Matumaini Mema

2

A/N: Alright… maybe just ONE more chapter ;-)

Guys, I kept it minimal, but this chapter does have a brief description of animal death. I'm sorry.

The three-hour drive to the village was turning into four. Kara had stopped Delilah several times to point out things to Cat. She'd also saved the journalist when she'd almost stumbled onto a Puff Adder as she crept through long grass to get some pictures of a small cackle of hyenas.

"Whoops, time to go," the guide whispered in Cat's ear from where she was crouched next to her. "The wind's changing." They slowly backed up and then ran back to the truck, laughing as Kara started the engine and sped away to outrun their sudden pursuers but, just a mile down the road, she pulled over again. "I'll just be a sec." She walked around to the back of Delilah and opened her tailgate before sliding a long narrow box closer to her and opening it. Then she took something out and closed the box again. Cat blinked as the guide hopped back in, lying her rifle down on her lap to load it and carefully set the safety. "Don't worry, I don't intend on shooting anything," she smiled. "But we're getting into some territory with rhino and elephants. If they charge, which is unlikely, a shot into the air should scare them away."

"Should?" Cat questioned.

"Yeah," Kara shrugged. "The ones with common sense, that is." Her blue eyes twinkled then and creased as she grinned. "Don't worry." The journalist nodded and relaxed as Kara set the rifle along the back seat and got them back on the road. "So, how old's your son?"

"Ten," Cat replied. "His name is Carter. He's smart and sweet and I miss him terribly already." She frowned a little then. "It's been hard for him, losing his dad. I'm so angry at David about the affair that I haven't even barely begun to process anything, but Carter… he asks about him… asks why he had to die." Cat used her sleeve to wipe impatiently at her eyes. "Sorry, you don't need to hear my bullshit."

A gentle hand rested on her thigh. "I don't mind," Kara replied. "Sometimes it helps just getting it out. It does for me."

"Mmmmm…" Cat replied as she let her hand rest on top of the guide's and rub gently. "I appreciate the offer, Kara."

There was quiet between them for a moment, but then Kara was gently pulling her hand back. "We're here," she said with a huge smile. She pulled her truck up under a large tree and got out. "Come on, you have to meet the kids."

The village was small… about ten or twelve huts, a series of campfires and a group of happily playing children, being watched over by their parents, who were doing various chores in the bright sun.

"Kiongozi!" little voices squealed, and Cat smiled affectionately as Kara was suddenly surrounded by a group of children who were hugging her legs and waist and basically using her as a giant teddy bear.

"RRRAAAARRRRR!" she exclaimed, walking like Godzilla and dragging the giggling kids with her. "Monster kula wewe! RRAAARRRR!"

One of the children let go and stood straight up with her hands on her hips. "But you're not a monster, Kiongozi," she said. "You can't eat us."

Kara chuckled and leaned down to caress the kids' heads. "Ok, let me go, troublemakers. I want you to meet someone." The children scrambled off her and then stood shyly watching as Kara took Cat's hand and tugged her a little closer. "This is Miss Cat. She's a friend of mine so I want you to be very nice and polite to her, ok?"

"Ndio, Kiongozi," the kids answered in unison. Then one of the boys moved closer and, with a glance back at his tall friend, spoke carefully to Cat.

"Hello, Miss Cat," he said. "Welcome to our village. Thank you for visiting. Ok, bye bye."

Kara grinned broadly as Cat crouched in front of the little one. "Thank you for welcoming me. I'm happy to be here."

The little boy looked back at Kara, so she translated for him. "Asante kwa kunikaribisha. Nina furaha kuwa hapa."

"Asante," Cat added herself, with a little squeeze to the boy's shoulder. He looked down shyly and then ran to hide behind the guide's legs.

"Kiongozi, ana nywele za manjano, kama yako," a little girl said, looking at the journalist in fascination.

Kara nodded. "That's right, yellow hair like mine."

"Does she come from the same village as you?" another boy asked, a little confused.

"Ndio," Cat nodded as she moved to Kara and put her arm around her waist. "Same village far away."

"Mbali," the guide said, letting her arm encircle Cat in return.

"Dada?" the first little boy asked.

"He wants to know if we're sisters," the younger blonde laughed.

Cat looked up at Kara, finding herself lost in her eyes for a moment. "Definitely not sisters," she murmured softly and then watched the guide's throat bob in a deep swallow as her arm tightened a little. "We... should... probably get going," Cat said then.

Kara nodded hard and then stepped back with a teasing grin. "Yeah, we should. We're a little behind schedule thanks to your almost tripping that snake trap."

