Chapter 5
Day comes, and I have to face reality once again. We need more food. Instead of setting out immediately, I stick around to help fix the shelter. Around midday, we take a break, sitting in the shade.
"It's hotter than hell out right now." Jess pants.
"Hell? I feel like we passed that heatwave a while back." Kayla jokes.
We sit for a while, letting the hottest hour of the day pass. Continuing our work is painful, but there's not much left to do now. Afterwards, everyone breaks apart. Jess and Aria will go get water and everyone else will forage for edible things nearby. I take my weapons, and prepare to head out.
"You're not going far, are you?" Kayla asks.
"Somewhat, yeah. Just to get away from being close by, and catch some small game. I might not be back until late, but hopefully I'll have some game." I say.
"Could I come with you?" Kayla asks.
"Could you... I don't know. I need a hunter, Kayla. You have to be silent, watchful, and do everything I say." I say.
"I can do that." Kayla says.
I bite my lip, debating on wether to let her go. This could work out, and she could learn. Or it could mess things up, and we starve. Kayla's going to remember my choice today either way.
"Alright, grab your spear and let's go." I say.
I tell everyone Kayla is coming with me, and a few eyebrows are raised but there's no real issue. None of them are up to trapping or hunting yet, so no one's willing to argue. Kayla and I make our way away from the camp, edging out into the Northwest rather than somewhere I've been before.
We've set up a few traps in the surrounding area, and are currently watching a larger one. Kayla and I sit in silence, watching, waiting. She taps me, gesturing to the small basket she'd been weaving out of long grass. The weaving is loose, but it's a good start because she has the right weaving style. I give her a thumbs up. The evening sun is harsh, but we fair okay underneath our shade tree. I'm just about to stand up, when I see something dirty brown.
It's a jackrabbit, about to fall into the apricot trap we set. Fall, is a lose term. A twenty pound rock is about to fall on him. I suspect though, that it won't be enough to kill it unless... The rock falls, falling on the back end of the rabbit. I watch as the Jack rabbit struggles out it from underneath it.
"Let's move." I say.
I get to my feet, following the partially paralyzed large rabbit.
"Can we catch it?" Kayla asks behind me.
"It's hurt." I say.
I move fast, and Kayla falls behind. The rabbit makes its way through tall grass. It stirs up a lot of the grass in it's wake, not making it hard to spot as I pursue it. As soon as it breaks from the trees, I see that it's slowing. I discard my spear, and take the machete, jumping over a log and pouncing.
I strike the leg, pinning it down into the dirt. The machete goes halfway in the dirt, I'd used the weight of my body to make sure I stuck to my target. The jackrabbit kicks, crying out in a way injured animals destined for death do.
I ignore the pit it creates in my stomach, and Grant him the mercy of a quick death. I tie its legs together to carry it.
I appraise the rabbit, he's at least eight pounds. A very robust male, probably because this is purely wild terrain. I wonder, how big do they get here? This one has enough meat for us to have a meal tonight. That's not a bad catch. I freeze whirling around when I hear someone. Kayla freezes, putting her hands up.
"Sorry, I'm... Out of breath... Otherwise I would've... Called out." Kayla huffs.
"It's alright. I'm sorry about leaving you behind." I say.
"Thats okay, did you..." She trails off, still out of breath.
I hold up the dead Jack rabbit, and Kayla pumps her fist in the air, then goes to hug me. This makes me smile, seeing how happy she is.
"That's awesome! We did all that waiting, and it paid off." Kayla says, sitting beneath a tree nearby.
"Yeah." I say.
I plop down heavily beside her. Neither of us haven't eaten. I'm exhausted, I'm sure she's ready to pass out.
"Sorry, I mean it paid off for you. You're so fast, it wouldn't surprise me if you could run down an uninjured one." Kayla says.
I lean back against the tree beside her.
"You're learning, that's enough. I don't expect you to get the hang of it after one time." I say.
"Can I see it?" Kayla asks.
"Here." I say, handing it to her.
She holds it up, weighing it.
"I don't think I've ever seen a bigger rabbit." Kayla says.
"He's big, for a male." I agree.
"He'll probably taste pretty good too." Kayla says.
"You know, you're a pretty good cook. Especially with the zero resources we have. It's nice." I say.
Kayla's cheeks redden, and she sets the rabbit down.
"It's nothing. It's always been a hobby of mine." Kayla says.
"You should be proud of yourself. I might be able to catch it, but I've never been good at the cooking part. It's a resourceful skill." I say.
"Thanks Vanessa. You know... It kind of scared me, before. Your determination." Kayla says.
"I can understand that. People like me are pretty narcissistic." I say.
"But, you're not." She says.
"I try." I shrug.
She looks over at me, and I crack a grin. Kayla laughs, leaning her head against my shoulder. I close my eyes for a moment, relaxing. It's nice. I don't think a lot, for once. We take a break, for a while. Our bodies hot from the sun, cooling against each other. Eventually though, the thrill of the kill wears off. I remember everyone waiting for us back at the shelter, and sit up.
"Ready to go check our other traps?" I ask.
"As I'll ever be." Kayla sighs.
