Chapter 17 - So, we meet again.

“Let’s go, Hera. We’re gonna be late.” I urged the bear to climb up the metal steps on the back of a converted K-9 carrier. She examined the steps, pawing the metal and gingerly climbed aboard. The back suspension of the SUV lowered visibly from the 350-pound bear and the car tilted backward. She moved forward to the front seats and the vehicle leveled. I’ll need to beef up the suspension a lot more.

My familiarization period was finally over and I was now a bonafide Deputy Hunter. The sergeant issued me a custom white Chevy Suburban K9 carrier last Friday and he said that Hera needed it. I think Sergeant Stone dotes on Hera and he made sure that I was given the right car. I owe the Sergeant a lot of favors for that. We made more changes to the SUV during the weekend, so that Hera may fit inside comfortably.

My Dad removed all the steel partitions and all that was left was a single flat carpeted floor inside the SUV. I installed a folding step on the floor at the end of the trunk so Hera could easily climb in. The SUV also had the benefit of hiding the bear from view while we drove around town. The K-9 lettering on the side needed to be replaced and I planned to stop by the car body shop in town next weekend.

“Stop it, Hera. Move back a little.” I gently pushed her head away. Her hot breath was tickling my ears and it was annoying while I was driving through the town. She teased me by licking my ear and she moved back giving me some space. Hera amused herself by watching the people we passed by and waving her paws at them. I muttered darkly at the boy who taught her that silly trick.

--

“Hi, Hera.” A female voice greeted the bear and I looked up from the manual I was reading.

I was assigned a desk and I did some studying while I waited for them to send me out. It was Deputy Harris carrying a box of full of bribes. Her desk was next to mine on the left. Hera instantly perked up and her nose quivered when she saw the deputy. The short blonde woman squatted in front of Hera and gave the bear a big hug. The deputy was in her twenties and she was a cute one. I gave the bear a dirty look.

“Morning ‘Rook’.” She grinned impishly at me. I rolled my eyes at her. She loved calling me by that stupid nickname because she was the previous rookie. They don’t call her ‘Rook’ anymore though since I was the new one.

“Morning Deputy.” I said sullenly. I was starting to hate that name.

“Don’t be like that, Rook. You won’t be the rookie forever.” She had a grin that annoyed me. She fed Hera a donut and the little traitor ate the treat. She gave Hera a rub and sat in her desk next to me.

“How long was it before they stopped calling you Rook?” I turned my body to face her. Her button nose crinkled annoyance when I reminded the deputy of her own experience.

“Me? Months. Rook. Months. Hehehe. Your turn now. Hehehe. Revenge is sweet.” She grinned evilly at the Jelly donut and took a vicious bite. The strawberry filling dripped from the corners of her mouth. I scratched my head in annoyance. She saw my irritated face and graciously offered me the box. I tried acting like a man but I took one anyway. So good.

I was chewing the last of the donut and wondered if she was being serious when the phone on my desk rang. I quickly swallowed the donut and picked up the phone.

“Hello, this is Deputy Hunter.”

“Hunter. Animal Control requested some backup for a 10-91 at Jan Ander’s Farm at near Nathelen Winery. You know the place?” I opened my holoscreen and wrote the details in my Biblio Mod. I know the where the farm was.

“I’ve been there before, Sarge.” I returned headset on the cradle and my excitement bubbled up. I got to finally do my job. I looked at Hera, who was enjoying Harris’s rubs and her eyes were half closed in pleasure.

“Let’s go, Hera.” I said to the bear and she instantly went alert. I put on my leather jacket and walked to the exit with Hera following me close behind.

“Awww...Bye Hera.” Harris called out. She didn’t even say goodbye to me.

--

After a twenty minute drive, I arrived at Ander’s farm and parked near an Animal Control Van. I got out of the Suburban and opened the trunk to let Hera out. I scanned the area looking for the officers and I heard a child’s piercing scream. My heart beat faster and my adrenaline started flowing.

“Hera, Let’s go!” I remove the Gauss rifle from storage and ran to the source of the wail. Hera was running beside me and I entered the large wood barn where I thought the sound came from. I pointed my rifle at the barn as I slowly entered the large open doors. When I saw the situation inside the barn, I quickly lowered the rifle. I stored the rifle and motioned Hera to follow me.

“You can’t kill them!” An eight-year-old girl’s desperate plea pierced through the general cussing and grunting of the two Animal Control officers.

“Uh. Sheriff’s Office.” I said uncertainly to the people inside the barn. Inside the barn, there was a large steel wire mesh animal enclosure. In the pen, an A.C. officer wearing riot police armor was down on the ground dazed while his partner was in front of him and was using a kevlar shield to protect them both from the animal assault.

