Modern Jane Meets Tarzan Ch. 02

This is a continuation of our heroine Jane's adventures in Africa. She's a bold, modern woman who encounters a primal man in the jungle. Enjoy and don't worry, there's some coupling to be found here, but also some story to build on; turning up the heat on the slow simmer as we go.

Chapter Two

The next three days of travel were not really a problem for Jane. At times, she wondered why she'd even bothered with the local guides. She traveled slowly, enjoyed the scenery, and stayed close to water sources both for her own needs for a rudimentary bath and to make it easier to follow the maps that had a rough position for the rivers and streams that fed the passages to the sea. By the morning of the third day on her own, she knew she would have to travel east further into the jungle to get closer to a known village there to resupply her food. She followed a river that tapered to a stream and rejoined a wide river deeper in the jungle. The scent of campfires drifted through the air, so she knew there were villages near, but none of her maps indicated anything by name.

She came to a clearing near the river and saw small huts with naked children splashing in the muddy water on the bank. Adults were on the higher ground and it looked very much like a primitive tribe. She doubted there would be food to buy with a credit card there and laughed as she slipped back into the jungle to avoid the village. Less than a hundred yards past the village, she was convinced she was being followed, a cold prickly feeling on her neck told her she wasn't alone in the humid jungle. Jane had even crouched behind a tree to see if anyone followed her footsteps but no one appeared.

"You're losing it girl," she whispered, looking into the dense brush behind her.

The trail was worn from villagers and she'd worked hard to stay out of sight, but something kept nagging at her and she quickened her pace. She wondered if a wild animal was tracking her and tried to push that thought out of her mind. After another mile, the feeling subsided and she pressed on another mile until she found a hidden clearing back away from the river. It was time to make camp, and she decided not to make a fire or do anything to draw attention to herself besides quietly setting the tent and going inside to feast on cold dried meat from a package. Just before the sun set, she slipped out of her clothes and walked to the river, peering around for animals and villagers before taking a quick dip in the water. She stayed in just long enough to refresh and hurried back to her tent, tired and apprehensive of the dark night.

The green illumination on her watch hands told her it was past three a.m. when she woke up, the usual forest sounds doing their nightly orchestration, but that cold feeling again was there on her neck. Every sound outside the tent was a creeping lion or a cracked branch from a rhino ready to charge. Every shadow was a crazed villager there to cut her throat and slip her onto a spit over the fire. Her mind ran crazy with thoughts and she pulled the blanket edge over her nude body. By four a.m., she was convinced she saw the long shadow of a man outside her tent silhouetted in the slivers of moonlight through the thick jungle canopy. She watched, waited for the shadow to move or define itself more but the shadow stayed until she was convinced it was just her imagination playing tricks on her. She drifted off to sleep.

She woke in the morning to intense heat and saw she had slept late. The sun had warmed the clearing and it was time to get moving in the warmth of the day. She packed quickly and still felt groggy from the interrupted night. She looked around for any sign someone had been there, but aside from tracks - of which she saw none - she really didn't know what to look for if an intruder had strayed to her camp. She figured at least two more days' journey would put her in reach of a village on the map that had some food, but for now it would be a long trek through a deeper part of the eastern jungle.

The sun beat down on her for much of the journey and it was slow going as she stopped often to orient herself and stay on the route to the village. She'd travel through thick jungle that would open to a river clearing only to drop back into dark jungle by evening. She made camp early, tired from a poor night's sleep and the intense sun throughout the day. She hadn't seen anyone and had only seen the usual insects and small animals in the jungle. Only once did she pass a snake and it seemed to pay her no interest as the black silky body was coiled around a tree. As usual, she'd camped near a river opening that had a small waterfall that provided a beautiful scene. She thought of camping there for a few days, but her food stores were running low and she figured tomorrow she would press on.

Once she'd set up the tent, she stripped off the sweaty clothes and washed them in the water and hung them on branches near the bank. She waded into the water and over to the waterfall just high enough where the sparking water could splash over her shoulders and give her a good massage as well as cleaning. She lingered longer in the water than usual. enjoying the quick running river and the waterfall.

Finally, she lay out nude on the bank on some large rocks and rested, absorbing the last of the heat from the sun. The soft sounds of footsteps in the mud at the bank's edge were what woke her. She looked up to the sky, now a smoky color of late dusk and wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep. The sounds were near and she glanced up to see a leopard twenty feet from her at the bank of the river. It drank, looked toward her then walked closer. It was huge compared to what she'd seen in zoos. Strong and menacing with eyes that pierced through her. She had no idea what to do - stay still, run, scream, play dead? The gun in her backpack was of no use now.

