Early Birds

Adventure

Simon woke early the next morning, feeling energised and relaxed, jumping up to put the kettle on and making them both a drink. Taking the drinks to the bedroom, he gently woke Cassie and the two sat on the bed chatting.

The day was filled with activity, planning and organising materials for their trip. Cassie gathered up her old hunting gear with the sleeping bags, camping equipment and a fluorescent cap and waistcoat for them both, remembering to pack the meat bags for any kills to be transported.

Simon soon got to work checking out the rifles, making sure they were cleaned and oiled and in good working order, packing them up in their bags with plenty of ammo. He checked both their handguns, and holsters, as a precaution for meeting any predators on the trip. He also selected a couple of good hunting knives for the trip, making sure they were sharp and clean. Before long it was time to pack up their gear in the ATV in preparation for leaving in time. 

Cassie prepared some food for them to take for the evening making sure they had equipment for cooking and making drinks. Satisfied they had everything they needed, they locked up the cabin and set off.

Simon was more careful in driving the ATV up the forest track as much of it was overgrown and had more obstacles than expected. He was enjoying the drive having Cassie holding onto him tightly as they meandered up the hill to their stopping point. The trip went quite quickly, despite the barely used track, coming to a stop at the narrow track as Cassie had indicated earlier. They stowed the ATV away off the main track, making sure it was hidden. Simon helped Cassie put on her large backpack, fastening her rifle securely, making sure she was okay with the weight, before putting on and securing his own. 

Simon felt secure in the familiarity of the process, both from having been on trips by himself and from gearing up for some of his missions. He confidently lead the way up the narrow winding path, regularly checking back to see how Cassie was managing. He was impressed by her stamina, for a small woman, she actually kept a good pace, him only slowing down a little to make sure she was close by. 'How's the hip doing, love?' he asked checking in on her.

'It's fine, been quite active today, so it's feeling flexible and comfortable so far' she replied.

In short time, they reached the end of the track, their trek coming to an end at the top of the hill, opening up into a small clearing. Simon stood and admired the view, Cassie wasn't kidding about being able to see three valleys. They unpacked their gear and searched for firewood, making a small area for a fire for later. Grabbing their rifles, they headed off to scout around for some good places to encounter game.

Wandering down to a small creek, Simon stopped to look around, 'What do you see Cassie?' he asked wanting to test her ability.

Cassie scanned the area high and low before crouching down. 'There's a number of animals coming down to drink at the creek' she explained pointing to some tracks. Cassie was able to pick out fresh deer tracks in the mud, confirming that the deer were coming through this area only recently.

Simon was impressed by her observations and her keen eyes. Moving further back up the hill, Simon asked Cassie to pick out a suitable location to lay in wait, safely out of sight of deer. Cassie was able to quickly identify a double trunked tree, that would serve as an excellent stable point for their rifles, giving them a great view of the track to the creek.

'You've got some good eyes, Cassie, maybe I should take you out on a solo mission, might give me an advantage' Simon said teasing. Cassie looked at him in mock horror before laughing.

Happy that they had a good lookout point for the morning, they headed back to their base camp to start a fire and settle for the night. Simon got a fire going very quickly and set the kettle on top to boil water for drinks along with a small pan heating their food. The two sat admiring the sunset while eating their meal, the colours of orange, red and purple streaking across the sky.