After lunch, Jeremy stood. "We'll clean up from lunch and then we get ready for tonight. We will need to collect enough firewood to get us through the night. We shouldn't need it to stay warm, but we need to be prepared for the worse at all times."
"What about dinner?"
"We can hunt for small game. If we're lucky, we can supplement out U-Rats. If we're not lucky, get ready for a meal in a bag."
"I guess I'm screwed either way," Avon grimaced.
"I've spent almost two months getting you to eat and now that you are, you're going to be picky about your food?"
Avon didn't answer Jeremy's question. Instead, she turned and starting gathering wood. "Try to find dry wood," Jeremy advised. "It will catch on fire faster and there won't be as much smoke. Wet wood throws off lots of smoke. Not a good thing if you're trying to stay warm and hide from the enemy."
"But we'll need more if it burns fast," Avon retorted.
"Yes we will."
"I hope I never end up somewhere cold. I'd freeze to death."
"The thermal blankets help a lot but in extreme temperatures a good fire is key to survival. It will keep you warm, cook your food and melt snow into water."
"Sounds like you know a lot about survival."
"I've lived it. The Academy taught me the rest."
"Well, if we ever go to war, I hope you're my battle buddy. It's the only way I'll survive."
"You'll do well. I'm going to teach you everything you need to know. After we gather enough wood, we'll go hunting."
After gathering enough wood to cook dinner and last through the night, Jeremy pulled his laser out of his pack. "Grab yours," Jeremy told Avon.
"I still can't believe you're going to make me kill an animal and eat it."
"You eat real bacon," Jeremy chuckled.
"But I didn't have to look the pig in the eyes before I killed it."
"Someday you'll be hungry enough to shoot your best friend and eat him or her for dinner. Someday you'll be in a situation where you'll have to kill someone or lose your own life. You had no problem shooting the rifle. You need to be comfortable using a laser. Bottom line princess, kill or be killed."
"So we're back to princess again?" Avon sneered. Her face showed her anger and impatience.
"I'm sorry," Jeremy replied. "But only for calling you princess - not for implying you are weak."
"I am not weak!" Avon screamed.
"Maybe not physically but emotionally you're a weakling. You need to buck up and learn to survive. Your daddy isn't always going to be there to protect you."
"You keep my daddy out of this! What he did he did out of love. Now you're punishing me; treating me like shit. I don't deserve this."
"You may not deserve this but you have to change and fast. Unless you want to fail, unless you want to die, you need to get over all your issues and kill something."
"Well, right now I want to kill you!"
"Well, it's a start. Now hold onto your anger and let's go kill something. Just remember, my body doesn't have enough fat on it to be tender. My meat would be tough to eat."
"I'd rather starve than eat you!"
"I'm happy to hear that. Let's head into the woods. I'll lead the way and look for animal tracks."
"Good," Avon snapped
"Good," Jeremy mimicked. They were back to hating each other again. Everything was back to normal.
Silently, Avon followed Jeremy. Both had their lasers out and ready to be discharged. Avon was not happy. She hated the thought of killing anything. While an ICE Cadet, she had hoped she could spend her entire ICE career hidden away in an office. She had no desires to be deployed on a ship. She had no yearning to travel. Spending her entire career in Lorian City would make her happy. She had no aspirations for anything above and beyond sitting at a desk and finishing her obligations.
Trying to track any wildlife in the dry wooded area was futile. It had not rained in weeks. Jeremy started looking for animal scat. Finally, he found some, rabbit. Knowing rabbits stayed close to their dens, Jeremy knew dinner was nearby. He just needed to draw at least one out into the open. "It looks like the den is over there," Jeremy whispered pointing at a section of low underbrush. "I'll come up from behind and scare them out into the open. You aim for the head. We want as much meat as possible."
"You want me to kill a cute little bunny rabbit?"
"Yes," Jeremy replied. "You have to make your first kill sooner or later and it might as well be now. Remember, if you miss, we are eating nothing but U-Rats tonight. A little fried rabbit will be wonderful."
"Why are you putting this on me?"
"So I can teach you how to survive."
"I'll kill it but the rest is up to you. I'll be damned if I have to skin it and cook it."
Jeremy restrained his urge to scream at Avon and stomp away. "You'll watch and you'll learn. And yes, this is an order Cadet."
"So we're back to Captain and Cadet again?" Avon sneered filled with disdain.
"I tried to be nice but you're fighting me again. When I say to do something, I want you to do it."
Avon could feel the tears starting to form. It was times like this she hated being a Cadet. She wondered if she was going to be able to finish the Academy and six years of active duty service. She knew for sure she hated Jeremy more than anyone or anything on the planet at this moment. She knew as an ICE officer, someday, one day she might have to kill in order to survive. She just didn't imagine it would be a cute furry bunny rabbit.
Avon held out her arm with her laser pointing towards the rabbit's den. "I'm ready," she choked out while trying to keep her arm from shaking. Jeremy crept behind the den and started kicking the underbrush. A few moments later, two rabbits came running out. It took a moment for Avon to decide which rabbit to shoot.
"Shoot just above the head when it lands. You'll make contact when it jumps up."
Avon waited for the rabbit to land and then aimed. She pushed the trigger and watched the laser beam make contact in the center of its head. Watching it slump to the ground dead Avon cried.
Avon was so wrapped up in her own agony she did not see Jeremy take down the second rabbit. "We're going to eat good tonight," he called out in victory. Seeing Avon's tears, he walked over to the rabbit she had killed and picked it up by its hind legs. "Let's head to the river," he told her and started walking away.
Avon stood frozen unable to move. She knew the rabbits were going to ensure they had a good meal and one filled with protein. However, she found no solace. She had taken the life of a sentient being. Her heart and soul were instantly changed forever. Jeremy was nearly sixty feet away when Avon finally took her first step to follow him. He had commanded her to kill and she vowed to hate him forever.
Avon caught up with Jeremy at the river. "Grab your knife and follow my lead," Jeremy stated authoritatively. Avon immediately gasped in horror.
"But you said," Avon started to rebut but quickly stopped. Jeremy was back in command mode and she was nothing but a lowly cadet. She pulled out her knife and walked forward.
"First we skin the rabbit and then gut it. Afterward, we'll remove the head and feet. It will be ready for cooking. Rabbit is easy to skin; it comes off really easy."
"You've done this before?" Avon asked.
"Yes a few times while I was at the Academy."
"And how do we cook it?" Avon asked trying to distract herself from thinking about what she was doing. She was trying to control her gag reflex while skinning the rabbit.
"What's your favorite chicken recipe?"
"What the frack?" Avon exclaimed.
"Any way you can cook chicken, you can cook rabbit. The recipes are interchangeable."
"This is so gross; on so many levels," Avon gagged as she watched Jeremy gut his rabbit and remove its entrails. She nearly vomited as she cut into her rabbit and pulled out its innards.
&nbs
p; "We'll just pan fry them or we can set up a rotisserie over the open flame. I'd suggest frying one so we can eat it quickly. Roasting will take a little longer so we'll have it later."