Chapter forty-eight

The big Cat almost killed her.

She was a wild looking thing, nearly unrecognizable as people, under the dirt, rags, and the wild mass of hair that was housing almost everything that grew in the jungle.

Bruce, who had an ear out for the Iowees even though no one expected any trouble, heard them scream. He was probably the only person in their group who could run faster than Chandie. Three point nine speed, a soldier's ability to swiftly and calmly assess a situation and a deep love for the Iowees was the only thing that saved the wild thing's life.

Bruce got to the scene just as the big cat crouched. He instantly recognized before him, a person about to be leaped on by a 300 pound cat who thought she was protecting the terrified, screaming Iowees.

"Down! Sheba. Down girl!" Bruce Yelled.

The big cat turned at the sound his voice. She looked at the Iowees, who had run to Bruce and were now quiet. She turned away from the thing she was about to kill and sidled over to stand beside the Iowees.

Bruce looked at the wild thing, who was standing there, still frozen with the fear of coming into a clearing and finding herself face-to-face with a fang baring tiger.

He saw that she was hurt and bleeding. He stepped towards her. She screamed, and took of running like a deer.

During his days in College, as a star cornerback for Virginia Tech college, he didn't have to run as far to catch top rated halfbacks from behind.

Hurt, as she was, the wild thing still ran faster than that guy who was the top draft pick for the Washington Redskins football team his senior year who they said--when he played against him--was as fast as that year's Olympic sprint champion. He caught him from behind too--just like all the rest.

By the time he caught her, the wild thing would have been in the End zone. But he did catch her, and nearly got his eyeballs scratched out for the effort. She was fighting like she thought he was trying to rape or kill her.

"You need medical attention...sorry." He pinched a nerve in her neck, and she went out like a light. He threw her over his shoulders and started walking.

The big cat, who was now lounging under Chandra's feet, saw them first. Her ears stood straight up as she rose off her haunches. Chandra looked where the cat was looking and gasped. She started running towards Bruce. Her emissions alerted the others and they all stopped what they were doing and started approaching Bruce

" What happened to she?" Chandra asked Bruce.

"I'll tell you what I know later. She's okay but her arms, wrists and hands are cut badly."

Damian helped Bruce ease the female off Bruce's shoulder. The two supported her between them as they carried her towards the tent they set up as Chandra's "emergency room."

" What happened to her?" Steve, the last one to arrive, asked.

" Besides me putting her to sleep with a nerve pinch I don't really know."

"Why did you do that?"

"Because she was hysterical, and about to beat me to death out there."

Bruce and Damian carried her inside the tent. They laid her down on the covered ground.



"How did you come across her?" Damian looked at the unconscious woman and saw that she was very young--no more than eighteen years old.  Even under all the dirt, her beauty was evident. She was a light-skinned Africoid woman, looked like one of those mix-raced Models who were always the faces of the Islands' tourist industry.

"She came up over the ridge...I think running from something, or some one. I heard the Iowees scream and got to the scene just in time to stop Sheba from jumping on her. I saw that she was hurt, went to help her and she took off like a bat out of hell. I chased her. When I caught her she almost tore my face off. I think she's been raped, or otherwise attacked by someone. The cuts on her arms and hands look like defensive knife wounds. I don't know what the burns on her wrists come from...rope maybe."

" I've got to tek she dirty clothes off." Chandra said. She asked Bruce, "weh she gwan wek up?"

"Any second now." Bruce started moving towards the exit. Damian followed him out of the tent.

"Knife wounds?" Damian asked as he and Bruce walked side-by-side.

"I'm pretty sure."

"That means there are other people on the Island beside us and the girl."

"Yeah."

" You really think she was raped?"

" I've come on the scene a few times after women had been raped, or, otherwise brutally traumatized. That's what she acted like when she fought me. She was frenetic."

" So there's at least one dangerous person around somewhere. "

"At least one. But in my experience Damian, predatory people are like deer trying to cross the road at night. It's not the first one that fucks your car up, it's always one, of the two or three others running behind him. In other words, I think there might be more than two people left alive on this Island. And they aint nice."

" What makes you say that?"

"Look at the girl. She's been living like a hunted animal for a long time. One man don't keep anybody on the run like that in this much space. She's being terrorized by a few people.
"
"I guess that answers my next question."

"What's that?"

" Do we move on or stay.

"Yeah I guess it does."



***************


" I'm going Steve, and that's final. I know a hell of a lot more about fighting than you do. And I'm also a Medic. Chandra is staying in camp to watch over the injured girl, so who do you suggest is more qualified than me to go?"

Steve put up his hands. " You're right. Excuse me for wanting my woman to stay safe like all the other women."

" I really don't feel like doing this right now." She tucked her knife in her waistband and picked up her spear.

" I'm sorry Shelly, It's just that I--"

She pressed him. "It's just that you what?"

"Never mind."

"Are you ever going to say it to me, Steven?"

" Shelly...I, I love you."

She put the spear down and moved into his arms.

"I love you too...so very much."


It was decided that Steve, Michelle, Bruce and Chako, would go with Damian. Patrick and the rest of the women would stay in the Camp with the Iowees. The big Cat was also supposed to stay, but she decided she wanted to go. She acted like she was going to stay as told. Sat there as obedient as a show dog, and watched until Damian and those with him disappeared from sight. Then she got up and took off in a full stretch after them before anyone could say gone.

She stayed on Steve's left, just out of range of his stride. And as if she was deliberately toying with him; when he stopped and playfully kicked at her every once in a while, she would skip ahead just far enough so that he missed. And then fall right back into the same range.

"You have to keep it down, Steve." Bruce said. "Were on a reconnaissance mission and we don't want any potential enemies to spot us before we see them if we can avoid it."

They were out with their weapons trying to find out who was hunting the young woman, and if any other people were being terrorized in the same manner.

Suddenly the big cat's ears sprang up and she stood as stiff as a board. "Get low." Bruce hissed. Michelle and Chako instantly dropped into a crouch. Damian and Steve saw what the soldiers did, and followed suit.

" One trick...," Bruce addressed Chako. "you go ahead and see what Sheba is reacting to." The young Indian nodded and took off, moving quickly and quieter than a tiger's shadow. The real tiger stayed right beside him.