Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter twenty-six of "Dark Desire." This chapter has lots of Tommy/Kim. His teaching her to live off the land resumes in it. Kim's parents will be introduced in the one after the next. The other Rangers, Zordon, and Alpha will return as well. The tapeti is actually a rabbit native to South America. It is also known as the Brazilain cottontail. Stay tuned for chapter twenty-seven.
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Chapter 26: On the Prowl For Eggs
An ocelot wandered through another part of the rainforest seven minutes later. It halted itself when it spotted a tapeti chewing on a leaf while standing next to a bush. It licked its lips in a hungry way. It crept toward its target on its stomach. It took great care in not making any noise. It came close to its prey, setting itself up for the pounce. It kept its breathing soft and steady. The tapeti moved a little bit in its direction.
The ocelot sprung out of its hiding place. It charged toward its target while baring its teeth. The tapeti saw it and hopped for its life. The ocelot increased its stride. It managed to catch up to its prey. It flung out its paw in which it tripped the tapeti. It grabbed it by the back of its neck, severing its spine. The tapeti became still instantly. The ocelot put it down. It panted heavily before licking its lips.
The ocelot managed to catch its breath. It looked down at its kill, a determined expression showing in its eyes. It was about to start feeding when approaching footsteps came out of nowhere. It grabbed its prize and rushed off into the undergrowth. Just then, Tommy and Kim walked out from behind a tree. They held hands somewhat tightly. They swung them back and forth three times. She sighed in much content.
"This rainforest is so beautiful up close," she whispered in great awe. "It is great seeing videos of it on TV and tapes, but it doesn't compare seeing it in person."
"No, it doesn't," he agreed. "Of course, I would rather leave on the beach. There is a lot more space to move around. It can get pretty dense in a rainforest."
"Any forest can get dense," Kim pointed out matter-of-factly. "You can never be sure what you might run into."
"You can't be sure when monkeys might throw berries at you either," Tommy commented with a warm chuckle.
"Did a monkey actually do that to you?" Kim shouted in surprise.
"It sure did," Tommy said, smiling. "It happened while I was exploring the rainforest. I came upon a clearing, where I found some crystals. I reached the edge of it when a berry hit me in the forehead. I grabbed my handkerchief and wiped my forehead. I found juice on it. I spotted a squirrel monkey pulling a berry off a branch. It threw the berry at me, hitting me in the shoulder. I responded by tossing the berries back to it. It gobbled both of them down. I went on my merry way."
"Wow!" Kim exclaimed. "It's good that you didn't get mad at the monkey. It could've become aggressive."
"I know. Monkeys may look cute, but people shouldn't touch them. They can bite very hard," Tommy muttered seriously.
The lovebirds ducked as they passed underneath an overhanging branch. They returned to their full height. They swung their hands back and forth twice. They tightened their grip on each other somewhat.
"I remember the cartoon called 'A Day at the Zoo.' A woman visited the monkey cage. She looked at the sign that said not to feed the monkeys. She gave the monkey a bag of peanuts. He threw it in her face. He picked up the sign and asked her angrily if she could read," Kim said, giggling to herself. "She could read. She just didn't care."
"Many people think the rules don't apply to them," Tommy grumbled with a roll of his eyes. "However, they expect other people to follow them."
"That is crazy," Kim said, shaking her head in disbelief.
"No denying that," Tommy agreed. "How can people demand others follow the rules, but they don't have to?"
"It is what we call hypocrisy," Kim commented and shuddered in disgust. "I hate blatant hypocrites."
"Who doesn't?" Tommy wondered with a shrug.
"Mom once told me that the people who preach against sinning the most are often the biggest sinners," Kim said honestly. "She had a friend whose mother wouldn't let her watch Disney movies. The reason was some contained magic and mythical creatures in them. The girl's name was Jenny Hark. Her mother's name was Mildred. Mildred claimed the movies would encourage Jenny to become involved in the occult. She was drinking, doing drugs, and cheating on her husband. His name was Perry."
He scoffed in anger. "What a hypocrite."
She nodded sharply. "Yep. Mildred died of a heart attack three months after Jenny moved out following her eighteenth birthday."
Tommy and Kim came upon a clearing. They stopped at the edge of it as a scarlet macaw flew overhead. She gasped in shock at what she saw.
"Is that what I think it is?" Kim said, pointing her finger toward the center.
"Yes. That is a crystal," Tommy said and looked at her. She turned to him, a smile crossing her lips. "You want to take a closer look at it?"
She squealed eagerly. "For sure!"
