Creatures of Habit

The net day, we were up and fed and out the door, before daybreak. Me and Craig and Kelvin were with his father Mike driving, on their quadwheeler ATV.

Ed and Ed Jr. were on Bob's quadwheeler, with Jerry.

And yeah, I noticed Ed and I had both been keeping an eye on Bob this morning but he was smart enough to stay sober.

As is usual, at the start of every hinting season. The older, experienced Big Game animals, the senior does and trophy bucks are leading the others. Heading down into the fenced lands and other restricted areas.

Maybe they're smart enough to read the posted "No Hunting" signs?

So it was the luck of the draw that this year, our zone permits were along side one of main routes the animals used to escape the hunters up on the Heights.

Craig stayed with our ATV under the slope of a small hill. He crawled up the top, to where he could see across a nearby stream to a long, winding meadow and still keep an eye on our transport. He had a large set of binoculars on a tripod and two short-range hand-radios.

One set to monitor the guys at the other ATV. And the second to contact us if he sees any deer moving in range of our blinds.

Mike and Kelvin were with me, as we hiked along a rocky gully that cut along the bottom of ten-twelve foot high bluffs. There was some drizzle but not enough to do more than make some of the outcrops slick.

We found a spot where the gully split and a small cut ran up through the bluffs. The eroded slash gave us an easy climb.

As we approached the top, we cautiously peeked over. finding ourselves on a narrow bench running along the foot of a ridge of knolls. We scrambled out and stopped to check our handheld GPS.

It indicated we were close to several vantage points overlooking the stream and wandering strip meadow beyond.

Dispersed along the top of the hills, are patches of bushy vegetation. Concealing well-worn crawl-spaces. Packed down by year after year of knowledgable hunters using the brush as natural blinds.

Craig relayed that the other ATV of hunters had reached their assigned positions.

Thru my earpiece I heard Craig quietly alert us. He'd noticed a flock of birds suddenly rise up above tree level.

"I think maybe a half-mile or so upstream? Moving this direction if the birds are any indication. That patch of woods must be a major roost from the number of disturbed birds I'm seeing?"

He hesitated before commenting again.

"From the commotion, I'm guessing at least a couple of dozen deer? Can that be right?"

I replied into my radio.

"Doublecheck...None of us have Elk

tags! Even worse if it's cattle running loose?"

The drizzle has tapered off, for now. But the thick, grey clouds remained menacing. Everything was dank and colorless in the dim light.

Through my small Zeiss binoculars, I could see far off, small groups and individual deer drifting through the mosaic of meadows and clumps of trees. But none of those seem to be wandering our way.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I got a flash of movement through the woods on the other side of the strip meadow.

I could overhear Kelvin's muted but excited voice telling his father, he'd seen an antlered head. Pointing into the same area I'd noticed. Kid's got a sharp eye for details!

Mike put a steadying hand on his boy's shoulder to calm him down.

I heard Craig whisper through our radios.

'Stand by'...

I have a Buck permit but it would have to have a spectacular rack or a noticeable physical disability for me to bother collecting on it. I have no problem with the cost even I do not use it. Money goes to the State Conservation Fund.

So do Kelvin and Ed Junior. They want trophies. Hey, it's a big deal for them. But they have to be careful. Regulation requires a minimum of four tines on one side to qualify.

Craig and Mike and for that matter the other guys, have Antlerless Permits. They want the sweet meat!

Speaking of which Craig relayed

"Jerry says a very nice six-pointer is moving their way. In a few minutes, Junior going to try for it."

Mike and Kelvin tense up as a bachelor group of four or five spike bucks, come out of the woods and start grazing on the meadow grass.

A larger buck appears and start chivying the first group into moving on pass our overlook. Behind him were at least eight or ten does and yearlings?

I reached over to Mike's nearest boot and give it a tap. He cranes his head back, careful to stay low and looked at me.

I point at Kelvin and a questioning gesture, meaning.

'Does Mike think the big buck is close enough for the kid to try for?'

Slowly, Mike turned back to consider the distance. Not much wind and a clear view. Mike was thinking hard,

'Kelvin had done well with his recent target practice using the same rifle he is carrying today.'