The beast made a chuffing sound, not quite a growl, but more of an I know you are there sound... Jane decided to sit still and hope it walked away, but it was interested in her; it drew even closer, nostrils flaring as it caught her scent and probably tasted her fear. She moved slightly, sitting up just enough from her prone position to see it more clearly, and it growled low in its throat, a sound that made her heart rumble with its deep timbre. She glanced around for a stick, or a small rock, but her choice of long flat smooth stones to lie on had been a bad idea for finding a weapon - she had nothing. A silly thought popped into her head of newspapers back home announcing "Naked Heiress Killed by Leopard in Jungle."

The light was almost gone and she knew the dark would be even worse for her as the leopard drew closer. She spoke, trying to shoo it away and tell it to move on, but the leopard only growled again and pinned its ears back in a menacing pose. Less than ten feet now separated her from the killer, and she knew she was well within its striking distance. She doubted she was dinner, but probably was intruding on its territory or god-forbid where its cubs were, if it were female. She had no idea. Jane's heart thudded as she looked around, the first slivers of moonlight appearing on the black river. No way to escape, she shuddered, and nothing to fend this thing off. She kicked a leg, thinking maybe a move would startle it, but it only growled more fiercely and stepped closer as if to pounce.

She closed her eyes, trying to think... why didn't she bring the pistol with her, why not a stick, you silly city girl? With only a few feet between the approaching cat, she'd decided to just run for it when suddenly a huge crash cracked the quiet night as a boulder hit the rocks between them and startled the leopard back a few steps. It looked around confused, as was Jane, when another rock about the size of an orange slammed into its side and sent it scurrying into the jungle with a painful yelp. Jane nearly wept, but couldn't see anything that had caused the uproar. She looked into the dark trees, even toward the river but nothing. She jumped up from the rock and ran back to the tent, zipping it up and fumbling for the pistol in her pack.

Jane sat naked, afraid, and unmoving in the tent for several hours. She had shook for an hour at least and finally had settled enough to just wait and listen. She figured a native had happened by and it was a matter of time before they came for her. Sometime, she finally drifted off and slept soundly through the night with the pistol by her side.

As the early morning sun rose, Jane slipped on her shirt and walked into her campsite. No leopard, no angry natives. Instead, by her campfire, just on the coals, lay something wrapped in bright green leaves that had been placed there not by her but someone else. She looked around, convinced someone would pop out of the forest, but it was quiet except for the gentle hiss of the waterfall. Gently, she pried the leaves from the thing left in the coals, suddenly smelling the scent of fish and realizing it was some sort of manner for smoking or cooking a fish. As the warm leaves pulled away, she saw a headless fish cooked to perfection and her mouth started to water at the chance for a real meal. Again, she looked around, maybe it was the guides, maybe they were back.

Nothing.

Despite walking around the camp twice, she saw no one and no sign anyone had left footprints. She sat down, opened the leaves fully and inhaled the smell. Amazing, a hot breakfast in the jungle and it was divine. She took a bite, tasting the succulent meat and noticing it had been gutted and descaled. She shook her head, still baffled.

She looked down at her feet; there by the campfire she noticed a stick that wasn't quite just a stick. It was about three feet long, smooth and carved at the end into a spike. A weapon. A crude spear. Something a nitwit lounging by water in the jungle might find handy when a wild animal gets too close.

Jane shook her head, looked around again and wondered who on earth this guardian angel might be who had happened upon her and better yet, what did he or she want? She took another handful of the fish and ate it, who cares she thought. I'm alive and safe. This visitor means no harm to me, whatever the mystery is... she hoped.

She walked two gradually larger circles around her campsite to see if she could find any traces of the intruder, but nothing turned up. She felt full from the fish, something she hadn't felt in awhile. Energized would be a better word, she felt whole again, happy and excited to continue her journey. But first, she looked over the river... she wanted to get in that waterfall again. She lifted the shirt over her head and walked to the bank naked and slipped into the water. She swam over to the waterfall and sat on a smooth rock where the water could splash on her. The sun warmed her skin as the cool water cascaded over her and she felt she had found a perfect spot, aside from the random wild animals and the ghost protector who showed up. She laughed and stretched out, rinsing off in the water, running her hands over her body feeling invigorated. Her fingers traced her nipples, perked up from the cooler water and she felt a flutter in her stomach, a need she had suppressed while traveling.

