feeding himself,” Bishop said.
Moore became more relaxed as time passed. The wolf got up and scouted the area. When he was finished, he returned to the camp and settled on the ground not far from Bishop. Moore swore he would not sleep that night, but the weariness of travel weighed in on him along with the withdrawal from the adrenaline rush. Bishop, used to sleeping no more than a few hours normally, stayed awake contemplating the reason for this visit. There was some kind of connection between him and the animal, and he knew it was not just because he had helped him. There was something more. While they did not speak the same language, he knew the beast understood him. Not only understood him, but seemed to support him.
Bishop awoke slowly as his senses came alive. Before his eyes opened, he could hear the sounds of the pre- dawn stirring, and smell the presence of his companions. He felt refreshed and decided to take stock of their surroundings before getting started with the final part of their expedition. The temperature on the high plains desert could fluctuate forty to fifty degrees in a twenty-four hour period. While Bishop was unaffected by this, he considered what it meant to others as he saw Moore wrapped tightly in his bedding.
When Moore finally stirred out of his slumber, he saw Bishop standing on top of the tallest mound looking toward the north. He also saw the rock wolf standing near him. By the time he packed his gear, the two had returned.
“I think we’ll make it before nightfall,” Bishop offered.
“What about him,” Moore said nodding toward the wolf.
“I think he’ll go along with us. At least we won’t have to worry about being surprised by anything.”
“I don’t understand how you can be so casual around him.”
“Maybe you just don’t understand him. Everything is trying to survive, but everything doesn’t have to be a fight.”
Moore was not interested in discussing the philosophical aspects of the subject, and decided to let it drop. They ate a small meal, collected their gear, and set out. Moore followed Bishop, keeping a close eye on the wolf while it scouted ahead of them.
Because of the darkness of the skies, storms were mostly undetectable until they were atop you. One such storm came unannounced that afternoon. The first sign of its presence was from the wolf. He veered out of the wadi they were following and crested its slope. He took one look back at his companions then ran off. Bishop and Moore also crested the shallow wash as the peculiar behavior of the wolf puzzled them. When they saw nothing in the immediate area, Bishop’s attention was drawn to the sky as purple flashes of light could be seen within the clouds themselves, not yet extending their destruction to the ground.
“We have to find a place to hide,” Moore said a bit frantically.
“What are you talking about,” asked Bishop somewhat confused.
“Look,” Moore said pointing to the back of his arm. “It’s an electrical storm.”
Bishop did not need to see the hair standing on the back of Moore’s arm; he could see it on his head. Although he had never witnesses an electrical storm, Weston had described them to him and he knew it was certain death to be caught in the middle of one.
They dropped back into the ravine and started off on a run. There was little sound of thunder, but that was not a true indication of how close the storm was. Normally one would avoid low-lying areas in the event of a storm, especially dry streambeds like they were in, as they flooded quickly from unseen water building up miles away. But an electrical storm was just that, lightening and static electricity with occasional hail. The only cover they could hope to find in time would be somewhere in the wash they followed.
Bishop ran effortlessly and soon began outpacing his companion. He could not concern himself about that as he sensed the storm getting nearer. The air was ‘alive’ around him, and they could both hear the first signs of the static discharges contacting the earth around them. One such crash was near enough to Moore that Bishop stopped to see if he had been hit. Unscathed, and filled with added motivation, Moore soon ran past Bishop without a hint of showing any signs of stopping. While the situation was not funny, Bishop had trouble keeping the smile off his face as he turned to follow. Bishop was once again in the lead after overtaking his partner. The crashes of lightning were increasing by the minute and he knew they had little time before the inevitable occurred. As he turned a corner, he saw where the ravine had been cut away on one side creating a cave-like cavity under its rim. Knowing they were unlikely to find anything better, they took refuge in the meager shelter.
They huddled together with Bishop allowing his companion the back portion of the grotto. The storm had reached its full intensity now. Bishop planted his staff in the dirt along the side of the cave. He did not want to lose it, but he knew it was not a good idea to have it too close. The two men said nothing as the storm raged on for what seemed like hours, when in fact it lasted about twenty minutes. There was not much use in talking as the noise from the electrical impacts were so loud, that they needed to shout to be heard even though they were right next to each other. When the storm subsided, they crawled out of their hole and examined their surroundings.
“Wow. I’ve seen them from the valley before, but that was the first time I’ve ever been in one, and hopefully the last,” Moore said in relief.
“It was something, wasn’t it,” Bishop said. “Look at that,” he continued as he pointed toward where they had been before taking cover.
The ground both in and out of the ravine had been scorched repeatedly. There were blackened marks on the rocks themselves, and here and there small patches of brown grass sat smoldering from the brief fires.
“I guess your wolf knew what he was doing,” Moore offered. “You think he made it alright?”
“I’m sure he’s been through it before. I think he’ll be fine,” Bishop said, as he believed. Being alerted by his unlikely companion was all the difference they needed to make it themselves. Now that he was no longer with them, he missed him.
Before that nightfall, the rock wolf had returned and they found what they were looking for. Tucked into the base of the mountain was a manmade structure, which stood apart from its natural surroundings. It resembled a typical military prefabricated building, except for the fact that there were no windows in its walls. Bishop dropped his satchel, removed from it a pair of binoculars Weston had given him, and examined the area. No one was in sight.
“I doubt they have any reason to send out patrols at night, but to be safe, we’ll take two hour watches to make sure.”
“Okay,” Moore replied.
“No fire tonight, so we’ll eat cold.”
After a few hours of sleep, Bishop decided to remain on watch through the night. Moore was exhausted and Bishop needed him to be ready when the time came. He doubted that they had already mobilized a team to send to the valley, and he did not see any signs of dust or noise to indicate otherwise, so he believed they were in good shape. If he was wrong, and they did not send out a force, which he thought highly unlikely knowing his father, he would go ahead with his plan anyway. He would wait a couple of days if necessary, but he knew Moore‘s effectiveness would lessen as each day passed.
Early the next morning sounds from the all-terrain vehicles aroused Moore from sleep. He slithered alongside Bishop and they lay side by side peering through their sparse cover at the spectacle before them. Forty-one men, and vehicles loaded with supplies, were counted among the contingent. Moore noticed all of the weapons and concern went out to his friends. “You think they will be alright,” he asked Bishop.
“I don’t know kid. The best thing we can do is what we came here for, do it right, then go help your friends.”
Moore nodded in agreement.
Bishop looked back at the wolf who was sitting and studying the two men, “You can go now boy. We appreciate your help but you can’t do anything for us here.”
The wolf turned his head as Bishop spoke to him. Moore turned to Bishop, “You really think he understands you?”
“Look,” Bishop said while pointing as the wolf walked away from them.
“I don’t think anyone will believe me when I get back and tell them who we had as an escort on this trip.”
Focusing on what they were about to do, Bishop returned his attention to the facility. There was no further