“Help us!” The officer holding the shield shouted desperately at me. I sighed when I saw the animals contained in the pen and my excitement evaporated. I walked to the gate of the enclosure and went inside. I dragged the downed officer by the straps of his armor to the gate while the other officer shielded us from the constant attack. We finally got out of that slaughterhouse. Why does this scene look familiar? Ah, yes.

“Please! Don’t hurt them!” The black haired girl begged while her parents held her back.

“I think the officers are the ones getting hurt, young lady.” I gave them a lopsided smile. The stunned officer was finally back on his feet and his partner was taking off her helmet. She checked her partner for injuries. Hera smelled the animal’s scent and I sensed her anticipation.

“Hera. Stay.” I told the bear and she grunted in disgust. The little girl was staring at the bear with wonder and she forgot the plight of the animals in the pen.

“You can pet her,” I assured the girl. She looked at her parents and they hesitated.

“She’s very nice.” I added to assure the parents. The finally let go of the girl and she ran to the bear. Hera stayed still and allowed the girl to give her a rub. The little girl then hugged the bear and Hera grunted happily. I left the family and walked to the officers to introduce myself.

“Deputy Hunter.” I extended my hand and we introduced ourselves.

“Thanks for coming, Hunter. I know these animals are below your expertise but we’re temporarily short staffed right now. Anders called us because he’s having trouble with them.” Office Alan Ricard said to me while we approached the enclosure.

“How the hell did he even get them?” I asked both of them incredulously. Those damned Horned Rabbits usually inhabit in the woods north of here. I stared at those hate-filled red eyes.

“The Dad there, found a litter of the buggers when he was out hunting them and brought them home for his daughter. Stupid idiot.” Officer Sheila Perkins said darkly and glared at Jan Anders.

“So, what the game plan? Kill em?” I asked eagerly. I could feed them to Hera. She loves eating bunnies.

“Sorry, Hunter. We love to, but we can’t. Our boss is a...”. Perkins didn’t complete the statement.

“A tree hugger.” I suggested. They made non-committal sounds and not meeting my eyes. Loyal subordinates.

“So, how do we do this?” Ricard inquired rubbing his sore chest.

“We need some thick plywood and a baseball bat.” I eyed the lucky bunnies and searched the barn for materials to make a wooden shield.

--

The battle of Ander’s farm was both epic and painful. Even with meticulous planning, a bunny got through our defenses and hit me on my armored chest. I still had my camo armor in my storage and I wore it just to be safe. I rubbed at the tender spot on my chest. Thank god I wore it. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw Hera sleeping. The little girl fed her with a lot of milk and cookies while we were inside subduing the bunnies. She’s sleeping off the sugar-induced high.

I was on my way back to the Sheriff station when Dispatch called me on the radio. Thank god, Sergeant Stone erased those asinine callsigns and ordered the rest of the deputies to think of something radio friendly. I’m not optimistic with my fellow deputy’s choice of sensible callsigns.

“Dispatch, This is Deputy Hunter. Over.”

“Deputy Hunter. We have a possible 10-91 at Rowland Heights. Deputy Connelly is at the location. Proceed immediately.” At Rowland Heights? A wolf pack? Impossible. The terrain was wrong.

“10-4 Dispatch. On my way. Over and out.” I took a right turn and drove to the place. I was starting to get excited again.

--

“Where’s is he?”. I asked myself. I was almost near the end of the paved road and I was still searching for Connolly’s SUV.

Rowland Heights was a large sparsely wooded hill located south of Glenville. At around 7,000 feet in elevation, the place was a popular trail for mountain biking and hiking. The parking/sightseeing area also overlooks the town and was a nice place for people to hang out. I was following the paved road for two miles up the hill but there wasn’t a sign of Deputy Connelly’s car. I decided to head out to the parking area and hoped the deputy was there.

I finally found the Deputy Connelly’s empty Tahoe at the sightseeing area and parked beside it. I looked around the place and I couldn't find him. I exited the suburban and opened the trunk to let Hera out. I approached the deputy’s SUV and confirmed that it was indeed empty. I tried calling him on the radio.

“Deputy Connolly, this is Deputy Hunter. Come in.” No response. I tried hailing him a few more times but he didn’t answer the radio. I used my cellphone but he didn’t answer also.

“Dispatch, This is Deputy Hunter. Come in.”

“Hunter, This is Dispatch over. ” The voice crisp and clear.

“Dispatch, no sign of Deputy Connelly at the parking area. Over.”

“10-4, Connelly’s last report said he was on the trail. Over.” All by himself? I had a bad feeling about this.

“10-4, over and out.” I placed the radio back on my belt.

“Hera.” I said to the bear who was playing with a twig. I walked to the gravel trail and she followed behind me. I took out the Gauss rifle and walked up the trail.

