The Furry Weapon- Chapter 3
November 17th, 2007 12:00 A.M Chapter 3
This was it. It was midnight in the middle of a huge forest in Idaho and he could hear them coming. The barks and yips from the coonhounds and the hunters trailing not far behind were getting much closer now. He had survived and got away from them for too many years now. He was finally realizing that his age was catching up to him. He still had his usual mind for getting away, run behind rocks, through trees, down rivers to make them lose your scent, but his endurance was not the same. He knew to never climb a tree, because that is the way that most raccoons get killed. The reason is because the dogs would bark up the tree and the hunters would shine a light at them and shoot. He looked up into the full moon, and knew that this night his life would end. He then looked forward and saw and open field, completely flat, turned blue from moonlight above. He stopped right in the middle of it, knowing that there was no point in continuing. He could hear the hounds coming from about 200 yards away. There was a light breeze blowing, and he suddenly felt warm, like someone was protecting him, waiting for him. The dogs now entered the field about a hundred yards away, and then he nearly went deaf. There were a lot of loud bangs, the kind that ended the lives of so many of his brethren. He knew he was dead. He knew that the hunters had entered the field and took several shots at him. But he could still see everything, and the dogs were no longer chasing him. He felt no pain, no shock, just the same warmth. He then thought to himself:
'Wow Cale, there is no way that you just made it through there alive.'
Slowly, Cale's hearing started to come back and he could hear human footsteps coming from behind him. He turned to look and saw a tall dark dressed human standing in front of him. A large, leather gloved hand picked him up by the scruff of the neck and looked him straight in the eye.
"Not like this, little 'Coon."
His voice was deep and threatening, and he didn't know what he said, but this human felt a lot more comforting, like he would not hurt him. The human then put Cale in a black bag that was strapped to his back and left a small opening open for air.
A few hours later, the man entered a small cabin and turned on a light.
"Damn, it is already 3:30."
The man took Cale out of the bag, and it took a few minutes for his eyes to adjust. The man was holding him by the scruff of the neck and was looking into his eyes.
"Whoa, your eyes really are blue, I thought that was just the moonlight."
Cale gave him a confused look, still not understanding.
"I know you don't know what I am saying, but here is your bed for the night."
The human put him on a couch and went into a different room, turning off the light as he left. Exhausted from the night experiences, Cale decided to go to sleep.
***
The next morning, the man woke up at about seven. He went into his bathroom and looked into the mirror.
'Damn Carl, you look horrible in the morning.'
The 6'5" man showered, shaved and prepared for the rest of his day which was going to be a long one. Carl went about his usual work before he left for a few days, clean up a little, bring stuff inside, turn on security cameras that were all around his property of a hundred acres. He was finally done at about 10:00, and went inside to see if his new friend was awake yet. He walked in to see the raccoon still lying there, but he had his eyes open and was alert. Carl knew it was rare to have a raccoon up during the day, but he would have to deal with it. Carl picked him up, let him outside to do his business, and brought him back inside for breakfast. After a quick meal of scraps, Carl grabbed a few bags and the 'coon and put them in his truck. He had a few hours drive to the base, and he was glad to leave early.
***
Finally arriving in a town called Acequia, Carl put the 'coon in a duffle bag and brought him in to a regular looking building. But like most buildings used by this operative, it was much more. It had several underground floors, and Carl had to go to floor #5, recruiting and physicals. Carl entered a room in the middle of a long hallway and entered. He opened the bag and Cale was sitting in there looking rather scared. Another man entered the white room with a clipboard and a lab coat. He put on some gloves and picked up Cale, who attempted to bite him but could not get through the gloves.
"So you picked him up last night?"
"Yeup."
"Hmm... He looks like a raccoon that would be just past midlife, the equivalent of about 40 in human years. Take him to the main Island and get the rest of the stuff done there. He looks healthy. I just have to take a blood sample and make sure he is not diseased."
The man opened a drawer and took out a needle, poking it into Cale's leg and withdrawing some blood. Cale reacted by attempting to bite him again.
"Be back in a few minutes."
The man left the room, and Cale went back in the bag wanting to leave. Carl sat in a chair in the corner of the room wanting to do the same. A few minutes later, the man passed Cale with a clean bill of health. With a sigh of relief, Carl put the raccoon back into the duffle bag and prepared for his next objective.