Monsters in the Mountains Ch. 04

As his cock deflated, Kaitlin once again lay her head back on Jordan's now naked lap.

"Feel better?" Kaitlin asked.

"Mmm. Definitely." Jordan sighed. "You're amazing."

"So are you." Kaitlin said with a smile.

The moment was broken when Brutus rolled to his belly with his legs under him, and surged to a standing position. The toddlers, who had been sitting on his neck at the time clung on, and were now hanging from his mane.

Jordan and Megan watched as Pebbles dropped to the ground, startled, and Bam-Bam kicked a foot up and seated himself riding bareback on the big horse. He maintained a grasp on the mane, and squealed for joy as Brutus started slowly walking away.

Pebbles seemed to decide that she was upset with being left out, and started a pitiful wailing sound. Kaitlin rose off Jordan's lap and scooped the little girl up in her arms, comforting her.

Kaitlin watched the silver horse carrying the little Bigfoot boy off into the darkness. "Sure, he'll let a toddler ride him bareback, but won't even let me on!" She said in mock frustration.

Jordan scrambled to get his clothes back on, and called out "Brutus!"

The horse came back with the squealing boy on his back. Jordan held out his hand and Brutus walked to greet his master. Kaitlin carried the crying Pebbles over to the horse, and set her on Brutus's back behind Bam-Bam.

Jordan led the horse around the cabin, up and down a few hills, and finally back to the swath of light from the lantern in front of the old cabin.

"All done." Kaitlin said, and waved her hands in the ASL sign.

'No. More.' Bam-Bam signed, pinching three fingers of each hand together, then bringing the fingertips of both hands together.

Kaitlin reached to pull the boy down, and Bam-Bam got a death grip on Brutus's mane.

"All done. Come on." Kaitlin said.

Bam-Bam looked up at her with defiance.

"Bam-Bam. Aunt Kaitlin said 'all done.' Come on." Jordan did the sign. The little boy looked up at Jordan with defiance, which quickly melted in Jordan's stern glare. He held his arms out, and Jordan lifted him off the horse. Kaitlin carried Pebbles, and they returned to their seats and their drinks in front of the cabin.

Bam-Bam was trying to sign with Pebbles, but she was too young to understand much of it.

"I wonder what he's saying?" Kaitlin asked. "I feel bad that Megan has taught him so much, and that we haven't learned it yet."

"Let's get it on video." Jordan said. "I'm sure Dr. Stein would love to have a sample, and he could probably have someone translate it."

Jordan pulled out his cell phone and took a five-minute video of the little boy's signs. He had to add the video to his Dropbox account, and emailed the link to Dr. Stein.

Missy and the adult Bigfoot stayed out late for their run. They finally came back sweaty and winded. Missy, Sarah and Wilma collected the two humans and two toddlers and returned to the mine while the other two pregnant females stayed out.

Missy pulled Jordan into the nest again, and held him tight as he fell asleep. Sarah lay down facing him, with little Bam-Bam between them. Both females had spent hours outside the mine in daylight with Jordan and Kaitlin, and they fell asleep early.

Jordan was tired from an afternoon of physical labor, and he fell asleep shortly after his bedmates.

***

The next day was Tuesday. Jordan woke to the sound of Kaitlin talking, and he just caught her leaving the mine as he sat up. He untangled himself from Missy's grasp and walked outside.

"I'm sorry you missed it." Kaitlin was saying. She looked at Jordan's questioning expression and mouthed the name 'Megan' again.

Jordan came to sit by her, and was surprised to once again have Missy Join them. It was early morning, and the rock was wet with dew. Kaitlin put the phone on speaker so that they could both talk to Megan.

"...but fighting a bull moose is more than we would have expected." Megan said.

"Hi Megan!" Jordan greeted her.

"Hey Jordan!" Megan said. "Sorry to wake you guys. I think I slept almost ten hours last night. I just woke up and realized I fell asleep on the phone last night. I hope I didn't leave you hanging."

"You were fine. We knew you were tired." Kaitlin answered.

"I think I missed the end of your story. Dr. Stein sent me the report this morning. It's pretty amazing stuff. He wrote his own notes and background in the report.

"The subspecies of Moose we have in Colorado is the smallest in North America. They top out around 750 pounds. We estimate Missy is around 400 pounds.

"Jim thinks the Moose wasn't trying to push her, but to get under her. If he had, he easily could have lifted her off her feet. Missy must have known that. It was pure luck that his antlers were in velvet this time of year. The velvet is full of blood vessels, and it must have been painful for the moose when she tore that off.