After a moment, Mike's head turned back to me and he held out a hand, thumbs up.

I then said in a low voice.

"Best time to take a shot is when you hear Eddy's. Far enough, it shouldn't spook your buck right off. He'll most likely stop, stand up straight and look in the direction of the distant shot. Thats when you should take your shot."

Mike and Kelvin looked at me as I was telling them this. Turning back, Kelvin prepared his rifle to fire. With his father watching closely.

He watched patiently through the rifle scope. Made a small adjustment. Nestled the butt against his shoulder. And waited some more.

Suddenly we could hear Eddy Jr.s shot faintly echoing across the vale. As I had predicted the big buck had paused, trying to figure out the danger.

That was when Kelvin fired. The Buck stumble forward, head thrown back in shock at the unexpected bullet hitting him forward at the base of his neck.

Mike ordered.

"Again! before he can stumble off into the brush."

We heard a couple of more distant shots before Kelvin worked his action, reacquired his target and fired a second time.

This bullet hit the rear haunch and the buck went down before he could move more than a few feet.

One more shot closer, I expect it was Craig. When Kelvin fired, the nearby herds bolted and it looked as if several headed back towards the heavy brush upstream. Probably led by an older, more experienced doe. That would take them within Craig's range.

The radio got busy. Craig did take down one of the young does.

He relayed from the others the disappointment that Ed Jr. had missed his buck. It had suddenly charged a young buck that came too close to the harem. Just as Junior pulled his trigger. Wound up shattering a tree limb.

When the does scattered, Ed Senior got one, Jerry missed his try.

Bob decided to wait a better opportunity. Last year, his shot had been at too great a distance and just wounded the animal.

It took Bob and the guy he was with, two days and a miserable night of searching to find it and put the beast out of it's misery.

None of us were excited about sleeping out in the rain. We all have the rest of the week off from work or school, to finish the hunt. So we all agreed to pack up the kills we had and pack it in back to the bunkhouse

A rough and ready evisceration of the animals we'd taken. Didn't have to carry the carcasses more than a mile back to the ATV's.

Lois and Betty arrived at the Waterway house from the supermarket. Bringing in groceries from Lois's station wagon.

Bonny was in the kitchen putting away the perishables. Lois was heading back out for the remainder of the sacks.

Suddenly out of nowhere, a drunken Neal Morrisson shoves his way in the partially open front door, knocking Lois aside.

He is screaming imprecations at the terrified woman as she tries to get back on to her feet. Then he begins to wildly punch at her. Taking a couple of hits to the head, Lois falls down again as Bonny rushes to her defense.

Meanwhile, the P.I. hired by the Morrisson family to follow Lois Waterway, realizes that Neal Morrison had been using her as a stalking horse.

Neal had ordered her to follow after him and video as the 'Bull" of the Morrisson clan forces Lois to grovel an apology.

The PI is right behind him with camera running while simultaneously using her cellphone to call the Sheriff's dispatcher and warn them that the women in the house were being threaten.

Inside the house, Neal had knocked Lois to the floor again and now confronted Bonny. Who he'd held a grudge against since junior high, for always refusing to date him.

In his drunken rage, he had forgotten she is the Sheriff's sister.

That Bonny was a big woman, weighing nearly as much as him.

However, his bulk was around his stomach and ass. At sixteen percent fat to bodyweight, the rest of Bonny was muscle and anchoring bones.

In addition to forgetting that their mother, Mrs. Warsaw, had been an Alternate Member of the U.S. Women's Judo Team.

And is still teaching self-defense classes at the Youth Center and for adults at the Public Gym. That Bonny was one of her Assistant Instructors.

As soon as the drunken man tried to grab at her arms. Bonny reversed the grips and swiveling around, proceeded to toss 'Bull" Morrisson flying spectacularly past the open drapes and through the half-opened front living room windows.

To land outside, upside down in an old, overgrown pyracantha bush.

Deputy Wally Silver was making his scheduled patrol in this direction. When the call came from the Dispatcher that there was at least one intruder in a home invasion attempt at the Waterway residence.

Slamming down the accelerator, he barely avoided a collision with a FedEx van and then a couple of bicyclists at the corner.

