Base Nature (9 page)

A
cti
o
n

G
a
rre
t
t
s
e
t
the s
h
o
v
e
l
d
o
wn.
He
r
ais
e
d
h
is
h
e
a
d
,
s
niff
ed
.
A
s
mall
s
o
u
nd had s
e
t
h
is t
ee
th
o
n
ed
g
e
.
H
i
s
m
u
scl
e
s
w
e
nt
r
igid
and a
c
o
ld kind
o
f
awa
re
n
e
ss
fl
o
o
de
d
h
is
syst
e
m. He
c
o
ck
e
d
his h
e
a
d
,
list
e
ning
a
bo
ve
the
n
o
r
mal s
o
u
n
d
s
o
f
the
t
r
affic
and
the
b
i
rd
s
and the
sq
u
i
rre
ls
who
w
er
e
d
amn
n
e
ar
ber
s
er
k
g
ath
er
ing
ac
o
r
ns
f
r
o
m
h
is
t
ree
.
He h
e
a
r
d
the tick-t
o
ck
o
f
the
c
l
o
ck
i
n
the
kitch
e
n,
the
wh
ee
ze
o
f
the
a
nci
e
nt
s
u
mp p
u
mp
in
the
c
r
appy
b
as
e
m
e
nt
o
f
his
br
an
d
-
n
e
w
sh
i
ny
f
i
x
er
-
u
pp
er
.
He
h
e
a
r
d
the
w
o
r
ms
in the
e
a
r
th
he
h
ad
bee
n
w
eed
ing
and
he
h
e
a
r
d
the
c
o
u
ple
n
e
xt
d
oo
r
ha
v
ing
s
e
x. What
he
d
id
n
o
t
h
e
ar
was the
s
o
u
nd
that had
ma
d
e
h
is
b
l
oo
d
si
n
g.

He
inhal
e
d
again,
dee
ply,
catching
the
sc
e
nt
o
f
f
l
o
w
er
s
and
s
h
o
w
e
r
and
w
o
man.
T
he
h
o
t
wa
te
r
sm
e
ll
ca
rr
i
e
d
a
l
i
ght
sc
e
nt
o
f
lav
e
n
de
r
and
a
w
o
man
w
h
o
was n
o
t p
re
s
e
ntly
o
v
u
lating.
“
Y
o
u’r
e
be
ing
c
ree
py,”
he m
u
tt
e
r
e
d
to
hims
e
lf.
I
f
any
o
f
his
n
e
w n
e
igh
b
o
r
s
l
o
o
k
e
d
o
u
t
t
o
s
e
e
him
snif
f
ing
at
the
air like a
h
o
u
nd
d
o
g
o
n
a
s
u
sp
e
ct
’
s
t
r
ail, th
e
y
’
d
talk.
I
t
was
be
tt
e
r
to
b
e
ca
re
f
u
l
wh
e
n away
f
r
o
m the
g
r
o
u
p.
He
h
ad
de
ci
d
e
d
o
n
a s
o
l
ita
r
y
lif
e
, so
he
n
eede
d
t
o
wa
t
ch
o
u
t
f
o
r
h
ims
e
lf.
He
was
n
o
w a pack
o
f
o
n
e
.

T
h
er
e
it
was
a
gain.
A small
and sta
r
tl
e
d
M
mph!
that
was
g
o
ne
be
f
o
r
e
it
re
gist
er
e
d
. He
sniff
e
d
again as s
ub
tly
as
p
o
ssi
b
le
and
h
i
s
n
o
se
pick
e
d
u
p
the
st
r
o
ng
bur
ning
h
air sm
e
ll
o
f f
e
a
r
.
He
f
e
lt
it ag
a
in and
t
e
ns
ed
.
T
he
same
f
ee
ling as this
m
o
r
ning, the
s
e
nsati
o
n
r
ight
u
n
de
r
h
i
s
skin
l
i
ke
mild
e
l
e
ct
r
icity.
T
his
was
w
h
o
was
c
o
m
i
ng.
T
he
p
er
s
o
n
who had
ma
d
e
that sta
r
tl
e
d
s
mall s
o
u
n
d
.

G
a
rre
t
t
h
o
pp
e
d
the f
e
nce
and f
o
l
l
o
w
e
d
his
n
o
s
e
.
I
f
h
is
n
e
igh
b
o
r
s
saw,
h
e’
d
have to
de
al
with
it
lat
er
.
H
e’
d
t
e
ll
th
e
m
all
h
e’
d
ru
n
t
r
ack
in
h
i
gh
sch
o
o
l.
Had
bee
n
an
e
xp
er
t
at h
urd
l
e
s.
T
hat he
was a s
u
p
e
r
h
er
o
.
H
e’
d
t
e
ll th
e
m
a
nything at all
bu
t
the
t
ru
th.