The Quake

Chapter 19

Erin was lost and cold and angry at the damn dogs for putting her in this position. Ordinarily she enjoyed solitary walks in nature. The quiet of the forest tended to quiet her mind. The forest was never actually quiet, it just never asked anything of her other than to exist. From the outside, this forest did not look big enough to get lost in. Had it been daytime, she probably wouldn't have been lost.

She had again run away from Tyler on some foolhardy quest - this time to rescue a misplaced flamingo from her own over eager creatures. She had to admit that it didn't feel as nice to be alone out here as it had when she'd been walking with Tyler. Her light flickered. Of course, she grumbled then wacked it against the palm of her hand until it stopped.

She was going to have to think her way out of this mess. Maybe if she used her other senses, she could figure out a direction to turn. She pressed the button on the end of the flashlight, plunging herself into darkness. The green scent of the forest wafted around her. Then came the rustling of the leaves in the trees from smaller critters who could see far better than she could, going about their nighttime business.

As she concentrated on the sounds, she thought she could pinpoint a louder crunch of leaves coming from behind and some heavy panting directly in front. The crunch was hopefully the heavy footsteps of Tyler. The panting must be Murray, who by this point had either lost or eaten his quarry.

Something small rubbed up against her legs. She shrieked and turned the flashlight back on. The light caught the glowing eyes of a wet mangy fat orange cat staring at her reproachfully. "Oh Mochi, there you are," she said wonderingly. She didn't delude herself about these woods. It was remarkable that her cat, especially this one that had the personality of fat lasagna loving Garfield and the heft, had not been another creature's meal. She put the flashlight beneath an armpit and bent down to collect the wet feline. Mochi obligingly butted her hands with his head.

"Ack." Hissed a male voice from behind her. "The light is burning my eyes. What are you doing?" Tyler demanded.

She scooped the cat up into her arms and turned around to face him. Still cradled in her armpit, the flashlight swiveled wildly as she turned. "I lost the dogs but gained a cat." She presented the cat to Tyler.

"Of course you did," he sighed. "Did you even wonder how I would find my way in the dark after you took off like that with the flashlight?"

She hadn't. She probably should have, but it had been an instinct to run after her pets. Holding the flashlight up so she could see him, she saw a scratch on his cheek and so much leaf debris in his hair and shirt that he looked like he'd gotten into a fight with a tree and lost. He flinched from her light. She moved it out of his eyes and guiltily approached him. "I'm sorry. I should have." She said quietly.

Mochi protested when she shifted his large rump awkwardly to one arm so she could begin to de-leaf Tyler. Tyler sighed through his nose and took the flashlight from her. "Can I hold this?" Though it was cold out here, his chest radiated heat. Even Mochi strained toward him.

"Yes, thank you." She continued plucking. "I must be such a trial to you."

He grabbed her hand, holding it still. "Erin, it's dangerous out here. Can you promise me that you'll stop running away from me?"

"I don't know if I can." She admitted tilting her head back so she could look him in the eyes. "I don't always think before I leap."

His lip cocked up in a reluctant smile. "I'm noticing that." He looked down at their clasped hands. "I shouldn't like that about you, but I do."

She batted her eyelashes at him playfully, a tactic that was ruined when a wisp of hair blew into her eye. "You like me? Gee, I thought you were just putting up with me because you had to, for my mother," she teased blowing at the hair. She couldn't wipe it away because her hands were full, but she didn't want to stop holding Tyler's hand either.