He pulled her toward the cluster of crystals. They stopped before it, letting go of each other and getting on their knees. She ran her hand slowly but surely over a long crystal. She appeared to be amazed by it. He touched the tip of a short one. He mumbled inaudible words.
"I have no doubt you were really shocked when you realized you weren't on Earth," Kim said, tilting her head somewhat.
"Oh, I was," Tommy admitted, running his tongue all over the inside of his mouth. "I never thought I would encounter such a thing."
"Who does?" Kim commented. "At least these will be easy to cut and store in our backpacks until we use them for our electronics."
"We will do that another time," Tommy said, rising to his feet. "We need to resume our search for eggs."
"Sure," Kim said with eagerness. She stood up with a loud grunt. "I want to get tons of them."
"We would need to find a million eggs if we wanted tons of them," Tommy quipped with a snicker.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha," Kim grumbled in sarcasm. "Very funny."
Tommy and Kim headed for the other side of the clearing. They reentered the rainforest. She turned to see a hole in the middle of a tree and halted herself. She grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks. He looked at her with uncertainty.
"What is it, Kim?" Tommy wondered.
"Tommy, I think I found a nest!" Kim yelled as she pointed her finger at the tree. He shifted his attention toward it. "Macaws are known to nest in tree cavities. Eggs just might be there."
"Good eye, Kim," Tommy complimented. "Now, let's go see if there are eggs in that tree."
"Yes!" Kim squealed in delight. "Let's get there on the double!"
The couple approached the hole. They looked inside, seeing a clutch of three eggs. Kim screamed in happiness and clapped repeatedly. Tommy eyed her with raised eyebrows.
"You sure are excited about finding macaw eggs," he said and blew a raspberry.
"I can't help it," she answered and bit her lip. "I just feel so lucky to have been the one to find the eggs. It's not every day a hunter/gatherer does that, especially in a rainforest."
"You really have proven to have an eye for spotting things," Tommy murmured honestly.
"We all had to as Power Rangers. It helped us to keep our enemies from ambushing us," Kim explained.
"I don't blame you," Tommy replied, giving her a wink. He kissed her temple twice. "You've done great with everything I've shown you so far."
Kim smiled. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Tommy commented and kissed her temple again. "Now, what do you say we get these eggs?"
"Oh, yeah," Kim said, taking her backpack off her back.
Tommy winked at her twice. "Great."
She unzipped the front pocket as he turned back to the nest. He reached in at a slow yet steady pace. He grabbed an egg and pulled it out. He placed it in her backpack. He repeated his actions with the other two eggs. She zipped it shut before looking toward another tree. She could see a hole above the middle of it.
"Tommy, I may have found another nest!" Kim blurted out happily. She formed a big smile on her face as her boyfriend looked toward the hole. "Something tells me that one has toucan eggs."
"I agree. Toucans are such cool birds," Tommy responded and sighed contently. "Their beaks are so colorful." He tried to hold back a laugh, but he couldn't help himself. "You'd think they would weigh the birds down because they are so big."
"The toco toucan is the best known of all the toucans. Unlike the others, it isn't a forest dweller," Kim pointed out matter-of-factly.
"Enough about toucans," Tommy said, waving her off. "Let's go see if that hole has eggs."
The couple made their way over to the tree. They peered inside, finding four eggs. Tommy shifted his attention to his girlfriend. He ruffled her hair, laughing at her swatting his hand aside.
"You scored once again, Kim," he said, happiness radiating from his face.
"I am so thrilled I did," she said in much delight. "Who would've thought an amateur like me would find two nests within a few minutes?"
"At some point, you will have to gather food on your own," Tommy said, seriousness lining his voice.
"That is true," Kim agreed with a nod. "Still, it's been great learning how to gather food." She emitted a soft snort. "It takes time, but at least it keeps us from getting bored, especially me. I hate being bored."
"Me too," Tommy whispered, kissing her forehead. "Now, let's get these eggs."
Kim unzipped the front pocket as Tommy reached in to grab two eggs. He placed them in it carefully. He got the other two, putting them in it. She zipped it shut before putting her backpack over her shoulders carefully.
"Now that we've got our eggs, we can go collect some firewood," Tommy announced warmly.
"Where will we collect it?" Kim wondered.
"I say we should collect it around here. Then we can take it back to our hut," Tommy explained.
She nodded at him. "Okay."
He held out his hand with a smile. "Let's go."
Kim took Tommy's hand and started walking. They proceeded to swing them back and forth while singing nonsense.