Campfire Road

Camping with Girls

{1 week}

With all their feet knee deep in the river, Eric laughs again as Jake makes his third rediculous attempt to explain the difference between bunnies and rabbits to Walker.

Aleister rolls his eyes up to the sky, then looks to the sun sinking behind the clouds, "Sun is going to set soon.
"No catch, means we head back before dark."

Eric happily fusses, "Don't give up so quickly.
"Give us a chance."

Aleister sighs and looks about, while maintaining his leaned to the truck bed stance, "You've had six hours.
"I'm not waiting for you to grow up to have dinner."

Walker snickers and whispers to Jake, "Just everything else she wants to do with him."

Eric kicks water at him and whispers, "Shut up, Dad.
"She doesn't even like me."

Jake whispers, "It's only been a week, tomorrow.
"I'm not even sure if I like you yet."

Walker laughs as Eric fusses, "Love you, too.
"Ya both..."

They turn as Aleister climbs the tire, runs the bed and jumps out over their heads.

They all crouch as he snatches a large dinosaur-like bird from the air, less than a foot from Eric's head, then does a back flip.
He lands lightly on his feet not causing much splash, then reaches down into the river and comes up with a fish by the tail.

He throws the fish lightly and gets Eric in the face, "You can't lose sight of your surroundings."

Eric fumbles the fish for a minute while Aleister breaks the bird's neck.

Eric gives it his all, but after a minute, the fish has vanished in the river and so has his pole.
"Just great."

Aleister shakes his head disapprovingly, then walks from the river.

He hits the bird carcass on the side of the old Chevy and it burst brown-gray and purple-white dust as it turns back into a raven.

Walker fusses, "I hate having new eyes.
"Who's trying to kill Eric?"

Eric gives up on finding his pole and stomps out of the water, "Not like it was after me.

"I was probably just in its way.
"Who the hell would notice me enough to want to kill me?"
He gets in the cab and slams the door.

Jake sets his pole in the truck bed, then gets out of the river, "He seems more moody than I remember twelve."

Walker puts his pole in the truck bed, "Next month he'll be thirteen.
"Check out the bird, Jake."

Jake takes the dead bird from Aleister and lets his mind flow, "There's a lot I still don't get, but it's like that dog the other day.

"I think someone is learning."

Walker worries, "We could be getting a new local skinwalker."

Aleister wipes his hands on his hand-me-down jeans, "Just what we needed... a new...be. Shh."

Jake and Walker listen and look about with Aleister.

After a minute, Walker softly asks, "What was it?"

Aleister admits, "I still don't know.
"It's that sound again... like a heartbeat knocking on my brain... I've no guess."

Walker offers, "It might not be a sound.
"It could be an Astro-wave that you're translating as sound."

Jake tosses the raven into the river, "Still think it psychological, it started after you fell for Eric."

Walker snickers as Aleister fusses, "Stop saying that."