"Those antlers won't grow anymore above where she tore the velvet, so if we see a bull moose this fall with malformed headgear, that's your attacker. Jim thinks he will find new territory, though, since he lost a fight in your valley.

"Sorry, I'm rambling. I want to hear how you guys are doing before I need to go to the hospital for today's lesson." Megan was talking fast.

"And we want to hear about your first day!" Kaitlin said.

"Not much to tell. The day was mostly paperwork, meeting my preceptors, and watching a bunch of instructional videos. Today I will actually be meeting my first patients, and hopefully see some babies being born." Megan sounded excited.

Jordan looked at Kaitlin who had a look of disgust on her face. He had to smile at how cute she looked.

"Sounds like a full day, and you're learning a lot." Jordan said. "Good luck today."

"Oh, I don't need luck. I'm just shadowing and observing." Megan said.

"How's the apartment coming along?" Jordan asked.

"Great. I got everything I wanted for you ordered. I really think you're going to like it." Megan said with pride.

"I'm sure I will." Jordan said. "Do you have time to tell me what to expect?"

"I really should go. I need to shower, shave, and do hair and makeup. Can I talk to you two tonight?" Megan asked.

"Of course. We miss you." Jordan said.

"I miss you guys too. I can't wait for Thursday. I love you both."

Kaitlin hugged Jordan a little tighter. "I love you too." They both said at the same time. They said their goodbyes and hung up.

"Hm." Kaitlin sighed, leaning into the hug, and then relaxing against Missy who was also sitting on the rock. "Breakfast?"

"I'm a little hungry, but no more freeze-dried meals." Jordan said. "Those things don't taste good enough for that kind of salt, fat and sugar they have."

"Alright. Let's go see what fresh food we have left. Maybe we can make a shopping run today if we're running low." Kaitlin offered.

***

In the cabin, the food stores were indeed running low. They currently did not have enough to feed a Bigfoot feast, and Jordan could tell that a feeding frenzy was brewing.

"If we go down tonight when Megan gets off work, we can surprise her." Jordan suggested, and Kaitlin liked the idea.

"Let's work up a shopping list." Kaitlin suggested. "My parent's housekeeper, Ileana makes these chicken skewers, where she marinates them overnight in a honey mustard marinade, and my dad grills them up. She taught me how to make them." Kaitlin was excited about cooking something fancy, since Megan usually was the chef. "I can make the skewers if you grill them." She offered. Jordan agreed.

Jordan pulled out a notebook, and they started a list.

Kaitlin found a bottle of dry pancake mix, and added water, making the pancakes on a griddle over a fire. She also found a jar of Jam to eat with them.

"When do you think we will have a refrigerator up here?" She asked.

"I could probably run one on the generator, but that would use up a lot of gas. I'd prefer to wait until we have the solar panels installed." Jordan said.

"Are you going to put the panels on the cabin's roof?" She asked.

Jordan hadn't really thought hard about it. "No, there's no good reason to put them up there, now that I don't have to worry about the alpha Bigfoot wrecking them. It will be a lot easier to clear snow off the panels or fix them if they're at ground level. I guess I don't need to wait to put those up."

Missy sat on the floor of the cabin as Megan cooked, cleaning out a bag of almonds and a bag of potato chips. Her appetite was definitely back, and she was looking through boxes and bags for more, eating a brown banana and a wrinkly apple. She licked the last of the strawberry jam out of the jar when Jordan put it down.

The morning was spent cutting trees and feeding them into the gas-powered lumber mill. Jordan stacked the cut boards carefully in stacks that would allow them to dry flat and straight, while allowing airflow to dry them. Kaitlin kept cutting trees and removing branches. When Missy refused to leave Jordan's side to join her in dragging the heavy tree trunks, Kaitlin put a harness on Rose and led the horse up and down the hill, dragging her morning's work to where Jordan was carefully feeding the trunks through the mill.

Kaitlin put a second harness on Dixie, and used both horses to drag Jordan's enormous Douglas fir trunk over to the construction site. Both horses were sweating and exhausted from the effort, and Kaitlin removed their gear to allow them to rest afterwards.

By mid- afternoon, the two humans were exhausted and ready to go get food. The timing was perfect, as storm clouds were building over the mountains.

"How do we get back to the truck?" Kaitlin asked as Jordan was covering the stacked lumber with a tarp.