"Hey!" Cat exclaimed, pushing her friend playfully. "I wasn't the one who got us chased by hyenas. That was aaaaalllll you, my friend!"

"Duly noted," Kara replied as she headed back for the truck, "But just for that, you're carrying the hammock."

Cat sighed. "Yes, Ma'am."

Xx

They'd been walking for almost four hours. Kara was careful to check in regularly with the journalist and she was impressed with Cat's fitness and stamina. She hadn't expected to make such good time so, after allowing them to continue for another while, she finally stopped them in a clearing with a small, burbling stream flowing alongside it.

"This is a good spot to make camp," she said. "Doing ok?"

"A little tired and achy," Cat replied honestly. "But not too bad."

The guide noted that, when Cat slipped out of her rucksack, she hung it on a tree, rather than just dropping it. "Good," she said. "You knew to not put your gear on the ground."

"Oh... right," the older blonde chuckled. "Yeah, learned that through bitter experience in Cameroon. I was chasing ants out of my underwear for days."

The guide hung her gear up next to Cat's and leaned her rifle against the tree, then stretched her long body to loosen up her shoulders. "Oh, hey look!" she said then, pointing into the trees above her.

Cat moved a little closer to her to look up too, but she couldn't see what the guide was pointing at. "Where?" she asked.

Kara stood behind Cat then and put her hands on her hips, turning her body a little. Then she ducked and stretched her finger out for the journalist to follow. "Colobus monkey," she said softly.

Cat immediately saw the black and white furred face with soft brown eyes, peering down at them and she leaned back a little into the taller woman with a smile. "Wow," she murmured. "You'll never know who'll drop by to visit." She looked back over her shoulder then to find Kara's face at very close range. "Are we safe?" she asked.

"Totally," the guide breathed. "They live in small troops and rarely leave the treetops. They're herbivorous and they have these amazing stomachs that allow them to eat even rotting foliage. They'll leave us alone if we leave them alone." She chuckled then. "You know, they have no thumbs. It's unfair to them but the word colobus comes from the Greek word meaning mutilated."

"What?" Cat said as she looked back over her shoulder again. "But... how do they climb?"

"Very well," Kara replied sagely, and Cat rolled her eyes.

"Smart ass."

Kara's hands tightened on her hips for a moment and then let her go. "Let's set up and eat. It gets dark pretty quickly in the forest."

"So, I finally get to taste your cooking?" the journalist said as she watched Kara carefully clear a space for a fire.

"Yes, God help you," the guide replied absently as she gathered some fallen branches and snapped them into smaller pieces to form a pyramid, under which, she set some kindling. Then she opened a pocket on her rucksack and pulled out a flint and striker.

"You don't just use matches?" Cat asked.

"No," Kara said with a little smile. "They're notoriously bad for running away from me... in other words, I keep losing them... so I use these instead." She struck the striker against the flint, creating a small hail of sparks and, after a couple more tries, the kindling caught, and she leaned down to blow gently on it. Without thinking, Cat leaned closer to tuck the blonde hair that had escaped Kara's ponytail, behind her ear.

"No catching on fire," she said as the guide looked at her in surprise.

"Right, thanks." The journalist got up then and went to her bag to grab two small bottles of water as Kara went to hers to pull out a bag of ready-made ingredients and a small pot. She nodded as the fire took hold and tossed some more wood onto it, then emptied the ingredients bag into the pot and poured a small amount of water into it. "Almasi, who you met back at the resort, makes these biodegradable bags up for me and vacuum seals them," the guide said. "It makes it far less likely for me to kill anyone with my terrible cooking skills."

"Almasi's pretty great, huh?" Cat commented, thinking about how close Kara had seemed to be to the woman.

"She's awesome," the guide replied with a smile. "I love her to death."

Cat poked the fire a little with a stick. "Are you and she... um...?" Kara's blue eyes looked up and her head tilted a little in question. "I mean... you didn't go home the night before we left, and I was wondering... are you and Almasi... together?"

Kara set the pot of stew ingredients into the fire and then sat back on her heels. "Almasi is... found family to me," she replied. "She was born in the village we visited today, and we became friends a long time ago. We're not... together like that. I'm not..." Kara paused and looked down. "I'm not in a relationship with anyone right now."

"I sense a story about a bad breakup coming," Cat said gently.

"Nah," the guide replied with a dismissive shrug.

Cat nodded and left it at that. Then she went back to her bag and untied the hammock to open it out and study it. "How does this...?" She paused then as Kara's hand closed over hers.

