Hey kids, here's another update! Woot! Anywho, as you will find out, I researched a lot for this chapter. I apologize if any of the information about the rainforest or the Mbuti (pronounced EM-booty)are inaccurate. Some things I made up for the purpose of the story, likethe bell tied around Jamie's ankle to warn the hunters she's there.And don't worry, I'm working hard on The Return Of...so just be patient for a little while longer. These shorter stories are easier to write. Enjoy! (by the way, Jamie is nineteen in this chappie)

Anna Mo: Yeah, I realize now that might have been a huge surprise...but I didn't really want to add an author's note 'cuase I thought it would take away from the chapter. Sorry about that.

The Life-Saving Congo

Living in a jungle was the best idea I've ever had. I was currently in the Ituri Rainforest of The Democratic Republic ofCongo. It was a gorgeous, green, and bursting with flora and fauna. I started out living on the outskirts of the jungle with the Bantu people, but then I figured it would be fun to live inside the rainforest itself, so I hitched a ride with a pygmy tribe, called the Mbuti. They were primarily hunter-gatherers, and were a little apprehensive at first when I told them I wanted to come with them, but once I dropped all my weapons on the ground and performed a happy spirit ritual with them, they let me join up. The tribe I was currently traveling with was on the smaller end; it only had 20 people in it. It was hard at first to communicate with them, but once I picked up a few vocabulary words and hand gestures, it was pretty easy. I had built myself a little tree house in a huge tree right outside of their camp. I didn't want to intervene with their life; I was just a tag-along. I'd been here for about a week, and was just loving it.

I was sitting on a huge rock with my feet in a creek, thinking about Ranger. He was mostly the reason I was here, in the middle of a rainforest in Africa. No, he didn't ship me here in the dead of night. I came here on my own, but only because we had just had the biggest fight in the history of fights. I felt like shit just remembering it. It all started when I was in Miami with him, and I had become friends with his daughter, Jasmine. We were like twins, only ten years apart.

Anyway, one day I picked Jazz up from school and took her to the amusement park for the day. I had forgotten to tell Ranger my phone was dead, so when I arrived back at Rangeman with Jazz, he blew a lid and proceeded to inform me that there was a family enemy threatening to kidnap Jazz, and that he'd been trying to reach me all day. When he couldn't reach me, he sent out a search party and when they failed to find us, he started to get scared. He couldn't reach my phone, which was always on, and he thus concluded that his daughter and I had been kidnapped and were possibly dead. Then when I just showed up out of the blue, he let all his fright and worry and concern out and took it out on me. This is where an important saying comes in: Anger is only a mask of fear. Ranger had been so scared, so worried for me and his daughter, it all boiled into anger which he took out on me.

Yes, I know I'd been stupid when I forgot to tell him my phone was dead, but he was also in the wrong (at least in my opinion).He had failed to warn me about the family enemy. When I told that to him, he turned it all around again so I got the blame: I had failed to ask him if there were any psychos looking to kidnap his kid. That pissed me off, and we went on screaming at each other all night. The next morning I hitched a ride on a cargo ship bound for Africa.

It wasn't that I was running away or anything. I was PMSing, and Ranger and I really needed a break from each other. So I was the one to take action. Probably when we see each other again all will be well and forgotten. But for now, we're both nursing bruised egos.

I sighed and stood up. I was hungry, and I needed to find something to eat. For the first day or two that I was here, some of the younger women in the tribe decided to help me with the whole food thing. They showed me which plants I could eat, and which were poisonous. My diet consisted of fruits, roots, and crawfish from the creek. I made myself a bow and arrow for hunting animals, but the Bantu warned me that women don't participate in hunting if it involves a bow and arrow, and I might offend the tribesmen. So I stuck to the vegetarian diet, and saved the bow and arrow for something else.

I had made myself a bowl using clay from the creek, and I filled it with berries and roots. I took my meal back to my treehouse and ate dinner.

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I was about to fall asleep when I heard rapid gunfire in the distance. The Mbuti didn't have guns. I stood up and stuck my head out and looked through the canopy. Nothing. I could see absolutely nothing. I didn't have a flashlight, because I wanted to respect the Mbuti's neglect of modern technology. I slowly climbed down my tree and landed softly on the ground. I had to be very careful where I went and how I moved. The men would be hunting right now, and they might mistake me for an animal. So I tied a very small bell around my ankle on a leather strap. It was so small that I could barely hear it, but the Mbuti hunters could. They would know that there a fellow tribesman—or in my case, me--coming.

I had a knife on me, secured on my hip in a sheath. I also carried the bow and arrow. I was only wearing shorts and a tank top, and I was going barefoot. You didn't need a lot of clothes when you lived in a rainforest. I slid through the forest, occasionally climbing trees. I was heading northeast; in the direction I thought the gunshot came from. I didn't run into any hunters. I suspected they were trying to steer clear of me.

