[Dire Days Event] Task 1 - Bonus 2

The unexpected incident with the mountain lion had cost them a lot of time and there was no way they would be able to make up for it now. Both of them - Tokota and handler - were low on energy, exhausted from the long travel through the mountains and freezing from the biting wind that didn’t cease to throw snow into their faces.

Diablo’s head was lowered and his eyes were trained on the rocky and uneven path in front of him like he had to concentrate to make one step after another. Snow and ice covered most of the ground and it was impossible to see bumps or holes, causing him to stumble from time to time.

At some point Liam decided to dismount the black Tokota. Not that he wasn’t tired enough already, but the filled bags attached to the Tokota’s tack were enough weight for the male to carry. The least Liam could do was to drag himself up the last part of the mountain range to the campsite.

“We should be almost there…”, Liam mumbled and stopped for a moment, putting his hand on Diablo’s shoulder for support. His legs were trembling and he couldn’t feel his toes thanks to the cold.

“You know, buddy… Sometimes I ask myself, why I did all of this.”, he scoffed, patting Diablo’s head while moving on. “I could be at home, in my warm and cozy bed, wrapped up in my boyfriends’ arms.”

If he was honest, he was glad for being here. No matter how much he missed Damien and Ithan, the trip to Alaska was a much needed time-out. Not from his relationship, but from everything else.

“Damien might visit us in the near future. I sent him photos of you and the others and he’s eager to meet the pack.”, he continued and smiled as he remembered his lover’s e-mail.

Diablo glanced at him as if he was wondering where his handler took the breath from to talk this much. After several more meters the path stopped rising and lead them to some sort of plateau, mostly surrounded by rocks and a few dead trees. An old wooden sign was covered in snow and Liam wiped it off in order to read what was written on it.

“This is it! We reached the campsite.”, he said and relieve filled his voice.

Night had settled over an hour ago and the temperature dropped even more. Not to mention the lack of light that made it almost impossible to see. Liam went to free his Tokota from his tack, removing the saddle and the heavy bags. The first thing they needed was a fire, so he collected whatever he could find to create a fire pit close to some high rocks that would protect the fire from wind and snow.

“Watch out, Diablo. We might not be the only ones here.”, he called over his shoulder. The command was unnecessary since the slate roan already roamed the plateau, sniffing the ground and twisting his ears back and forth.

Once the fire was burning and slowly devouring leaves and branches, Liam emptied the bags and started to set up a tent. It was rather small, but therefore easy and light to carry around. A tarp was attached on one side that could be rolled out and held up with two metal sticks to create a roof for Diablo to sleep underneath. Most of the time the Tokota didn’t seem to be bothered by the cold, but after the long travel Liam wanted to make his sleeping place as comfortable as possible.

“That should do.”, he told himself after he had covered the ground with a blanket that had an isolated underside. He then quickly threw his sleeping bag and a few belongings from his backpack into the tent and was ready to attend to the most important part for the night: food.

They would have to hunt in order to be able to stay in the mountains for more than a few days, but for now the fish and meat he brought with him were more than enough. Carefully he placed one piece of fish next to the fire while the second one stayed raw.

“Diablo, dinner’s ready!”, he called and it was just then that he noticed the Tokota’s absence.

“Diablo?”, he repeated with a frown and got to his feet. It was unusual for the black male to stray. “Diablo, where are you? Come here!”

The snow on the ground was mostly frozen, so there were hardly any footprints he could follow. A deep growl startled him and he spun around, now looking in the direction that lead even deeper into the mountains.

“Diablo?” Without a second thought he jogged forward, narrowing his eyes as he tried to figure out his surroundings. Everything the campfire couldn’t reach appeared to be black with the exception of the dull grey of snow.

There was movement in front of him and his heart skipped a beat. A second growl reached his ears and when Diablo emerged from the shadows, a breath he didn’t even know he was holding escaped his mouth.

“Here you are! What the heck, Diablo? You scared the shit out of me!”, Liam babbled with a small laugh, shaking his head.

Diablo was still facing the direction he came from, an irritated look on his face. His body was tense and it needed a slight bat on the head to get his attention.

“Come on. We will have enough time to explore this place. First we need some rest.”, Liam said and hooked his index finger on the metal ring on Diablo’s collar. With a gentle tug he indicated the slate roan to follow him, what he did after short hesitation.

Grumbling Diablo lay down on the blanket under the tarp and watched Liam, who sat down in front of him.

“Let me check your face and paws. The mountain lion was a tough one.”, he muttered, examining the Tokota for possible wounds. He wasn’t equipped for serious injuries, but small wounds were no problem to take care of.

“I’m glad, you seem to be fine.”, Liam said after a while and scratched the Tokota’s chin affectionately. “You did an amazing job today. I’m sure we will be able to find some Dires. And when we do so, you have to be polite, remember? They are really, really big.”

The fish next to the fire looked grilled enough to be edible and he fed the still raw one to Diablo before wolfing down his meal. He hadn’t noticed how hungry he was until he started eating. Every time he had to make do with self-prepared and rather improvised meals, he started to miss his boyfriend’s cooking. Ithan would be shocked, if he knew what was considered proper food when you were traveling through the wild, living from day to day.

“Okay buddy, it’s time to get some rest. We have a lot to do tomorrow.” Liam yawned and stood up, to add more wood to the fire. He would have to add more later, if he wanted to keep it burning for the whole night, but it was more than worth it. There was a much needed circle of warmth around the pit and Liam hoped that it would reach the inside of the tent as well.

“Be a good boy and sleep. You don’t need to watch out the whole night. No unplanned expeditions on your own! You hear me?”, he explained, looking at Diablo and prodding his cold nose with his finger.

He made sure that Diablo settled down on his blanket and got ready for some sleep. Even if the slate roan didn’t do so entirely willingly, his eyelids seemed to become heavy with exhaustion and finally slid shut.

Drowsy Liam crawled into his tent and pushed the boots off his feet. He snuggled into his sleeping bag and was out like a light the second he closed his eyes.

All the while he hadn’t noticed the watchful eyes that had - and still did - observed the camp. Huge shadows were looming in the dark, sliding along rocks  and over the canvas of the tent.