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"Nah, I'm just messin with ya. You will be fine, but you are going to need stitches. And, I didn't bring them with me, or morphine. So, I am going to head off and grab those two things, and then we will fix you up. Meanwhile, you two can put a story together on how bite marks ended up on your arm." He said, and then winked at Star. "You know Star, there was a pool going on who could injure Chris first, and you my dear have just won $50. Congratulations!" He said, and walked out of the room.

I looked over at Star, and smiled. "Well, at least I know I am in good hands!" I said, and started laughing. She did too, and then walked over and sat on the edge of the cot again. She caressed my cheek with her paw, and then played with my hair, all very gently, as if I was going to break again.

"You know, I am usually not that fragile. You don't have to act like I am some precious vase." I said, and smiled at her.

She leaned foreword, and said that only I would have been able to hear her, "No, you are much more valuable." I smiled up at her, and she kissed me on the lips.

"I hope that I am not interrupting." Nick said, once we finished.

"You are, get lost." I said, and then gave him a wink. He just shook his head, and walked over to me.

"Levi told me about your little 'fall'. He also told me that it looked like bite marks. Is there something that I need t be worried about?" He asked, semi-serious.

"Yea." I said, and both of them looked surprised. I motioned for Nick to get closer. He leaned in, and I said, "If you ever push me into that spring again, I will have her bite YOU!" I said, and sent both of them into fits of laughter.

About 5 minutes later, Levi walked back in with all of the necessary supplies. He injected me with enough morphine to make sure that I would not feel it. He then proceeded to stitch up the arm. I watched as he did it, as well as held Star's paw with my good arm. I got a good look at the damage that she was able to do with her sharp teeth, and reminded myself to NEVER piss her off!

By the time Levi had finished, the whole camp knew that I hadn't fallen, but had been bit. As I walked out of the prison area, arm wrapped in gauze to protect the stitches, I noticed that everyone was eating dinner. I was starving, so I walked over to the kitchen to pick up something. Star helped me load a plate fill of food, and we headed back out to the campfires to enjoy the meal. It was roasted chicken with corn and carrots. I though about teasing Ahote about the carrots, and looked around to find him.

As I looked around, I noticed that Alex, Austin, and Jonathan all sat away from the main group. I walked over to Nick to find out what had happened.

"They are pissed that you were bit, and that nothing is being done about it. They want her to be thrown out, just like Will. I told them to take it up with you, so expect something like that in a few minutes." He said, and then continued to eat.

"Perfect." I muttered to myself, but he heard me. He snorted, but didn't stop eating. I think we were on the same page of this issue. I walked over to the other side of the fire, and sat down next to Samson, and he looked at my arm and just chuckled.

"What are you laughing at you big donkey?" I asked, smiling mischievously. He grinned back, and stood up.

"And what makes you so big and bad right now? You are even handi-capped. I have no problem crushing a mouthy cripple." He said, snorting at me.

"I have her!" I said, and pointed to Star. She looked at Sam, growled mockingly, and bared her teeth. He busted up laughing, and fell over the log that he had been sitting on. Everyone laughed at him, and I sat down and thanked Star for the assistance.

"No problem. Besides, he needed to be put into place." She said, and smiled sweetly at Sam. He snorted, and slowly got up. As I tried to help him up, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I helped Sam up the rest of the way, and looked up to see who was waiting for me. It was Austin. Great.

"What can I do for you?" I asked.

"Can I speak to you for a second?" He asked, and stared at Star before adding, "Alone." She growled lowly, and I just patted her on the back of the paw. I got up, gave her a quick peck on the cheek, and headed off with Austin.

Once we were a good distance from the fire and everyone else, I turned to him. "What can I do for you?" I pretty much knew why I was out here, but assuming is never a good thing for a leader.

"How can you let that dog stay here after she bit you?" He asked, anger flooding his eyes. I had to hold back from lashing out at him or just flat out shooting him.

"Look, it was an accident. She meant nothing when she did that. I scared her, and her instincts just took over. Besides, there is going to be only a scar left." I said, hoping that would disarm him. Instead, it seemed to only fuel the fire.

"Even if it was a mistake, she should be gone. There is no excuse!" He said.

I didn't hold back when the next comment came bursting out of my mouth. "Really? No excuse? How about when you deliberately disobeyed orders? You should have been shot for that!" He looked at me, and the anger left his face, and he shuffled his feet around. "Look Austin, I took you aside and talked to you. I do not need any problems right now. We are a large group, and I understand that we will not always get along with each other. But, we need to be able to tolerate up to a point." He looked back up at me, and nodded in understanding.

"Now, are you okay? Not from just now, but overall. Is there anything within reason that you want to see come around camp?" I asked, hoping to get new project ideas. I already wanted an infirmary built, just in case there were any other bad injuries that were to arise.

"Yea, if we could setup a communication center to put all of those computers that we have, as well as have somebody monitor the other frequencies of the radio just in case there were to be a planned attack on the camp." He said. I couldn't have worded it better.

"Alright, then you will begin on that tomorrow, if you are willing. We are going to put that right across from the auto-shop. You game?" I asked. He stood there or a second, and then smiled. He stuck out his hand, which I shook, and called it a deal.

"Good. Now, I have to go talk with the rest of your little resistance." I said, and he chuckled and turned a little red with embarrassment.

As I walked over to Alex to turn him back I saw that Austin was following me. I ignored him, thinking that maybe he was returning to his meal. Instead, he surprised me, by taking Jonathan off to go talk. I saw him look back at me and wink.