There was no wind. Just humidity. Night was falling and nocturnal animals were starting to come out. I stepped through the foliage carefully, watching out for snakes and poisonous frogs. I was far enough away now from the Mbuti camp that I didn't need to worry about being shot with a poison arrow. I suddenly paused when I heard abnormal sounds: rustling, snapping twigs, and muffled grunts. The instant I saw movement in the bushes I bolted up a tree, clinging to the strangler roots. I watched a huge man crash through the bushes, heading thankfully not in the direction of the Mbuti camp. He was dragging something. Dark had engulfed the forest, and it took me a minute to realize it was a person he was dragging. Another man followed. I noted they were both carrying machine guns, and machetes. I assumed they were poachers, looking for big cats or forest elephants. The man in front was dragging his miserable prisoner over big roots and rocks. The captive was grunting and twisting, sometimes almost getting his hands untied. His face was covered with a bag, so I couldn't make eye contact with him. I had been traveling through the trees, making sure I was always above the parade. The prisoner's head brushed against and stiff bush, and the bag was pulled off his head. I almost fell out of the trees when I saw his face.

It was Ranger.

His eyes were closed and he twisted again, pressing his face into the ferns. I was completely shaken. Where were the rest of the Merry Men? Why was he here? Was he looking for me? How could he have gotten caught by poachers? I bit my lip and kept following them. I needed to get Ranger out. There was a break in the canopy and for a split second, I could see his clothes in the moonlight. He was wearing camouflage cargos and a green shirt. His boots were muddy, and his clothes were bloodstained. I couldn't make out where the blood was coming from, but there was a lot of it. I kept following them. I needed to save Ranger.

Finally we all arrived at a small man-made clearing. There were two small tents and a circle of rocks around a fire-pit. Poacher No.1 tossed Ranger to the side and dropped his machete on the ground. He turned and said something to Poacher No.2, gesturing to Ranger. Poacher No.2 shrugged and put his hand on his machete, grinning evilly. Ranger was twisting in the crushed plants, trying to work lose the ropes around his ankles and hands. Poacher No.1 leaned over and smacked him on the head. Ranger stilled. Poacher No.2 dragged Ranger against a tree and slapped him lightly a couple times. When that didn't wake him up, he splashed his face with water. Ranger's eyes opened, and Poacher No.2 untied the rag and yanked the gag out of his mouth. He waited until Ranger was done coughing before speaking up. He was speaking softly so I couldn't hear, but I knew it wasn't English. Ranger responded in the same language, and Poacher No.2 smacked him hard.

My blood boiled. I was pissed. I was worried about Ranger. I watched as Poacher No.2 stood and turned to Poacher No.1. Number One nodded and Number Two swung his Uzi off his back and aimed at Ranger.

A small noise escaped me, resembling "NO!"

All three heads turned my way. I was still hidden in the bushes, but now they all knew I was there. Both poachers started towards my hiding place, and I bolted. I edged around their camp until I was behind Ranger's tree. I could only stay there for a second; the Poachers were viciously hacking at the foliage around their camp.

I put my hand over Ranger's mouth and whispered in his ear. "I'm here."

And then I edge away. I swung up a tree and waited until the poachers had calmed down. I was sitting on a big bough with a full view of the camp, and I had my bow and arrow ready.I'd never killed a man before, and my hands were shaking. Don't think about the life you're about to take, I told myself, think about the life you're going to save.

Number 2 got his gun ready again, and I aimed and fired. It wasn't my first time shooting a bow and arrow, I'd taken archery for a summer when I was fourteen, but my aim was true. An arrow through the neck, and the guy was instantly killed.

I jumped out of the tree the instant I let the arrow fly, and it was a good thing too because right when the arrow hit Number One opened fire at my tree. There was no time to ready another arrow; I ripped the knife from my belt and threw it as hard as I could. I hit him in the middle of hischest and he died instantly.

I stumbled into the camp, tripping and scrambling across to the Ranger. The lump in my throat was threatening to swell, and I furiously swiped tears from my eyes. I worked at the ropes but my hands were trembling so badly I couldn't keep a hold of them.

"Jamie," Ranger said softly, making me jump. I looked up at him. "Relax," he said, "I'm not dead. Take a deep breath. Get your knife. Cut me loose. Relax."

I did as I was told, and almost threw up when I drew my knife out of the dead man on the ground. I sawed at the ropes around Ranger's ankles and then his wrists, and sat back when I was done. Ranger rubbed his arms back to life while I sat there, trying to wrap my mind around what I'd just done. Ranger's warm hand on my face brought me back to reality.

"Are you hurt?" He asked.

I looked up at him. "You should talk," I gasped out. "There's blood all over you."

He managed a weak smile. "Shallow chest wound. I haven't lost a lot of blood, and it hasn't turned septic yet, but it hurts like nothing else."

I sprang up and helped him stand. He leaned heavily on me and I helped him walk out of the camp, away from the dead men.

"Are you living here in the rainforest?" Ranger asked me.

"Yeah, with an Mbuti tribe. Their camp is a couple of miles away. Will you be okay?"

Ranger nodded.

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We made our way slowly but surely through the forest. I was using one of the poacher's machetes to hack a trail for Ranger. When we finally made it back to the Mbuti camp, three tribesmen met us, holding spears. Ranger tensed, and I dropped the machete. The instant the men saw thatRanger waswounded, they turned and called to the rest of the camp. A few women emerged from the leaf and sapling huts, flocking around Ranger, taking him from me.