"Horses?" Jordan stated the only solution. He wasn't up for a six-mile hike to get back to his truck from where they now stood, and Megan had taken the motorcycle back to town.

"We can't leave them at the trailhead." Kaitlin worried.

"I guess we'll have to take them to town with us in the trailer then." Jordan stated the only solution.

Kaitlin sighed. "It seems like a lot of stress on the horses just to take them along for a grocery run. Maybe we should buy another motorcycle or two? So that we don't have to do this again in the future?"

Jordan nodded. "An ATV might even be better, since we could use it to haul stuff for the cabin."

"Oh, Megan would love that." Kaitlin said.

***

Jordan called the horses while Kaitlin got the tack from the cabin. Jordan was starting to get the hang of putting the bridle and saddle on Brutus, but Kaitlin tightened several straps, and adjusted the bridle placement in Brutus's mouth when he thought he had finished.

Kaitlin suggested that the drive would be less stressful on Brutus if she rode Rose instead, since the two horses had such a close bond. She saddled the black Morgan mare instead of her chestnut.

An hour later, the horses were settled in the trailer and they were on the road just as the rain turned from a cold drizzle to a heavy downpour. Jordan drove while Kaitlin texted with Dr. Stein about the ATV.

Jordan's phone rang. The caller ID showed that it was Dr. Stein. "Hi Jim!" Jordan put the call on the truck's Bluetooth system.

"Hi Jordan. Kaitlin tells me that you're going to buy an ATV?" Dr. Stein asked.

"Yes. And I can afford to buy this myself." Jordan offered, knowing that Dr. Stein would argue.

"Actually, I'm afraid you're going to have to." Dr. Stein said in a low voice, just above a whisper. "We're under the microscope here at the moment. Has Megan told you much about the board of directors here at BFRO?"

Jordan remembered Megan's warning, that Jim Stein's job was mostly political, and that if Jane's baby turned out to be half-human, that it would make everyone look unprofessional for Jordan having sex with their research subjects.

"She mentioned that you've been covering for me over allegations that we're being unprofessional." Jordan remembered. "Thank you for that."

"Jordan, these people are politicians. They'd throw their own mother under the bus for any advantage it gave them. They don't understand the incredible job you've been doing, and they don't seem to care about the relationships that you're building.

"They are obsessed with the fact that you have a physical relationship with Jane. Some of them aren't waiting for the paternity test. They're already drafting secret legislation that would declare the Bigfoot to be legally human. They want to give them citizenship, hold them legally responsible for their actions under human laws.

"They believe that if you could pierce the veil of secrecy, we should be able to send in BFRO teams, infiltrate, change and improve all Bigfoot social groups. Jordan, these people aren't scientists. They don't understand. They see a politically expedient maneuver, and they think they should save the Bigfoot by changing and modernizing them."

Dr. Stein was silent for a long moment, and Jordan wasn't sure what to say.

"Look, Jordan. There's a good place in Gunnison on Highway 50 called Sun sports. They'll give you a fair price on whatever you need." He said. "Have you sold any of your gold yet?"

"No." Jordan said. "I haven't needed to."

"Good. Don't sell any of it." Dr. Stein said in a low whisper. "Who else knows about the gold in your mine?"

"I told my parents." Jordan told him.

"Do you trust them?" Dr. Stein asked cryptically.

"Of course." Jordan said, suddenly worried about where he was going with this line of questioning.

"Keep it quiet, and save it for a rainy day." Dr. Stein said. "Sun Sports. I'm sorry I can't do more for you right now."

They hung up and Jordan looked at Kaitlin for her reaction. She was just as confused as he was.

***

Kaitlin navigated, and they found the place without a problem, parking the long trailer in the gravel lot out front.

As Jordan got out of the truck, a salesman stepped outside, and his face lit up. "Good afternoon! How can I help you?" He asked.

Jordan held out his hand to shake, and the salesman took it in a firm handshake. "Gabe Davidson." He introduced himself.

"Jordan White." Jordan returned the introduction. "We're looking for an ATV."

"We?" The salesman asked, and Kaitlin came walking around the back of the trailer. She had just checked on the horses. Gabe's voice caught in his throat, and he stared open mouthed at Kaitlin as she came up to where the two men stood.

"Gabe, this is Kaitlin. Kaitlin, Gabe." Jordan introduced them.

Jordan was getting a little satisfaction at Gabe's reaction to his beautiful girlfriend, but Kaitlin didn't seem to notice.

