Modern Jane Meets Tarzan Ch. 01

This may be a bit of a slow burn at first, but it picks up as we go along - I promise. No offense to Edgar R. B., but his story needed an update and a little more sexiness to it. I tried to provide that and give us a modern day Jane, who may be out of her element at first, but knows how to tame a wild man.

Chapter One

Jane leaned back in the crude hammock, the low sun of the late African evening still warming her as she looked up into the bare branches of the meager shade tree. She was back in the country, alone this time aside from a couple fired locals. Her first time back, after her parents had disappeared several years ago on a medical mission to some godforsaken tribe deep in the very jungle. She was about to enter on her own voyage of discovery and adventure. She missed them, but that ache was dulled now by time and her own desire to see the country and escape her pampered city life in America. She flicked a large black fly from her bare thigh, guessing she should probably change from shorts to slacks as the night came and brought with it even more flying pests, or at least add a new round of insect spray. T

The two guides she had hired to take her on this journey had already set up camp and were now sipping from a bottle by a fire near their tent. She couldn't understand their conversation in their native tongue, but they had been helpful on the journey so far, and they could understand a fair amount of English. They had even set up her tent for her, despite her protests that she was fully capable of doing it herself. The sun dipped low, the oppressive heat backed off and the arid land came alive with more sounds of insects and birds in the distance . This was the first night camping alone with them after a long walk that had followed an even longer ride in a dusty truck from the airport. They'd traveled close to the edge of the jungle tonight; ready to enter into areas she'd never been.

While she wasn't exactly thrilled with only a thin strip of canvas tent between her and two relative strangers overnight, she thought she could handle herself if need be. There was the pistol she'd tucked in her backpack; it would be under her pillow tonight.

Tomorrow would send them deeper into the jungle, as far as five miles if the walk was relatively clear, and they could keep a good pace. Within another four to five days, she'd be near where her parents were last reported before dropping into the eternal darkness of deepest Africa. Jane wasn't on a mission to find them per se, as she'd come to terms long ago they had died in the jungle at the hands of wild animals, either the four or two-legged variety. She'd come to get away from what her life had become - an endless series of banquets, parties, and planned weekend events with people so far out of her comfort zone now she felt ill just recalling them.

Her parents had been wealthy, successful doctors who suffered from a terminal case of bleeding hearts and routinely came to the jungle, desert, or any other third world mess of a country to practice their wares. They were good people. Their drives had led them to wonderful places in America and Europe, and to sickness, disease and their own demise elsewhere. Jane was left with the parties and their foundation to run. Dispensing their money, smiling at wealthy pricks and their plasticine wives, and always keeping up appearances were too much. She needed to get out, see the world, and live on her own terms.

Jane dozed in the hammock, waking after the sun had disappeared over the long horizon. The men had nodded off in their tent, loud snores coming from their alcohol- induced slumber. Unzipping the tent flap, she stripped off the day's sweaty clothes and stretched out naked on top of the sleeping bag for a much needed rest after the day's long walk. Her fingers traced her body, relishing the feel of being nude, even in this closed space in such a wild country. Her fingers encircled her small breasts; nipples perking up at her touch. Her arms ached from carrying her backpack all day in the sun, and despite the warm spark of desire inside her, she managed only to tickle her hard nipples before her eyes became heavy. Dreams came easily in the still warmth of the tent and soon she drifted off.

Jane startled awake to the sound of the guides striking the camp the next morning. The sun was still a sliver of orange in the distance, and she could hear them muttering as they packed. She'd survived the night; no intrusions from the men, wild animals or snakes, so she called that a win and sat up on her sleeping bag. She pulled on a fresh cotton collared shirt and a pair of hiking shorts, spraying herself in a generous amount of bug repellant and quickly packed her things in the near darkness.

The guides waved good morning to her as she emerged from her tent, and they hurried over to fold it into an impossibly small bag she would soon tie onto her backpack. They had made strong coffee that burned her stomach as she sat near the coals of the dying fire and ate a protein bar. The guides were efficient and fast at their work and she had tinges of guilt for them doing all the work as she sat there watching a beetle cross the toe of her sturdy boot. She shrugged off that guilt as she tossed the last of the wicked java onto the fire and muttered, "That's what you pay them the big bucks for, Jane."

The day's trek was uneventful, aside from the heat and the occasional areas where they had to make their own trail as the jungle seemed to grow thicker around them. Some of the path was well worn from visitors who like just enough jungle to be in and out in a day, but soon they passed through areas requiring a little work from a machete. She'd estimated they had made at least five miles by the time they stopped for camp at a clearing near a small running river. The guides laughed when she asked if it had been five miles today, and finally one held up three fingers which matched the number of bright white teeth in his grin. Jane shrugged and gave him a thumbs-up as he and the other guide started in on the tents.

She made herself useful picking up some fallen sticks and dried grasses to start a fire before darkness fell. The last thing they wanted was to be stumbling around in the dark with no fire. She returned with an armload of sticks and the men seemed pleased. They set about starting the fire and opening tins of beans and meat as she pointed to the stream nearby and made a swimming motion. She'd been drenched in sweat for two days now and the water looked like a welcome sight. The men looked at one another and shrugged, both mouthing a word which she had to assume was crocodile or giant snake from the motions they made with their hands. She wasn't sure if they were serious or not, but decided to risk it for a chance to wash off a bit.

