They paused where the trail led into the thicket of trees mixed with snarls of fallen branches and rocks which jutted up from the mountain soil. They stood four or five feet away from one another, and Alexander gazed down his shoulder at Rob.
“Keep your eyes open. I should have mentioned before, but there can be mountain lions around these parts, and rattlesnakes. Be careful around piles of rocks and piles of branches. There can sometimes be bears as well, but they tend to be timid.”
“You ever have any close calls?” Rob asked.
“I’ve learned to expect anything and respect the wilderness.”
Rob determined that it was time to end the measured queries. It was long past time for caution in the rhetorical realm. He did not want to become a nuisance and swoop repeatedly like a stinging fly, bu
