Chasing Fire

Never Be Cold Again - Part 2

"So, I have to ask you this, do you like to climb trees?"

Noralee stared at her new acquaintance with wide, unblinking eyes still red from crying. She was a little stunned at his question. It didn't seem like the most appropriate thing to want to know at that moment.

"Uhhhh, when I was like five or six." She realized he was serious and it was one of those all or nothing questions, as if she had to answer it to pass some unspoken test. "Honestly, I am terrified of heights. So, I guess I haven't tried because of I would be too scared."

His enthusiasm seemed slightly diffused with her answers, "Well, that means at one time you did know how and enjoyed climbing trees, but you just forgot how to enjoy it. I myself, love to climb trees. I have found it to be an expression of freedom." He lifted his hands to the sky, "Freedom is my middle name, well, one of them at least. So, are you in the mood to try to climb some now?"

"Not really. I am very, poorly coordinated and I hate to ask you this, but I am starving? You wouldn't happen to have an extra Powerbar, would you?" He looked like a wild, wood sprite like a Peter Pan.  He was fresh out of a fairy tale and the look in his eyes was one of pure, blissful innocence and kindness. He was one of the Lost Boys.

"Do you like venison? I have a deer at my camp. If you want to stay with me I will be happy to share with you? " He held out a dirty hand, smiling.

"Ok. But you have to put some clothes on." She wasn't offended by his partial nudity, he had a nicely toned, muscular physique, but she found it very distracting with the loin cloth leaving nothing to the imagination. She couldn't hide her blushing either, her skin was very pale and she showed fresh roses of color in her cheeks when she was embarrassed, nervous or turned on. Maybe she was a little turned on in a strangely novel kind of way. This was a novelty, after all, half naked guys growing on trees wasn't commonplace in Fairhope. Even as much as she prayed for a nice one to come falling out of the couch cushions, one never did.  She wondered what kind of face was under all that mud.

He laughed a loud chuckle, "Deal. I didn't bring a Sunday suit because I wasn't expecting company."

She took his hand and he pulled her up and took her backpack. "Let me carry that for you." He was a true gentleman. She hadn't met many of those in her lifetime. Dewayne wasn't necessarily a total rogue, but he wasn't the kind of guy to break his neck to open the door for her, either. Bear held her hand as she stepped over fallen logs and overgrown roots as they walked back to his camp, which was by a crystal blue-green stream.

"Wow, this is gorgeous!" She stared in awe at the beauty of the place as he jumped in the stream suddenly without warning.

"Gotcha!" He pulled out a fat trout and proceeded to start punching it in the head.

She stared in horror. "What are you doing?"

The dive into the creek washed some of the mud off his bearded face and a very handsome, young man stared back at her. "I punch the fish so it stuns it and it doesn't suffer. It is more humane than letting it suffocate."

She guessed he did have a point, although his methods were very unorthodox,  she figured everything about him was unique. He was probably one of the most interesting and unforgettable people she had ever met and she had only known him for twenty minutes! He finished washing off the mud and she had to turn around, her blushing roses telling the tale on her cheeks. He was gorgeous under all that mud. His skin was a smooth and bright above his beard.  The beard was a bit scraggly but she imagined he hadn't shaved in a long time.  He had a slim, muscular physique like a young tiger.  Bruce Lee in "Enter the Dragon" came to mind. But what really caught her eye was his perfectly cut eight pack of abdominal muscles. Dewayne wasn't overweight, but he didn't have Bear's body. He had little pouches around his hips and the beginning of a beer belly from too much beer pong. Noralee tried not to stare at him, but it was useless. She was drooling quietly perched on a rock. Bear was unbelievably sculpted from a life of vigorous, strenuous activity and never sitting still. He was constantly in motion and it made her a little dizzy to watch him hopping around the camp as he prepared and chopped wood for a fire. He dressed in a black tank and camouflage pants but didn't bother putting on shoes.

The thought of a nice, hot fire made her want to cry after freezing every night since she got lost. He was a quick fire starter and an expert at creating a flame that quickly became a bonfire. He smiled sheepishly as the flames rose over his head, "Sorry, I love fire. I get a little carried away."

"No, please don't apologize. The bigger the better. I have been frozen solid for days. You have to teach me how to do that, I suck at starting fires." She showed him the blisters on her palms.

"Oh no. Those look painful." He looked genuinely concerned she could be in pain. "I have a devil's club ointment that will make those feel better." He gently rubbed it on her hands and it felt nice and stopped stinging. "Better?"

She nodded and couldn't stop looking into his intense, bright blue eyes, helplessly. "It stopped hurting." She was amazed. He had an answer to every discomfort or ailment. He was a one stop shop of comfort.

He let the fire die down a little and cooked the deer cutlets in a cast iron skillet and roasted the fish in a pocket of leaves. The aroma made her tongue want to jump out of her face and start licking the deer ribs on the spit. He rolled a large log next to the fire for her to sit on and she couldn't believe how much strength he had in his lithe, lean body. The fire was the biggest gift anyone had ever given her, until he handed her a plate of hot, steaming, juicy deer ribs. The taste was stronger than beef or chicken, but they were succulent and soon she ate them with total abandon as grease ran down her arms. Looking at him as the sun began to set in the fading light with the raging fire casting soft shadows over his strong brow and proud nose she thought sweetly to herself, "With a guy like this around, I will never be cold, hurt or hungry again."