Jane walked a short way off where the men could still hear her if a beast got hold of her, but still far enough away where they wouldn't get a free show of her when she stripped out of the sweaty clothes. The river wasn't very deep and looked clear as she kicked off her boots, wading in fully dressed, hoping to both bathe and wash her clothes in one effort. It felt wonderful as the water washed around her as she waded to her thighs, then to mid torso. She took off the collared shirt and swished it in the water before wringing it over her head and rinsing two days of dust and sweat off her bare upper body. She did a few less than graceful hops trying to slip out of her shorts and panties while standing in the breasts-deep water and did her best at washing them. The water wasn't much deeper as she waded out, but it felt refreshing and cooled her skin. The growing shadows made her skittish of things both in the deeper water and under her feet, so she waded to the bank with her wet, slightly cleaner clothes and dropped them on a rock. She felt cleaner instantly as she returned to float on her back, letting the water rinse her hair and refresh her.

In the haze of late evening, she saw birds float in the sky overhead and heard the drone of insects waking up for their evening chorus. The sandy bottom of the river provided some natural cleaning as she scrubbed with handfuls of sand near the bank. After her quick dip, she plodded back to the shore, looked around for any crouching predators and slipped the wet shirt back on, just covering the pricey parts, as her mom used to say. She walked back to camp dripping but cleaner. The wet shirt clung to her, her nipples protruding in the fabric, but it felt great to have the cooler wet cloth on her skin. The guides both turned to watch her walk closer, their eyes showing their approval of her new fashion choices. They had just got the fire going when she walked into camp, and she hung her wet shorts and panties to dry on a nearby tree.

It was getting dark fast and she knew wandering around in the jungle after sundown wasn't a smart idea. They ate quietly around the small fire and her shirt had mostly dried by the time she went to her tent and stretched out naked on her sleeping bag. The jungle was cooler but alive with sounds. Buzzing, whirring and chirping, interspersed with occasional laughter from the men around the last bits of the fire kept her awake, and once again she had the familiar stirring as she lay naked looking up at the pale canvass of the tent. Her fingers traced her body, dabbling her and there on soft spots, tweaking her nipples until they stood out like erasers on her chest. Her pulse quickened as she slid her hand over her toned abs, then down to her moist opening. She was quick and efficient, touching all the right spots and getting herself off as quietly as possible. Her body heaved and she arched upward, plunging her fingers deeper and relishing the building release. Her orgasm made her shiver, goosebumps popping out on her body as she writhed, moaning under her breath. Her breathing slowed and a warmth washed over her, dabbling her skin with moist sweat. Soon her exhaustion overtook her and she drifted off in the darkness, dreaming of swimming on beaches while lions and elephants cavorted in the waves.

A shrill scream from a bird woke Jane with a start in the late morning light. Her eyes sprung open staring at the bright white canvas of the tent, far brighter than it had been at their early departures each morning. She didn't hear a sound outside, besides the usual chirping of birds. Still naked, she sat up quickly and unzipped a small opening in the tent large enough for her head. The fire was out and she was momentarily puzzled...there was no other tent there facing hers as it had last been night. Unzipping the tent further, she stretched out to see where the guides' tent should have been and saw only the compressed leaves of the forest floor.

Stunned, she dashed out of the tent, feeling leaves and twigs under her bare feet. At first, she thought she was dreaming, but it was all too real. The campfire was cool, the tent was long gone, as were the men.

"Whattafuck...?' she muttered in amazement as she wandered around the camp.

There was a small backpack loaded with her food rations and a small water purifier leaned against the foot of the tree where her dry clothes hung. At least they hadn't left her for dead, she mused. She instantly knew what the issue was: she'd overpaid them in hopes of better service, and even though she'd only paid half up front, the guides had made more than enough in that first transaction to drop her halfway through the journey and run home.

She sat on an overturned log and looked around, angry and surprised but slowly more confident she could do this on her own. She could read a compass, had a map of the coastline and jungle areas, and felt relatively sure she could find a village or two along the way. At least that was what she kept telling herself as she packed up the tent and her few belongings, muttering curses down on the head of the guides as she worked. Besides, her plan was to travel through the jungle as an adventure, all that had changed is her overpaid locals had deserted her in the jungle amongst the wild animals and sometimes deadly local tribes - what's to fear?

Jane took inventory of what she had on hand. Food enough for several days, tent, and the water purifier and tablets to last a month or more. She had more than she really wanted to carry by herself over long distances, so she discarded whatever she thought she could live without. About half her clothes she tossed away, along with more than the most basic toiletries. She also left the sleeping bag, opting only for the lighter blanket she'd packed. She'd lightened the load considerably, but it was still bulky with the food packs and the small tent. She marked what she thought was her latest location on the map and set a course to follow the jungle, keeping the seacoast to her west and making progress north with slight ventures eastward. She thought happy thoughts, looked on the sunny side of life and all that... and tried not to think of leopards prowling at night, snakes, tribes of unfriendly locals who may have killed her parents...