The Boy Next Door

Chapter Twelve

After we killed Chief Polo and got our things. We left across the creek behind Kala's hut. She packed lots of food for us. We didn't need literally everything, just enough bowls and plates and silverware for the three of us. Well Wolf decided to come along, after all I am his pack leader, but he can just eat what he hunts. Kala told us he doesn't eat what we give him unless its from the leader. So yay, I get to hunt like a wolf. Jamie can come too, and Aaron can shoot the prey if it gets out of hand.

We stop a few miles from the village to rest. It is almost sunrise, we began walking around midnight. I plop my bag full of dishes on the ground and lay next to it. Wolf decides he wants to dog pile and lays across my stomach. Jamie who usually sleeps with me, lays under my arm against my chest. Aaron feeling left out puts his back against mine and soon we are all sleeping, looking like a mound.

Clink. Clack. Clink. Clack. SNAP!

I sit up abruptly, moving Jamie and Wolf in the process. I look around. Aaron is still sleeping though the sun is high and the sky is blue. I can still smell the rain you sneaky shit, I tell the sky silently.

Crack!

Again I look around. Crap! There is a huge bear messing with the dish bag. Which means he is only a few feet away. I gently wake Aaron and Wolf. I carefully put Jamie behind a tree to hide. She's still sleeping. Aaron grabs his bow and arrows while I do the same. Wolf silently moves behind the bear in the shadows of the trees.

Aaron takes aim while I move to the ten foot terror's blind side. He is still in the bag, unaware of our plan. That is until Aaron shoots his chest. The bear's thick hide stopped the arrow from getting too far. He still roared and reared to his ten foot hight. I back half a step in surprise even though I know bears are huge.

I look at Wolf and give him a warning glance, telling him to wait. I give Aaron the same look. He nods as I climb the nearest tree to the bear. I reach a branch above the moving brown bolder and jump. I push the sword Kala made me into the bears back. He roars and tries to grab me. He gets on all fours and charges toward Aaron.

I reach out and grab his hand, pulling him on before the bear can bite. Luckily the blade is one and a half feet long so I can hold onto the handle as the bear slowly dies. I nod at Wolf and wait as he charges at the slowing bear. I rip my sword out of him and jump off. I slash his face as Wolf grabs hold of his throat. I smile. The bear tosses his neck with no luck to get the wolf off. I jump in and bite his shoulder. He let out a weak roar before falling over. I look at his body and feel proud of a myself. I handled that like a true pack leader.

We cool down for a bit, then start attacking the dead body again. We skin him to make a tent, take his meat to dry, and use his bones and teeth for support beams and weapons. All in all the task lasted the rest of the day.

I plop down in our new tent, happy and exhausted. I lay my blanket and hay down carefully. Aaron comes in and rolls out his sleeping bag.

"Okay so I've been thinking . . ." I roll my eyes, that can't be good. "Shut up. Anyways, I think we should be more, woodsmeny. Like, hunt animals, dry our extra meat, make medicine from herbs. That kinda stuff. Kala taught me medicine making." He pauses. "Wow, I'm the mom in this pack. Oh God!" He makes a horrified expression and quickly adds, "So I'll obviously help hunt, but I'll also make medicine and cook. You dry meat, hunt, heal, and help the kids. Um not kids. Uh, Jamie and Wolf."

I smile and lay back down. Aaron does the same. Jamie curls up next to me while Wolf lays across my stomach. Aaron moves his sleeping bag over to use my chest as a pillow.

"Night Jason." As soon as those words were out of his mouth the rain fell hard and loud.

..

The next morning was hectic. We tried to pack everything without getting mad about being sore. Then we had to hike seven miles only to walk back and collect the rest of the supplies. Everyone is cranky and uncomfortable in the spring weather. Aaron and Jamie hate the rain and humidity but Wolf and I don't mind it. Which means whenever it rains we have to hear them complain.

I drop my bag on the new camp site over looking the big lake and trees. It was a good place with a cave and plenty of berries around. Where there's berries, there's animals.

I pick up the bear skin and lay it out as a mat in the cave. Jamie continues to try and teach Wolf to pick berries without eating them. She leans down to pick a few in her mouth and spits them in the bowl unharmed. Wolf takes a whole stem with berries attached and picks it out of the ground, root and all. He puts it in the bowl. Jamie squeals unhappily. She starts to pick the berries off one by one and dropping them in, clearly frustrated.

"Great!" Aaron charges into the cave. "A fucking skunk sprayed me!" That explains the awful smell. "We don't have any tomato soup, juice, or what-the-fuck-ever either."

I point to the lake. "I can't, it'll take days . . . ugh! Fine." He stomps away toward the lake muttering curses. I smile at his behavior and start dinner.

We are going to have the dried deer, strawberries, cow milk, and peas. I think I fit every food group in there. Wait and bread. Mix matched, but I don't normally make food.

After about ten minutes of finding and setting every kitchen supply in the back of the cave, I made plates for everyone but Wolf. I eat while I prepare the food so I can help him hunt.

I grunt at Jamie and hand her a plate. She sits and starts eating. I take a plate down to the lake for Aaron and hand it to him.

"Every food group. Maybe you should cook more often." I point to Wolf then the woods. "Okay, take Jamie, I won't be able to save her fast enough from here." I nod and walk to the cave to pick up Jamie.

We all walk into the woods on all fours silently. Jamie goes by tree while Wolf and I go by land. I give Wolf a nod, telling him to listen for food. He turns his ears every which way the looks to his left, towards me. I look and see a buck. I nod and silently wave at Jamie. I point to the buck, she moves over it and waits for my command.

Wolf and I move closer. He goes around to its back. Luckily there is no wind. It keeps eating, unaware of the enemies. I crouch, ready to pounce. I jump on its neck and bite down. It kicks and squeals in surprise and horror. I nod at Jamie who jumps on its back, chomping down on the back of its neck.

I nod at Wolf who bites its leg to pull it down. It falls. Jamie let's go to hold it down. I help her while Wolf swiftly snaps its neck. We all drag our kill to camp to see Aaron sitting by a fire.

"Nice kill. Took ya long enough."

We sat the buck at his feet waiting for him to comment anything else, he didn't. Jamie went to lay down to sleep while Wolf dug into the nice dinner. Having nothing to do, I cut strips of meat that Wolf hadn't slobbered on and dried it. Aaron eventually helped.

After the nice dinner, we all dog piled and slept peacefully.