Determined: Chapter Five

Author: hisgoodgirl

Disclaimer: All belong to Joss. I got nada.

Paring: Jayne/Kaylee

Rating: PG-15, for profanity

Setting: Post BDM

Word Count: 2060-ish

A/N: Set on the same world as my Faith Trilogy . Hover for translation. Loved it? Hated it? Let me know what you think. Thanks.

X-posted from my LiveJournal

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Determined

Chapter Five

Second Day, On The Mountain

It was dusk by the time Jayne found game. The thick evergreens of the upper slopes had given way to a mixture of pines, firs and aspens, scattered across steep grassy meadows.

“Shhh…” Jayne hissed. He gestured for Kaylee to be still and with his good hand, he made the gesture of an animal walking and pointed ahead of them at a small clearing. Kneeling silently on the soft duff behind a fallen tree trunk, he drew his revolver, bracing it with both hands as he took aim.

Although Kaylee covered her ears, she still jumped when the shot rang out. She didn’t think she’d ever get used to the sound of gunfire. They clambered over the log and headed for their quarry.

“What’d ya shoot?” she asked, almost afraid to look.

“Groundhog.” Jayne nudged the small dark brown body. “Ain't the tastiest, but we need protein and meat’s meat. We need…”

“I know – tinder and wood for a fire.” The mechanic scurried back to the edge of the woods, stuffing her overall pockets with handfuls of dried grass. She gathered an armload of dry twigs, then went back for larger pieces of fallen deadwood. By the time she returned with an armload of reasonably dry branches, Jayne had skinned and gutted the groundhog and had the carcass lying on the inside of the pelt.

Kaylee looked down at their soon-to-be meal. “Poor li’l fella. Looks downright nekkid, lyin’ there like that.”

Jayne laughed. “I’d say he looks like dinner. Let’s get us a fire built so we got something to cook ‘im over.”

He carefully ar