"Alex, mind if we talk?" I asked. He grunted, and I took that as a yes.

"Why do you hold resentment toward her?" I asked.

"That bitch bit you. How dare she show her face around here after committing an act like that." He said through gritted teeth.

"And you are have never done anything like that?" I asked.

"Bite anyone? No. I have been loyal to this team the entire time, and yet you take sides with her." He said.

"Loyal the entire time? I don't think so. Remember that first day, when we were all being shot at, you ran off? I asked the others to forgive you for a mistake. Now it is your turn to return that kind gesture to her. Alex, I am not picking on you. We all have mistakes, and there are ones that haunt us. Don't let this one do that to you."

He still looked mad, but he finally said, "Fine. By the way, why did she bite you?"

"Because I hopped out of a bush and scared her. That's the whole reason!" I said, and he just looked at me, and started to laugh. I joined him, and then led him back over to the large fire. Austin and Jonathan were already sitting there.

I sat down next to Sam and Star. Sam had Belle cradled up against his shoulder, and Star came over and huddled up against my chest. I happily wrapped my good arm around her, and then kissed her on the top of the head. Everyone was silent, as we all listened to the popping and crackling of the fire. But, it didn't last long.

My stomach growled loudly, making Star jolt upward in surprise, and I cringed ever so slightly, because when she jolted she knocked into my arm.

Everyone stared at me, and began to laugh.

"What? I haven't eaten yet!" I said loudly, to explain why. They all just laughed, and somebody brought me a plate of food.

Once I had finished, I realized how tired I was, and I decided to head off to bed. I stopped by Levi to pick up some pain medication, and asked him if he would be willing to become the doctor of the camp.

"Why not. Besides, you idiots hurt yourselves enough. I am surprised that more people haven't broken something." He said, after I asked.

"It's the Spirit Guardian. He has been looking after us the entire time." I said.

"Who?" He asked.

"He is what makes the leaves grow, the flowers bloom, and the sun rise." Ahote said, as he walked up next to me. I smiled, and he nudged me gently. Star was next to him, and I could se that they had just been talking. She had her arm locked into with his. It hurt me to see that, but I didn't want to start a fight, so I just walked away.

"What was that about?" I heard Levi ask. I ignored the question, and entered the barracks.

Once inside, I took off my boots, and put them under my bunk. I also took off my knife and tomahawk, and set them within easy reaching distance. I popped two of the pain pills into my mouth, and then took some water to wash them down.

"So much for a good day." I muttered to myself. I turned off the lights, curled up, and knocked right out.

The next morning, I didn't get up till around 10:00a.m. I looked around, and saw that everyone had already left. I got up, changed into new clothes, and laced up my boots. I also put on my body armor, and then slung my rifle over my shoulder. I headed out to check up on everyone, and to clear my head.

Once I had gotten out, I covered my eyes till they adjusted to the bright sunlight. Once they had, I headed over to the auto-shop, where Austin's communication center was suppose to be going in.

I was pleasantly surprised to see most of the foundation laid out, and construction of the walls beginning to come together. I walked over to Austin, who was talking with his brother, both hunched over some blueprints.

"How goes the project?" I asked, and both looked up at me.

"We are making good progress. We should be completely done in about two weeks, if we keep this manpower." Austin said, and looked over to Justin to see if that was correct. Justin nodded in agreement with the estimate.

"Well, then I have bad news. I am going to have to steal half your workers for an important project. Justin, you are going to head this one." Austin looked a little disappointed at the loss of manpower, but he understood that if I said it was important, than it was going to be worthwhile.

I motioned for Justin to follow me over to an empty lot next to the auto-shop, which was right across from the new communications site.

"Alright, what are we building?" He asked, curious. He had brought over a sketchpad so that he could doodle out a design for me to check.

"We are building a medical center. We have needed one for a while, and Levi has agreed to be the camps doctor. I want to get this started right away, unless you think I am wrong, and that we should finish up the communications center." I asked, curious of his opinion.

"No, this has been long overdue, and your injury only proves that we needed it yesterday. I wouldn't say that we should take off all of the workers of the communication center either. I can have this done in about 2 weeks, with the workers I have." He started to sketch out the layout, and I made very few changes. I was happy with the finished product, and I let Justin and Austin work out what workers they were taking.

As I started back to go check up on overlord, I heard Ahote call my name. I ignored it, because the last thing I wanted to do was yell in his face, and I could feel anger building up in my chest. He got the point that I didn't want to talk, and walked back over to the other workers.

Once I had gotten to the tower, I checked on overlord, who was Sean.

"Hey, you doing okay?" I asked. He looked up to me, because he had been scanning the perimeter of the camp.

"Yea, just fine." He said. He was still shy around me for some reason.

"You mind if I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"Why are you still nervous around me?" I asked.

He shuffled his feet around, and scanned the perimeter, looking out for anything.

I was willing to wait for an answer, whether it was for the good or the bad.

"It's, complicated." He said.

"How so?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"It's a long story." He said, thinking that would get him out of telling me.

I pulled up a chair, and sat down. "We have a long time. Please just tell me, I won't be offended. But, if you would rather not, then I would be more than willing to leave here right now, no hard feelings. I am just trying to help."

He sat there silent for a few moments, and I got up to leave him in peace, when he finally spoke up. "I want to leave, just for a week. I have been meaning to tell you for the last few weeks, but things have diverted course a little bit." He said, and then sat down, wringing his hands.

"That's fine! I will sign you out a humvee, and I will send you on your way with as much food as possible. Please, go see who ever you want!" I said, and he looked happy.

