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Authors: Joseph Talluto
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through the bushes, growling and cursing. I threw myself at his back, shoving him deeper into the shrubbery and getting a startled “Whoa!” for my efforts.
I moved away and ran over to the house, sitting down on the back porch. I waited for my dad to pull himself out of the branches that seemed to grab him at every move.
Finally, he got out and walked over to where I sat. I smiled innocently, trying hard not to laugh at the leaf covered giant headed my way.
Dad looked at me for a long time. I looked back, knowing he was trying to figure out what to do with me.
Suddenly, we heard a noise. It was a strange choking sound, like someone was trying to breathe but just couldn’t. Dad cocked his head and then went to look in the kitchen window.
“Great. I’ll never hear the end of it now,” he said, heading back off the porch and into the yard.
I went over to the window and looked in. On the floor, my mother was convulsed in laughter, holding her sides and rolling around. I stared for a minute since I had never seen her laugh so hard. It was a good thing to see.
“Josh! Over here! We’re not done,” Dad called.
I left the window, and I felt pretty good knowing I had made my mother laugh. It was at my dad’s expense, but it felt good, nonetheless.
Chapter 12
We worked for another hour and called it quits after that. I had several bruises and a skinned knee, and dad had a bruised chin from an elbow I got in through his defense. It was an accident, but I think he was secretly proud of me for taking to his instruction as well as I had. He taught me holds and strikes and ways to leverage a larger opponent. Always he stressed thinking, outsmarting, planning.
After another two days at home, my mother finally conceded it was time to let me go out and hunt again. We were running low on meat, and the deer haunch only lasted so long. My trap lines hadn’t been checked in a week, and I worried that anything caught wouldn’t be fit to eat.
Workouts with my dad became routine, and every day we worked on fighting and evading. After a month, we worked with weapons. We used only knives for the most part, since that was all we had. There was a hatchet for the kindling, but Dad said to leave it.
It was around the first hint of fall that my dad decided he wanted to take me on a trip. I was excited as all get out, but Mom was worried she might not see either of us again. It took Dad another three days before he convinced her it was going to be all right. We were only going to the wall and back. That was it. Mom was going to stay with Trey’s family so she wouldn’t be alone, and she could keep educating Trey. I hadn’t seen Trey since our little expedition, but Dad said he was fine and was working on a mountain of chores his dad had come up with.
Dad helped me pack a backpack for the trip. I had water, some jerky, and some dried fruits and nuts. I had a change of clothes, some socks, and a small first aid kit. In a small can was some matches, cotton balls, and two small candles. A length of rope finished the kit.
I put on the backpack, then took it off, looking at it critically. Dad caught me looking.
“What is it?” He asked, putting together his own pack.
“I can’t wear my quiver with this on,” I said.
Dad looked at the backpack. “I think we can come up with something.” He took the pack and my quiver and worked on it for a little while. After an hour, he came back with a great solution. My quiver was attached to the right side of my backpack. I put the combination on and tried to get an arrow out. Instead of pulling an arrow out diagonally, I was going to have to pull it out vertically, but it worked out just the same. The arrows were roughly in the same place as they were when I just had the quiver, so it was fine.
“Works well, thanks,” I said.
Dad looked at me critically. “I think you’re missing
I moved away and ran over to the house, sitting down on the back porch. I waited for my dad to pull himself out of the branches that seemed to grab him at every move.
Finally, he got out and walked over to where I sat. I smiled innocently, trying hard not to laugh at the leaf covered giant headed my way.
Dad looked at me for a long time. I looked back, knowing he was trying to figure out what to do with me.
Suddenly, we heard a noise. It was a strange choking sound, like someone was trying to breathe but just couldn’t. Dad cocked his head and then went to look in the kitchen window.
“Great. I’ll never hear the end of it now,” he said, heading back off the porch and into the yard.
I went over to the window and looked in. On the floor, my mother was convulsed in laughter, holding her sides and rolling around. I stared for a minute since I had never seen her laugh so hard. It was a good thing to see.
“Josh! Over here! We’re not done,” Dad called.
I left the window, and I felt pretty good knowing I had made my mother laugh. It was at my dad’s expense, but it felt good, nonetheless.
Chapter 12
We worked for another hour and called it quits after that. I had several bruises and a skinned knee, and dad had a bruised chin from an elbow I got in through his defense. It was an accident, but I think he was secretly proud of me for taking to his instruction as well as I had. He taught me holds and strikes and ways to leverage a larger opponent. Always he stressed thinking, outsmarting, planning.
After another two days at home, my mother finally conceded it was time to let me go out and hunt again. We were running low on meat, and the deer haunch only lasted so long. My trap lines hadn’t been checked in a week, and I worried that anything caught wouldn’t be fit to eat.
Workouts with my dad became routine, and every day we worked on fighting and evading. After a month, we worked with weapons. We used only knives for the most part, since that was all we had. There was a hatchet for the kindling, but Dad said to leave it.
It was around the first hint of fall that my dad decided he wanted to take me on a trip. I was excited as all get out, but Mom was worried she might not see either of us again. It took Dad another three days before he convinced her it was going to be all right. We were only going to the wall and back. That was it. Mom was going to stay with Trey’s family so she wouldn’t be alone, and she could keep educating Trey. I hadn’t seen Trey since our little expedition, but Dad said he was fine and was working on a mountain of chores his dad had come up with.
Dad helped me pack a backpack for the trip. I had water, some jerky, and some dried fruits and nuts. I had a change of clothes, some socks, and a small first aid kit. In a small can was some matches, cotton balls, and two small candles. A length of rope finished the kit.
I put on the backpack, then took it off, looking at it critically. Dad caught me looking.
“What is it?” He asked, putting together his own pack.
“I can’t wear my quiver with this on,” I said.
Dad looked at the backpack. “I think we can come up with something.” He took the pack and my quiver and worked on it for a little while. After an hour, he came back with a great solution. My quiver was attached to the right side of my backpack. I put the combination on and tried to get an arrow out. Instead of pulling an arrow out diagonally, I was going to have to pull it out vertically, but it worked out just the same. The arrows were roughly in the same place as they were when I just had the quiver, so it was fine.
“Works well, thanks,” I said.
Dad looked at me critically. “I think you’re missing
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