“I’m guessing you have a reasonable explanation for this,” Emberly said. She and Will waited until they were absolutely certain the mountain lion was dead before climbing down. The whole time, Ben mocked them for climbing up a tree when it was a well-known fact that mountain lions could climb trees.
It took Emberly longer to climb down than Will. When they ascended the tree, Emberly had been so terrified of the mountain lion, she did not pause to consider how high up they were. But now, with the lion dead, her old fear returned to her. She could not stop thinking about the ground and how much it would hurt if she fell. Her legs shook in fear, but she ignored the fear and focused on reaching the ground.
“I do indeed,” Ben said. He put the bow and arrows down, leaning them against the tree
