Hunters' Love

Chapter 3

I awake hearing a crashing sound. Just what I wanted to hear, it was turkeys leaving their roost to start out their long boring day of just pecking at the ground.

My grip tightened on the gun as I slowly sat up straight and got on my knees. It was dawn and the light was dim. I let my eyes adjust as I listened then, I looked around. I could hear hens calling out, seeking their mates, but couldn't see them, they had to be about 10 yards away. 

Then I hear what I was looking forward to, "gobble gobble gobble" My heart rate kicked up as the Gobbler called back to the hens. I smiled as my adrenaline kicked in. Time to get me my dinner I thought happily.

I slowly stood up, letting my back go up against the tree. I brought my hand up to my mouth and I did the turkey call with my tongue. He gobbles back, this goes on for about 15 minutes, but I realized he wasn't going to come to me, he was going after the real hens because the were closer.

Guess I'll be coming to you I thought bitterly as I threw on my backpack and held up my gun. It was now completely light out, but I heard distant thunder in the horizon. Well too late to go back, I guess I'll just hunt in the storm.

I walked in the direction of the gobbler. He called out about every 3 minutes. Finally, I seen his footprints and they were huge. I held my hand beside one and it was bigger than my hand. This is gonna be exciting, I thought. I pictured him strutting to the hens, his beard over 12 inches long and his spurs 2 inches long.

Yea I know, I exaggerate in my mind thank you for noticing.

I quietly followed the tracks, in order to be quiet I had to be slow... excruciatingly slow. After an hour I tracked him to the fence that marked the end of my territory. Crap! I came this far and I will not loose him now, I thought angrily. Okay if I go across I could either get shot by the owner of the land... or get my king turkey. Oh and lets not forget about the storm that was on its way.

See any reasonable person would have stayed on their land and hunted for another gobbler. Well like I said, I want to yell at my past self and tell her she's stupid.

I crossed the fence swiftly and continued tracking. I walked for about 30 minutes and then I seen him and the hens. He was strutting, his chest was stuck out and his feathers were fanned out. He. Was. Huge. My adrenaline came back on as I raised the gun and clicked off the safety. But before I could take the shot a flash of white and the clash of thunder caused me to jump. I didn't realize how close the storm was.  The turkeys caught sight of me and took off through the air. You have got to be kidding me! I was soo freaking close! I felt my blood boil as the last of the turkeys flew out of sight.

I felt the first of the raindrops on my face and I started muttering under my breath. " Stupid turkeys. Stupid storm. Now I have to head back before I get struck by lightning or...." I trailed off as I looked around at my surroundings. None of it looked familiar. "Oh god I'm lost," I said but you wouldn't have heard me due to the thunder that seemed to go on none stop.

I started heading in one direction but stopped. I turned around and started heading the other way, but I stopped again. I had no clue which way to go. The rain came down heavier to the point where I couldn't see in front of me 3 feet out.

I decided to just start walking in one direction and stick to it, surely I'll reach a road or house eventually. The lightning got closer and worse. I had to find shelter. I looked up at the sky and tried to judge exactly how close the lightning was. Before I looked back down, I lost my footing, I cried out as I slid down a bank into a flooded creek. I screamed as I tried to get to the edge, but the current was too strong. I cried out for help even though I knew no one would come. The backpack was like a sinker and it was all I could do to keep my head above the surface. In a panic I slid it off and I tried to swim to the edge of the creek, which now was more like a raging river, and I didn't notice the danger ahead. I heard someone yell at me to look out. I turned around, but it was too late, my head crashed into a rock that hung over the water.

Darkness took over.