderness with limited usable gear and the survival knowledge he has gathered throughout his scout experiences. Now he must learn to use the natural resources around him in order to survive.

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Hey guys, this was only going to be a 1 part short story but if you enjoyed it and want me to keep it going make sure to comment. Also make sure to vote for my book, share it and just leave a comment on what you thought. 

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