Hearing the Call

A woman ran through the subway. She wore a backpack upon her back. A grey sweater flowed behind her. She wore a simple black blouse beneath the sweater and she wore a pair of tattered jeans and flats. Her hair was a fiery red and to top off her look she wore thick framed glasses. “Hold the door!!” She cried as she rushed toward the train. “Wait! Wait! Hold it!” She shouted. A man that stood near the door looked to her and held his arm out as she slipped inside at just the last moment. “Oh….Oh thanks...” She leaned forward slightly, breathless.

Today was Dr. Skyla Lark’s first day at her new job. Though of course she still hadn’t settled down. She was young. Graduated top of her class. She’d had a few small jobs and started her research. She was nearing her 28th birthday soon. That would be a night to celebrate. Every birthday was one to celebrate. She was one of the bright minds of the future. But that didn’t mean that she was the nerdy book type that most would have imagined. No. Skyla was a bit of a loose cannon. She did things that others didn’t expect. Perhaps that was why she got the job. A research facility outside the city. She would be allowed to research the plant flora in order to work on her cure for Leugerigs Disease. It was a tall order. But Skyla felt that she could solve it.

She stood breathlessly in the train as it took off. She stumbled and grasped onto the pole. Her backpack pushed into another rider. “Hey watch where you’re going.” The man spoke as he looked to the fiery haired woman.

“I should.” She remarked, a smirk upon her lips. “I really should. But I don’t believe I ever will.” She laughed before she moved through the train to find herself a seat. It was a three hour trip to get out of the city, to get a cab and ride to the wilderness outpost where she would be spending much of her time. It was a big ask for a city girl like her to give up everything she was familiar with. But the job. Well she just couldn’t turn down this job. The pay was too good. The opportunity was incredible.

**

It was nearly 11:30 in the morning when Skyla climbed from the cab outside of the station. She pulled her phone from her pocket and checked her email. The warden asked her to meet here, he said he would be busy but there would be a ranger that would greet her and show her around. She lugged the huge backpack toward the office. Her frame was small and in all honesty the size of the backpack was a bit comical against her size. But she’d been on many backpacking trips and she was an adventure enthusiast. She was much more well rounded than most city slickers. Skyla pushed the door open to the ranger’s office. The bell atop the door jingled as she disturbed it. She gazed up to the jingle and smiled. She was excited. This could be a career changing move for her.

“Hello?” Skyla asked, she had a bit of an accent. She’s grown up overseas. Her father was a military man after all. So she went through most of her schooling in the UK. “Is anyone there?” She questioned as she looked about. Her eyes were a stunning emerald color. It was a beautiful combination with her hair and her lightly freckled cheeks. “I’m here for my first day.” She spoke as she set her huge hiking backpack in one of the open chairs. “The warden told me to meet someone here.” She blew a bit of her hair from her face as she placed her hands upon her hips. Surely someone had to be here. The Warden wouldn’t tell her someone would meet her and then have absolutely no one to meet her. That just didn’t sound right. Not after the extensive interviews. The meetings. The orientation. The contract. No that just didn’t seem to line up. Perhaps he had stepped out. What was the guys name again? She pulled her phone from her pocket and scrolled through the emails. Her brows knitted together slightly as she tried to find the name within the text.

Skyla whistled slightly as she walked around the empty ranger building. She brushed her hair from her eyes as a sigh came over her lips. She sat down in the rolling chair and leaned back, she propped her feet up on the desk for a few moments. She scrolled through her phone. Her service was terrible here. She couldn’t get many of the old messages to come up. What the hell was the guy’s name that was supposed to meet her? After she couldn’t get the pages to load she merely let out a sigh and leaned back in the chair. “Great first day, Skyla. I bet you’re late.” She groaned after she was waiting for nearly fifteen minutes. She then walked around the small building slightly. It was then that the door swung open, it bumped into her and she stumbled back. Skyla caught herself on the desk. Her emerald hues looked up to the man as he began to apologize. Though he didn’t finished his sentence. “Oh it’s...” She began to speak.

His glare. Why was he glaring at her? His voice switched like the flip of a light switch from apologetic to cold and almost...hateful. Skyla watched him a moment. She pushed her hair from her eyes and adjusted her glasses. “Well. I hate to break it to you, but yes. Yes I am the new researcher.” She looked him up and down. What was with this guy? Did he have to be so rude?

