Page 26 of Rangers Mountain Rescue
10
Havoc
The mountain goes quiet once the sun drops.
Not silent.
Just different.
The wind moves through the trees like someone whispering.
Branches crack under boots.
Buddy pulls ahead, nose low to the ground, tail straight like an arrow.
The dog knows exactly what he’s doing.
Dylan walks beside me, gripping the leash with both hands.
Aspen stays close behind us.
I can hear her breathing.
Steady.
Controlled.
But she’s tired.
Too tired for this.
“You hike much?” I ask quietly.
“Not lately,” she admits.
“Stay on my left.”
“Why?”
“So if you fall, I can catch you.”
She doesn’t answer.
But a second later she moves exactly where I told her.
Smart woman.
Up ahead, Wolf’s voice crackles over the radio.
“Tracks confirmed. He definitely came this way. I found his other house shoe.”
Buddy barks once.
Sharp.
Excited.
Dylan lights up.
