Spirit Flight

CHAPTER 4

Marisa woke smiling, achy in a good way-except for her bladder's insistence that it was time to find some relief. And then as if the acknowledgement of one basic need was enough to rouse others, her stomach growled.

Not very romantic, she thought, laughing softly as she disentangled herself from both Ukiah's arms and the fur. She lingered for a moment afterward to look at him, to assure herself he was real and not a fantasy she'd conjured up in a hallucination.

Reluctantly she forced herself to her feet and over to where her clothes hung on a wooden peg. She wondered briefly where Ukiah's were. Not that she wouldn't forever savor the first sight of him wearing nothing but a loincloth, but it was cold outside and she didn't think he'd been out hiking in only a strip of suede.

She grimaced as she pulled on clothes stiff with dried mud and blood. Their dryness making her glance at the fire.

It amazed her that something so small could put out so much light and heat and last so long. But then again, what did she actually know about campfires? Until this trip she'd had zero experience with actual camping-as in the kind that doesn't involve an RV or a cozy cabin at the end of a day of hiking to places where she could draw or paint.

She slipped her feet into her shoes and tied the dirt-encrusted laces. Then tried to get her bearings, seeing at first only the opening which led to the sunken pool.

It was the lack of smoke that made her look more carefully at the darkened recess behind the campfire. And almost immediately the flames flickered and she could feel a damp, cool breeze.

With one last glance at Ukiah, Marisa moved to where she thought the exit was and slipped into the shadows. The sudden presence of light-even if it was greatly muted in what served as a shallow anteroom to the cave-made Marisa close her eyes in reaction.

When she opened them she experienced a moment of confusion and disorientation. Her mind scrambling to know what time of day it was, to grasp how long she'd been in the cave with Ukiah.

Marisa stepped to the mouth of the cave and took in the deep gray clouds. She shivered as cold, wet air hit her face-the force and sting of it making her want to retreat. But embarrassment over the prospect of relieving herself in the cave, with Ukiah nearby, made her reach for an exposed root and place her foot on a small cluster of rock.

She climbed, keeping her mind from reliving her earlier fall by grumbling about how Ukiah had it easy. She had to go halfway up the mountain in order to find a handy place to squat while he only had to find a ledge and whip his cock out.

Marisa stilled in the act of reaching for another handhold, heat suffusing her body. A different kind of urge burned in her lower regions at thoughts of Ukiah with his fingers wrapped around his penis.

She couldn't safely begin climbing again until she banished the images and the needs that came with them. But this time as she slowly moved toward flatter ground, she wondered how Ukiah had gotten her to the cave at all.

The going was steep and perilous. Nearly impossible even without the added weight of an unconscious person. And yet he'd managed it during a furious storm.

When she finally got to the top the muscles in her arms were burning. For long moments she struggled to regain both her strength and her composure. As she sat at the edge and looked down the face of the mountain she was completely overwhelmed by the miracle that she'd been given. Not just her life. But Ukiah's presence in it.

Finally she stood and turned, seeing the small animal path that wove through low scrub growth and merged with the trail she'd been running on before making the decision to try and hide when she heard the rumble of a motorcycle's engine. Marisa's heart raced, the memories overlaying reality until she took several deep breaths and forced them away.

She walked a short distance, found shelter from the brisk wind so she could relieve the pressure on her bladder. And then like a fatal attraction, Marisa followed the path, returned to the spot where Kaitlyn had stopped the bike.

A shudder racked Marisa's body in a visceral reaction as she looked at the place where she'd come to rest when she tumbled down the side of the mountain. Where she'd been so sure she would die.

She wrapped her arms around herself, sorry now that she hadn't woken Ukiah and suggested they both leave the cave. Realizing as she looked down that her confidence had deserted her and she wouldn't be able to climb back to him.

The wind picked up, the sky darkening and roiling as though attuned to her fear and distress. The gray clouds churned, became charcoal black as thunder sounded in an ominous warning.

She retreated to the wider path and saw the number of motorcycle tracks there. Her heart skipped and beat erratically at the sight, only resuming its normal rhythm when she reminded herself that Ethan had probably veered off to check another trail and then caught up with Kaitlyn. That's why there were so many tracks.

Marisa rubbed her arms. Fought off the chill working its way under her clothing.

It was only a matter of time before Ukiah woke and noticed she was missing. He'd come looking for her. Of that she was certain. But in the meantime she knew she needed to find some semblance of shelter and the grove of trees in the distance was her best hope.

A rumble of thunder greeted her decision and she glanced at the sky. Shivered at how angry it now looked. Its dark violence filled her mind and made her hurry so that at first she wasn't paying attention to how the motorcycle tracks continued in the direction of the trees rather than upward toward the place she and Ethan and Kaitlyn had camped.

Marisa slowed. Her mind raced. Tried to make sense of why there would be tracks. Then remembered Ukiah's mention of Hohoq, the way he referred to it implying it was within hiking distance.

Uneasiness rippled through Marisa, timed to another roll of thunder. What if the tracks weren't old? What if Ethan and Kaitlyn had returned to make sure she was dead before claiming to have just found her body?