Skyla cleared her throat slightly as she watched him, “Listen, I can always call the warden if you have a problem with him. I have an extensive background. I have a degree. I deserve to be here. Just because I don’t look the part doesn’t mean that I will not perform.” She crossed her arms over her chest. Yes this was a huge assumption. But she’d run into it many times before. Her fiery hair, her young face. Many men in the field didn’t believe a beautiful woman such as herself could be a doctor let alone a researcher that was top in her field.

“Could you show me to where the warden is? I’ll just speak to Drew myself.” She spoke, her tone sharp. She stared to him a long moment. “Unless you’re the ranger that he promised would show me around. Then just show me to where I’ll be working and I’ll get out of your way.” She was clearly frustrated with his cold stare, his tone. His tone had been so strong. Such a change in his demeanor. She shook her head slightly as she grabbed her heavy backpack. “I’m supposed to be staying up here for the three months or whatever.” She commented.

“Oh no? It doesn’t?” She had her arms crossed over her chest. “Enlighten me then.” Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked to him through her thick framed glasses. As he slammed the door she raised a brow to him. “Because you seem to be quite aggravated with my presence.” She quipped. “Maybe you’ll get lucky and they won’t keep me longer than my contract.” The remark was sharp. When he confirmed that he was the ranger Skyla rolled her eyes lightly. Of course he was. This asshole had to be the one that she would learn the ropes from. It could have been anyone but him. But of course she was stuff with another man that seemed to hate her from the start.

“Oh? You have enough problems?” She questioned as she placed a hand on her hip, she raised a brow at him. “Gee I wonder why. Can’t have anything to do with your demeanor toward someone who just joined your team. Perhaps I’ll tell him about that. I’m sure he would just love to hear it.” Would she tell Drew? Maybe. She wasn’t certain. She didn’t want to lose this contract. A sigh came over her lips. “Oh sure….sure I’ll listen to whatever you say.” She rolled her eyes again. She blew her hair from her face as she stared to him. Frustration clear in her expression.

What was with this guy? She watched as he ran his hands through his hair. If he wasn’t such an asshole she might have found him attractive. But no. Nope. Not this one. Lyonel. Ah yes that was the name. She remembered it now that he spoke it. “Lyonel. That’s what he said in the email. Yep.” She responded her brow raised slightly. He then spoke that he needed to refill his water. “Yeah don’t let me inconvenience you anymore than I already have.” She spoke as she watched him force a smile. Now he wanted to be nice? This one was a real winner. Everyone she’d met so far was so great. Why did she have to get stuck with him?

Skyla followed him like a lost puppy as he went into the tiny break room. Yeesh this place really needed a woman’s touch. She looked to the microwave and opened the door. Food was stuck on the inside of it. Of course. She opened the fridge and her nose wrinkled. Something must have died in it. “Nice break room.” She commented. “I’m all good here.” She pat her large metal water bottle. “I’ll have nice cold water all day with this one.” It looked to be a gallon jug. Overkill? Maybe. But she didn’t want to go thirsty.

She followed him back to the front lobby and an exasperated sigh came over her lips. She knew that she came off strong. She knew that. She knew it and she didn’t do anything to hold back. “Look.” She spoke as she glanced to him. “Lyonel. You caught me a bit off guard.” She gave a weak smile. “How about we just put that in the past? I’ll try to forget that you nearly steam rolled me with the door.” She let out a chuckle. “I’m Dr. Skyla Lark. Pleased to meet you.” She held her hand forward to him, she put on a business smile. One that she’d practiced many times over the years. Her fiery hair fell in her face and she blew it from her eyes once again.

“So tell me. What can I expect? I am doing research on the flora here. I’m certain that Drew informed you of this. There seems to be a trend in flora dying out these days.” She commented. “I’m going to try to fix that. But there is also this...flower that I am searching for. It’ll help me in my research.” She pulled up an image on her phone. “This one right here. It’s a hard one to find. They seem to be disappearing faster than I can find them.” She seemed to have put his attitude aside for now.

