A/N: This chapter was weird, and for some reason (physics) I decided to have there be more traveling than I initially guessed. So…you don't get to see the Company until next chapter. I've already written most of it, so I'll post part 2 soon.


Chapter 2; part 1: First Impressions


It was a river.

Damn it.

Well – water meant life, And – I argued to myself as I rolled my pants up and donned my hiking/water trekkers (beautiful things- ergonomic, fast drying, wicks away sweat and perfect for muddy trail hiking) if I was going to run into someone in what it looked like was the middle of nowhere, I was going to have to follow it.

I pulled out a water testing kit. Most of the water in the US is safe to drink, with a little chlorine tablet and some coal filters – or a little boiling – for virus and the like, but it was always better to know what you have to work with. My kit tested mostly for chemicals- fertilizers and pesticides were of the greatest concern- with the lack of development, it's likely this was farmland.

I was a little incredulous- since even with a few hours, the trees, climate and air were different enough that I had to have been moved a great deal – The air was damper now as I walked around, more than the river could account for.

California was dry- and there weren't any mountains that I could see- just one big outcropping a few miles down the river- the direction I was likely to go anyway, because mountain people (where the water originated) tended to be sparse and lacking communications and mental health facilities, while cities tended to be settled on the other end of them and at least had enough normal people to even out the crazies (and less likely to get away with wearing my face as a Halloween mask if worst came to worst). Between two sides of a river, I always know which end I'd rather trek towards looking for help.

The water was clean- not just (and I blinked here) completely clean of chemicals. Jesus- was there anywhere in the world that was? But it was lacking in radicals, general sewer pollutants like urea, hormones and even biological virus. It was purer than bottled water. I checked the microscope picture my kit generated, and saw a few biological agents I wasn't familiar with, which was worrying- but I could kill those off with a simple chlorine pill, boil it- or if I didn't want to waste propane, I could set it in a plastic bottle and strap it to the top of my car, and let the sun kill them off. But it was clean enough to swim in, certainly. I remembered the biological protozoa that looked unfamiliar and that I still wasn't sure I wasn't on camera and decided to stay in my underwear.

I took another look at the sides of the river and decided to try further down stream for a shallower incline.

About an 10 minutes into my drive – It was a little bumpy, but tolerable- I passed that rock formation. It looked like there were stairs winding down it,- which meant hikers! But also no handrails, so likely a survivalist place, which I approved of categorically. They'd have a radio, if nothing else. They hadn't been anywhere I'd seen on my drive following the river so I would likely run into them soon.

I drove out another hour or so (my phone's time was seriously off- it said it was 4 am when it was by all accounts a little before noon judging by the shadows) before I found the….house.

It didn't look like a retreat, but the grounds were clean and organized, and lacked the woodsy bachelor musk that I associated with crazy wood people. Secret camera show was looking less likely.

But the bees! They were a type I'd never seen before- some kind of hybrid Bumblebee, and at least 3 times their size. I. Love. Bees. They were so – so- awesome. I just. Can't. I am not embarrassed to say that I took video, despite the drain on my battery.

The gardens were gorgeous, and economical. All of the plants I recognized that weren't food had medical or fragrant properties, or could be used to make soaps or creams. I was a little in love. The woodpile to the side was swept and clean, and I actually bumped into an honest to goodness sheep on my way to the front door. The look it gave me was affronted, so I stopped for a bit to give it's head a good rub in apology.

The cottage home was actually kind of prettyish with a sort of stucco mud-clay mix exterior that was favored with the Japanese currently in tree houses. Common in long-distance builds since it used the surrounding resources instead of costly lumber, though it was likely lumber based on the inside. I approved. I knocked on the door, only for the sheep to beat me to it. It jumped up on it, and pulled the handle down letting itself in.

It was obviously unlocked. So- I entered and called "Hello?", to be met with still silence. The room was a little musty, but not much. A dog was by the embers of a fire, and though he put his head up when I came up, he settled back down after nudging the sheep. Obviously friendly- and no breed I'd ever seen, though he looked like he had mastiff in him. I was again surprised. Mutts were healthier, but not very many people preferred them.

"Hello!" I called again, cupping my hand around my mouth to make the sound carry farther- and still nothing. Nobody home. I looked at the window over the sink- no curtains. Definitely a man then. I huffed a bit in amusement and got to checking out my surroundings- and maybe the pantry. No use using up rations if I didn't need to, and whatever the guy asked for (except sex- I'd never sold my body before and didn't plan on doing it now) I could pay. I had the basic bill denominations, dollars, pounds, euros, some salt water pearls and gold bullion stashed in the side panels of my car doors (seriously- all the stuff you can fit around the cars carriage was kind of funny if you thought about it, and where I didn't have actual things, I had phone books- a cheap and efficient way to bullet proof a car).