"Why did you think Almasi and I were together?" the guide asked softly.

"You seemed... close... and... I just... got a vibe."

Kara chuckled softly. "A vibe, huh. Ok, let me help you with this. I'll grab the other end. Which trees do you want?"

"You're letting me pick?" Cat asked in surprise.

The younger blonde shrugged. "Sure. You have experience. Which ones?"

Cat looked around and spotted two trees that looked like they'd work, distance-wise. Then she looked up and smiled as she saw a gap in the canopy above, through which, she expected they'd see the stars. "Those," she said, pointing.

Kara nodded. "Good choice." She helped Cat carry the hammock to the trees and then set it down as the journalist went back for the tree straps and other safety gear. It only took them ten minutes to get everything set up and to lay the sleeping bags inside. Then they set up the specially designed mosquito net.

"Cool," Cat said, nodding in satisfaction but then Kara laughed as the older woman's stomach growled unhappily.

"The kids would say... Kuna monster ndani ya wewe," the guide deadpanned.

Cat got it. "Yep, and it's getting hungrier by the second."

They returned to the fire and sat down on a fallen log while Kara checked the stew. It was bubbling and fragrant and Cat's stomach growled again as the guide stirred it. "We'll eat a little more during the day tomorrow," Kara said seriously. "We're burning a lot of calories, between the heat and the exercise."

Cat took a swallow from a bottle of water and then waited as her guide got out a couple of plastic plates and sporks. Kara handed the plates to her and then poured the stew onto both right from the pot. She set it down to be washed later and then accepted her plate from her friend. They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes, but Kara was so quiet, Cat felt like something had changed between them. "Kara," she ventured quietly. "I'm sorry if I upset you, saying what I did about you and Almasi."

"You didn't upset me," the guide replied with a smile. "It was kinda funny actually. Almasi is married to Adamu."

"The host at the resort?"

"Yeah," Kara replied. "They've been married a couple of years now."

Cat sighed and shook her head. "My gaydar sucks," she said.

Kara was quiet for a moment but then she shook her head in return. "No... it... actually doesn't."

"Ah," Cat smiled. "I see."

The guide looked back tentatively. "I hope that doesn't change your mind about sharing a hammock?"

Cat scoffed softly. "Of course not. You already agreed to keep your paws to yourself, straight or gay, right?" Her eyes were kind though and Kara let out a breath in relief.

"Yeah, I did... and I will," she replied. Then she looked at her watch. "Almost seven. How about we get cleaned up and get an early night. I'd like to get moving at sunrise."

The older woman nodded and got up, stretching her back out. "Which way is the bathroom?"

Kara looked around and then pointed. "There... at the edge of the clearing. I won't look."

The journalist nodded as she turned and headed in the direction her friend had indicated, a little sashay in her walk. "Your loss," she called back teasingly over her shoulder.

Kara rolled her eyes and laughed to herself as she kicked dirt onto the small fire to put it out. She carried the plates, pot and sporks to the stream then and washed them off. Cat took them from her on her way back and dried them off on her shirt before tucking them into her rucksack. "I'll carry them tomorrow."

"You don't have to, Cat," the guide protested.

"I've got it," the older woman replied. "We can take turns." She perched her hands on her hips then. "So... I'm going to need a crash course in how to successfully get into a hammock without landing on my head."

"I'll go first," Kara chuckled. "That way, it'll be steadier for you."

"I greatly appreciate that," the journalist replied. She waited as Kara got both of her headlamps out of her bag and handed them to her. "Just in case," she said. "Now, let me just pee and I'll be back."

Daylight was waning and, when Kara returned, she took her boots off and hung them on one of the trees. Then she eased into the hammock and scooted back to take one of the sleeping bags and zip it up over her tall frame.

Cat swallowed as she looked at smiling blue eyes and a pair of arms that were reaching out to her. "This looks a bit scary," she admitted.

"Nothing to it," the guide replied. "Butt first and scoot over. I won't let you fall." The older woman nodded firmly and then turned around to sit into the swinging bed. She immediately felt Kara's hands guiding her and she got her legs quickly inside and zipped up the mosquito net over them. "Good." The younger blonde's voice was gentle and encouraging. "Slide your legs into the sleeping bag and I'll zip it up for you."

"Thanks." Cat did as she was asked and then she sighed as she relaxed back, shoulder to shoulder with her taller companion. Kara zipped up her sleeping bag for her and tucked it in around her body to make sure she'd be warm enough. "I have to admit," the older woman said softly. "Your paws are very gentle."