“So you’ll have to excuse me if we are on our little tour and I seem distracted. I’m more interested in the plants than...” She waved her hand at him. “You.” She smirked, a laugh came from her lips as she turned and stepped outside. “So where am I supposed to put my bag? Can we make that the first stop? You have cabins up here right? That’s what I was told.”

Skyla looked to him she raised her brow slightly. At least he was agreeable now. Perhaps they truly did get off on the wrong foot. “You know I might have one of it out of bloom...” She began to thumb through the photos on her phone. Many of the images, if he were to catch a glance were of the city. Of her in the night life of the city. Drinks. Friends. She kept herself busy. That was for certain.

He spoke about the cabins but Skyla was still standing in the same spot, flipping through the images. Looking for that one imagine that she might have. She barely heard him talk about how he was planning to go deep into the forest. She shifted the straps upon her back and looked up from her phone. “Hey wait up!” She rushed after him, the bag swayed from side to side. She thought she heard him say something. But perhaps he was just talking to himself.

She caught up to him as he’d started up the ATV. It had been a good while since she had ridden one of these. She looked to him a moment before she climbed upon behind him, almost reluctantly. She wrapped her arms around his waist and held on. Her bag threatened to pull her over the back of the ATV as they made their way up the hills and over obstacles on the way to the cabins. “Do you think they put these in here far enough?” She questioned a bit sarcastically.

When they arrived at the cabins Skyla looked to them. Nothing spectacular. She didn’t expect the red carpet to be rolled out for her to be honest. She let out a breath as she climbed from the back of the ATV. She stumbled slightly from the weight of her pack. She glanced to him with her emerald hues as he spoke. She was surprised by his statement. “Well I am from the city. You put enough spiders in my cabin you might be able to chase me off too.” She smirked to him and then laughed. “I’ve been on plenty of backpacking trips. Hell I’ve slept in a hammock up a tree.” She grinned to him. “Let’s see….which one?” She asked as she walked up to the cabins. She chose the cabin to the far right. It looked a bit smaller than the others. She looked to the old handle a moment. “It’s not going to break if I touch it right?” She glanced to him before she pushed the door open.

Skyla gazed around the small room. Just a bedroom. There was a door at the back that she imagined was a closet. A small kitchenette. She drew in a breath. “It’s just three months Skyla.” She spoke to herself as she offloaded her bag. She stepped into the bathroom. It was tight. Truly just enough room to walk in, step in the stand up shower and turn around. “Luxurious.” She muttered to herself before she grasped her metal bottle. She rummaged through her bag quickly and pulled out a quick day pack. She tossed in a few granola bars and she slipped her bottle into the bag before she came back out.

Skyla tossed the blue bag upon her back as she came back out. “So what was it you were saying? We are going into the deep woods right?” She commented. “And are you the Zoologist?” She questioned. “I’ve always loved animals. I’m glad to offer a hand with them if you need help. Drew mentioned that the ranger that is in charge of animal handling was in need of a bit of an extra hand with all the wildlife out here.” She spoke as she looked around. The view was absolutely gorgeous. She smiled as she caught a glimpse of the mountains in the distance, the treetops. She could only imagine what the place looked like in the summer. She pulled her long grey sweater a bit more around herself. “How many employees work the winter months?” She questioned as she climbed onto the ATV, ready to head out.

Skyla watched him, a brow raised slightly. “Just you?” She questioned. “Maybe you do need some help.” She laughed with a smile upon her lips. She’d calmed down quite a bit. She wasn’t nearly as fiery as she was before. “The warden only caring for those that visit the park...I understand the customer service aspect but...without the animals and flora this park would cease to exist. More care needs to be put in the preservation of the animals and the flora itself. The visitors will still come. Besides, the better the park is cared for, the more animals and the more plants will thrive...and a thriving ecosystem will give the visitors something to truly bask in.”

She was passionate. That was for certain. Skyla had a grin upon her lips as she looked to him. As he turned the engine back on she let out a laugh. “Ah yes, I do apologize for my noon arrival. I had quite the trip to get here. The Warden and I agreed on noon.” She spoke as she climbed upon the ATV behind him and she gripped onto him once again. He wasn’t so horrible. Right? Maybe he was just in a mood. It certainly sounded like the warden put a lot of things to the wayside just to impress those that visited the park. Which Skyla didn’t really like. He made it sound like he did everything for the plants and animals over the interview. Then again, he was selling the state of the park to her as much as she was selling herself to him. But locked in the contract. She had three months of this. Perhaps she could turn it around, put a positive spin on it.