"Actually, the last letter I sent I talked about you. They want to meet you." He said sheepishly.

I started busting up laughing, and he looked very confused. "Its just the last time I went to go meet parents, I ended up fighting for a town, and then in a prison camp for about 2 weeks. But, if you want me to go, I would be more than happy. But, I am not leaving my weapon behind!"

"That would be great, and I can guarantee that the same thing won't happen twice!" He said, and laughed with me

"Now, is there anything else I should be aware of? Anything that would offend them about my presence?" I asked, curious.

"Well, my brother absolutely hates the humans, but he is in the army, so we shouldn't have a problem. Also, my mother and father are wary of most humans, but because you took me in, they will respect you more. Although, my father is not happy that I opted out of the Army. He wants me to join back into it." He said.

"Well, if you want to join the Army again, I wish you the best of luck. But, I really hope that you decide to stay around! We all enjoy your company!"

He chuckled, and replied, "Don't worry, I am not going anywhere. I really like our camp up here, and besides, if I stay home I will be forced into conscription again."

"Well, I thank you for your commitment to the team. Besides, we have nobody else to fix the vehicles if they break down!" I said. He just nodded his head in agreement. I continued, "Is there anything else bugging you?"

"No, just I miss my little brother, that's all." He said.

"How many siblings do you have?" I asked, curious.

" I have 2 brothers, one about 6 and the other is 20." He said, as he scanned the perimeter.

"Jeez, big family you have!" I said.

"Thanks. We were all so happy before the war. Now, my parents are constantly worried about us being hurt or killed by the humans. What about you? How big is your family?"

"I have two brothers, one about six, and the other is 22. I also have three sisters. One is three, the other 13, and the last one is 18. Then there is my mom and dad, and I also have a few pets." I added, sheepishly. He just smiled,

"Don't worry, we have pets as well. We have two cats. Yea, I know, the irony. But they live in the greatest amount of comfort!" He said. "And that is one very large family!"

"Yea, I don't know how they are. I sent a few letters, but I do not know how they are right now. I haven't sent them a letter in such a long time that I wonder if they think that I may be dead! Then again, they always do overreact." He chuckled in agreement.

"So you are the middle child out of them?" He asked.

"Yup, same as you. But I grew up on the other side of the country, in Pennsylvania. It is completely different out there. I lived in the suburbs, but I always longed for the simple country life. I worked at a farm for about 4 years, working with horses, goats, chickens, dogs, and cats." I said.

"Wow, so that is why you are so comfortable around us." He said.

"I guess so. Actually, I had never thought of it like that. But, it makes sense. I guess that is why I don't take shit from Samson either! I have been pushed around by horses all my life!" He chuckled again, and continued to scan.

"Alright, while it was nice talking, I have to get back down to the others, and start working. Otherwise, they will think that I am trying to slack on my duties!" I said, as I headed down back to camp.

"Yea, it was very nice. When do you want to plan this?" He asked.

"In three days. Be ready to go by then. Make sure that you get somebody to cover for your guard spots, eh?" He nodded. "I will take care of the humvee and supplies. Is there anybody else you want to go with?" I asked. He shook his head no. "Alright, three days." I said.

Once I had gotten back down to camp, I walked over to Austin so that I could help with the building process. There was no room for anybody to slack responsibilities in the camp.

"Go help Levi with the I-beams which will be the roof." He said. I saluted him, and walked off to go find Levi.

We finished our job at about 4:30 that evening, and we were both covered in sweat. But, we had finished a job that was suppose to have taken three days, so we were quite proud. My arm was very sore, and somehow the sweat had seeped into my bandages, and now was beginning to sting the still open wounds. And because we had finished early, the building was able to have a roof put on the next day.

"Well, I am going to go crawl in some corner somewhere and fall asleep for the next two weeks." I said, and he just chuckled dryly. Austin did walk over to see how we were doing, and was surprised to find us finished. He told us to have the rest of the day off if needed, and that tomorrow was going to be a light day for us. We both smiled at each other, because we know that we both deserved it!

Levi walked off to go grab a shower at the spring, and I went off to my favorite tree to think about the trip with Sean, and about Ahote and Star.

After what seemed like ten minutes, but was really two hours, I snapped out of my thinking when I heard a twig snap nearby. I reached for my rifle, and had the safety flipped off before Ahote, who caused the breaking of the twig, came into view. He put his hands up in mock surrender.

"Don't shoot." He said, smiling. He looked at me, as if I might be considering it.

"Don't tempt me." I said, but all the same I put my weapon back on safety, and then set it on the ground beside me. "Why are you bothering me in my peaceful office?" I asked, a little sarcastic. He was still on my shitlist, because of him and Star holding hands.

"Why are you mad at me?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"Three guesses, first two don't count." I muttered, now looking away from him.

"Is it about me locking arms with Star?" He asked, trying to sound innocent about it.

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner! What made you guess that brilliant observation?" I asked, sarcasm filling my voice.

He flinched back from the sarcasm, but continued to say, "You know, we weren't doing anything. There is a story behind it explaining everything." He said.

"I am in no mood for stories, Ahote." The anger in my voice replaced the sarcasm.

"Too bad, you are going to listen. First off, she approached me first. She suggested that we take a walk, so I agreed, trying to be friendly to her. Well, you know females, and she only talked about you. She worries that she will be thrown out of the camp because she bit you. She heard about the group that formed, and she worried that they may have planted some seeds of doubt."

