oom for trudy -- earth, zimbabwe. matobo national park.

[one_man_army]

Eight months after arriving in Zimbabwe, he got his first chance to take some leave -- some of the volunteers took advantage of the break to go home, visit family, or return to 'civilization' for a bit -- and he promptly disappeared

Comments

[hallelujahpilot]

She grins at him and adjusts her aviators slightly as she walks through the door, a grin that fades to a smirk.

It's Africa. She'd promised herself that she was never stepping foot on the place, ever again. But this is Carl's Africa, no hers. Wars, sure, but nothing to do with her.

And there is this.

"Just in case we all forget," she says, "I love you. Just for the record."

[one_man_army]

His free arm going around her shoulders, he pulls her into a half-hug.

"Noted. I think we'll remember, but I like being reminded."

[hallelujahpilot]

She laughs.

"Y'never know." She bumps her hip against his, and grins. "So, show me around D-boy."

[one_man_army]

"Give the bellhop a minute to stow the woman's bags, would you?"

(This action consists of Carl turning around and gently tossing Trudy's pack onto his cot, before ducking in to the tent to grab his lighter daypack.)

It'll be light enough to hike in a matter of minutes, and they both have low-light hiking experience, so he nods towards one of the many trails heading for the low hills that surround the area.

"We get up there, you'll have a pretty good view of this little valley that we're in."

It won't be more than a twenty or thirty minute walk.

[hallelujahpilot]

Admittedly, she's more used to hiking through buildings, but she's done her fair (more than fair) share in Pandora.

"Lead the way."

[one_man_army]

"Once things have woken up a bit, we could go out to the game park, try and catch a look at some of the true natives."

The flora is definitely different than what she's used to, but it's still an incredible variety, even if it's not the amazing biodiversity of Pandora.

[hallelujahpilot]

"And the odds of somethin' trying to eat me?"

She's got her handgun, hidden but within easy reach, but...Pandora.

[one_man_army]

"Not very high," he says. "You hear the occasional pack of baboons goin' crazy if there's a leopard about, but...I haven't bothered by much of anything here in the campsite since I've been here."

No lions stalking the campfire, no rhinos tromping along the path to the lodges.

[hallelujahpilot]

"Wow. Animals acting like animals. I'm impressed already."

[one_man_army]

"Because they're not trying to maul people left and right?"

[hallelujahpilot]

"Yeah. Pandora, it's...hell, it's freaking weird. They attack the base, the mine...it's better out in the jungle, but it's...really odd."

[one_man_army]

"I wonder why the behavior is so different from planet to planet, species to species," he comments, as he navigates them through an dry streambed at the base of the hill.

(It's obvious he's made this walk a few times since he's been here, the way he moves across the ground.)

"You'd think with such a wild group of animals, they'd be fearful of the humans. Do they attack the Na'vi like they attack you guys?"

[hallelujahpilot]

"Not that I can tell," she says, tone wry as she follows him. Habits are habits, though, and she's constantly scanning the surrounds and the sky. Not obviously, but it's there.

"They'd say it's because we don't know how to move through the jungle."

[one_man_army]

"I think if anyone knows how to move through a hostile environment, it'd be trained military."

And she's not trained in leaving no tracks or trace of her presence, but he knows she's good at what she does. (And better at flying.)

[hallelujahpilot]

"Yeah, you'd think." She snorts. "Hell, if it weren't that they were animals doing it, I'd say it was all deliberate."

[one_man_army]

Carl shrugs. "Who knows...it very well might be. Maybe they're hyperintelligent."

Or maybe they see the humans as no more than tasty snacks.

"I'm glad the ones here aren't, at the least."