“Oh good. Then I can get around a bit better.” She spoke as he told her he would give her, her own ATV to ride around. She didn’t really want to spend three months riding on the back of his ATV anyway awkwardly hanging onto him like a lost girlfriend. No thanks.

Skyla gripped more tightly onto him as he sped up. She winced as they ran over rocks and bounced about. “How am I supposed to do that…..” She was jostled by a rock that he hit. “When you’re driving like a damn maniac?” She called over his shoulder. “Do you have to drive so fast?!” She remarked.

Though that didn’t seem to matter to him. Lyonel seemed to only care for himself. Typical selfish man. Skyla held onto him tightly to keep herself in place. When the ATV finally stopped she hopped off and slipped her pack from her back to get a sip of her water. She looked to him a long moment. “You know. If I wasn’t a smart girl I would think that you were trying to toss me off the back of that thing.” She raised a brow at him before she pulled her pack back on her back. “So what’s out here?” She asked as she walked forward. It was so quiet. She drew in a long breath. It was absolutely breathtaking. She let out a chuckle as she walked over to the overlook. “Damn.” She gazed over the mountain valley. “I see why you choose to live here year round.” She glanced to him a moment. She stretched. Her body ached a bit from holding onto him. She clearly wasn’t used to riding an ATV. Riding a subway train? Oh yes. All day. That was what she did. But getting thrown around the back of an ATV. Nope.

Skyla cleared her throat slightly as she looked down to the treeline below. “Which way Lyonel?” She asked as she came back to him. “I’m here to learn, and find my flower.” She smirked to him. “But my flower doesn’t grow up here. So I guess I’ll be learning today.”

Skyla glanced to him as he spoke to her, a hand on her hip again. She smirked to him, “Yeah you don’t seem like the type that would like the city. I get it.” She glanced over the scenery once again. “It is beautiful out here. But.” She frowned slightly and then smirked to him. “Every now and again though you have to let yourself go. Have a drink or something.” She chuckled. “Maybe that would help with your anger issue.” She had walked back over to him from viewing the mountains.

He spoke of a bear and Skyla nodded. Bears could be dangerous. They could also be harmless. If anything humans were the most dangerous thing to the bears. “I would rather see the bear stay where his home is.” She remarked. “I’m with you on that. If he isn’t causing any trouble, then the hikers need to be mindful. Though I do find it interesting that a bear would be out during the winter. Something has to be off. Don’t you think?” She glanced to the camera that he grabbed from the ATV. A grin split her lips when he offered it to her. She looked at the old camera. It was dusty, a bit banged up in a few places. It had seen its use. “You’re worried about me dropping this?” She questioned. “As if your driving on the way up here could have done any less damage to the poor camera.” A chuckle came over her lips as she started to walk along the trail. “I’ll give it back, don’t worry. I bet I couldn’t pawn this thing for $10.” She placed the camera strap around her neck and held the camera up over her shoulder slightly as she smirked back to him. That was the thing that got Skyla in trouble most of the time. She was forward and blunt, she was spunky. Sometimes that was misunderstood. There were many times that she was caught off guard because someone assumed she was flirting with them. When in all actuality it was just her personality. She drew attention, that was for certain.

After her words though Skyla went to work. Her emerald hues moved about the trail as she walked along. She stepped off of the trail several times and crouched down. She would focus the camera and take several different angled shots of the flora that she discovered. She was surprised to see some of the different vegetation growing at this altitude. But she’d been surprised before. The world was a strange place, full of endless possibilities. Skyla was in her own world at this point. Minding her own business. Working. She didn’t need to be told what to do. She slipped a journal from her backpack and began scribbling into it. Writing down the names of the flowers, describing their locations. She described so many different details. But what more would you expect from a biologist that had double majored with botany?