I was hiking the twisting gravel trail uphill for twenty minutes and I still didn’t find the deputy. I tried calling him on the radio again but he still didn’t respond. I was starting to get worried and I upped my pace. Was there a dangerous animal? I was starting to get winded and I stopped to take a rest. I could easily see the whole town from where I’m standing. I wondered how high up the hill we were now. I looked back to check up on Hera and she was easily keeping up with me. I could tell she was happy with the hike and the surroundings. She was running around checking every bush and tree. She then suddenly stopped and rubbed her back on a nearby tree and clawed it. The little runt was marking the area as her territory. I shook my head at her antics and continued up the hill searching the area methodically.

I finally found something a few hundred yards later. It was a twisted up neon green bike in the middle of the trail. I ran to the wreck, my heart beating hard and examined the bike. The tubular metal was twisted in different directions and the paint was all scratched up. I looked up the side of the hill and I saw the signs of where the bike hit the ground as it tumbled down. The marks went a long way up the hill. The biker must have fallen off his bike somewhere further up and the bike went off the side of the snaking trail. This doesn't look like an animal attack. It appeared to be just a bike accident. But, Connelly wasn’t the type of guy that made jokes about something this serious.

Hera came close to the bike and sniffed it deeply. The cub then recoiled from the bike and growled in alarm. I was baffled by her behavior and so I took a closer look at the bike. Hidden behind the bent metal were four recognizable claw marks that scratched the green neon paint and gouged the metal frame.

I went alert instantly and scanned the area with the scope of my rifle. I glanced at Hera and her body language was tense. Thankfully, the hill had little tree cover and I could see everything around me. My mind was racing at the implications of the claw marks. I cataloged the different predators in this area and one thing came to my mind. It was not a wolf, but an Onyx Cougar. I swore silently because they were one of the most difficult animals to hunt. Unlike most predators, these cougars were true hunters and they liked to stalk and ambush their prey. They were hard to spot and they like to hide in the shadows, waiting for a chance to strike. I was afraid that Deputy Connelly got jumped while he was examining the bike. I must be vigilant while I checked the area.

“Hera, Guard.” The bear followed my command instantly. Her head was scanning the area for hidden threats and she was sniffing the air intensely. I searched the area around the bike for clues. I found boot prints walking along the trail and disappearing behind a bend. I examined them and they were all shallow and even in depth. It told me the deputy was walking normally and was not running. There was also no blood anywhere. So, he wasn’t attacked in this location. Maybe the deputy was okay and he was just up the hill tending to the wounded biker. I hoped the claw marks were wrong.

“Hera, Behind.” I ordered Hera to watch my back while I scouted forward following the boot prints on the gravel trail.

I walked slowly along the trail with my eyes looking for any telltale signs. I found a small drag trail and deduced that the falling bike that made it and continued following the trail. I kneeled in the gravel for us to take a break. I checked the wind and grimaced when I found out we were upwind. The cougar probably knows we were in the area from our scent. I drank water from my storage and gave some to Hera. She tenderly pawed my chest in affection and continued scanning the place. The bear’s gaze always paused uphill and she growled quietly. I trusted my bear’s instincts and I didn’t let my guard down. We resumed our hike and in a couple of more minutes we finally found something that made my blood go cold.

The path was blocked by a fallen rotten pine tree no bigger than my thigh, it also appeared to have fallen quite recently. Near the fallen tree were a lot of blood and drag marks on the gravel trail. I examined the drag marks and a blood trail was beside it. The drag marks led away from the biking trail to the left and into the bush covered hill. I stood up to follow it but also found another bloody drag trail. This one was larger, deeper, and my heart sank when I realized it was probably the deputy’s.

I immediately grabbed my radio to call for help.

“This is Deputy Hunter. Dispatch, come in.” I tried it twice.

“...Hunter...This… Dispatch...” The radio signal was spotty. I surveyed the area and the town was blocked by the hill.

“Dispatch, you are breaking up. Over.”

“...Situation...Hunter...ver... ” Shit. I’m having trouble understanding that. I checked my phone and almost threw it in disgust. No signal.

“We have a possible deputy down. A possible Deputy down... Over.”

“... … … ...” I shoved the radio back on the belt in anger. This useless thing.

I examined the blood on the ground and I didn’t know how much of it was shed. I needed to find them quickly in case they were still alive. If I keep going slow and cautious, I might not make it in time. I contemplated on a plan but it was risky, maybe too risky. The Cougar might be watching me right now and ambush me when I least expected it. I looked at Hera and hardened my resolve. This is why they pay me the big bucks. I have to save them and to do it I had to be fast.

I changed the Gauss rifle into the compact full auto mode, zipped my jacket close, and turned up the sensitivity of my Auric Mod. I looked down at growling Hera and she was sniffing the drag marks.

“Hera.” The bear turned her head to look at me eagerly and she waited for the command.

“Hunt.” I whispered.