"What's wrong?" I ask.
"I could fall asleep right here, right now. Everything feels, kinda great. Hell, I could cook the rabbit, and we could eat it." Kayla says.
"The pressure of taking care of not just yourself, but others, it's a lot. But we can't run away, even if we feel like we want to." I say.
"I know, it's just... An idea." She says.
I stand up, dusting myself off.
"A good one, for us. It'd be easy too. But we don't take the easy way out. Right?" I ask, putting a hand out.
Kayla takes my hand, and I pull her up.
"Yeah, you're right." Kayla agrees.
Together we check the traps, and find a small Bunny's been captured as well. We laugh, comparing their sizes as we head back to the others. Kayla and I are welcomed back.
"Come on, you must be exhausted." Erica says, taking my hand.
"Where are we going?" I ask.
"To the river. You're dirty." Gigi says.
"Kayla, why don't you come?" I ask.
"That's okay. I'm so tired, I'm just gonna lay down, and then get cooking." Kayla says.
"Oh, alright." I say.
Kayla disappears into the shelter. I turn to Jess.
"Can you make sure she's okay Jess? I don't think she was ready for today." I say.
"Sure thing 'Nessa. You go cool off." Jess says.
As soon as it's said, I'm practically drug down to the river by the twins and Erica. I discard my dirty clothes, and wade into the thigh deep water. For a moment, I kneel, closing my eyes. I imagine I'm in the short side of the pool at our house. The cool water almost makes it seem real, then the rocks beneath me shift under my weight, and I'm brought back to reality.
I'm not in my pool at home. I haven't been home in forever. I've lost count of the days we've been stranded here. My mind is always worrying, and my body is always changing.
I look down at my now Brown, sun-tanned skin. I remember what it'd been like, as a cage fighter, to watch my body be molded into something new. Why is this any different? I should be proud of my ability to adapt.
"Nessa? Are you okay?"
I look at Gigi, and see her big blue eyes peering down at me. This is where, and who I am at this moment. I can't lose focus.
"Yeah, I'm alright." I say.
I move deeper, ducking underwater. The cold water calms my aching bones. When we're dry, we head back. It's no surprise that the smell of meat cooking greets us when we return.
At dusk, everyone eats, and soon after dark everyone goes to bed. We'd all pitched in this morning, so everyone's tired. I sit by the fire, staring into it as I doze off.
"Vanessa?" I hear.
I look up, and see Jess approaching me. She sits down beside me, crossing her legs.
"Can't sleep?" I ask.
"Not really. My brain hurts." Jess says.
"What's going on?" I ask.
"It's just, do you think, we'll ever be found?" Jess asks.
I pause, weighing the question.
"One day, yeah. Till then, I have you, and you have me." I say.
"Yeah, you're right... I'm glad we have you Vanessa." Jess says.
I glance over at her, and see her sparkling eyes focused in on me. I smile at her, and Jess looks away, blushing. Her Red hair looks even more firey in the firelight, and her newly tanned skin looks like honey. I reach over, and set a hand on her shoulder.
"Is everything okay?" I ask.
"Yeah, I'm as okay as I can be." Jess says.
"Well, let me make it better than okay." I say.
I lean forward and kiss Jess. She lets out a small gasp, allowing me to capture her lips in mine. The two of us kiss in the firelight, savoring the moment. I push Jess back gently, straddling her waist. I push my hand down her pants, and part her lips. I stroked her clit as we make out, until she's moaning. Her pussy is soaking wet. I bring my hand up, licking her juices off it where she can see.
My free hand pushes her shirt up, fondling her breasts. I pinch her nipple between my fingers, moving my fingers stroking her clit more aggressively. Jess's body shakes as she orgasms for me surprisingly quick. I pull away, and look down at her panting.
"That was amazing." Jess says.
"You're amazing." I say, kissing her forehead.
Both of us take off our shorts and panties. I put one leg over Jess, lining up my pussy with hers. I scissor Jess, pinching my own nipples that drip with milk now. Our wet pussys squelch together. I reach down, and part Jess's pussy. Carefully, I reach up and expose my clit.
I run my throbbing clit rubbing against Jess, euphoria engulfing me. The feeling of her wet, hot, pussy, drives me crazy. I move faster, increasing the friction between us. Finally, I cum, leaking into Jess's folds. When I climb off her, I look around to find we're not alone anymore. The twins have emerged from the shelter.
"Did we wake you up?" I ask.
"No, we were going to to come out earlier when you were alone. Now I wish we hadn't waited." Rory pouts.
"We missed you." Gigi says.
Jess raises an eyebrow as the twins come over and lift my shirt. I don't stop them, sighing in relief as they suckle from my sore, leaking nipples. I lean back, closing my eyes. They open quickly when I feel fingers pushing my panties aside.
Jess kneels in front of me, she pushes her head between my legs. I don't object, arching my back into the log behind me as Jess licks my pussy. Today's been a long day, but I'm glad it ended this way.
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Hello my lovelies! I hope you stay tuned for how this book will progress. Trust me, it'll be worth it. Also, I'm gonna try and cast these characters! Anywho, have a nice day/night! XOXO!
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