I continued to look elsewhere, but I was listening, and he could tell, so he continued, "I talked her out of any doubts she had. We moved on to better subjects of topic; how I met you, and everything we have been through. I told her about us being brothers, and she asked if I would accept her as your mate. I told her I had no problem, and so we walked back over to find you and tell you, when you stormed off. So, now that I am done my story, are we okay?"

I stayed quiet for about a minute, before answering, "Yea. I am sorry, I just over reacted. You know how I am with protecting everybody, and I just got carried away. Do you accept my apology?"

"Of course. We will always be brothers, till the very end." He said, and walked over to give me a hug. I embraced him, and started to tear up. Yea, I was still making mistakes, but at least I was learning from them!

"Alright, now can we head back to camp? I am starving!" He said, once we left the embrace.

"Wait, you didn't eat yet?" I asked, surprised.

"Nobody has. We all agreed that you never leave us behind, we will never leave you behind, for anything!"

"Hell, then lets head back!" I said. "Last one there is on clean up duty!" I shouted over my shoulder, as I took off toward camp. I heard him laugh, and then follow right after me. I was last, and so I cleaned up, but he helped anyway.

The next day, I took off from helping Austin, and worked with Sean to plan our little adventure. We went over how far it was from our camp, and how long he wanted to stay.

"Would we be able to stay for about a weekend?" He asked.

"That's fine. I will tell Nick to have both of the projects finished by the time I come back, or there will be hell to pay. So they will have plenty of work to do while I am gone. I there anything else you want to do while we are out there?" I asked.

"Yea, would you mind if we stopped at a friends house along the way? I haven't seen him in forever, and my mom told me that he had been discharged from the army." He said.

"Is it on the way?" I asked.

"Pretty much. It's about a 5-minute detour."

"Alright, that should be fine. Well, I must excuse myself, for I have other matters that must be taken care of before our trip!" I said, and he laughed and walked out of the barracks. I sighed once the door closed, and leaned back. I was tired, and this was going to be a long trip. Before I even knew it, I fell asleep.

I was shaken awake, and I quickly reached out and grabbed my rifle. Somebody grabbed my hand to stop me.

"Relax. It's just me. Time for dinner." Alex said, and I relaxed. I slowly got up, and stretched. I looked around the barracks, and saw that I wasn't the only one who had been snoozing.

"Come on, time for dinner." I said, as I shook Star awake. She looked up at me, and smiled. I smiled back, and I knelt beside her cot. "I am so sorry for ever being mad at you. It was so stupid, and I hope that you forgive me." I said, as I stroked her back.

Instead of answering me, she just reached out and licked me on the nose.

"I will take that as apology accepted?" I said, and she laughed and leaped out of bed to tackle me to the floor. I rolled out of the way as she pounced, and she growled playfully. I shrieked mockingly, and then ran out of the barracks, and toward the dining area. I heard her chuckle, and then she took off after me.

Once we had finished dinner, I was still exhausted.

"What are you tired from? You did nothing all day!" I heard Josh call from across the fire pit after I said that.

"I have a lot of shit on my shoulders! Besides, you wouldn't understand with your simple mind. You don't have an intellectual brilliance like mine." I said, trying to sound posh. Everyone laughed, including Star, who was snuggled up against my chest. I smiled down at her, and she nuzzled me with her cold wet nose. I just chuckled.

"Alright, I am going to head off to bed, with my simple mind." Josh said mockingly, and got up and tossed the scraps of his food into the fire. I bid him goodnight, as did the others.

"Hey, you mind if we talk?" Nick asked, as he sat down on my right side. Star was on my left.

"Sure, does it need to be in private?" I asked, and Star opened her eyes.

"No, no. Star, you can stay here with your overstuffed pillow." He said, and she growled playfully.

"Bad girl." I said, and wagged my finger in front of her face. She lazily snapped at it, and then closed her eyes again.

"Alright, now what do you want to talk about?" I asked Nick.

"While you are gone, what do you want done?" He asked.

"I already talked to Austin and Justin. They will direct everyone to do what they are suppose to, and for their sakes, they better be done on time or they will pay for it." I said, just loud enough for them to hear. Both grinned sheepishly, and then walked off to the barracks.

"Alright, what about supplies?" He asked.

"Again, we are good. We have twice the amount of supplies they will need. Also, there is a very large supply nearby. Nick, what are you getting at? You know that I would have all of this planned. What's eating at you?" I asked.

"Chris, the last time you went off, you almost never came back. I can't lose you, none of us could bear that." Nick said, and then looked away. He wiped at his eyes.

"Nick, I promise to you that we will return. All of us, this time. I wont be gone more than a week, and Sean knows that. Besides, you guys have proven that you can thrive without me anyway! I am not irreplaceable." I said.

"Lies." He said, and Star looked up at me as she agreed.

"From a tactical view, I am not." I said, as I blew air into Star's nose. She sneezed, and covered me in snot. I frowned, and wiped my face. She snickered, and Nick spoke up.

" And from a tactical view, we should have been long dead. Remember the saying, 'everything works in theory'. It is one of the most true sayings." He said.

"Nick, I taught you that! Besides, if I don't come back, Sam is most likely to go into the dead to kick my ass for breaking Star's heart!" I said, and I heard the stallion whinny in agreement. Star just nestled closer to my chest, so I took that as agreement as well.

"Alright, but you have to promise me to come back, with Sean, unharmed." He stuck out his hand so I could shake it.

"Deal." I said, and shook it. He sighed, seeming relieved, and then smiled at the both of us. " I will leave you alone, after one more question. What are you taking there? Driving a humvee down the road is a little suspicious." He said.

