Page 23 of Destined for Shadows
“Now that I have an assistant,” he said, gesturing at Emily. “My plans have altered slightly.”
“What do you mean?” Tormod asked.
“We are going to work on your tracking skills.”
He frowned. “They haven’t taught us how to track yet.”
“We’ll keep it simple today. I’ll show you how to identify footsteps on the ground, whether they are a man’s or a woman’s, and how to spot other disturbances that could indicate someone has passed through an area.” Thanks to Cori’s former husband, he had good examples to use. It would also keep Tormod and Emily engaged and learning something that would be useful in the future.
“Sounds like fun to me,” Emily said, getting up. She helped Bartol gather the dishes and take them to the sink. “I’ve always wanted to learn how to track.”
“Actually, I will also need you to create some prints of your own in the woods, but we’ll get to that after I’ve shown you both an example from a man first.” He started washing the plates, giving them to Emily to dry. “You’ll need comparisons to help you tell the difference.”
“Will we get to do any real tracking?” she asked.
“If you want to return for future sessions, you will.”
Her eyes lit up. “Definitely.”
He was surprised by her enthusiasm. Were all modern females into such outdoor activities these days? There was a time when most women would have balked at the idea of spending an afternoon in a remote stretch of woods getting filthy, and especially doing so with two men who were not their relatives. Times had changed quite a lot during Bartol’s absence.
