Chapter 41 Chapter 41
Jess’s POV
It made me smile to see my family smiling. I had to be honest I had not thought that they would be able to cope with everything that I had introduced them to in the last 24 hours. But they had proved me wrong, and I was glad. Dad was right a couple of hours later Justin plonked himself down next to me.
“Man does he ever get tired?”
“No, not really”
As if to prove the point Romeo started to run around us wanting someone else to go and play with him. Dad was the first to cave and got up to play with him.
“Is he always like this?” Mum asked
“No, I could get him to lay down, but I think that everyone could use the distraction”
“I was thinking the same thing”
While dad was playing with Romeo Justin went and got firewood and made the fire.
“I might go and see if I can shoot us a rabbit for tea”
“Rabbit” My mum pulled a dirty look at me.
“Yes, it will be nice. We have some tinned veg and I packed some spuds. Can you please peel the spuds while I am gone? You will have to use a knife”
“I am sure that I can manage you go and shoot us a rabbit”
I grabbed mums 223. I was going to call Romeo, but he looked like he was having so much fun with dad that I left him. I had never been hunting on my own. I had always had him with me. It felt strange. I had not been gone long when I spotted a couple I squatted down and pulled the trigger twice. I killed both rabbits. I grabbed my knife and started to skin and gut them. I did not think that mum would have been able to eat them if she had watched them been gutted. By the time that I got back to camp all that was left of the rabbit was meat and bone. On my way back I spotted another rabbit and decided that Romeo could live of rabbit for a while too. I pulled the trigger, but I left this rabbit hole. Romeo would like it better that way. I was humming to myself as I reached the camp. I walked over to where mum had set up the kitchen and handed Justin the gun.
“Can you please put this back while I cut up the meat?” I asked him
“Sure” He looked at the rabbits “I am not even going to ask I will just eat”
“Sounds good to me big brother” I chuckled as I started to cut the meat in to stew size pieces and put them in the pot that mum had got out for me. I had just put the last of the meat in the pot when mum turned up and handed me a bottle of water.
“There you go. I am guessing with me peeling potatoes that we are having stew?”
“Yes, thank you”
“Ok I will go and get the potatoes and some tinned veg for you if you want to start cooking. I am not sure how you cook rabbit”
“Just like steak mum. I am just going to boil it with everything else”
“Ok how long will it be?”
“About an hour”
“Ok I will let the boys know” Mum wondered away to grab the potato and veg.
I turned the meat on low and picked up the extra rabbit and went to find Romeo. He was laid down next to Justin getting a tummy rub.
“You my dog are getting spoilt. Now look what mummy has for you. Is it dinner?” I threw the rabbit in to the air and Romeo caught it and started to eat it straight away.
“Wow he likes that”
“Yeah, it’s freshly killed meat. He would have preferred to kill it himself but hey he can do that next time as I don’t think that they sell meaty bites out here”
“I think that you might be right about that. I am sure that he can live off rabbit for a bit though”
“Yeah, and if we camp somewhere for a few days, I might even kill us a deer”
“And ladies and Gentlemen we have Jess the huntress”
“Very funny Justin” I punched him in the arm as I walked back to stir the meat and add the rest of the ingredients. I walked past mum and dad sat by a rock talking with their arms around each other. They waved at me as I passed, and I smiled back at them. Mum had left the potatoes in a bag with a can of peas, a can of corn and a can of baby carrots. I threw all of it into the pot and then walked over to my pack and grabbed out a pack of oxo cubes. I grabbed one cube out and put the rest back. You could not have stew without putting an oxo cube in it. After I had added everything to the pot and gave it a good stir I went to find Romeo. Mum and dad were still deep in conversation and Justin was sat drawing with Romeo was laid next to him.
“Come on Romeo one rabbit is not enough for a growing boy lets go hunting”
As soon as Romeo heard the word hunting, he was up and stood at my side waiting for me to take to lead.
“I will be back in a bit. Can you or someone keep stirring the stew just so that it does not stick to the bottom?”
“Sure, thing how long will you be gone?”
“No more than half an hour I am only taking fat guts here to go and catch a rabbit or two”
“Okay” Justin looked so worried
“It’s ok Justin nothing is going to happen while I am away.
Who knew that I could be so wrong?