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The expression on Daniel’s face softened a little at this inclusion onto Davey’s platform.

“I meant with the animals,” Steph replied. “I couldn’t give a crap about what’s going on in the house or how deep into Martina Kelvin has gone.”

Roger barked with loud laughter. Daniel and Davey simply looked at one another.

Steph then opened her mouth to explain what she wasgoing on about in herprofessionalopinion when something interrupted her.

A large squealing hog shot from the undergrowth. It seemed startled to be met by the four of them but had set its path and was not stopping. The only issue was that Daniel seemed to be standing on that set path. He tried to step sideways, but the move was clearly not enough for the ninety-kilogram pig who flicked its head sideways, knocking Daniel to the ground whilst simultaneously goring its tusk down his thigh.

Daniel screamed. The pig ignored him and carried on into the trees.

Steph ran towards Daniel whose leg was bleeding badly below his hands clutching at the wound. She put the rifle down, whipped off her bag and began rummaging for her first aid kit. A sudden sound, like an explosion of air, made her whip around.

Standing where the boar had just emerged from was a bear rearing on two feet, a dart protruding from its neck. It groaned slightly and fell back down on all fours. It made to move forwards again but something about its movements suggested it was uncertain. The head began to lull, its steps seemed laboured.

Already, Davey was loading up another dart.

He needn’t have bothered. The bear sank to the ground with a defeated moan.

“Christ!” said Roger. “What’s in those things that they work so fast?”

“Martina came up with the concoction so that it could deal with the cave bear; just means the other animals get a somewhat heavier hit. It’ll be fine though.”

“Will it?” Roger asked, walking up to the animal and prodding the thing with his foot.

“We need to get Daniel back,” Steph said. The other two turned to look at Daniel. It was as if they had forgotten anything had happened to him. “It’s quite nasty. He’s going to needstitches and for the wound to be properly cleaned.”

Davey nodded. He handed a somewhat surprised Roger the tranquillizer rifle as he walked past, and then helped Steph pick Daniel up from the ground.

“We’d best get back then,” he said. “We’ll just have to tell Kelvin that whatever is left of Fergus is likely to soon be in the digestive tract of… well, could be anything depending on how careless the lion was.”

TWENTY-THREE

Davey drove with Daniel; Steph followed behind with Roger. She had never driven a vehicle quite like it. It was like driving an oversized go-kart. At the house, they were met by Kelvin and Martina. It was Martina and Roger who helped Daniel inside, who was moaning quietly as he hopped on one leg using the other two as crutches.

Davey wanted to know how Michael was getting on. Kelvin waved a hand dismissively that he was doing something or other but had delivered Thomas and Calum (the other cabin dwellers) safely to the house.

A little while later, Kelvin was sitting in the lounge area with a newly returned Michael, Davey, Martina and Steph. Daniel was up in his room recovering having been treated by Martina. Her father had been a vet, so she said she knew how to stitch well enough. Daniel didn’t question her ability. Although, it could have been the gulps of whiskey Roger had encouraged him to have that held his tongue.

Steph looked at Kelvin. He was staring straight-ahead at a picture of three bear cubs on the wall. Eventually, he spoke.

“So what did you find?”

“Well as you know, we didn’t find the rest of Fergus,” Davey said. “We did look but… Roger seems in reasonable spirits though, given the circumstances.”

“Money will do that,” Kelvin replied, still looking at the bear cubs. “What about yours, Michael?”

“My what?”

“Your two whom you picked up. What did you tell them? How much do they know?”

“Well,” Michael said, turning out his palms. “They know that Fergus was killed by one of the animals although they don’tknow which. They are a little shaken I suppose but coping.”

“Coping?” Kelvin turned his head around at Michael.

“At the loss of a friend. No.Acquaintanceis how they put it.”

“But no calls to drop out of the study?” Kelvin asked.