The benefit of having no solid work schedule was that Juniper could disappear into the woods whenever she wanted after school was out. Before coming to Easthaven, she wouldn't have considered simply being in the wild as therapy--in fact, it had sounded crazy boring--but after seeing the way constant trips out to Northrops seemed to calm her mind and body, she wouldn't have it any other way.
Tonight, she'd booked a plot at a remote campsite, one high up in the foothills where one could be alone for miles. It had been on a whim earlier that evening, so she'd set out late in the evening, getting a few looks at the trailhead when she head out near dark. Not that it mattered to the tiger--there weren't a lot of things that could kill her.
Juniper didn't know that tonight was special. It was a week before the full moon, but other than that, it was just like any other night. She carried her kit on her back into the dark forest, bundled lightly against the cold in an oversized flannel, t-shirt, and jeans. The stars twinkled through the branches overhead, and she drew in a deep breath of the cold night air as she meandered down the path. Her site was out another few miles, past a ranger station, but she was in no hurry.
That was why the light through the trees gave her a pause. It was possible she was closer to the station than she thought, but it didn't seem right. The smell of burning wood on the breeze didn't help either and the animals were quiet.
She was the curious sort. Curious enough to cut off the trail and creep through the trees to take a look at the distant light. It danced like firelight and when she got close, that was confirmed. She saw a man, his breath clouding around his head as he moved through the clearing. Something about him was immediately familiar, even if the context was completely new and Juniper drew up short with surprise and some bafflement. The sheer coincidence!
On any other occasion she might've snuck away and went on her way, but her mild pleasure at finding a familiar face out in the woods tonight stopped her. Juniper hoisted her backpack a little higher up on her back. Deliberately snapping a stick with her next footfall, she telegraphed her approach so as not to surprise the man. Brushing a low branch aside before stepping into the clearing, she called out to him. “Cam? Issat you?”
Tonight, she'd booked a plot at a remote campsite, one high up in the foothills where one could be alone for miles. It had been on a whim earlier that evening, so she'd set out late in the evening, getting a few looks at the trailhead when she head out near dark. Not that it mattered to the tiger--there weren't a lot of things that could kill her.
Juniper didn't know that tonight was special. It was a week before the full moon, but other than that, it was just like any other night. She carried her kit on her back into the dark forest, bundled lightly against the cold in an oversized flannel, t-shirt, and jeans. The stars twinkled through the branches overhead, and she drew in a deep breath of the cold night air as she meandered down the path. Her site was out another few miles, past a ranger station, but she was in no hurry.
That was why the light through the trees gave her a pause. It was possible she was closer to the station than she thought, but it didn't seem right. The smell of burning wood on the breeze didn't help either and the animals were quiet.
She was the curious sort. Curious enough to cut off the trail and creep through the trees to take a look at the distant light. It danced like firelight and when she got close, that was confirmed. She saw a man, his breath clouding around his head as he moved through the clearing. Something about him was immediately familiar, even if the context was completely new and Juniper drew up short with surprise and some bafflement. The sheer coincidence!
On any other occasion she might've snuck away and went on her way, but her mild pleasure at finding a familiar face out in the woods tonight stopped her. Juniper hoisted her backpack a little higher up on her back. Deliberately snapping a stick with her next footfall, she telegraphed her approach so as not to surprise the man. Brushing a low branch aside before stepping into the clearing, she called out to him. “Cam? Issat you?”