The lightning struck again on the water and for a brief instant Brin could see the animal’s great weight plow into Oog for the second time. Oog went...down under the onslaught of fangs, claws,and rippling muscles. He died screaming as the big cat began to feed. Brin scurried into the deep cave. ‘Well,’ he thought, ‘it’s too bad about Oog, I could have used his muscle, but I think I can still make this work. I’ll have to polish it up some for the masses. No more ridge walks at night. I need all. Since I had taken over one bed, they slept huddled together on the other, covered with worn quilts, and when I opened my eyes, and the pain returned, I admired their courage and stubbornness as they rose to stir up the fire and face another day.I hobbled out to share their gruel and then get myself outside to their privy. They told me, more or less, where I was and said they had heard some gunfire recently but were not able to say how close it was. The British and Germans had not bothered them,. Don't you remember me and Maryanne Delricci at Brian's party last year? I told you all about it." Yea, but it's not like that. It's…well it's different. I love… It's serious. It's not just trying out for the other team." Oh."There was a long pause, and I wanted to cry because I knew what was coming next, and I had no idea how I was gonna handle it. Then I thought about when my mom walked in on us, and it made me feel a little better. I mean, if we got our mom to accept it then this should be. I leaned into the task of rubbing it into her skin with both hands, loving the feeling of a woman's soft flesh under me. She may have been soft in one way but it was not because she was out of shape... I could feel the muscles in her legs, probably a jogger or maybe a tennis player.I started to move further down but her voice stopped me. "Captain, I don't want to burn any part of me. That means you have to cover it all. You know what I mean, don't you?" Yes, ma'am," I replied cautiously.Again I.