She had no idea how long she'd been in the cave with Ukiah. Or when the worst of the storm had ended though it looked like a new one was getting ready to arrive. She stopped abruptly, suddenly more afraid of continuing on than of braving the elements until Ukiah woke up.

A crack of thunder made her flinch. Lightning flickered across the sky just as two people emerged from the strand of trees she'd been heading for.

«Marisa!» Ethan called, his words whipping past her, carried by the wind.

She turned and ran, glanced over her shoulder and was relieved when she saw they weren't chasing her. But a few minutes later the sound of a motorcycle engine told her they'd returned for their bikes.

Within seconds her side was hurting and her lungs were burning. Fear nearly choked her. Not just at the prospect of them catching her, but of them killing Ukiah too.

She stumbled and went to her knees, but before she could scramble to her feet the wind grew in intensity, making it impossible for her to stand. The dark clouds in front of her became a boiling, angry mass, spitting rain as lightning strikes sizzled through the air, so close to her that she felt their energy across her skin.

A scream sounded behind her. High and feminine. Abruptly ended. And then a man's tortured shout. Followed by another bolt of lightning. Splitting into two as Marisa watched.

She gasped when the thunderbird emerged from the cloud, her rational mind and knowing heart in juxtaposition, awe and disbelief warring with her soul's certainty that the mythical creature in front of her was Ukiah.

He swooped toward her and she felt only a rush of pleasure, an answering cry in her chest, a desire to join him in flight. For a split second she thought he would pick her up with talons as black as his eyes, but at the last minute he swung upward.

She turned so she could watch him, her breath catching in her throat at the sight of the two motorcycles lying bent and twisted and smoldering on the path, two bodies next to them.

Hesitantly she began walking toward them. Her emotions volatile, ever changing. Dread and relief mixed with utter sadness.

She got to Kaitlyn first. Shuddered when she saw dead eyes staring vacantly at the sky, the charred place where a lightning bolt had struck.

Marisa moved to Ethan and knelt, tears in her eyes despite everything. She jumped when he moaned, forced herself to feel for a pulse in case the moan was only air escaping. And felt a moment's happiness that he was alive.

She wouldn't forgive him or allow him into her life again. She wouldn't let him get away with what he'd done. But he was her brother and she was glad he wasn't dead.

She stood and looked around, expecting to see Ukiah. But instead there was only the sense that he was watching from deep in the clouds, hovering close but unseen to ensure her safety.

The wind pushed against her, almost as if it was urging her to leave, to move on, toward the grove of trees and down the mountain. The motorcycles were useless and there was nothing she could do for Ethan other than to seek help. So once again she started running. Pacing herself this time. The wind against her back aiding her.

It felt like she ran for hours, though she had no idea how long it took to get to Hohoq. It seemed like a lifetime ago when she and Ethan and Kaitlyn had stopped there for lunch. Sat at the table, lingering, enjoying themselves the way people do when they're on vacation. Laughing and teasing so that others smiled with them.

Marisa closed the door on those memories. Forced herself instead to walk into town and into the first place she came to. Hohoq General Store. The thunderbird over the town name now resonating in her with the knowledge that it was one of the thunderbird's names.

She entered the store and noticed the carvings first. Small, delicately carved birds and animals. Then she noticed the man behind the counter, a silver-haired version of Ukiah though this man's hair was short.

His eyes widened with surprise when they met hers. «Which one of the boys do you belong to?»

«Let me handle this, Father,» another man said, stepping from behind a row of shelves and making Marisa's heart rush to her throat even as she hurled herself into his arms and hugged him tight, his gentle pats to her back telling her instantly that he wasn't Ukiah. «My brother misplace you?» he asked, allowing her to pull away from him.

She noticed the sheriff's star on his chest then. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes that told her he was older than Ukiah.

Words tumbled from her. Parts of her story probably incoherent. But he got the gist of it. As did his father, who moved around from behind the counter and flipped the «open» sign in the store's window to «closed».

When Marisa fell silent, Ukiah's brother said, «I'll take a crew up the trail. My father will take you to Ukiah.»

Marisa nodded and let herself be led to a battered black Jeep with streaks of mud sprayed along its side. Her thoughts were in chaos. Wanting answers and yet the silence of the man driving reinforced the feeling that it was up to Ukiah to explain.

She laughed out loud when they passed a beautiful handcrafted sign. Thunderbird Lodge.

Ukiah's father spoke for the first time since leaving the store. «Sometimes it is easiest to hide out in the open.»

Before she could respond the lodge came into view. A magnificent wood structure that would be a welcome sight to any vacationer. A charming design that spoke of comfort and camaraderie. Of nights spent talking and swapping tales.

The front door opened and Ukiah stepped out onto the porch, dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt. He crossed his arms over his chest. His stiff body posture and emotionless face chasing away Marisa's joy at seeing him.

«Go now,» his father said, reaching over and clasping Marisa's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. «Whatever differences exist between the two of you, they will work themselves out. You're the wife of his soul.»

«Thank you,» Marisa said, tightening her grip on his hand before letting go and climbing out of the car. Feeling insecure now. Uncertain. Ukiah's reaction to her presence confusing her. Hurting her.