"Only with people I genuinely like," Kara whispered in reply. "Goodnight, Cat."

Cat looked up at the darkened sky, watching as the stars began to twinkle and finding a measure of peace in them that she hadn't felt since her husband had died. "Goodnight, Kara."

Xx

"Mmmm..." Cat said as the aroma of coffee teased her into wakefulness. She opened her eyes to find a smiling face and a steaming cup in front of her. "I love you."

"Me? Or the coffee?" Kara chortled.

"What do you think?" Cat asked. Her guide's hair was damp around her face and her blue eyes were twinkling in the first strains of morning sun. Cat had a sudden urge to reach out and touch her but instead, she just clenched her hands into fists for a moment.

"I think you love me for making your coffee."

"Bingo," the journalist chuckled as she relaxed, accepted the plastic cup and took a sip. "Coffee in bed. What more could I ask for?"

"Do you really want me to answer THAT question?" Kara teased. She passed a trail bar to her friend. "Here, eat something. We'll be leaving as soon as we pack up."

"Thanks," the older woman replied. She looked at her watch. It was just after six. "Where are we going today?"

The guide pulled her map out of her pocket and sat back down in the hammock to partially open it and show her friend. "So..." She traced her finger along the paper. "This is roughly where we are now..." She moved her finger. "And this is where we want to get to. There's a structure here that's supposed to be the base of operations for the poachers. The police have raided here a couple of times, but they haven't been able to find any evidence, which leads me to believe that those assholes are moving the tusks very quickly in and out. It's a small place and I'm hoping we'll be able to stake it out this afternoon and tomorrow to see what we can see. Then we have to start back to the resort the following day." Cat nodded and sipped her coffee as Kara examined the route. "This section here is open plain, so we'll have to be careful, alert and quiet."

Cat ripped her trail bar open with her teeth and took a big bite, chewing slowly as she mused over the plan. "Sounds good. Is there any chance that we could bump into these assholes while we're out there?"

"Yes," the guide replied. "There's definitely a chance. If we do, stay behind me, ok? Let me handle it."

"No argument," the journalist replied as she finished the bar and then handed her now empty cup back to her friend. "Better get moving."

The younger woman got up and offered her hand to help Cat up too. "Nice and easy. We still don't want you landing on your head. By the way, you look kinda cute with bedhead."

Cat pursed her lips and then pointed at Kara's shoulder. "Uh... wait… there's a... tarantula walking on you."

"Awww," the guide laughed as she looked at the creeping animal. "That's a Baboon spider. I didn't even realize it was there." She picked it up and then cupped it in her hands to show her friend. "These guys are very docile. They don't bite unless they absolutely have to, and their venom is not harmful at all to humans."

"I'm not a fan of spiders," Cat replied, shivering a little.

"They do a lot of good in the world," Kara replied softly as she stroked her fingertip across the spider's hairy back. Then she smiled and eased it onto a tree branch out of the way.

"You really love wildlife," the journalist said.

"I do," the guide agreed. "Every living thing is a blessing, except maybe humans." She sighed and looked down, sadness rushing over her. Cat gave in to her urge this time and reached out to take the younger woman's hand and squeeze it gently. Kara smiled at her and squeezed back. "Ignore me. Let's get moving."

She helped the journalist out of the hammock and Cat groaned as she stood up straight. The long hours of walking the day before had made her stiff so she took a moment to stretch before she started to disassemble the hammock and pack it back into its gear bag.

"You ok?" Kara asked as she crouched to put out the fire.

"I'm getting old," the journalist chuckled.

"But... you're beautiful!" Kara protested without thinking, but she blushed then and shook her head. "I mean... you're strong and..." She stopped then and took a breath. "You know what I mean," she added in a mumble.

"Mmmm," Cat replied but deep inside she was pleased. She crouched next to Kara and just looked at her, allowing herself to recognize and begin to process the attraction she felt toward her. "That's different," she murmured, and her guide's blonde eyebrows shot up.

"What's different?"

"Nothing," the older woman grinned. "Let me just clean myself up and I'll be ready to go." She went to her bag to grab her small toiletries kit and then headed for the stream. She lifted her shirt off over her head and crouched to wash her face, hands and upper body.

Still crouched at the fire, Kara swallowed slowly, her eyes moving over the journalists back and tapered torso. Cat most definitely was beautiful, and the guide was attracted to her... a lot. But Kara shook her head and stood to pack the two plastic cups back into her bag and then attach the sleeping bags, hammock and mosquito net to their rucksacks.