She made it nearly an hour and a half down the trail before she heard a twig snap. She froze for a moment. Her eyes glanced upward. She could see the small black body of a bear cub in the tree. She took a few steps back and nearly ran into Lyonel. She held a finger to her lips and pointed upward. “That’s why you have a bear so close to the trail.” She whispered softly. She lifted the camera and snapped a few shots of the cub. She then heard the growl of the mother bear. This was dangerous. They were incredibly protective. Skyla backed up the trail slowly, her eyes stayed on the black bear as it made its way onto the trail where they were. Her heart rate spiked. Of course she’d had run ins with wildlife before. But, this could end badly. They were too far from the ATV to make it back before the bear would maul them. She didn’t have anything to defend herself. Her breaths quickened as she continued to slowly step back. Her emerald hues looked to Lyonel. She only hoped that he would have a plan. He lived here after all. He must have had some form of a plan when he decided to go traipsing after a bear.

“Psh experience. Right. This poor thing is lucky it still works.” She grinned to him as she’d started to walk away. When he made the next comment. “Oh I can tell you the best places. You’d fit right in. Believe me.” She smirked before moving on.

It was peaceful. Up until the moment that she found the cub and the mother bear. It was quiet. Nature was gorgeous. She both hated and loved the city. She only loved the city for the night life. But this peaceful serenity of the mountains. This is what she truly craved. But that all came crashing down when the mother bear came growling in her general direction. When Lyonel put his arm out to protect her Skyla was quick to get behind him. Her eyes were wide. She could feel her pulse in her ears, she could hear it. Fight or flight. He told her not to run. But she wanted to. She wanted to turn and sprint the other direction. But she knew that wasn’t a good idea. She’d been on backpacking excursions before. She knew very well what would happen if she ran. “I don’t know. She looks pretty mad to me. I don’t think she cares if we run.” Skyla whispered quickly. Her breaths shook. Fear was a strong emotion.

She watched as he pulled the gun from his back, her eyes stared to the mother bear. When she rose onto her hind legs Skyla took an uncomfortable step back. That tiny gun wasn’t going to save them from that bear! When he pulled the trigger though it didn’t make the loud bang that she anticipated. It was a dart gun. Of course. Thank god. She didn’t want him to kill the bear, it wasn’t the bear’s fault that they were near her cub. “Shit.” Skyla spoke as she stared to the sleeping bear. “Way to start the first day huh?” She gave an uneasy chuckle as he rummaged through his backpack for something. The radio. That made sense.

Skyla looked to Lyonel as he spoke to her after he’d radioed in about the bear. “Oh yeah. Yeah I’ve been in the wilderness before you know.” She smirked to him. She watched as he pulled out the syringe and the green liquid. “Right.” She spoke as she stepped forward. “You’re just going….” She started to ask him a question but he was climbing the tree already. “Yeah...yep you’re just going to climb the damn tree like that...” She muttered to herself and shook her head slightly. She adjusted where she stood and gazed up to the little cub that was spooked by someone coming up the tree after it. Of course with Skyla’s luck the cub didn’t manage to stay on the limb when it was dosed with the tranquilizer.

She shifted and braced herself the best she could. The cub’s back collided with her sternum and her arms hugged around it as it fell to the ground. Skyla was knocked harshly onto her back by the sheer weight of the cub. Twenty or thirty pounds? More like fifty. The air was pushed from her lungs as she lay beneath the snoozing cub. She gasped as she fought to fill her lungs once again. She shifted from beneath the cub and brushed herself off as she stood. She knelt next to the little guy as she caught her breath. “He’s a little bigger than we thought.” She spoke as she looked to Lyonel. Skyla inspected the bear for any injuries. “Ah poor guy.” She spoke as she looked to his front paw. “That’s why he was up the tree. He must have gotten into a scuff with something.” She commented as she pulled her pack from her back and she pulled a first aid kit. Skyla carefully washed dirt and debris from the wound. She inspected it carefully as she cleaned it. She was focused once again on her work. Lyonel didn’t exist to her in this moment.

The twenty minutes passed rather quickly as Skyla cleaned the wound. She bandaged it carefully. “We will have to check up on this guy. Do you tag them?” She questioned as she looked to Lyonel as she heard the sound of an approaching ATV. She glanced with her emerald hues to see Drew pulling up. She gave a friendly wave to him. “Good afternoon Warden.” She spoke with a gorgeous smile.