Anthony Newman - American Survivor

Cloe walked into the room, and Cobie replied, “And you can beat her with a log if she gets out of control.”

Cloe replied, “Mom, don’t give this guy any ideas. If he tries to spank me with a log, I’ll shoot him.”

“Cloe!”

“I think she would. So I’ll pass on the log, but Cloe let’s make sure you understand when we walk out that door you will do what I say when I say, and I’ll bring you back safe. If you can’t agree to that then you can go by yourself or stay home and let me tend to the traps,” Joe said in a firm voice.

Cloe was thinking about what Joe said when her mom replied, “Cloe will stay here since she is having trouble agreeing to your terms.”

“Mom, I agree, and yes ma’am; I’ll do what Joe says.”

‘Well tell him.”

“Joe I’ll do what you say as long as you keep your hands to yourself,” the young girl said.

Her mom was about to lay into her when Joe spoke, “Why would any man want to mess with a skinny loud-mouthed brat like you. I can find full-grown women in the woods all over the place around here that won’t talk back and are much better company,” Joe laughed then added, “Your honor will be safe in my presence. Now squirt, get your gear, and get your butt in motion so we can leave.”

Cloe went into the bedroom, and Cobie said with a straight face, “Don’t bring any of those full-grown women back here to this cabin Mr. Harp,” before laughing.

Joe ignored the implied meaning and said, “You have a strong-willed young girl who will become a great woman in a few years, and you will have to keep a close eye on her,”

“Bring her back safe.”

“I will. I promise,” Joe said as they gazed into each other’s eyes for a second when he broke away to look down at the floor.

Cobie felt terrible about keeping most of their food hidden in the place above the ceiling. She trusted this new man in her life, but her first responsibility was to Cloe and would always put her before anyone else.

They had to leave Bennie in the cabin with Cobie to prevent the noisy dog from following them into the woods. They only walked a short way before Joe began Cloe’s lessons on hunting and trapping.

“We need to make as little noise as possible as we walk through the forest because we might walk up on a deer or other game animal. We will mostly hunt at sunup because the deer begin moving at that time. Now see the rabbit trap that you set. It looks great, but the snare had sprung and didn’t catch a rabbit. We can improve it by poking sticks in the ground around the backside and up the sides. This funnels the game to the bait and the snare. They have to stand on top of the snare to eat the leaves,” Joe explained.

“That makes sense. Mom and I should have thought about doing that,” Cloe said in frustration.

“Cloe, my dad taught me how to trap, and his dad taught him how to trap. You and your mom have done better than most people have. I will help you do better. My dad and I never trapped big game, so there is a lot for me to learn also.” Joe said.

They walked on for an hour walking from trap to trap with Joe teaching her the tricks of how to trap. She was becoming more comfortable around him, and he noticed her words became softer as the day wore on. He found it easy to work with her the less combative she became and shared every bit of the trapping and hunting tips he knew.

“Look, Cloe, those tracks by the stream are from raccoons, and those are from a deer. The raccoons like to wash everything they eat, and the deer just stopped for a drink. This would be a great spot to build a deer blind. We could get some nice venison for steaks and stew.”

Cloe looked to her right and said, “Look, those are people tracks.”

Joe’s heart skipped a beat as he joined her to look at the tracks. He saw two sets of tracks. One track was smaller than the other was and had a distinctive pattern. Joe made a print with his boot and asked Cloe to tell him what she could about the three footprints in the dirt.

“Well, yours is the largest, that one is smaller, and the third is the smallest. I think the other tracks are from two kids. One is bigger than the other,” Cloe said.

“Please make a footprint next to that one,” Joe said as he pointed at one of the smallest footprints.

Cloe did as he asked and saw that the prints were the same. “Joe, I made that print. Wow, I can now track me, and where I’ve been.”

“So, whose is the other track?”

“It has to be mom’s footprint.”

“Cloe, what I’m about to tell you is very important and more critical for your survival. If we can track these prints, so can the men looking for you and your mom. Go over in the bushes and cut a small branch to use to sweep away those tracks.”

She swept away the tracks, and they finished running the traps. They had three rabbits from the dozen traps, but more importantly, Cloe now knew how to improve her traps. She and her mom would catch more rabbits thanks to Joe. He also gave her training on how to leave as few footprints as possible on the way home. He even taught her to avoid walking to and from the cabin the same way to avoid wearing a trail into the ground.

Joe knocked on the door before entering the cabin so he wouldn’t scare Cobie. She had lunch prepared and moved around the cabin much better even with her arm in the sling. She was still in pain but felt much better.

“The snares caught three rabbits, and Cloe is out back skinning them. I taught her how to make a few changes that will increase the number of rabbits she catches. We also saw your tracks on the bank of a stream about half a mile from here. I trained her how to sweep away the footprints and how to reduce the tracks you leave while walking through a forest,” he said.

“How did my little bullheaded munchkin do today?”

“She is a great young lady. I think she is getting used to me because she didn’t growl as much as the day went on. I’m hungry. What’s for lunch?”

Cobie replied, “I’m afraid it is rabbit stew. We don’t have much variety, and I’m almost out of spices so it will soon be bland stew.”

“I think I can help with the spices. I found a bunch of them during my scavenger hunt in Ashland and brought them back to my cabin,” he replied.

“That would be great. Wait, it’s not just salt and pepper is it?”

“I know I don’t look like a cook, but I do use spices and several different ones. I have chili powder, Cayenne, Oregano, Cilantro, Allspice, Thyme, and Turmeric. And a big can of salt,” Joe proudly said.

“Well, well, you do have some good spices there. Will you share if we cook,” Cobie asked?

“I will fetch them from my cabin tomorrow. I will also bring some venison back to add to our larder.”

Cloe came bouncing in after cleaning the rabbits and frowned when she saw her mom and Joe smiling at each other as they talked.

“Mom, I’m starving. What’s for lunch?”

“We are lucky today. We are dining on pork chops, green beans, corn, and a garden salad,” Cobie said followed by a big laugh.

“Rabbit stew again. Yummy. I just love rabbit stew,” Cloe joked as she sat down at the table.

“I’m going to lay in some more wood for you girls today. Tomorrow I will travel to my cabin and bring some supplies and spices back to share with you. Later, when spring comes, I’ll share some seeds for a garden. I plan to build a hothouse to start seeds before the weather breaks so I can get a head start on my garden,” Joe informed the two.

“Cloe would be happy to go with you to help carry the supplies back here. Wouldn’t you dear?”

“Mom, we barely know the man and yet you are sending your only daughter out with a man who could be a child molester,” the girl replied.