"According to online reviews..." Kaitlin said, waving her phone. "... a Polaris Sportsman 570 or 850 would probably serve our needs best."

Gabe seemed to snap out of his trance, and Jordan noticed with satisfaction that he was blushing a little.

"Yeah." Gabe squeaked, and then cleared his throat. "Good choice, please follow me."

They test drove several ATVs. They were wider than Jordan had expected, and a lot easier to drive. He would have to widen a few spots of the trail to get the ATV through. They chose a black sportsman 850, and just had room in the horse trailer with only two horses inside.

Gabe fawned over them, stealing glances at Kaitlin as he helped them with the paperwork and payment.

As they drove away, Kaitlin laughed. "I think Gabe was gay for you."

"What?" Jordan asked. "I'm positive it wasn't me he was into."

"While you were test driving the ATV, he was staring at you. He kept asking about you: how we knew each other, if you were my boyfriend, and how serious it was." Kaitlin giggled.

"He was just scoping out the competition." Jordan said. "Did you see his jaw drop when you came around the trailer?" Jordan asked.

Kaitlin continued arguing that Gabe must have been into Jordan. Jordan couldn't understand how she couldn't see the effect that she had on men.

They kept arguing all the way into the Safeway grocery store. Jordan had to park at the far side of the lot and took up two spaces with his trailer, so they had a long walk to keep arguing. Kaitlin still insisted that Gabe had viewed her as his competition, but Jordan noticed that she walked a little taller, strutting a little. It was a beautiful sight, and drew plenty of stares.

They split up in the store with two different carts. Kaitlin bought meat while Jordan filled his cart with fruits and vegetables. Kaitlin joined him in the fresh produce section with butcher paper parcels full of meat.

"I cleaned them out of chicken tenders, so I also bought some beef roasts." Kaitlin said a little sadly. "Maybe once we have a freezer running at the new cabin, we should look into buying a whole cow from a butcher.

Jordan pulled out his phone and found several butchers in the area selling whole and half cows, as well as sheep and pigs. The few that had prices seemed very reasonable. He laughed at himself for still being in the habit of watching his money. He was no longer the poor college student, though he still lived that way.

Next they went to the snacks section and bought all the bags of trail mix, dry fruit and nuts that the store had stocked on the shelves.

"Next time we clean out the other grocery store in town." Jordan said when an employee gave them a look over the piles of food he had selected. "We may not be welcome back at Safeway in the future."

Finally, they went up and down the aisles, buying normal sized portions of what they might need for themselves.

They took their haul through the checkout line. The clerk and bagger's faces both dropped when Jordan and Kaitlin chose their line.

"You two planning a barbecue?" The tired woman asked as she started scanning the parcels of meat and sending them down the conveyor belt.

"No, we're just really hungry." Jordan joked. Kaitlin hit his shoulder.

"We have guests in town, and want to stock up to make sure they've got plenty to eat." Kaitlin said sweetly.

"With a thousand chicken tenders?" The woman asked, scanning the packages faster now. "You must be getting ready for the rodeo."

"Oh, I forgot the plastic bags." Kaitlin said, and ran off, coming back several minutes later with two boxes of gallon sized Ziploc bags to the clerk's rolling eyes.

"We're going to need ice too." Jordan said. "Three twenty pound bags should do it."

"Why not." The clerk said flatly and scanned something from behind the register.

Jordan and Kaitlin took nearly ten minutes filling coolers with meat and ice, and situating the rest of the groceries in the horse trailer and bed of his truck.

Next they went to Ace hardware to buy a second small grill and propane. Jordan found some PVC pipe, and bought all they had along with several connectors. It just barely fit in the trailer, and he felt bad for how crowded the horses were becoming in the small space with the new ATV, groceries and pipes.

Finally they returned to their apartment complex, having to park on the street because of the trailer.

"What time does Megan get off?" Jordan asked Kaitlin.

Kaitlin gave Jordan a sly grin. "She should be here around 7. I think we can get her off within 5 minutes of her arrival."

Jordan laughed at Kaitlin's joke, and the two filled their arms with groceries so that Kaitlin could start marinating the chicken skewers in Jordan's kitchen.

They arrived at Jordan's door with their arms full to find the door open, and a team of painters inside. Jordan set his cooler and bag down on the front porch and walked inside. All of his furniture was gone, including the TV, and couches.

The painters were just finishing painting a bold, dark gray color, with white accents on the doorframes. The kitchen they left alone, and Jordan wandered through the apartment, noting the new browns in his bedroom and blues in his bathroom.