Wally came roaring up, lights flashing and sirens blaring. Screeching to a halt just in time to witness a man pinwheeling out through the shattering front window of the house. To land upside down in a large bush, with his feet flapping weakly in the air.

When Bonny menacingly advanced on the Private Investigator, she blurted out in terror "I called the Sherif's Office. The Dispatcher said help is on the way!"

Deputy Silver leaped out of the patrol car and ran up across the sidewalk and lawn to the house. For the moment ignoring the squalling man obviously trapped in bushes.

The PI wisely backed away from the doorway onto the graveled driveway. With both hands up in the air. One holding the camera and in the other her wallet open with a picture ID and State PI license visible .

Bonny turned to her battered friend, to stop her from trying to get up on her feet from the floor.

"Lois..Lois! Wait for the Paramedics. You might be seriously hurt."

Lois tried to argue, in her barely conscious confusion still trying to stand-up. But Bonny firmly held her down, ignoring the garbled protests from the punch-drunk woman.

Deputy Silver called out from the porch. "Sheriff's Department! I'm coming in!"

With his hand on his pistol grip, Wally took a fast but cautious recon of the room and then two women. One bleeding from facial injuries, laying on the floor and the second woman, the Sheriff's sister crouching over Mrs. Waterway.

Before he could ask, Bonny assured him. "Wally, It's only Lois and me in the house. Lois needs immediate medical attention!"

Deputy Silver turned to where he could see both the man screaming in the bush and the woman on the driveway holding her shaking arms up in the air. When the woman started to lower her arms without his explicit permission, the Deputy dropped his hand to his pistol-butt and gave her a glare. Her hands shot right back up over her head.

Using his lapel-mike Wally was quietly calling into the dispatcher to send the Paramedics and asking if anyone has notified the Sheriff.

Bonny then loudly informed Deputy Silver.

"That shithead out there in the bushes is Bobby Morrison and there's a second man or woman? With a camera I think, somewhere out there also. No one else, I've seen."

"Got'em both in visual, Bonny. Medics are rolling. Sheriff is enroute."

Another patrol car came screeching up with Deputy Petrowski. Soon followed by Sheriff West Warsaw in a car with Deputy Ford. Quickly followed by Detective Rodriguez in her unmarked car. Finally the Volunteer Fire Department Paramedic Unit.

Petrowski immediately began a thorough search of the house and backyard, to confirm no one else was present.

As the Sheriff was watching the video replay. Detective Maria Rodriguez was gleefully taking pictures of Neal still struggling with the abundantly thorned weaving of multitudous branches. Futilely struggling to get free before he passes out from being trapped upside down for so long.

Lead Paramedic Albert Chang came out to where the Sheriff was standing, looming over the PI.

"Sheriff it's Mrs. Waterway. She is possibly in serious condition. She took at least two hits of a fist to her head and face. Probably a couple of broken fingers and other injuries from being slammed by the door. In that little space, we'll need a couple of your Deputies to help us get her into the neck & back-brace and onto the gurney."

The Sheriff barked.

"Silver, Ford! Give Albert and Paula a hand getting Mrs. Waterway into the EMT."

Bonny came outside as Lois was being secured. Cleaning her friend's blood from her hands with a wipe. A nasty glare at the quaking PI and then looked to her brother.

"I'm going to go with Lois to the hospital until we can notify Agnes. How about Ronnie?"

From very deep in his chest rumbled West's question.

"How are you doing Sis?"

Now seeing the family resemblance at scariness between the big woman and the very big man, the PI felt faint. With a big gulp of air to steady her nerves with remembering that she has been very cooperative with the Sheriff's politely menacing requests.

"I'm fine, the asswipe didn't even bruise me when he tried to grab my arms."

There was an audible sigh of relief from the PI.

The Sheriff nodded his head thoughtfully.

"The Chief Ranger says they took off for their assigned zones yesterday morning. But he went over the map with Ronnie and knows the route he will be taking. So they should find him by tomorrow."

We made it back to Little Bridge just before nightfall and left the three kills at the village Game Locker. When we are ready to return home, the venison will have been cut and packaged, ready to take with us. And of course, Kelvin's trophy head.