"Yea, I am going to have Josh drive is down to the local town, and we are going to steal a ride. We will bring it back then. We need a civilian car around here, just in case. Besides, I will take it from a car lot, and leave some money behind for them. Win for all." He nodded, and bid me and Star a goodnight. We both returned the gesture.

"You are all mine tomorrow." She said, as she looked up at me.

"Oh? I don't think I can. I still have to pack the humvee with everything we will need, as well as talk to Josh about finalizing the plan. Also, I want to review a few extra projects with the twin's just in case they finish early." I said. "Trust me, I would love to, and you are killing me with the puppy dog eyes." I said.

"It was all taken care of. Sam and Belle helped, as well as Josh, Justin, and even Nick. So, tomorrow, you are all mine! Sam and Belle will also be joining us. We are going to go explore the woods for fun. Nick is giving everyone the day off tomorrow, so we wont be the only ones having fun." She said. I just stared down at her in shock. I leaned down, and kissed her between the eyes. "You are truly amazing." I said, and she snorted with delight, and wagged her tail.

We stayed there for another half hour, before she fell completely asleep, and I was right behind her.

I was shaken awake by Josh, who asked if I would mind taking a guard duty shift for Justin, who had been on all night shifts this week.

"Yea, no problem. Tell him I have him covered. But, I have a favor to ask of you. Do you mind putting Star into her bunk? It would make me feel better." I said.

"Yea, no problem." He said, as he gently lifted her up, and carried her off to the barracks. I watched them leave, and then I headed up to the guard tower. I was relieving Ryan.

"Hey there. I hereby officially relieve you of duty. Anything interesting out there?" I asked.

"Nah, but you might want a top, its kinda cold out here." He said, as he tossed me a jacket.

"Thanks. Now go get some rest, you have work tomorrow. And make sure camp stays in one piece while I am gone!" I said, and he nodded and headed off to the barracks.

I sat down on the chair we had up there, and scanned the perimeter for any signs of activity. I saw nothing, so I put down the binoculars, and just sat there staring out into the evening sky, enjoying the look of the moon and the stars. I just sat there, grinning like an idiot over something so small.

"They're beautiful." I whispered to myself.

"That they are." I heard somebody say from behind me. I quickly dropped to the ground and pointed my weapon at the entrance of the staircase, which led up to the guard tower.

"Jesus, sorry, I thought you heard me." I heard Justin say.

"No, I didn't, and you gave me a heart attack!" I said. He just chuckled and apologized again. "Aren't you supposed to be sleeping? Josh sent me up here to relieve you, now go get some rest! You are one of the people I expect to help Nick the most while I am gone." I finished.

"I couldn't sleep." He said. I gave him a look that I didn't believe him. "I actually really like night time guard duty. Lets me reflect up here by myself." He said, and looked down sheepishly. "I know, kind stupid."

"Justin, that is anything but stupid. Besides, I was doing the same thing you were. It has been quite some time since I have been able to have anytime off."

"Yea, you have been quite busy, with the tribe, being kidnapped, and then there is also Star." He said. He then muttered, "Must be nice."

"It has its perks and setbacks. While yes, I have Star; I now have to worry about even more people in our group. Besides, if you want to, you can ask Nick to go into town to send letters home. And while you are there, you can always go out and check out some of the girls!" I said, as I nudged him and winked at him. He laughed so hard he doubled over. I just smiled, and rechecked the border of the camp. Nothing.

"So what is your favorite color?" I asked, trying to continue the small talk.

"Red. And yours?" He asked.

"Green. All right, here is a more serious one. Here in camp, what possession means the most to you?" I asked.

He looked thoughtful for a second, and smiled. He reached for something around his neck, and brought out something that hung with his dog tags on the chain.

"Justin, you are going to have to help me out here, because I cant see it." I said.

"It is that bullet that hit you in the chest when you jumped in front of me. I keep it on me to remember that others are more important than myself." He said, as he tucked it back under his collar. "What's yours?"

"Wow, well mine doesn't have that subliminal message. It is the Tomahawk that I received from the tribe. It is a great honor." I said, as I unhooked it from my belt and handed it to him. He took it, and hefted it around a little.

"It's got some weight to it!" He said, and I just laughed.

"It's also nice because you can throw it farther and more accurately than a knife." I said.

"Yea, like you can throw it." He said, as he put it back into my hands. I just smiled, flipped it around in my hand, and then threw it. I was happy to see it stuck into one of the four posts, which held up the ceiling of the guard tower.

"Holy shit! I didn't think that you could actually do it!" He said, as he walked over and tried to remove it. He pulled, and eventually it came out. "Can you teach me?" He asked, looking at me with hopeful eyes.

"Sure. You have your knife on you?" I asked

"Yea, but aren't you going to teach me how to using the tomahawk?" He asked.

"Now if I did that, you would be able to throw a tomahawk. But, you seem to not have one, and there are plenty of knives lying around camp." I chuckled, as I un-strapped my knife. "Now, you have to hold the knife balanced in your hand." I started, and continued for the next our teaching him how to throw it. We left the guard tower to practice, because the knife would have gone flying off of it every 2 seconds. I also was constantly scanning the perimeter.

"I think I got the hang of this!" He said, as he landed both of our knives solidly into the trunk of a nearby tree.

"Well, you have the basics. You up for something more interesting?" I asked, and he nodded enthusiastically.