She was already shouldering hers when Cat returned, fully clothed, and packed up the last of the gear. "We have about a four-hour walk," the younger woman said. "Let me know if you need to stop for any reason, ok? Don't push yourself if you need to rest."

"Got it," Cat replied with a smile as she settled her rucksack on her shoulders. "Lead on, Kiongozi."

With one last look around the campsite, Kara nodded and began the walk.

Xx

It was hotter today and Cat was struggling a little. She did her best to put one foot in front of the other but, when Kara looked back at her and raised her eyebrows, she had to lift her hand and stop her. "I need to sit down and hydrate for a few minutes," she said.

"Of course," the guide replied. "I could do with a break myself."

"You're a very sweet liar," the older woman chuckled as she took her rucksack off and carefully checked for ants before setting it down in the grass. Then she joined it, lying back with her arm thrown across her eyes.

Kara took her sunglasses off and sat them on her hat. "Cat, we've been walking in ninety-five-degree heat for two hours. You're doing amazingly."

The guide had long since shed her shirt but was still sweating in her tank top, biceps and shoulders glistening in the sunlight. As she handed Cat a bottle of water, the older woman's green eyes strayed over her. "You're kinda gorgeous too, you know."

The guide chuckled softly. "That's the sunstroke talking," she joked. "Straight women don't say stuff like that." She lay down then, shoulder to shoulder with her friend and they gazed up at the blue sky, watching the white clouds drifting across it. "Unless you're not straight," she added with a smirk.

Cat gave that serious thought for a while. "Does being attracted to a woman or two over my lifetime, make me not-straight?" she ventured.

Kara turned her head and gazed at her. "I think labels are overrated," she shrugged. Then she pulled out a bottle of water she'd collected from the stream at their camp and opened it, closing her eyes as she dumped some on her face.

The journalist sighed and rolled her eyes. That didn't make Kara even more sexy IN THE SLIGHTEST. Then she winced as the guide grinned and dumped some on her too. "Fuck!" she spluttered, wiping her hands over her face. "Kara!"

The younger woman was laughing and, as Cat lunged for her, she rolled up onto her feet to dance out of her grasp. "Missed me!" She raced away with the journalist chasing her, but as she entered a patch of particularly high grass, she suddenly skidded to a stop, reaching out to catch Cat around the waist as she almost passed her. "Wait," she urged. "Wait, Cat."

"Oh no," the older woman whispered as her friend dropped to her knees. In the grass in front of them, flies buzzing noisily around it, was the body of an elephant... a fully grown bull who was missing his tusks and surrounded by a large patch of blood.

Kara moved closer and put her hand on him. "Still warm," she said, voice pained. "Only a couple of hours dead." She bowed her head and shook it slowly. "Shit, Cat." Then she leaned forward and rested her cheek and palms on his belly. "Samahani sana, Tembo," she whispered. "So, so sorry."

"Kara." Cat gently rubbed between her friend's shoulder blades. "This is why I'm here. To capture this atrocity as evidence to bring to the authorities. Let me get my camera."

The younger woman nodded and sat back on her heels as Cat grabbed their gear and brought it to her. Then she took out her camera and spent a few minutes carefully photographing the body from every angle.

Kara was standing nearby with her arms crossed and her jaw angrily clenching and releasing. Her stormy blue eyes were on her rifle. "I want to kill them, Cat," she said darkly. "I want to go after them and kill them."

The journalist went to her, resting her hands on her chest and looking up into her face. "I know, Honey," she replied softly. "But you can't." Kara growled angrily deep in her chest. "Hey... look at me. Kara?"

It took a moment, but the younger woman pulled her eyes away from her gun to focus back on her friend. "I'm here," she said.

"We ARE going after them," Cat said. "Lead me to them, Kara, so I can capture their identities."

The guide nodded and covered Cat's hands with her own. "Sorry... I'm just so... fucking angry." She shook her head.

"I get it," the journalist said firmly. "Those assholes deserve everything we're going to drop on them." She paused then and captured Kara's eyes again. "But listen to me. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I'll be fine," the guide said stubbornly. "I can take care of myself."

"Kara, I know you can, but... I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to you while you were here because of me."

Their eyes met and held. Kara swallowed. Cat took a breath. Kara's hands tightened on Cat's keeping them against her chest as she very slowly leaned closer and kissed the older woman's forehead. Then a sudden grin split her face. "You are SO gay."

"Am not!" Cat shot back, breaking the tension between them as she pulled her hands back indignantly.

But as they turned to pick up their gear and get moving... both were smiling.