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Chapter Fourteen: Calm Before the Storm

Koza and Tera dusted themselves off, and then stared at each other. They gave each other a look that said, “What the hell just happened?” Of course, neither had an answer, so they just shook their heads and continued on cautiously. Tera clung to Koza for a while nervously. He smiled to himself as he slowed his pace slightly so she could hold on.

“Everything’s fine,” he assured her. She nodded, but kept close anyway. It was late in the day before they got out of the mini-canyon like passage. They both sat down outside the exit point to rest for a bit. The air was warm, without being overbearingly hot. A gentle breeze blew through, carrying with it a few stray leaves that landed nearby. A chipmunk darted out from a crack in the rock and grabbed a leaf, before scurrying back into the wall. It must’ve been building a nest. Koza and Tera laughed softly at the creature as it ran in and out, gathering sticks and various pieces of straw. Tera leaned up against Koza, who was leaned up against the rock wall.

“Cute little fella’ isn’t he?” Koza remarked. Tera giggled and nodded. After coming out again, the chipmunk looked over and finally noticed the two of them. It stared at them for a while, and then slowly came over to them cautiously. Tera threw a look at Koza, who nodded. The chipmunk came right up to Tera. She held her hand out slowly, making sure not to make any sudden moves. It sniffed her hand gingerly, and then took off back into the hole in the wall. Koza and Tera both laughed at the sight if it scurrying away. It had been a while since they had truly relaxed like this. They almost always had to be on guard since ARK started to come after both of them. It was nice to have at least some time to themselves to just relax, if only for a while. The air was warm, the sun’s rays gentle. The surrounding area was tranquil and quiet, with nothing but the sound of the breeze blowing through. It must have been too calm and serene, for before they knew it, both had fallen asleep. They just slept peacefully for the next few hours, until nightfall came.

Stirring slightly, Koza opened his eyes slowly. He looked over and saw Tera leaning against him, asleep. He decided to just let her sleep, so he looked up at the sky. It was only then that he realized the day had come and gone. Koza wondered how they could have stayed in one spot for so long without ARK finding them. He sighed quietly to himself, so as not to wake Tera. There was a cricket chirping away happily in the grass a few feet away, which echoed softly in the stillness of the night. A light rainfall started out of nowhere, even though there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It was a soft, almost mist-like rain, which gingerly coated the area with a small film of water before suddenly stopping. The moonlight refracted off of the now wet grass, causing it to glow softly. Koza nudged Tera’s shoulder gently. He wanted her to see the sight of the light hitting the grass. She mumbled and snuggled up against him further. He smiled and decided to just let her sleep. After all, there would probably be more sights like this. Taking advantage of the temporary calm, Koza got comfortable and closed his eyes again. He knew that they wouldn’t always have such tranquil moments with ARK after them. Koza figured that even ARK has to take a break sooner or later, right? That wouldn’t be fair to the troops to not have any time off. Still… an organization like that probably isn’t too keen on treating employees like family. They still had to be on guard, but for now they enjoyed the peace.




Next Chapter: A Blast from the Past - The Good Times Don't Last!