I walked over and grabbed some rope, and tied it around a decent sized tree stump. I tossed the other end of the rope around a low-lying tree branch. It draped back down, and I started to pull on it to lift the stump off of the ground, when I felt a twinge of pain come from my injury. I dropped the rope, and cradled my arm. Justin came running over.

"You okay?" He asked, as he watched me huddling there.

"Yea, I just tried to push it too hard. If you can, can you please put that log into the air, and then secure it? I will be fine." I said. He nodded, understanding that I don't like others fondling over me, except Star!

He walked over, and did what I told him. He walked back over to where I was standing.

"Okay, now what?" He asked.

"Simple, hit the stump." I said. He just smiled, took his stance, and threw.

It stuck perfectly, and he turned to me and smiled. "Too easy."

"I am glad it is easy. The next test is going to be a lot more interesting..." I said, as I walked over to the log. He just grinned mockingly at me. I smiled back, and I pushed the log. It started to swing side to side, and his grin disappeared.

"Now try it." I said. His face turned into an absolute look of determination, as he focused on the log. He threw it, and it missed by a fraction of a second.

"Its perfectly okay. Just take a deep breath, and try again." I said. He nodded, and did just what I told him.

THUCK!

The knife stuck perfectly into the left end of the stump. I walked over to it, and dislodged it from the stump.

"That was beautiful. But, there is one more test, and this is one you cannot fail." I said. He looked confused, as he wiped off both of the knives.

I walked back over to the log, and pushed it again, so it was swinging.

"Okay, what is so different?" He asked, as he got into is throwing position.

I took a deep breath, and walked in front of the log. "Now, hit the log." I said.

"JESUS, you cant be serious!" He yelled at me in disbelief.

"I am 100% sure if your ability. Now, hit the log." I said, as I sat there, hoping he wouldn't gut me like a pig. I didn't really have 100% confidence; I just wanted him to be confident.

He nodded, and a very serious look. He stepped forward a little, and then drew back, and threw.

THUCK!

I saw him smile, as I breathed a sigh of relief. "See? I told you that you could do it!" I said, as I walked over and patted him on the back. He shoved me, and I stumbled a little bit.

"What was that for?" I asked, confused at the shove.

"Never make me do that again!" He said. I just smiled, and nodded my head in agreement.

I looked at my watch, and noticed that it was about time for my replacement. I told Justin to go to bed, and I would be down there in about 5 minutes, once I had been relieved. He nodded, and started to walk off. He quickly turned around, and ran over and gave me a quick hug.

"Thanks. I needed that." He said.

"Uh, I don't think that it was that important. I would suggest using a rifle over a thrown knife." I said, confused.

"No, its just that, well, it has been stressful lately. It was nice to have some time for fun, and a stress reliever." He said.

"Anytime. If you ever want to talk, or learn something new, just find me. I am always here." I said, and he smiled, and walked off toward the barracks.

About 3 minutes later, Alex came up to relieve me. I thanked him, and headed down for some much needed rest. I checked my watch, and it read to be about 2:00a.m. When I got to the barracks, I didn't even bother to change out of clothes. Instead, I just flopped onto my cot, and fell asleep.

I woke up when I felt like I was being lifted. I started to stretch, when I was felt breathing on my face. I heard a snort, and I looked up to see Sam, who was carrying me somewhere. I lay in his arms, and I felt like a small child being carried to bed. It was too early for me, and I fell back asleep, ignoring his chuckle, which I felt in his chest.

The next time I woke up, I felt the moving of a vehicle. I opened my eyes slightly, and saw that I had been laid cross the backseat of one of the humvees, and my head laid in Stars lap. She was gently stroking my hair, to which I smiled. I was still tired, and with Star still petting me in sorts, I fell back asleep.

I was finally shaken awake gently by Star when the vehicle had stopped. I yawned, and stretched my legs out. I looked up at her face, and smiled. She returned the smile, and motioned for me to get up and look out the window. I raised my head slightly, and was shocked at what I saw.

Sam had parked the humvee right near a cliff, which seemed to be about 400ft high. I climbed out of the top of the humvee, and saw that at the bottom was a crystal clear pool.

"Wow, its beautiful." I whispered, and looked down at her. "How did you ever find this?"

"Ahote told me of this place. I thought it would be a nice place to relax. We have been planning to kidnap you for some fun since we got to your camp!" She said.

"Hey, you gonna stare at it all day, or are we going to go swim?" Sam asked excitedly.

I hoped up on top of the humvee, and turned to look at him. "Race to the bottom?" I asked, grinning. "Winner gets to have a slave for the day?"

"You're on!" He said, and took off on a path toward the bottom of the waterfall.

I watched him go for about 10 seconds, just smiling.

"Aren't you going to run?" Belle asked, as she stared at me confused.

"Why would I do that? He can run faster than me!" I said.

"Then why would you challenge him?" Star asked, also curious.

"Because I can fall faster than him!" I shouted, and then jumped from the humvee off the edge of the cliff. As I fell, I saw both girls rush to the edge of the cliff and watch me fall. I also looked over at Sam, who had stopped to catch his breath. I whistled loudly, and looked over at me just as I passed him, free-falling. It was about another couple of seconds before I hit the cool water.

I went down about 5 feet, before arcing back up to the surface of the water. Once I finally hit the surface, I sucked in a huge breath. I looked up to see the girls staring down at me in astonishment. I whooped in triumph, and I heard Star howl down to me.

"The water is plenty warm! Come on down!" I called. Both nodded, and walked down the path that Sam had taken.

About a minute later, Sam reached the edge of the water.

