AVALON

Chapter 42 - flint

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CHAPTER 42

"Av, I ... I...  if she does do something could you please let me help you get her back. I really need too, I think," D says softly, so low that no one else can hear. She's clearly confused. We are all walking along this narrow dirt road that has a steep drop on the side to a valley. I'm trying to keep my bearing so I can have a feel of where we will end up. I don't want to be pitching a tent on the side of a hill as I'm noticing some damp areas along the high side of the road.

"She will try something, that's for sure. But of course I would love for you to help, show her that you're no wallflower anymore. In fact... why don't we strike first?" I waggle my eyebrow at her. "Best defense is a great offense."

I laugh as D swallows, "aren't we supposed to wait until she does something?"

"Nope, who made that rule up? Amanda? We will put her on the receiving end of some teasing don't you think? Let her feel how it is to be under attack," my tone goes low and almost aggressive. Hey! I'm no saint. The stuff that cow did to D was beyond terrible.

D looks unconvinced as she nods slowly; she is so lovely that she is not really that type of eye for an eye person; she's more I'll just get through it and then forgive and forget. I, on the other hand, am not really a forgiver of injustices; I like to think I'm a balancer and a preventer. And to be a preventer, in my humble opinion, I believe the dealer of the injustice has to have a good mouthful of their own medicine.

The sky around us darkens rather quickly as we walk, "Hey guys?" I call lowly to my friends. "Each of you grab as many small dry sticks that you see on the ground that you can in one arm full."

"Why?" Ruth asks as she bends down to get a stick on the road looking at it like it a foreign object.

Looking up ahead I see good ol' Dave demonstrating to Amanda one of his bush feats, "'cause I betcha anything that these guys are gonna try and freak us out by getting us to make camp in the dark."

That doesn't really worry me, I do it a lot at home but I know home and home is basically flat with not that much scrub where the stock camps are. Here is very bushy and it's warm so we could be bloody stepping on a snake or put our tent up over a bloody ants nest, funnel web hole or a near a goanna's haunt.

"They wouldn't," Tina gasps. "I don't even know how to put up at tent in the day time!"

I nod to Dave, "they would just to make it an adventure and so that they amp up their value and rescue the maiden in distress."

"Ew," Lucy scrunches up her nose at Amanda flicking her hair. She's wearing short cut off jeans that show off half her bum, I'm glad because the mozzies will be attracted to her.

"Yep," I chuckle. "She's on heat."

By the time Dave tells us to stop its fully dark, I'm lucky, I guess, I'm used to cattle bellowing and dogs barking because the squeals and screams from the last thirty minutes of walking in the dark with these kids would have deafened me.

"Righto guys. Again welcome to survival in the bush," Matt is allowed a torch apparently, he places it under his chin making his face look creepy. Bushy looks half asleep in the glow next to him. He starts to wave the torch around as he talks on and  while the others stare at him I look around in the light cast to get my bearings. "There's an esky of water here in the back of this van. Each of you pair up and grab a tent from this pile, anywhere you want to pitch it is fine with us. There's a packet of two minute noodles for each of you too. Bon appetite and see you in the morning."