Her fingers circled her nipples, gently tugging and caressing. It felt wonderful and she caught her breath as one hand slid over her wet abs and touched the bare mound of her mons. She opened her eyes, caught up in the feelings, moved her hand away and looked around... "Goodness, relax...there's no one here," she said aloud. Then her hand slipped lower again.

She was glad for the laser treatments she'd had over the last year on her pubes and legs, since shaving in the jungle would not be any fun. The smooth, bare skin of her outer labia felt soft and inviting as she gently stroked herself while using the other hand on her breast. She circled her labia and found her clit, just a gentle touch then moved on to other spots. She teased herself in this way, building up her desire as the sun and water bathed her. Soon she teased her opening, already moist and inviting to her finger. She sighed as she penetrated herself and kept a steady pressure on her clit with another finger.

Groaning, she continued the play, gentle touches, then more penetration until she spread one leg wider onto another rock and started fully stabbing at her sex with a faster motion that was sending her into spasms. She hissed under her breath and cried out as waves of passion washed over her.

"Oh, my." she gasped as she regained control and her orgasm subsided, "that was intense.. what the hell?" she grinned. She rinsed again, still wobbly from the orgasm and stood to walk back to the bank and her campsite.

She brushed her hair back, squeezing water out of it and glanced toward the camp... there was a man standing there.

Jane screamed and splashed into the water neck deep as the man looked at her. She mumbled, muttered and tried to think, "Who the hell are you...what are... get away!" she shouted and sent splashes his way.

He stood silent and still, watching her, a look of curiosity more than anything on his face. She looked around, unsure what to do and came up from the water with a rock in her hand, staying just low enough to hide her bare breasts, "Get away, I tell you - get away now!!" she shrieked. Her shrill cries had no effect as the man stood there. Through panicked breaths, she had time to look him over and noticed he was naked. Well, not totally but he seemed to have a small strip of cloth hanging from his waist and what looked like a knife on a strap around his neck. Also, he was a darkly tanned white man, it appeared. He looked nothing like one of the local villagers she'd seen or any of the Africans she'd encountered over the earlier trips with her parents. His hair was a sun lighted brown falling past his shoulders, and his beard was rough and unkempt. He was tall and strong, but still just stood there staring at her.

Finally, he moved, a beckoning gesture to coax her onto the shore. He pointed to the campfire and made a crude act like eating, and she understood he was trying to say he was the fish delivery guy. Jane snorted... "For real? You are my ghost protector, creeping around my campsite at night, slinging boulders, and now dropping by food deliveries?" She moved closer but still held the rock above her head as a crude weapon and stayed underwater deep enough to hide her nudity. F

Trembling, she motioned to her shirt draped over a tree branch, and the man seemed to understand she wanted him to give it to her. He lifted the shirt, looked it over and even smelled it, then bunched it up into a ball and threw it to her in the water. She grabbed it, turned around and buttoned it hastily over her body. She spun back around expecting him to be charging toward her, but he had seated himself by the river. Up and down the river bank she peered looking for others, but there was no one.

With some hesitation, she walked toward him but kept the rock raised. As she came closer, he moved into a relaxed crouch position and watched her closely. The closer she came, the more he started to stand while keeping his hands out. She could see he was tall, easily over six feet and covered in lean muscle. This guy would have been a specimen back home, she thought drawing closer, but who knows what he is here. He stood fully as she came close and spoke to him, "Who are you?"

The wet shirt left puddles around her feet as she stood there trying to get a response from him. He had deep green eyes and he never looked away from her but still said nothing.

"Jane," she said apprehensively, "And thanks for the fish, it was delicious. And the stick, well, that was nice too..." she laughed nervously as he peered at her.

Again, she said her name, this time touching her chest and repeating it. He tapped his own chest in a mimicking pose and she felt lost.

"I am Jane," she said, suddenly not feeling as threatened by this wild man from the jungle. His eyes were kind but fierce, she thought and tried again to communicate. She pointed to the fire. "Fish, you brought me fish." He looked to the fire and back to her, and Jane repeated her name again with the same touch to her chest. Finally, he seemed to understand and raised his hand to her chest and said in a husky voice, "Ja-ane." He said it again, almost like working it out in his voice, "Ja-ane, Jane." and looked at her.

She smiled, nodded, "Yes, yes, I'm Jane." He did not smile in return, but he softened a bit as if understanding.

She tapped her chest again and repeated her name, then slowly tapped his chest... "And you are?" His eyes squinted slightly and he looked down at her hand on his chest; she quickly took it away and heard him say something for the first time, "Tar-zan."

Jane's eyes lit up, "Wonderful, so we know who we are now, hello Mr. Tar-zan."