Chapter 42

Amaris was now in a panic. Not only did she need to get out of the river, but the only one there to save her was someone that she did not know. The tent was beginning to sink as the weight of the water filling it was pushing it downward. The ropes had become so tangled around Amaris’ feet in the water that it was making it hard for her to kick to stay afloat. There was no one else in sight. If she did not let this wolf pull her out of the water she would drown. She had no choice but to trust the wolf and hope that it was just some wandering wolf that came across her by chance and was willing to risk its life and jump into the river to try and save her.

She swam as hard as she could with the weight of the ropes on her.  Her efforts were not gaining her much ground.  The wolf pulling her was strong and did not faulter.  It was pulling hard on the back of her jumpsuit in the direction that it had come from. Amaris decided that it would be better to just get out of the river and then sort this out. She tried to paddle in the direction that the wolf was pulling.

It was difficult work and soon it was apparent that not only did the wolf need to pull her out, but it needed to pull the tent out also. The ropes were so tight around her in some places the were going to need to be cut off. The tent was now barely visible in the water. It was sinking fast and starting to pull her down as well.  Amaris did the best she could but the ropes were getting tighter and she could not feel either arm due to lost circulation, and her legs were so tangled that they were not able to move much at all. A small flutter kick was the best that she could do. With a thump and a dragging sensation, Amaris realized that she had hit the river bottom and would be able to stand up. It appears that there was another sand bar here.  The sand bar was higher up then the rest of the river bottom and Amaris would could stand. She tried to get to her hands and knees to stand but the ropes were too tight on her arms and they would not work due to lack of circulation and loss of feeling.  She could not make her arms move and the tangle around her legs had one leg being pulled back toward the rushing water. The tent was caught in the current and pulling hard with the force of the water rushing down stream. The wolf that was trying to haul her out and yanked on her jumpsuit to try and help her stand. It was enough to help her get her feet under her, but she would not be able to walk or climb up the bank to get off the sand bar.  She was barely able to keep her balance against the pull from the tent.

The wolf behind her was suddenly gone.  Without his help pulling, the current started to get the better of her and she was forced to take a few steps back toward the center of the river.  Big hands grabbed her from around the waist and yanked her back to where she had been standing before.  She let out a scream.  “Quiet!  They are not that far away.  They will hear you even in this down pour.”   Amaris looked behind her and there was a man standing there. The man had a pouch around his waist. The man reached down into it and from the pouch she could see a knife.  Her heart began to race. His big steady hands took the knife and began to saw the ropes. First he freed her from the tent that had begun to pull her again as the river current tried to sweep it down the river further. Once freed from the ropes the tent quickly whisked off and out of sight. As the ropes fell away from her arms and legs, Amaris looked back to see the naked man squatting behind her cutting the rope was Marco. Relief washed through her. This was someone she knew and someone that had saved her before when she was lost.

“Marco! I am very glad to see you. Thank you.” She said gratefully. Marco nodded. When he stood and started cutting thelast of the ropes on her arms.  She saw that the pouch was also a loin cloth which made her a little less uncomfortable. Marco saw her glance and laughed.  “You thought the situations were reversed?”  She remembered that Marco was a man of few words from the last time that she had met him. Once her arms and legs were free and the circulation had returned to her limbs, Marco led her up the bank. Going first to the top of the bank, he turned around and offered his hand to help her get over the steep and slippery bank. Standing at the top of the bank she realized that she was now on the other side of the river from where they had been camping.

“How did you find me Marco? I was floating down river in the dark for a while.” Amaris finally asked him as he started walking back into the woods and away from the river. “Everyone else is back up river. We should go find them.  They are going to be frantic with worry.” Amaris was looking around to see if he had his truck with him.  They were in the middle of the woods with no road in sight never mind a vehicle.  "I need to get back to them soon.  They have Gran and we are trying to get her to a doctor."

Marco stopped and looked back at Amaris. “Adam sent all the warriors out to look for you. I was tasked with looking for you at the river.”