Chapter 6

Summer was waning, turning into an early autumn. Days were less warm and the nights were getting a little crisp, the precursor to a long, cold mountain winter.

Sufficient firewood was being stored up, along with the summer harvest of berries, nuts and herbs. He had hunted extensively and preserved several hundred pounds of various meats for the long cold winter ahead. Hides were prepared and stored for working during the snowy isolation to come. Almost everything was prepared for the winter to come; all that remained was the fall trip to the ranger's station for his winter supplies. He was getting a little low on ammunition, and staples of salt, pepper, sugar and flour, grain for the horses, as well as other consumables such as batteries were always needed. And a few more books would also be welcome company during the lonely nights.

Except that he wouldn't be all that lonely this winter.

In all of his planning, he'd almost forgotten about her. He'd have to make sure he had enough to carry both of them through the winter. Oh God, he thought. In order to carry all those supplies, I'm going to have to take her along! How am I going to explain her??

They started off early in the morning, walking in silence for a long time. His mind was in turmoil, not really knowing how or even if he could explain her. Julie, for that matter, wasn't at all sure she wanted him to explain her to the ranger. Oddly, she had become very comfortable with him and wasn't at all sure she wanted to leave this place that had become her new home.

He, too, was thinking about her. Their time together was better with each passing day and he wasn't all that sure that he wanted her to go back. After all, what did she really have down there to go back to? I'm going to have to play it by ear, I guess.

They made camp in late afternoon, choosing a safe, defensible position that would offer protection from the predators. After their meal, they were relaxing by the fire, both quietly removed in their own thoughts.

"What are you going to tell the ranger about me?" she suddenly asked.

"I'm not sure. Why do you ask? I though you wanted to go home?"

"I did when you first found me, but now I'm not so sure. You're not as scary as I first thought you were, and to tell you the truth, I'm pretty comfortable with you ... uh, that is, if you're comfortable with me."

That stunned him.

"Comfortable with me? I thought you didn't like being up here at all. And I sure as hell thought you didn't like me! What gives, anyway?"

"I don't know, it's like you ... I don't know. I can't describe it. I just know that I'm not afraid of you and you do look out after me. There's nothing down there for me anyway. I don't even miss school anymore. You're teaching me a lot of things that I wouldn't ever learn in a classroom. And I ... uh, well ... just forget it."

"Oh no you don't! You started to say something. You're not getting out of it that easily. What's on your mind?"

She got very quiet and thought to herself, Boy, did I mess up! What am I going to say now?

"I... , uh, ... I'm not sure if I can explain this. You've been really nice to me lately. When you first found me, I wasn't sure. You scared me and I couldn't wait to get away. Now, I don't know if I want to leave.

"That's understandable, I guess, but that still doesn't tell me anything. Why don't you want to leave?"

"Promise you won't get mad?"

"What's that supposed to mean? Don't you know by now that there aren't too many secrets up here?"

"Well, OK. Do you remember that day, the second or third one, I think, that you got all flustered and left the cabin to take care of something? You told me to stay inside but I followed you. I don't think you heard me 'cause you really acted like you had something awfully important on your mind. Anyway, you stopped and leaned up against a tree and pulled your ... uh, penis out of your pants and started moving your hand up and down on it. It really looked big to me, a lot bigger than any one I had ever seen in Sex Ed. When that white stuff started spurting out of it I remembered what it was called. Sperm, I think."

"Hey, you weren't supposed to see that. What are you doing spying on me??

"I thought you'd get mad at me. I'm not saying anything else."

"Hey, I'm not mad at you. It's just that that was supposed to be private. I don't do it very often but sometimes I have to do it because I just get horny. I don't have any other way to get rid of the feelings that come up. I told you that I wasn't very good with girls."

"I was just curious. I didn't mean to spy. You left in such a hurry. I was afraid that you were going to leave me."

"No, I just had to take care of myself."

"I know that now. Anyway, while you were doing it, I got these really strange feelings in my stomach. And I think I peed in my panties 'cause they got awfully wet. I didn't know what to think but the feelings that I had were really strange. Nice, but strange. I followed you a couple of more times, too, and watched you then. You didn't see me, but the feelings came back even more each time I looked. I even put my finger down there, you know, on my pussy ... my ... vagina, and stroked it while you played with yourself. It really felt good, too. I started breathing hard and getting really funny feelings. The last time I even fell down on the ground, it felt so good."

He looked at her strangely, suddenly confused, and very quiet. All of a sudden she was scared.

"What's the matter? Did I say something wrong? Say something. You're scaring me!"

"No ... you didn't say anything ... wrong. I just don't know how to explain this ... explain what's ... happening."

"Come on now. No secrets, remember?"

"I don't know. I'm kind of like you right now. Don't know if I can explain it either. You're really young but ... I don't know ... I... , uh ... I think I'm ... falling in ... love with you."

She suddenly got very quiet, her eyes getting wide, and started breathing heavily.

"In love with me? When did all that start?"

"It didn't, at least not right away. At first, you were an intruder into my world and I just wanted you out of it. That first night at the cabin, though, when you changed out of your clothes and into my T-shirt, remember? You turned away from me so you'd have some sort of privacy, especially when I wouldn't turn around. Well, I did watch you change. That was the first time in a long time that I had seen any woman naked and ... I got really ... aroused. That's why I left the cabin later and jerked off. I knew that if I stayed there I was going to do something bad, like ... maybe ... rape you."

"Why didn't you. I couldn't have stopped you. You're a lot stronger than I am."

"I don't know. Believe me, I wanted to, but something inside me stopped me. You were pretty helpless at the time. And sad, too. You'd just lost your parents, and ... I don't know ... I just didn't want to hurt you anymore."

"And now?"

"It's different now. You're still pretty young but you're stronger now, more confident, too. It's almost like you belong up here..."

"Maybe I do ... with ... you."

He looked at her with a piercing stare that went straight to the heart of her soul. And she returned it. Before either on of them realized it, they were in each others arms, hugging, touching, feeling ... Then they stopped, separated slightly, looked at each other and then slowly came together and kissed. Gently, tentatively, shyly their lips came together, almost awkwardly, but with the passion of youth. After a few minutes of exploration, they separated and just held each other.

"What are we going to do now," she asked.

"I don't know. This really changes things, doesn't it?"

"I guess it does. We're still going to have to tell the ranger something, though. It's not like I came from the cabbage patch, you know. And you're older than me, too."

"I'm not that much older. Well, I don't think I'm that much older. I'm 21. How old are you, anyway?"

"I'm sixteen. My birthday was a few weeks ago, I think. Wow, that's not a lot of difference, isn't it?"

"Not too much when you think about it. I've known some couples that had more years than that between them. One couple was almost 25 years different in age, and they got along great."

"I don't know. The more I think about it, you don't seem that old to me. A lot more experienced, but not old. I guess that I'm pretty young for you."

"No, not at all. Well, you are young but ... not. Your body is ... not quite as developed as some that I've seen, but you're filling out really well, or I guess you are. I can only see the ... externals. And you're probably having your ... periods by now."

Blushing, she said "Yes. I was trying to hide them from you because ... well, you know ... they're kind of private ... and ... messy. I didn't have any tampons so I had to use some rags and wash them out. I was hoping that you wouldn't notice."

"Actually, I did, but wasn't really sure at first what was happening. I kind of guessed that's what was happening but I didn't want to say anything. It's a woman thing, after all."