Julie and the Jungle Girl

Kimi's Escape

Just as Kimi had suspected, Julie and Kaitan were setting out to rescue her.

But first, they had to get their new steeds on their side.

Katian pulled the attacker (Logan) along with him, bound in rope vines and stripped of his Mad Max armor. Julie had already taken to his wrist guards with aplomb, which she combined with her taped-up wrists and ankles in anticipation of having to fight the bad guys. Kaitan shoved Logan in front of one of the deer that they intended to ride, albeit with some concerns and nervousness. How Julie had so easily gotten the deer to like her was beyond him. But he suspected that the deer emphasized with her struggle, and decided to help.

He walked up to the first deer, about as tall as he was, with his hand held out. The deer watched him while chewing on the grass it—er, he, because of the buck's pretty good-sized antlers—had already started to take a liking to. Kaitan was confident in his abilities, but he was a little nervous, and it showed. He respected the buck, walking up to him slowly, but confidently, giving him the same confident expression he gives to all the animals of Greystoke Island and it worked. The buck nuzzled his hand and his chest, allowing the Jungle Dude to pet him.

Julie's mount had already taken a liking to her, as it eagerly ate the corn pieces out of her hand while she petted him. Kaitan also pulled some seeds out of his belt and fed them to the deer, which it also gladly accepted. "Were you nervous?" Julie asked.

"Not really," he said. "It's a deer."

Logan, the bad guy, rolled his eyes before Kaitan mounted his new steed and then grabbed him and pulled him up onto the back of the deer while sitting his spear on his lap. Julie also proceeded to mount, and kept her sword from falling off her waist, as she had not done this yet. She adjusted herself in her seat while she waited for Kaitan.

And now the preparation was complete. They kicked the sides of their mounts and set off.

Julie already knew the route through the jungle to the Southern Grassland, so she led the way for the first part of the journey. They passed the spring she and Kimi came across, led the deer mounts through the river and finally into the wide expanse of the Southern Grassland.

The remains of Logan's comrades were in a state of decay and being picked apart by scavengers. A wild dog that had wandered over to the site was chased away by eagles that found a deer carcass to be too good to pass up. Some more of those scavengers ripped Logan's comrades apart and looked up at him before getting back to their little dinner. Logan gulped as he remembered that nature was sometimes—no, not sometimes, ALWAYS—cruel.

Kaitan turned and pulled on the warrior's binds and said, "Alright, buddy. You're the guide, so start guiding us."

"To the northeast," Logan replied.

"Generally, or is it due northeast?" Julie asked.

"Generally," said Logan. "I will tell you when to change direction."

"Perfect," said Kaitan. "So... now what?"

"Kick the deer in the side and act like it's a horse," said Logan.

"Horrorshow. Let's go!" Julie said, lightly kicking the deer in the side, spurring it into a brisk, stable trot. Kaitan did the same, and his deer followed suit as they rode to the northeast in the direction of Kimi and the Paradise Village.

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The thing Kimi hated most about playing cult acolyte was the part where she had to learn the cult's ridiculous theology. The "teacher", if she could be called that, yammered on and on and on to kids a lot younger than Kimi was about how The Captain saved them all, they owed their lives to him, etc., etc., etc. Her voice was so aimed at juvenile minds that sounded completely inane and vapid to the relatively more mature teenager sitting in their midst.