Born 01 - Born

stay in the woods nearby and hunt. He would always lean out."
    Will looks toward the mountain."We need to get going then."
    I want to stay one night but the dead men scattered about the yard make me rethink that plan.
    "Anna, go close off the bunker and Jake, close up the house. I'll get Leo some water and refill the water bottles."
    Will smiles. "I'll stay guard and Sarah can give me a hand."
    She smiles at him. She likes him a lot. I wonder if she feels safe with him the way I do.
    I stay focused on his blue eyes for a second and then force myself up.
    I run my fingers along Leo's fur as we walk to the huge well. I pump the primer and then lift and pump the handle. I always let the first few pumps of water leave the spout and spill on the ground. Leo knows not to drink them.
    He waits patiently. I pull the pan I leave lying around the well house out of its hiding spot. I rinse it and fill it with the cold water after about fifteen wasted pumps. Leo laps it up fast. He looks up expectantly when the shallow bowl is empty. I fill it three times before he doesn’t seem interested.
    I fill the water bottles in my backpack. I drink one full bottle of the fresh, clean water and then refill it. Anna comes over and drinks one and lets me refill it, too. Jake joins Will and Sarah. His limp is still pronounced. I wonder if it'll ever be better.
    We leave the farm in a way that makes me feel odd. We walk and talk and snack on the jerky I had stored the last time I was stocking my supply cupboards.
    Leo doesn’t seem to like it either. He is restless.
    I worry about Meg. We pass by the meeting tree. I can see Leo has slept here. The grass and branches around it are in the shape of one of his nests.
    We turn the opposite way of my cabin and my heart tugs. I want to go home. Leo stands there for a second and whines.
    "Come on, boy."
    He trots after me and keeps perfect pace with me for a while. Soon he relaxes and starts to trust that I am not going anywhere and moves ahead. He scouts perfectly. He is silent and sharp.
    We move along the hillside without talking. I have given Jake a dirty look every time he started talking to Sarah. He is going to get us killed one day.
    I look up as we near the camp to see the scout in the tree. Will waves and the scout shouts down, "Holy shit, look what the cat dragged in."
    Will waves and laughs, "Actually, it's what the wolf dragged in." He looks back at me.
    Leo raises a lip at Will. I stroke his face.
    The camp is bustling, just as it was when we left.
    Mary comes running up and I hear the squeal of the little white-haired brat.
    "Wolfie!"
    Leo curls into me. The little monster comes barreling at us. Before I have a chance, Anna has his little arms. "The wolf is going to bite you. We trained it to bite little kids."
    She turns and growls at Leo who growls back. The little monster cries and runs away.
    Anna gives me a look. I've warned her about the little monster.
    I laugh. Mary gives me an evil stare. I laugh harder.
    "He means no harm." Her voice is soft and insulted.
    He runs to her and hugs her. He fake cries and snuggles into her. He looks back at us and makes the production even louder. I roll my eyes. "Mary, this is Sarah."
    Will cuts me off. "And my sister Anna and my brother Jake."
    Mary smiles at Jake.
    Jake blushes. I feel funny. She kissed me and now she's eyeballing the guy who I happen to like a lot. I feel angry. I don’t know why. Mary isn’t my girlfriend and Jake isn’t my boyfriend, but the idea of them being together hurts me.
    She walks over and kisses Will on the cheek. "Welcome home and welcome to the rest of you."
    Okay, I've had enough. I walk away and head to the tent.
    Leo is clinging to me. He keeps looking back at the bratty kid in Mary's arms.
    I look down at him. "I know, buddy. I won't let him hurt you."
    Our tent looks smaller than I remember it. I open the flap and feel heat rise in my face instantly. Meg is in the embrace of a guy I would guess is somewhere around thirty. Before I wait for explanations or introductions, Meg's eyes flicker on me and she starts screaming. I can't stop the momentum. I leap into the tent and rip him away from her. I'm choking him on the ground and she is tearing at my arms. Leo is in the tent and growling. His slobber is falling all over the man's face.
    His hands go up in the air. He tries to choke words out but I'm holding his throat with all my might.
    "Emma, sweet mother of all things holy, stop trying to kill him.