Posted As Missing

Chapter Twenty-Three

After recovering from Maria's examination, David glanced at his watch. "It's nearly four thirty. The sun's going to leave this side of the nook in less than half an hour. After it goes, it will quickly chill, but we can light a fire in here this evening."

"But won't Fritz see it?"

"No, Mama," Maria answered. "There's still smoke and flames on the slopes above us, so our fire will fit in with the scene. Ours won't look different from the rest of the fire."

"Exactly my thoughts," David said. "I'm going to dress and go back up the opposite slope to take another look."

He checked the safety, unclipped the case from the handle, flipped the lid open and slid the pistol inside. Then slipping the case into the harness, he looped the strap over his belt and fastened it. "Just in case I've a need for protection. We have this, we may as well use it. I've been so comfortable here, so relaxed and well cared for, that I keep forgetting I'm deep in enemy territory."

After kissing them both, he checked the mirror and headed out. "The snow should be mostly gone by now from the sun. I'll likely be less than a quarter hour."

He dipped his hand in the shallowest pool.

The water's still the same temperature as yesterday. Must be a flow of thermal water across the slabs.

He examined the strata junction, smiled and nodded.

David quickly regained his previous outlook perch. The snow was almost completely gone from the forest floor, down to a few patches which had remained in the shade and in places it had stacked up from sloughing off tree branches. There were still many small fires around the periphery of the charred scar with flames licking both standing and fallen trees. Dirty white smoke rose from underground fires across the whole area.

Our little fire will fit in well. I wonder where Fritz is.

He scanned the area again, then he relaxed his eyes and set them out of focus on the slopes opposite as he sat still, waiting for motion. There was none for several minutes, then he caught movement and focused on a doe and a fawn picking their way across a small clearing in the trees beyond the fire scar. He watched in appreciation.

Then there was a gunshot, then quickly two more as both animals collapsed. Half a minute later, five soldiers walked into the clearing toward the fallen deer.

So Fritz is still up there. What bloody cowards, killing a defenceless doe and her fawn. But elsewhere they're also killing defenceless mothers and children.

He watched as the soldiers approached their kill, raising their arms and weapons in victory. The biggest man tucked the small fawn under his arm, the four others each took a leg of the doe, and they carried their meat across the slope, angling slightly upwards and then out of sight.

David retraced his route back to the bottom of the bluff and followed the ramp back along toward the gully, picking up a thick fallen branch from the slope as he went. He tossed the branch across the stream, and it landed on the slab with a clatter. Then he stood in the mirror's view until he saw Maria poke her head out from behind the gabbro block.

She ran out across the slab to the stream's edge, Rachel close behind her. Her face was streaked with tears, she looked distraught. "We thought those shots were for you. We didn't know what to think."

Rachel's face was also glistening wet with tears. "What was that about? What were those shots? We were so worried."

"Fritz shooting some meat for dinner. Looks like you both need a hug," he said as he sidled along the narrow ledge. He manoeuvred around the bulge, leapt across the stream onto the slab, took a few steps and wrapped them both in a huge warm hug.