"I win, so now for the rest of the day, you have to carry me around!" I said, and he snorted in defeat. "And you can't throw me!" He just nodded, and took of his shirt and pants, and hopped into the water.

For the next half hour, we all swam around, having the time of our lives. I seemed to be the target of all of them, although I could see that Belle was hesitant about being around me.

"Hey Geier!" I heard Sam call out.

I turned to look in his direction. He had a smile that would make the devil himself shiver plastered on his face. "What did you do?" I asked, apprehensive.

"If you ever want to see your girlfriend again, you will release me of my bonds in slavery!" He shouted, as he grabbed Star and ran off into the forest. I heard her scream and call for help as he ran off. I just stood there in shock for a few seconds, and then started to take after them.

"Hold on!" I heard Belle shout from behind me. I stopped and looked at her.

"Lets just think this through. There is no way you can catch him on foot. Let me go find him, and I will call you when I find him." She said.

"I have a better idea. Come on!" I called, and grabbed her hand and we took off for the top of the cliff again. She smiled and followed me.

When we reached the top of the cliff, I quickly hopped into the drivers seat. She got into the passenger seat.

"One sec." I said, and hopped out of the humvee. I walked to the back of the humvee, and opened the tailgate. I searched around till I found what I was looking for; the pistol, which was hidden in a compartment.

It was the U.S service pistol, the M9. I ejected the magazine, and was happy with the rounds it held. They were the same paint rounds we had used during our first days. I didn't want to kill him, but maiming him was definitely an option!

"You aren't going to actually shoot him, are you?" She asked, fear creeping into her voice.

I got into the humvee, and started it up. "Of course I am. He took Star from me! Oh, and please buckle up, it is going to be a very bumpy ride." I said casually.

A look of horror masked her face. "But, he saved you! Can't you just threaten him for God's sake?" She yelled at me, and grabbed my arm. Because I was driving slowly, I was able to prevent us from crashing.

"Jesus, relax!" I said. I stopped the humvee, and looked over at her. "What I am using for ammunition are called paint rounds. They hit you, leave a mark, and knock you out. That's all they do. He will be knocked out for an hour. You okay now?" I asked, smiling.

She stayed quiet for a minute, and then punched me in the arm. I looked at her confused. "What the hell was that for?"

"If you ever do that again, I will personally stomp you flat. Got it?" She asked, looking me in the eye. The look scared me, so I just nodded. "Good, now, let us go find them." She said. Again, I didn't say a word; I just put the humvee into gear and looked out for them.

We drove for what seemed like eternity, but was really just about 10 minutes.

"We are never going to find them. Lets just go back to the waterfall, and I am sure that if you release Sam from your deal, he will let you have Star back." Belle tried to persuade me.

"I am willing to go back to the waterfall, but I am not giving up my slave!" I said, and winked at her. She just laughed, as I turned the Humvee around. "Besides, we have the food!" I said, and pointed to the tailgate. Again, she just laughed and shook her head.

We got back to the waterfall in about five minutes. Once we stopped, I got out of the humvee, and stretched. Belle did the same thing.

"Belle, I will be back in a second." I said, as I headed off to a clump of trees.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"I have to go relieve myself. Relax, you will be fine for two minutes." I called over my shoulder. I still had the pistol in my holster, and it was at the ready.

Once I reached the clump of trees, I undid my fly, and started to take a long piss. About halfway through it, I heard a scream. It startled me, and I accidentally got a little on my boots. Now I was really pissed. It was most likely Belle afraid of her own shadow. I finished, and turned around. She was nowhere to be seen.

"Belle?" I called. There was no response. Shit.

I walked over to the humvee, and looked at it. In two minutes, Sam had taken Belle, and the keys to the humvee. I also looked in the back. Yup, he also took lunch. Great.

"Sam, you son of a bitch! Bring me back Star and Belle! Oh, and my lunch too! You can keep the keys, I really don't care for them." I yelled at the top of my longs. I heard Star scream, and I took off toward the sound.

"Don't move human, or she gets it." I heard a voice from behind me call. I turned around, and saw that Sam had Star, and he was smiling mischievously. I drew my pistol, and pointed it at his chest.

"Now what are you going to do with that?" He asked, still smiling. I also smiled, which made his falter. I slowly depressed the trigger, and the pistol bucked back in recoil. I watched him clutch his chest, and fall to the ground. I saw that he was still breathing. I put the pistol on the ground, and walked over to Star.

"You okay?" I asked, for a look of shock was still on her face.

"You just shot him!" She said, still shocked.

"He will be fine, it was just a paint round. In an hour, he will be a little sore, but otherwise no worse for wear." I said, as I hugged her. She relaxed, as she saw him breathing, and returned the embrace.

"So you won't mind then?" I heard Belle call. I let go of Star, and looked over to where she was.

"Mind what?" I asked. I finally got a look at her. She was holding my pistol, and it was pointed at my chest, and fired. The round impacted just above my heart, and I saw her smiling as blackness enveloped.

I woke an hour later, with a dry mouth and a headache, which could probably kill a full size elephant. I groaned, and sat up slowly. I had been laid so that I was rested against one of the tires on the humvee.

"God my head hurts." I muttered to myself.

"You are preaching to the choir." I heard Sam say. I turned to look at him, and he was lying on top of the humvee.

"We cool?" I asked, looking him in the eyes. They were a deep brown, but had a highlight of gold around the edges.

"Yea, we're cool." He said, and chuckled.