He (whoever he was) had honey, and lots of it. None of it in plastic, which didn't really matter, but he didn't have any glass either. All clay pots. I thought about the homemade jams and stuff I had under my passenger seat. I had at least 6 cans of Peach, and 4 cans of plum, which would be probably as beloved by a guy that didn't normally allow himself the luxury of pre-made glass products. I supposed I could trade for the Honey- good honey was hard to find, and it'd boost my immunity to the locale if I ate honey pollinated and made locally. Probably by those awesome bees. I shook it a bit, and it looked pure and smelled sweet, and was a light whiskey hue which meant the bees were in flourishing health and that he'd screened out all the detritus.

Not only was it good for immunity boosting, but it tasted good, kept well, and was great for wounds. I set 3 small pots of it on the large wood table in the dining room for bartering.

Shuffling through other pantry items, I found lots of grains and oats and some bags of flour. There were blocks of what looked like and smelled like salt- likely Iodine free, which made me wonder where he got his from, and to think to the containers of salt I had in my car with the rations. If he wasn't interested in Jam- (though my grandma's jam was delicious, couldn't see why he wouldn't be) there was the salt.

And with the animals going in and out- the house was clean, which despite the far reaches, made it less likely he was crazy. Huzzah.

My host still wasn't here- and though he had some other goods I had my eye on, the fragrant soap and other things weren't items I didn't already have, just from more manufactured origins. I could deal.

There wasn't a shower in the bathroom, just a big soaking tub and it being such a nice day, and the water so clean I decided to go outside. I was a little weary of maybe polluting the river (oh my god so clean)though, so I set up my camp shower nearby, and hauled up some of the river water to use over the grass (as well as quite a bit of water I left strapped to my roof to percolate in the sun). the camp shower curtain would protect me in case Mr. Host came back before I was decent, and if I had anything on my skin, it'd get washed into the grass which could deal with it. I had an entourage of curious barnyard animals following by now, to my own amusement, but the dogs (of which I could now see 4 or so) hadn't attacked, so I kept myself confident they wouldn't, so I didn't smell like prey.

Besides an awkward moment when one of them stuck it's nose between my legs to say hello while I was draping my clothes over the top of the shower and having to shoo another sheep out of the shower itself, there weren't any incidents. Of course I had forgotten a towel, but when I peaked around to the front there wasn't a car so, moderately dry from a few minutes in the sun, I streaked to my car for a change of clothes.

There was still some sun left, but I still hadn't been able to talk to my host. Dressed and fresh, I wandered back inside with some jam. Since I couldn't be sure He'd like it, I grabbed some gold as well (just a bit- closer to 30$ than more) and about 50ft of paracord. I traded the jam and gold, as well as the rope for the honey and a bar of his honey and oat soap (it smelled divine). I penned a short note and left it with the items.

I stepped out of the house with my haul and after loading the car, spent a minute or two bestowing cuddles and petting my entourage (they were so cute!) before I packed myself in and started up the engine. It scared a few of the sheep, but they seemed okay.

I hadn't gone far when I hit a dirt driveway? Road? Heading away from the river and toward the forest. There was a bridge on the river, but with the break in tree cover, the mountains were obvious- and I always did what I could to avoid crazies, so icky dark forest road it was. It looked a ways off- but then, so did the mountains. Both were huge, and both could have a community just on the other side. Eh. I was good for supplies. If the forest was a dead end, I'd just turn around and go the other way.

About 30 minutes along the road, I saw a bunch of horses galloping off to the side. I smiled a bit, content, until I saw the huge ass bear running behind them.

Holy shit! It was looking at me! It started to turn in my direction as I passed it, obviously meaning to give chase. I floored it- from 25 to 93 in 5 seconds (5 seconds too long). I barely escaped him- he took a swipe at my rear fender at about 50 mph (bears are so fast!).

The bear shrank into the distance. I wouldn't be stopping anytime soon, Jesus. The sun was getting low. I had about an hour and a half until it started to set (early I thought, for summer- could I be in a different hemisphere?), but I needed to set up camp. I was leery of stopping too soon, since I wasn't sure how curious that bear was.

I slowed down to a stop about 40 minutes later, and raided the ice-chest without getting out. I pulled out a bag of jerky and tore into it viciously. Adrenalin made me hungry. I had some fresh peaches from my grandmother's yard. She'd had a large haul this year so she'd been happy to get rid of them (as well as the jam). I also ate a turkey sandwich roll I'd made in advance for the road. I finished it all off with a Coke and a draw of water from my canteen(the stuff from home- the water I'd nabbed from the river was still strapped to my roof).

As I munched the last of the peach, I thought of the lack of peach trees in my fellow bee lover's yard. I smiled, and set the seed aside, just in case I headed back that direction. If not, I'd just ask for the address and mail him one. I'm sure he got mail sometime (maybe every month?).

I kept driving till dark. I was a little wary of bears, so I cracked a window, deciding to sleep in the car. I pushed the passenger seat all the way back, and pulled out my sleeping bag and a pillow. I switched the car over to the secondary power for a little and turned on the heated seat. After I was warm I turned it off, and I was out like a light.


A/N: I was going to have the main character meet the company at the river while they were bathing, but I decided that the running from Beorn was more important. Company is in the next chapter!