Chapter Two The tires of the dark green Jeep Cherokee, crunched over the gravel, as Caitlin pulled off the road to check the road map again. Along with the deed to the cabin, her father had enclosed a map and hand written instructions to its location. On the map itself, he had carefully drawn the route from Seacouver to the cabin with a red felt tip pen, noting landmarks to look for along the way. Laying the already opened map across the steering wheel, she used her fingertip to trace the route. Looking out the window at her surroundings, she chewed on her lower lip as she compared the highway signs on the map, to the ones she had already passed. Since leaving Seacouver that morning the interstate had turned into a series of two lane, black topped roads that slowly wound their way through the dense forests that surrounded the city, up towards Mount Claymore. Tanya, her year old black and white Siberian Husky, quietly snoozing on the back seat for the last few miles, had awaken when Caitlin pulled off the road. All thought of sleeping gone, she used the stop as an invitation to nuzzle Caitlin's hair. She meant a lot to Caitlin. She had been a gift from her father. Spotting the energetic bundle of fur while visiting the local animal shelter as a board member, he decided Caitlin needed a dog for companionship and protection. Caitlin wasn't too enthusiastic about the idea at first, but now she wouldn't part with her for anything. "Tanya, I thought you were sleeping." Caitlin said and smiled, as the dog sniffed her hair. Deciding she wanted Caitlin's full attention, she jumped over the front seat and plopped herself down on top of the road map in Caitlin's lap. "Tanya, no, you can't lay there. Come on girl you have to move, you know I love you." Caitlin gave her a hug, ruffled her fur, and then using a stricter voice, ordered Tanya to lay down in the back seat again. Jumping back over the seat and laying down with her chin on her paws, she gave Caitlin the most pitiful look she could muster. "Good girl," Caitlin praised, until she turned from studying the map and saw the woe-be-gone look, Tanya was giving her. "Oh, come on, it's not that bad." Caitlin said and laughed. Turning back to the map, she was relieved to see they were close to their destination. She didn't relish the idea of driving the unfamiliar, winding mountain roads after dark. Pulling back onto the road, she drove for another twenty minutes before finding the turn-off she'd been looking for. A gravel road that ran parallel to a small gorge, with a swift rolling stream flowing through it. Driving for another mile, she saw the dirt road on the right that was supposed to lead to the cabin. A wooden bridge spanned the stream and Caitlin noticed as she crossed it, that the stream came from water spilling over a manmade dam that enclosed a mountain lake. Sunlight flickered through the branches of the thick woods as she drove slowly over the winding road before finally pulling up in front of an oversized, one-car garage. Tanya, eager to get out and explore her new surroundings, began to pace back and forth panting and whining. Just as soon as Caitlin shut the engine off and opened the car door, she was over the front seat, and out the door, totally unconcerned that she had trampled Caitlin in the process. Slipping the keys out of the ignition, Caitlin got out of the Jeep and looked around. The garage and chalet style cabin were both constructed of peeled logs that were cut and grooved to fit snugly together. Built on higher ground than the garage, the cabin faced what appeared to be the same lake she'd seen while crossing the bridge. She could see the sparkling water, just barely visible through the stand of trees surrounding the cabin. The ground around the garage, had been leveled off to form a parking area large enough for two vehicles. A steep stairway built of various shapes and sizes of stones, led upwards towards the cabin. Smaller, rough hewn peeled logs formed the railings on either side of the steps offering the climber support during the long, steep climb. Grabbing her backpack off the front seat and slipping the straps over her shoulders, Caitlin walked to the back of the Jeep and opened the tailgate. Carefully lifting out the cardboard box of supplies she'd bought before leaving the city, she made sure she had a firm grip before starting up the steep steps to the cabin. Tanya eagerly ran ahead, stopping to look back every now and then to make sure Caitlin was still coming. While waiting on the top step, she wagged her tail and barked impatiently, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement. With her black mask and pointed ears, she looked like a mischievous raccoon, and Caitlin couldn't help but laugh. "I'm coming as fast as I can girl. I only have "two" legs, remember?" As soon as Caitlin reached the top step, Tanya raced ahead again. Scampering onto the porch she, paced back and forth again while waiting for Caitlin to join her. Setting the box of supplies down on a wooden table sitting beside the front door, Caitlin started to unlock the door when without warning, Tanya pulled the door knob out of her hands as she pushed her way inside. Standing with her hands on her hips, Caitlin scolded the Husky. "Whoa, girl, take it easy." Tanya looked appropriately guilty for a about a second, then woofed, and was off exploring. Waiting in the doorway for a few seconds to allow her eyes to adjust to the darker interior, Caitlin could see this was no crudely built cabin in the woods. Her father's influence was everywhere. Picking up the box of supplies, she carried it to the L-shaped counter that formed the kitchen area to the left. She noticed it divided the fully equipped kitchen from the dining area and the rest of the large mainroom that ran across the front half of the cabin. All the furnishings were in a rustic country design with a southwestern flavor. Floor-to-ceiling bookcases flanked a flagstone fireplace and the open vaulted ceiling with skylights on either side allowed sunlight to add its warm glow over the wide planked, bare wood floors. Colorful woven, fringed rugs covered the floor here and there. Following the curious dog down the short central hallway that divided the back half of the cabin, she came to the full bath. Glancing in the room to the left, she could tell by the way it was furnished, it was her father's bedroom. Unwilling to linger because it was too painful a reminder of his death, she gently closed the door and headed towards the bedroom on the right. Looking around she saw it too was furnished with the same rustic looking furniture and southwestern design fabrics as the main room. Standing quietly for a few minutes, she watched as Tanya snooped around the room and its furnishings. "Well, Tanya what to you think? Do you think you'll like "roughing it" up here for a while?" Tanya sat down in front of Caitlin, looked up and woofed her consent. Chuckling softly, Caitlin bent down and gave her a quick hug. "I guess it's settled then, this is home for a while." Walking back to the kitchen with the dog close on her heels, Caitlin dumped the contents of her backpack on the counter and began sorting through the various envelopes until she found the one she was looking for. Digging through one of the backpack's pockets, she pulled out a flashlight and went outside to the utility shed behind the cabin. Carefully following her father's instructions, she started the power generator that provided the electricity for the cabin and garage. The rest of day was spent putting away the supplies and making several more trips to the Jeep to bring her the rest of her belongings up to the cabin. By the time she finished it was after ten o'clock. After fixing herself a light supper and feeding Tanya, she called it a night and turned in.