"Also, I wasn't going to actually ride you. I have had enough experience to realize what a dumb fucking idea that is!" He busted up laughing, and then quickly groaned and clutched his head. I got up to go find water and the girls.

"It's alive!" I heard Belle call from a cluster of trees, from where her and Star were relaxing in the shade.

"Funny. I have a question for you. You won't mind, right?" I asked, and she laughed and threw a stick at me. I dodged it, and sat next to Star. She handed me a water bottle, which I greatly accepted. After taking a large gulp, I handed it back to her.

"So what have you to done while we were sleeping?" I asked.

"Just sat here and looked at nature, and talked about home. I also brought out a letter I received from my mom about a month ago. I just haven't had the heart to read it till now." Star said. I hugger her close, and she rested her head on my chest.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, stroking the fur behind her ears, which she liked.

"Yea, she is just worried about me. And she said that my brothers are driving her crazy!" She said, and laughed. I smiled back, and I saw that out of the corner of my vision that Belle just sat there, playing with a stick. She didn't want to interrupt Star and I, and I felt bad because Sam still hadn't got up. Well, time to change that.

I started to get up, and Star looked confused. I leaned down and whispered to her, "I am going to go get Sam. Look at poor Belle!" I said, and she smiled up at me.

"You are to nice for your own good." She said, and licked my nose.

"Yea, you know what you get for being nice? Shot in the chest, that's what." I said, and mock glared over at Belle. She giggled, and threw another stick flying.

"Fetch boy!" She said, and both her and Star busted up laughing. I just shook my head, and walked over to the humvee.

"Sam, wake up." I said, and gently shook him.

"Fuck you."

"Well, that wasn't very nice, now was it? Come on, Belle is lonely, and she needs company. And she already shot me once, I don't need any more times, thank you very much." I said, and kept shaking him.

"I will go over there if you give me a piggy-back ride over there." He said, his eye opening slightly to show an amused look.

"Fine, lets go." I said, after a minute.

"Really?" He asked, sitting up.

"Yes, you ass. Now, lets go before I change my mind." I said. He snorted, and hopped off the humvee, and then onto my back. He weighed a ton!

"Holy shit Sam, what have you been eating, bricks?" I asked, wheezing. He just snorted in my ear, and I kept running toward the girls.

About halfway there, I fell. Sam crashed down on top of me, and he was laughing hysterically.

"You ass, get off me! I can't breathe!" I yelled, muffled from under him.

"If you didn't talk so much, you wouldn't have that problem..." He said, and then laughed at his own joke. He started to get up, when even more weight came crashing down on top of me. It was Belle, who jumped onto our newly created dog pile. Star was only about a second after her.

After another half hour of wrestling, we finally settled down enough to be able to eat lunch. It was a simple lunch, just a few slabs of meat for me and Star, and tossed salad for all of us.

Once we had finished, Star brought out dessert. They were brownies!

"Were ever did you get these?" I asked, excitedly.

"They were in the supplies, just hidden in one of the boxes of corn. I guess as a present to the troops of the Animorph army." She said.

"Uh, dumb question, can you eat chocolate?" I asked, turning slightly red from embarrassment.

"Yes, we can. I personally do not like the flavor all to much." She said, as she crinkled her snout. I started laughing, and I kissed her on the head. She smiled, and then cut a brownie out for me. I happily shoved the entire thing in my mouth!

She smacked me in the stomach gently. "Small bites!" I open my mouth again to speak, and she covered my mouth. "Jesus, chew your food!" I did as she told, and swallowed. I just grinned at her, and she shook her head and laughed.

"You want one Belle?" Star asked.

"Sure!" She said. I saw Sam lean down and whisper something in her ear. She smiled, and shook her head. "Sam would also like one." I looked at him, and he just grinned. Star laughed, and dished out both of the brownies. I was happy and full, so I decided to lie back into the tall grass. Star lay down next to me, and we watched the sun set.

"Thank you." I whispered to her. She looked up at me with a questioning look. "For today, and for everything." I explained. She didn't say a word, just snuggled in closer on my chest. I glanced down at my watch, and it read to be about 5:00p.m. We had to be back at camp by 7:00p.m, and there was an hour and a half drive...

The night ended much to soon, and as I drove back I was engaged in a battle of the wits with Belle.

"Alright Belle, here is one for you. I get wetter as I dry. What am I?" I asked.

She sat there silently, thinking. Both Sam and Star had given up on my riddles, and sat there poking fun at us.

"I don't know. What is it?" She asked sounding frustrated.

I looked in the rearview mirror so I could see her face. "A towel!"

It got very quiet, and Sam and Star busted up laughing. Belle smirked, as she got the riddle. "Very nice. Alright, you won, I officially succeed to you." She spat out.

"Huzzah! I need another brownie!" I yelled, and Sam handed me another one. I had to balance it in one hand to be able to drive.

"Is that even safe?" Sam asked, grinning at me.

"Relax, if I crash you wont feel it for long." I said, deadpan. The others got quiet, and then busted a gut laughing. I smiled, happy to make them laugh. It would be the last time I would see them for a weekend.

We all took shifts driving, and we reached camp a few minutes before 7:00p.m, so we weren't in trouble for being late! We spent the rest of the night hanging out with the others, playing a volleyball game. My team lost, but I had a great time anyway. I checked my watch, and it read to be about 9:30p.m, so I decided to hit the hay. I advised Sean to do the same, and he agreed happily. We both walked into the barracks at the same time, and I knocked out immediately.

Hey there! Here is chapter ten of the series, hope I didn't disappoint! As always, I love comments, and I hope to see some reviews from you!