"You'll be safe with them," I said to him.

Ranger sent me a smile and went with the women.

The men turned to me. I only knew a few words of the Mbuti, and was more broadly educated in the Kikongo language, a commonly used dialect in the Republic of Congo. One of the tribesmen knew Kikongo, and I managed to explain that Ranger was going to be killed by poachers, I saved him, and that I knew Ranger and knew he was not going to harm any of the tribe. I didn't want them to think I brought danger upon their tribe.

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Three hours later, Ranger was comfortably situated in my tree house. Two women had come with cooked bird, fruits, and a bowl of heated sweet nectar for me and Ranger. I thanked them, took the food, and sat down on a branch next to Ranger's hammock. When I first arrived with the Mbuti, some of the kids made me a net hammock, and that was my bed. For now, it was for Ranger to sleep in. I'd sleep on the floor or in a crook of a branch.

I handed Ranger the bowl of nectar and half the bird meat. We shared dinner in silence.

"Where's the rest of the Merry Men?" I asked Ranger.

"They are in Brazzaville, waiting for my radio message."

"Ah." Brazzaville is the capital of Congo, in the southeast. "What will they do when you don't radio?"

"They come find me."

"And when they don't find you?"

Ranger stared at me.

"What will you do?"

"Do you have a radio or cell signal out here?"

I blushed a little. "I kind of chucked my cell phone into the ocean when I left," I said sheepishly.

Ranger laughed softly. "I figured you'd do something like that."

We were silent for a moment. "I'm sorry," I said, staring down at my hands.

"Jamie, you have nothing to apologize for. You just saved my life."

My heart fluttered and I sucked in a breath. "I guess I did, didn't I?"

"You did. And for that I thank you."

I blushed even more and sneaked a glance at Ranger. He was grinning like the Cheshire cat. I went back to staring at my hands."Ah, well, um, you're welcome…I guess…"

Ranger laughed and reached out for me. He tugged my head towards him and kissed my forehead. "I can't even explain how great your hand smelled when it was on my mouth." He whispered.

I smiled and met his eyes. "I can't describe how surprised I was when I saw you, the great and non-defeated Ranger, being dragged alonglike a sack of potatoes. And scared," I added softly.

We stared at each other for a moment, and Ranger closed his eyes and relaxed into the hammock. "Let's go to sleep. My men will make it to the edge of the forest by morning, we can buy a few hours of sleep before we go and wait for them."

"Alrighty."

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By the time the camp was waking up, Ranger and I were raring to go. We followed trading party back to the Bantu villages and asked around for men who were dressed like Ranger. One villager told us they were a few miles to the north, asking about Ranger. We hitched a ride on the back of a cart heading north, and an hour later we found Tank, Jordan, and Lester asking about Ranger.

Ranger and I slid off the cart and ambled towards them.

"Hey guys," I said happily, skipping over to them.

Ranger couldn't move veryfast; his shoulder was in a Mud'n' Plant bandage.

Tank turned and grinned at us, shouting to Jordan and Lester. Ranger was enveloped into bear-hugs, and I was getting pats on the head and swats on the ass. Lester grabbed me in a head lock and noogied me, and Jordan kissed me on the lips.

"Where were you?" Tank asked Ranger. "We didn't get your radio and thought you were dead somewhere."

"I was ambushed by two poachers, and they were going to kill me but Jamie killed them first and saved me."

I was under three intense stares. "I'll tell you when we get back to the city," I said.

"You're going to come with us? I figured you'd want to stay here," Ranger said.

"Well I won't come if you don't want me, but I'm sure these three would self combust if they didn't hear the story," I was afraid Ranger was still mad at me for the whole Jazz thing, and didn't meet his eyes.

Ranger wrapped an arm around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head. "Of course we want you. Let's get out of here."

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Back at the hotel Ranger told his side of the story, and I told mine. Ranger had been tracking down the very two poachers he was captured by, and apparently they knew it. Someone had gotten the information somehow and relayed it to them, so they recognized Ranger the instant they saw him, and knocked him out.

I told my part of the story, starting from when I arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I told them about hearing the gunshots, following it, and seeing the poachers. I told them about realizing it was Ranger, and about killing the poachers. I hadn't really thought about that part since it happened, and I really wasn't sure what to think. There was some regret, but I knew they'd die anyway even if I'd just wounded them. It suddenly hit me that I had taken two lives. I had killed two men. I stopped speaking and stared at my hands. I killed two men with these hands. How scary was that?

Ranger rubbed my shoulder.

"The first time is always the worst," Jordan said solemnly, "I hate to say it, but it only gets easier."

We were all silent for a while.

"Hey," Lester said, grabbing a bottle of the complementary champagne, "Nobody's dead, 'cept those who had it comin'. Let's have some fun, huh?"

We all agreed wholeheartedly, and the rest of the night was spent drinking, playing strip-poker, reminiscing about the good ol' days. For me the best part was when we all crashed into our beds,and I wassnuggled in between Ranger and Lester. That was the best part of the evening, by far.

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The end!