Twitch Home

Chapter 8 - Forest Ranger Dave

"'I've invited my forest ranger friend, Dave, to lunch. Maybe he can come up with a high calorie diet for Brock while he recovers," Aunt Rose said looking at me with tired eyes. Aunt Rose, Smoke, Twitch and I were all exhausted trying to feed a hungry bear who needed to pack on the pounds before he entered hibernation. Brock had been sharing food locations with Twitch and Smoke. The cats took Aunt Rose and I to the sites and we collected the food. Various plants, grasses, bugs and berries were the staple of Brock's diet. We even picked up road kill that was fairly fresh.

"Good idea, I said," flopping down on Aunt Rose's sofa. "Jake said Brock could take short walks next week. Jake is hoping Brock will be able to return to his territory within a month."

"Good!" Twitch jumped in my lap. "I'm tired of listening to that bear snore. Dave is here." Two rapid knocks came through the door. I smiled down at Twitch running my hands down her body. She added spice to my life. I watched as Aunt Rose opened the door.

"Come in Dave," Aunt Rose said waving Dave in. My jaw dropped.

"Another hunk!"

"Broadcasting!" Twitch looked at me and blinked. I could feel my face flush as both Aunt Rose and Dave turned to look at me.

"This is my niece, Amber." Aunt Rose grinned trying to stifle a laugh. Twitch leaped to the floor as I rose to greet the grinning man. His eyes crinkled in laughter as he strode towards me extending his hand. His hand enveloped mine with a firm gentle grip.

"I've been looking forward to meeting you, Amber." His voice was a deep baritone with a bit of gravel in the tone. I felt a shiver run down my spine. "Rose told me how you and Jake helped save one of our forest's bears. Thank you. I understand he is an old friend of yours?" I smiled and nodded, still too embarrassed from my broadcast to speak. "I hear keeping him fed is running everyone ragged. I think I can offer some solutions that will ease the stress."

"Good," Aunt Rose said. "I made some barbecue from the venison you gave me. Sit down. Amber and I will get the food on the table." Dave held up a small bag.

"I brought butter pecan ice cream for dessert. I know how much you love it Rose." Dave grinned and gave Aunt Rose a wink. Aunt Rose laughed taking the ice cream from Dave. Five minutes later, we were munching down on barbecue sandwiches, coleslaw and a spinach salad.

"While we usually do not provide food for wild animals, we sometimes make an exception for an injured animal if we are trying to re-establish the species," Dave said. "Bears were wiped out years ago in this area from mismanagement. We are trying to re-establish them. I can take advantage of a program that allows me to acquire road kill collected by local road sanitation crews. Another resource is a nearby commercial fishing crew that donates damaged fish they cannot sell or need for bait. I should be able to provide most of the protein your injured bear will need for the next month. I plan to drop off food every other day."

"Thank you, Dave. You have made our challenge much easier to bear," Rose said laughing at her pun.

"My aching muscles are in your debt," I drawled smiling at Dave. I was feeling much better after munching down on our delicious meal.

"Rose, I'm glad you reached out to me and I am happy that I could help," Dave smiled. "Now, does everyone want ice cream? Rose, if you show me where the bowls are, I'll do the serving this time."

After Dave left, Aunt Rose and I sat before the fire each with a cat in our lap. We were too tired to talk. We stared into the flames enjoying the crackling of the burning logs. After a while, I rose holding Twitch. "Goodnight, Aunt Rose. I better get back to Brock. Let's go Twitch."

When the swirling stopped, I smiled at the scene before me. Brock and Jake were both sound asleep before a dying fire. Poor Jake, he never could get the fire banked so it would last. I gently stoked the fire with enough wood to revive it. When the flames died down, I banked the fire so it would last through the remainder of the night. I crawled into my sleeping bag and was soon fast asleep.

In the middle of the night, I awoke to roars vibrating through the forest. I looked over at Jake. He was awake leaning on an elbow. Twitch and Ash were sitting at the cave entrance with both ears forward. The night sky was black and moonless. The cats' tails slapped the ground back and forth in unison. Twitch turned to look at Jake and me. Her eyes glowed in the firelight as she broadcast, "Kitty found intruders."

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