Birds of a Feather- Excerpt

A secluded oasis in the humid jungle. About 20 meters wide and basically circular, the crystal clear water shimmered, rippling mirrors reflecting the dense canopy surrounding the lake. Blue sky and the Sun were visible here, a rare occurrence in the thick Malaysian jungle.

The waterfall was to the right, a wide spillover of fresh water which coursed down hill from distant inland mountains, and here dropped 20 meters before rushing out to the sea. It was somehow less loud than Jenna had anticipated; perhaps the shear uninterrupted fall of water was more orderly and consistent. Tall vertical cliffs of stone extended from the sides of the fall, before wrapping back inland. Despite the vast movement of water, Jenna could see flat places in the lake with just faint circular motion.

Rikki opened her posture up to the lake. She tilted her head back and opened the lapels of her uniform, taking the Sun in on her neck. She casually dropped her hiking pack on the shore, landing mostly on an exposed flat stone, but a little in the dark rich mud. With a light brush the top buttons of her jacket opened, and she stood tall drinking in the Sun.

Jenna emerged from the green jungle just a few steps behind her. She blinked at the sudden bright Sun and sparkling water, then looked around, finding a suitable fallen log to perch on. She put her backpack on the ground, checking for a dry spot, and had a sip from her water bottle. By the time she looked up Rikki had her hiking boots and socks off, and was squishing her bare feet into the mud. The woman clearly loved nature, Jenna thought, as she watched Rikki drop to her knees, tugging the knees of her green shorts up just before they hit the mud.

Rikki bowed forward, to the lake, showing her respect and asking for permission to enter. She dabbed a finger in the water, then to her forehead. A droplet of water clung to her skin, and rolled down her cute nose. “Aho, we are welcome here Jenna, I think it’s gonna be a great day!”

Jenna smiled and crossed herself, thanking whoever for this beautiful scene and friendship. “Yeah, I agree, I feel great out here. Wonderful, really. Want a peach?”

Rikki blinked in confusion for just a moment before comprehending the offer. She came over and sat on the ground at Jenna’s feet, gladly taking the fresh peach offered to her. She bit in without checking for dirt or bruises, and didn’t brush her chin as peach juice ran down.

Jenna admired the girl, so carefree and raw. Well, her black yoga pants wouldn’t be ruined by some mud. She slid off the log and plopped down next to Rikki, leaning her shoulder into her, and tried not to squirm as wet mud was drawn into her fabric and against her outer thigh.

The women munched in silence for a moment, watching the water, supporting each other by shoulder. Jenna had just begun to relax when Rikki squirmed, leaned away to get her bag, and fished out a pair of rock climbing shoes.

“So the Bulbul’s nest is behind the waterfall, about 5 meters up. There’s a big cave back there. It’s safe for them and they have a little private pool of fresh water for their chicks. But we gotta climb a little to get in there. So, these are for you,” she said as she handed Jenna the shoes. “Size 8, right?”

“Yeah, size 8, how’d you guess? Haha well luckily I have a little bit of climbing experience; I think I can handle that. Isn’t it slippery though?”

“It might be in some parts, but we’ll be okay. And anyway, the water under the climb is deep and clear, so if you do fall, just swim to the shore. No big deal!”

Jenna chuckled along with Rikki, but it seemed at least like a medium size deal. She had indeed climbed a bit; at university, in the gym, on a rope, where it was dry. And she had still fallen a lot. But she trusted Rikki, who seemed to know her so well, even her shoe size!

Jenna pulled off her shoes and socks, trying to keep them out of the mud, at least until she had the shoes on. She had to stay on her butt and lean back with her feet up, a pose she had thankfully done in yoga, boat pose, she remembered. She tugged her borrowed shoes on and pulled the Velcro closed.

Rikki, predictably, had just sunk her muddy feet directly into a second pair of climbing shoes. She slapped the Velcro in place and pulled a drawstring bag out of her main pack. A few granola bars, fruit snacks, water, and a journal went in to the bag, then finally a beach blanket that bulged out. Jenna packed her own mini bag, including a watersafe camera, notebook, pen, and of course snacks and water.

The Ranger was slightly ahead of the academic, and she stood up, popped her hat off, and walked a few steps to the waters edge. Looking across the lake, she undid the remaining buttons of her tan Ranger’s jacket, and shrugged it off her shoulders. Jenna barely had time to admire her light blue undershirt, which came off in one clean overhead tug. Surprised, Jenna sat stunned; Rikki’s fit shoulders and lower back glistened before her. A thin film of sweat, from the humidity and hike, shined on her tanned skin; a tan remarkably even and free of lines. A blue strap ran across her back; a sports bra, or bikini top, Jenna was too engrossed to tell. She wondered if the display would continue further, but Rikki just stood with her hands on her hips, contemplating the lake.

Jenna managed to close her agape mouth and avert her eyes in the moment that Rikki turned back around. She looked back timidly, to see Rikki beaming a smile. The girl looked taller and full of positive energy. This transferred into Jenna, who closed up her bag and stood up, ready to climb.

“Did you bring that bathing suit? You’re probably gonna get at least a little wet.”

