Quit Bugging Me

Chapter 16

Taylor wheeled Aunt May's wagon back to her house, mumbling insults at it under her breath as it bumped over a million and a half tree roots. Her aunt greeted her with a tired smile. "I hate to ask, but would you mind feedin' Gus tonight? Lydia isn't feeling too good, and I gotta make sure she doesn't overdo herself or get more bites."

The thought of dealing with nature's obstacle course all over again sounded as appealing as cleaning Pitch's litter box right after eating, but there was no way she'd make her aunt's rough day even worse. "No problem. Tell her I hope she feels better soon."

As fireflies flickered in the darkening sky, Taylor dragged the wagon back toward the bayou. The animals had grown even quieter. Only the hooting of a lone owl broke through the humid October air.

Taylor jumped at the sound of a branch breaking near the bank. She raised a tube of paint with a trembling hand.

She breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Jack's boar digging through the mud while Jack scooped fistfuls of it into jars.

Before she could say hi, Taylor heard the faint sound of Gus's tail swishing through the water as he approached his prey with cold, hungry eyes.

"Watch out!" she screamed.

The boar squealed as the muscular reptile lunged forward. Jaws slammed together with a thunderous clap, and jars shattered. Redness speckled the mud as Jack and his limping boar fled from the ravenous gator.

With its leg bleeding, the boar stumbled again and again. Jack glanced over his shoulder and yelled, "Come on, Harry!" But the boar couldn't run any faster, and Jack refused to leave his companion to face the gator alone.

Taylor threw open the cooler's lid and yanked out a chicken leg. "Dinner's over here, Gus!" she yelled as she hurled the meat.

Gus hissed as the chicken bounced off his snout. He didn't even pause as the gap between him and his prey shrank.

"Sorry flies," Taylor muttered as she sent the swarm surging toward the gator. Gus hissed and snapped his jaws at the insects clustering around his eyes as Jack and his boar took advantage of the distraction to put more distance between them.

But it wasn't enough. Harry's breath came in short, ragged snorts as his pace slowed. Gus shook his massive head to disperse the flies and started closing the gap between him and his prey once more.

Taylor strained to lift the cooler, but she couldn't do it on her own. "Jack, help!"

He looked at her as if she'd told him to give Gus a kiss. "I'm not leaving Harry."

"If we don't give Gus an easier meal, he's not going to stop until he gets one of you."

After a pained, lingering look at his struggling companion, Jack sprinted over and grabbed one end of the cooler while Taylor held the other. Sweat poured down their faces as they slowly lifted it.

Fingers slipped. The cooler crashed into the wagon, sending both capsizing in a roar of plastic and metal.

Gus swung his head in the direction of the noise. He raced toward the heaps of chicken and sausages strewn across the mud with glistening teeth as Taylor and Jack sprinted farther up the bank.

With the predator occupied, Harry flopped down into the cattails. His sides shook as he gasped for breath.

Jack crouched next to his exhausted companion, careful to avoid the glass shards that speckled the ground. "It's gonna be okay, buddy," he said as he stroked the bristly fur along the boar's back. Harry curled his head into his mud-soaked lap and nuzzled him gratefully.

"He didn't get hurt too bad, did he?" Taylor asked.

Jack examined the gash on Harry's leg. "I'd definitely better take him to the vet tomorrow, but at least he can walk. We should be able to get more mud for my project once he rests for a few days."

"Oh shoot, my project!"

The canvas lay facedown in the mud.