Base Nature (49 page)

N
o
w
i
n
the
apple
o
r
cha
rd
,
he
t
o
o
k
h
e
r
hand and
l
e
d
h
e
r
t
o
the
be
st
t
ree
s.
“I
always c
o
me
to
th
e
se
t
ree
s,”
he
s
a
i
d
,
h
a
n
d
ing h
e
r
a
b
ask
e
t.

“
Y
o
u’
ve
bee
n
h
er
e
be
f
o
re
?”
She
k
e
pt
h
e
r
e
y
e
s
a
h
e
ad
and he
c
o
u
ld
f
ee
l
the
u
nc
er
tainty
r
a
d
iating
o
ff h
e
r
in wav
e
s.

“S
ure
.
E
v
er
y
y
e
a
r
.
We
e
at
appl
e
s,
y
o
u k
n
o
w.”
He
la
u
gh
ed
.
“
A
nd
the
fa
r
m
is
j
u
st n
o
r
th
o
f
h
ere
.
M
y
h
o
me
and
fami
l
y,
I
m
e
an.
A
nd
wh
e
n
I
l
e
ft…”
he
t
r
ail
e
d
o
ff,
pa
r
t
o
f him wishing he
had
n
e
v
e
r
said
it.
P
a
r
t
o
f
him h
o
p
i
ng
s
he
w
o
u
ld
p
r
o
mpt
h
i
m
to
ask.
I
t w
o
u
ld
b
e
like
lancing a
b
o
il
i
n many ways.

“I th
o
u
ght
w
o
lv
e
s
w
er
e
pack
animals,”
s
he
s
a
i
d
,
e
y
e
s
o
n
the t
ree
.
She was
smil
i
ng
bu
t
th
er
e
was c
ur
i
o
sity
i
n
h
e
r
v
o
ic
e
.
S
he
t
ur
n
e
d
a
nd
smil
e
d
at
h
i
m,
h
e
r
br
o
wn
e
y
e
s
a light
e
r
c
h
o
c
o
late
s
ha
d
e
in the
s
u
nlight. “Why a
r
e
y
o
u
sta
r
ing at m
e
?”

“
Be
ca
u
se
y
o
u’r
e
g
o
r
g
e
o
u
s,”
he sai
d
.
T
he t
ru
th
will
s
e
t
y
o
u f
ree
.
“
A
nd
I k
n
o
w
y
o
u h
u
ng
u
pstai
r
s
f
o
r
me
and
K
e
lly and
th
a
nk y
o
u
.
O
h and
we
a
re
.”

“
Are
?”
She
was
wa
t
ching
his
lips,
h
e
r
att
r
acti
o
n
f
o
r
him
b
li
n
king
like
an
invisi
b
le

n
e
o
n s
i
gn that
o
n
l
y he
c
o
u
ld
s
ee
.

“
P
ack
an
i
mals.
I
l
e
ft
f
o
r
va
r
i
o
u
s
re
as
o
ns.”
He
l
o
o
k
e
d
d
o
w
n
and
s
he
l
o
o
k
e
d
u
p.
He wait
e
d
to
s
e
e
which way
s
he
w
o
u
ld
p
u
sh him.

“
S
o
that la
d
y is…”

S
o
she
w
o
u
ld
n
o
t
p
o
ke
at
why
he
had
l
e
ft.
She
had
a
l
o
t
o
f
c
o
ur
t
e
sy,
L
iv
d
i
d
.
“
T
hat is
K
e
lly.
K
e
lly
i
s
v
er
y
m
u
ch
the
mat
r
ia
r
ch
o
f
the
pack.
H
e
r h
u
s
b
and
Ch
e
st
e
r
is
alpha pat
r
ia
r
ch.”

“
I’
ve
n
e
v
e
r
u
n
der
st
oo
d
that
alpha
st
u
ff.”
She
s
e
l
e
c
t
e
d
a
re
d
d
ish
g
o
ld
apple
and
s
e
t it g
e
ntly in the
b
ask
e
t.

“
I
t
’
s
c
o
mplicat
ed
.
A
nd
it
’
s
n
o
t.” He
sh
ru
gg
ed
.
“I
g
ue
ss
if y
o
u’r
e
r
ais
e
d
with
it, the st
ru
ct
u
r
e
o
f it
m
a
k
e
s
p
er
f
e
ct
s
e
ns
e
.
Ch
e
st
e
r
i
s
alpha and
e
l
de
st.
T
h
e
y
a
r
e
n
o
t n
e
c
e
ssa
r
ily
o
ne
and
the
sam
e
.”

“
S
o
a
r
e
th
er
e
o
th
e
r
alphas?”

“Y
e
s
bu
t
th
er
e
can
o
nly
b
e
o
n
e
.
M
o
stly.” “
L
ike
Bu
ffy,”
s
he
said
and
la
u
gh
ed
.

“
J
o
k
e’
s
o
n y
o
u
,
l
ittle
gi
r
l. I
wa
t
ch
e
d
that s
h
o
w. I
was,
i
n fact,
a
d
i
e
-ha
r
d
fan.” “
A
h, w
e
ll, th
e
n
y
o
u
k
n
o
w what
I
m
e
an.”
A
n
o
th
e
r
re
d
f
ru
it
w
e
nt in the
b
ask
e
t. “Y
e
s, that the
l
i
n
e
s
can
b
l
u
r
and
it can g
e
t
c
o
mplicat
ed
.”

She
n
o
dded
.
“
E
xactly.
I
alw
a
ys
want
e
d
to
b
e
a st
r
o
ng
b
a
d
ass
like
s
o
m
e
o
ne
o
n
T
V
o
r in a c
o
mic. I
always want
e
d
t
o
walk with
o
u
t f
e
a
r
.”

He
re
m
e
m
b
e
r
e
d
h
e
r
dre
am
and
dr
o
pp
e
d
his
o
wn
apple
in
the
b
ask
e
t.
“We all
want p
o
w
er
.”

“
N
o
t
e
v
e
n
p
o
w
er
,
s
o
m
u
ch.
M
o
r
e
a
s
e
nse
o
f
p
e
ac
e
…saf
e
ty.”
She s
udde
nly
s
t
oo
d
o
n tipt
o
e
and
k
i
ss
e
d
him.
I
t
was
an
e
nti
re
ly
sw
ee
t
and in
n
o
c
e
nt
g
e
st
ur
e
a
nd
it
ma
d
e
h
is ch
e
st
wa
r
m
e
r
than the
s
u
n
e
v
e
r
c
o
u
l
d
.

“What was that
f
o
r
?”

“W
e
ll,
y
o
u’r
e
away f
r
o
m
h
o
me
and
f
r
o
m
y
o
u
r
pack.
Y
o
u
r
m
o
m,
s
o
to
sp
e
ak, is cl
e
a
r
ly
w
o
rr
i
e
d
a
b
o
u
t
y
o
u and
I’
m
p
re
tty
s
ur
e
wants
y
o
u
t
o
c
o
me
h
o
me
bu
t
y
o
u still f
o
u
nd time
t
o
save
me and take
me in
an
d
…make me
f
ee
l
g
o
o
d
.
A
nd n
o
w,”
she
h
e
ld an
o
th
e
r
f
ru
it high
s
o
he
c
o
u
ld
s
m
e
ll
its sw
ee
t
p
er
f
u
m
e
.
“
A
ppl
e
s
!
”