“Oh, yeah, in my bag. I’ll just change into my top, like you.”

“Sure. Oh, hehe, well I won’t look. I’m gonna find the start of the climb, just come over when you’re ready.”

Jenna blushed a bit. She didn’t mind if Rikki saw, or watched her, or… No, this is a professional tour, relax, don’t over read things. Jenna didn’t turn her back to Rikki, but the Ranger couldn’t see her anyway as she walked over to the right side of the waterfall. Jenna undid her lavender jacket, and pulled her black athletic top over her head. She didn’t feel as graceful as Rikki had looked, but she was alone, it didn’t really matter. She unclipped her gray sports bra, and took her time getting her mauve bikini top on and arranging her D cup breasts into the fabric. She glanced towards the waterfall, hoping to catch Rikki peeking from behind a bush. But, if the girl was looking, she was well hidden.

Jenna walked over to the base of the fall, trying to avoid stepping her climbing shoes into mud. She found Rikki easily, since she was about 5’ up the rock already. Jenna broke out in laughter, though, since a big green leaf was adhered to Rikki’s butt with mud.

Rikki hopped down. “Whaaat? Is my technique that bad?”

Jenna giggled and plucked the leaf from Rikki’s backseat, letting just a finger brush against her khaki uniform. Rikki giggled too, taking hold of Jenna’s hand, bringing it close to her face. She sniffed the leaf, then tentatively stuck her tongue out, stroking the leaf gently with it, taking a small taste. She smiled big. “Malay mint!” In her carefree way, Rikki bit into the leaf, tearing half off, and chewed it.

Both girls laughed, and Jenna even tried a small bite of the leaf, which was indeed minty. Then they spit the leaves out and Rikki showed Jenna the route up. The holds were big and solid, seemingly dry. And after about 3 meters of a vertical start, it cut back to a ledge, which she could tell stepped up behind the waterfall.

“You first Jenna! I’ll spot you. Just go to the first ledge there and then I’ll come up.”

“Okay. I got this, it looks good. Climbing!”

Jenna stepped up, pushing with her legs, using her hands to balance and lead. She kicked the mud off her shoes, then did her best to look smooth and feel confident as she ascended the first few moves. They were probably the hardest moves on the route, but she felt satisfied of her grace when she arrived at the ledge.

“Awesome! Climbing up next!” Rikki jumped on to the wall and scurried up the route. Clearly she had done this many times, but Jenna appreciated that she still climbed carefully and didn’t try to show off.

Rikki stood up on the ledge with Jenna, very close to her. It was a small ledge, but the closeness felt intentional. Rikki pointed out the next few moves, really just big steps up a few rock ledges, moving towards the waterfall. It was a bit louder here, so they communicated mostly by gesture. When Jenna was ready to go, Rikki put her left hand on the woman’s hip, and gave her a gentle squeeze.

Interpreting that as motivation and support, Jenna kissed Rikki on the cheek. She didn’t think too much about it. Rather it seemed like a reaction of habit from a past relationship. A quick peck on the cheek, friendly, but also romantic. Before the thought of consequence from the kiss could enter her mind, Jenna hauled up the first big ledge, then followed the giant staircase up. She didn’t look back, focusing on moving efficiently and staying dry, until she reached the destination ledge, which cut back fully behind the waterfall. She was at least 2’ back from the curtain of water, with just a few droplets sprinkling to her. She could immediately hear sounds of life; feathers rustling, chicks cooing, taps of beaks and feet.

Walking just a few more feet forward revealed the Bulbul nesting ground. Dozens of ground nests were clumped together back here, filled with adults and chicks. The birds eyed her curiously. They knew she wasn’t a lizard, and therefore probably not a threat, but she was still large and an odd surprise to see in their secluded nest.

Rikki came up behind her, her hand finding Jenna’s hip again. She gave her a gentle one arm hug from behind as they watched the birds, letting everyone adjust to the scene. Rikki made little Bulbul noises, and the birds seemed to relax and return to their normal behavior.

The park Ranger quietly took out her beach towel and set it on the ledge, away from the birds, and away from the falling water. She motioned Jenna over, and the two sat down together. When Jenna took out her notebook and pen, Rikki took hers out too.

The two sat in silence for a while. Rikki drew a cartoonish image of the Bulbul, with notes about size and color tagged on. She glanced at Jenna’s journal, which was quickly filling with population statistics. A beautiful pen sketch of a mother Bulbul and her chicks was already underway. It seemed more art than notation to Rikki, and she leaned her head on the academic’s shoulder, watching her skillful work.

Maybe 20 minutes in, a few adult birds flew into the cave, through a narrow rock entrance. Three females and one male. Two of the females went to nests with other females, delivering their gathered twigs to their same sex mate. The male Bulbul delivered to a nest with a male, as did the third female.

The girls squeezed hands in excitement. It was a small sample size, but it appeared the 3 of the 4 adult pairings were gay! They suppressed excited noises, but held hands and watched as the lesbian birds showed each other affection and rested with their partners. Jenna put one hand around Rikki’s back, and they snuggled together on the blanket, watching the beauty of nature.