Chapter Text
[Open on the woods of central Maine. The landscape is dim, the sky shielded by clouds. Patches of snow hold out on the landscape from the fading winter. The bird songs are beginning to diversify into the choruses of summer migrants. Hidden in the shadows of the forest are newborn whitetail deer and moose. Cutting through the sound of snowmelt streams and songbirds is the digitally ringing cry of a gps antenna. Operating the antenna is a young man stressed in blue and khaki, preceded by a bushwhacking brunette in green attire.]
Martin: If I knew collecting Dr. Randon’s GPS moose collars would mean three days of this kind of trekking I might now have signed up.
Chris: [Laughs] We both know that isn’t true Martin.
Martin: Can’t a man complain in peace?
Chris: If anyone can complain it’s me, you signed us both up.
[Marting goes to retort but is interrupted by a gunshot in the distance.]
Martin: What was that?
Chris: It’s mid-April, no one should be hunting.
[Another shot goes off; it sounds distinctly closer now.]
Chris: I’ve got a bad feeling about this.
Martin: Me too. [He turns the loudly beeping antenna off and heads in the direction of the gunshot.]
Chris: [He grabs his brother’s shoulder.] Wait, Martin, we’re totally unarmed. If someone is out here with a gun illegally, we can’t do anything!
Martin: Yeah, but we can’t do nothing either!
Chris: We can report it to the park rangers, the cops, we’re doing what we can as researchers. I don’t like the idea of someone out here poaching either, but I like the idea of getting shot way less. We can protect more creatures as alive scientists than as dead do-gooders.
[Martin frowns at his brother, but knows Chris is right, there isn’t much two biologists armed with a rubber antenna and an expired can of bear spray can do.]
Chris: I’ll make a GPS pin and note the direction of the shots. We’ll turn it in to the authorities as soon as we get back.
Martin: Yeah, I know. [He turns back on the antenna as Chris notes the coordinates.]
[The two continue on in silence for a while, rustling of leaves periodically broken by the crack of a rifle.]
Martin: Don’t they know when to stop?
Chris: Maybe we could find a volunteer group or something?
Martin: We’re on volunteer work already.
Chris: Did you know moose are the biggest deer? They can grow to 1000 pounds.
Martin: Moose can kick in any direction with their front hooves. They can kill humans, not a fight you’d want to get into.
Chris: They have hollow hair that allows then to stay warm in cold water, which is important because some moose dive up to 20 feet under water for food. One of the predators of the moose is the orca!
Martin: Wait really?
Chris: Yep! Imagine scuba diving, then you see a moose, then bam! An orca swims up and eats it.
[Martin laughs, its clear in his tone he’s relieved by Chris lightening the mood. The brothers were powerless right then, but sulking wouldn’t help.]
Martin: That would be eventful.
Chris: I wonder if a moose could take on an orca underwater.
Martin: Dr. Randon would probably know.
Chris: I’ll ask when we next see him.
[The two fall back into silence again, this time more relaxed, eased by the cessation of the distant shooting. The only human-based sound is the beeping of the antenna and the brother’s rhythmic footsteps. Despite the technical hiking, the brothers enjoy the hike. When the trail became easy enough to follow for Chris to stop focusing solely on the ground, he began pointing out some of the birds.]
Chris: Did you see that cardinal?
Martin: Yeah. I’ll never get tired of those red feathers in the foliage.
Chris: I’m fairly sure than one is a tufted titmouse. See the mohawk?
Martin: Oh yeah, I do, and bright yellow under the wing. [He stops walking and spins the antenna in a circle.] It sounds like we’re getting close.
Chris: Only two more after this one.
Martin: How many points do you have?
[Chris grinned, he an Martin had made a deal, each collar found was one point, and whoever lost had to drive the whole way back to Orono, where Dr. Randon’s lab was.]
Chris: Seven. In total we’ve found twelve of the fifteen collars.
Martin: Phew! Moose sure can cover a lot of ground.
Chris: So can Kratts. Need I remind you who signed us up for this again?
[Martin grins sheepishly as the antenna’s beeping turns to a solid stream of sound, indicating they are right where the GPS transmitter is. He stows the antenna and joins Chris in looking around for the device.]
Martin: The collars are pretty cool; I wonder how Dr. Randon programs them to remotely fall off the moose when the time comes?
Chris: I don’t know. Its certainly a lot of work to find them, but better for the animal for us to find the fallen collar rather than to sedate the creature and remove it by hand.
Martin: Aha!
[Martin triumphantly holds up a thick leather collar, attached to the middle is a small blinking box. Wires run from the transmitter box to a battery powered latch at either end.]
Chris: I’m still a point ahead of you.
Martin: You better stretch your driving muscles brother; I’m going to win.
Chris: Driving muscles?
Martin: The brain muscles of remembering how to drive.
[Chris rolls his eyes; Martin hands him the antenna so they can switch roles on the hike.]
Chris: I think we can find the other two before sunset.
[Chris turns on the antenna, spinning in circles to recalibrate it. Martin pulls out his camera as Chris works.]
Martin: [Snaps a photo, then explains,] It’s for presentation at the conference.
Chris: Oh no, I forgot about that. I don’t know how many boring seminars I can withstand this year. Last time everyone was so focused on how their research could help make money its like they forgot about all the cool science and exploration.
Martin: At least it’ll help protect creatures in the long run.
[Chris nods as the antenna falls back into its even rhythm of beeps again. Chris points east.]
Chris: True I suppose. The next one is that way. Onward?
Martin: Onward!
[Chris did in fact lose the competition. Martin found the last two transmitters, and as per usual was the most annoying passenger princess known to creature kind.]