Back at the cabin the kettle of beans and fatback was damn tasty. After cleaning the fired weapons, we all turned in.

The next morning we'd just finished our breakfast of eggs scrambled with potatoes and bacon bits. Getting our kits together to head out again when the Chief Ranger drove up in his Hummer.

He got out and walked over to me.

"Mister Waterway, you need to get home. Sheriff West radioed me, I am sorry to have to inform you, that your wife. Lois? Was attacked and is in the hospital."

Craig came up to us and anxiously asked.

"Anyone else hurt? My Bonny was going shopping with Lois."

The Chief looked at him.

"Mr Ericsson? Warsaw said to tell you that Bonny was unharmed."

Craig and I both were relieved to hear that. Though I tried not to let my relief be too apparent.

The other guys expressed their shock and outrage and to give them a call next week. Let them know how Lois is doing.

The boys were already being helpful. Bringing out our bedrolls and other gear. Craig got our rifles out of the locker and cased them and placed them in his truck.

I looked at Craig, he stared back and shrugged his shoulders. Turning to the Boss Ranger, I requested.

"Please radio West and tell him Craig and I are heading back right away."

Eric and Bob offered to collect the packaged venison for Craig from the Game Locker and bring it back with them when they returned home in a few days.

He gave them his tickets and a copy of the Deer Tag. The Chief said he'll make sure the Wardens know that Eric and Bob are collecting for us as an emergency measure.

Not much to say on the way home. A brief halt at the Truckstop to gas up and get a sandwich and coffee to force down during the long drive.

While Craig concentrated on carefully driving at the speed limit.

I just sat there sat there, silently staring ahead, wallowing in my guilt.

Lois was coming out of anesthesia for the surgery on the damaged bone around her left eye. Fortunately the concussion from the blow to her temple did not cause internal swelling or bleeding.

The only other damage was two broken fingers of the left hand and bruised elbow of her left arm.

As she stirred in confusion, trying to figure out why she was in another hospital bed, starting to panic. When a nurse rushed in to check on her patients condition.

That helped Lois tamp down her fear. She tried to raise her left hand to see what was blocking the vision out of her left eye but that was strapped down so she wouldn't hit herself in the face with the finger braces.

"Good evening, Mrs. Waterway. You took a bad blow to your face and broke a couple of fingers in your left hand. Doctor Nuyen is on her way and will answer your questions."

A pair of student nurses joined the first one and the three of them took care of cleaning her up. Changing her linens and switching out the saline drip and urine collection bag.

As they were finishing up the Doctor entered the room, took a moment to quietly talk with the older nurse. Who was filling out the patient's assessment checklist.

The students left with the dirty laundry and trash.

Accepting the clipboard from the nurse, the Doctor walked over by Lois while rapidly flipping through several pages of forms.

With a professional smile, looking up at the patient, the physician introduced herself.

"Mrs. Waterway, I am the Attending Night Physician, Doctor Nuyen.

I am pleased to report that the Surgeon and the Ophthalmologist both report there were no complications repairing the broken bones around your left eye.

Their agreed prognosis is very favorable that there will little, if any, long-term damage to that eye. Of course we cannot be absolutely certain for a couple of weeks until we can remove the supporting protective structure and test your eyesight.

I see that you are happy at the good news. That will help you to a more restful sleep.

After breakfast tomorrow we will start letting people visit."

Lois could feel a sense of relief and a gathering drowsiness. As her adrenaline level went down, the soporific the Nurse had given her, could do it's job, putting her back to sleep.

Soon after, her sister Agnes slipped into Lois's room and sat with the sleeping woman for an hour.

Tears, off and on, as she thought about their lives. Finally she had to leave, go to her own home and get some sleep. Tomorrow would be another hard day with her scheduled to work two surgeries.

Neal Morison was arrested for a number of serious crimes. And brought to the County Jail Infirmary for treatment of his minor wounds from being thrown through a window and into the thorny bush.

Before there could even be scheduled a bail hearing, the Morrisson family lawyers quickly got an emergency Upper Court order to have him transferred from the custody of the County Jail. With the claim it was a hostile environment due to personal animosity against Neal by the Sheriff and his staff.