Leo POV- Ch. 3: Part 3

Hey! This is the first post to be in Leo POV. I'm not posting anything big. just enough to try to keep you from hating me and to try out the new point of view.
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My first day had been... good? Well, it had been work. Hank never frendlied up and I was grateful for the no-nonsense direction. It was just a job. I needed the money. I just wished that I could bypass the human interaction to get it.

Sadly, the job required some training before I even handled a saw. So, that meant my little lessons with Hank would continue for a while. I just wanted to do my job and get out of there. I just wanted to be back at my lonely little camp. I didn't necessarily like it here but I felt secluded which was as much as I was asking for.

I shoved down another charred hot dog without tasting it. Hot dogs and more hot dogs. I felt like it was all I'd eaten. Ever. But, I only knew how to cook so much over a fire.

After work, Abel had strode over and invited me out to Larry's in what I figured was a "new guy" gesture. Yeah Right. Like I'd be going anywhere near that place. Though I had needed a drink pretty bad.

I popped the tab of my Bud light and gave a dry chuckle at my fake ID tucked away in my wallet. I leaned back against the tree and rubbed my back over the rough bark. My eyes fluttered closed. Tomorrow was Saturday. I raised the can to toast. Happy weekend.

I took a long gulp and rubbed my eye with the heal of my palm. I opened my eyes and looked down my nose at the wing spread out on the needle covered ground beside me. I lazily fingered the feathery tips.

Ch. 3: Part 2

He kept his hands in his pockets and his arms close to his sides. His wings were tucked in tight, crushed against his back. He made sure to keep out of everybody’s way this time; he couldn’t afford to piss anyone off today.
He climbed the two steps and raised his fist to knock on the aluminum door. Leo stumbled back off the steps as the door swung open.
“Oop, sorry.” Jonah apologized as he closed the door behind him and hopped down the steps, clipboard in hand. “Uhh…” Jonah furrowed his brow and snapped his fingers twice. “Leo! Right?”
“Yeah.”
“Cool. Hey, come with me. I was just about to check on a few things anyway.” Jonah started off in the direction of a couple of machine-truck looking things. Leo followed.
“These are called forwarders. They carry the logs to the landing.”
“Landing?”
Jonah threw his head in the direction of an area close to the road. “It’s where all the logs that are ready get loaded on trucks. The trucks take ‘em to the mill.” Leo nodded. Jonah spoke with one of the men in the forwarders, then scratched a few things on his clipboard.
Leo focused on everything Jonah told him and noted what the men were doing as they traveled around the site. Jonah would stop at a certain job, give a quick explanation of what was going on and talk to who ever he needed. Leo soaked everything up. He hadn’t been lying. He was a fast learner. Harvesters felled the tree, delimbed and bucked it. The logs got placed in bunks and then were brought to the landing.
Some of the loggers eyed him warily, but others were friendly or indifferent. He prayed for indifferent.
“Hey, Hank.” An old leathery face looked up from a saw and nodded at Jonah's greeting. Jonah turned to Leo “This is where you’ll be helping out.” He waved a hand over a couple saws slicing there way down a long thick trunk. Leo fished through his new information and identified it as “bucking”.
“Hank, this is Leo Kosky. He’ll be around here for a while.” Hank's head shot up, Jonah raised an eyebrow and gave him a look. Leo didn’t catch what it said. Hank looked over at Leo with narrowed eyes. Then dropped his head back to his work and bobbed it in what seemed like some form of consent. Jonah’s eyebrow settled and he dropped back into his usual bright self.
Another man came over then. He was much younger then Hank, probably around 23, and big. His sleeves were rolled up and strained around his large tan biceps. He had short dark brown hair and wore a huge grin on his face. Leo’s eyebrows went up and he stiffened as the grinning man approached him in long sure strides. He stopped just far enough away to stick out his long muscular arm to offer a handshake. Leo pulled his hand from his pocket and it was caught up in a big warm grasp. “Hi! I hear your gonna be joining the team.” He boomed. He released Leo and reached down to plant a pat on Hank’s shoulder. “He’s not as bad as he seems.” He confided load enough for Hank to hear. Hank just grunted and the grinning man gave a load chuckle at that. Jonah smiled.
“This is Abel.” Abel’s grin widened and he nodded. Leo gave a half smirk.
“Hey.” Leo said as he slipped his hand back into his pocket. A voice called Abel to the end of the log.
“Guess I better get back to work.” Jonah smiled at Leo reassuringly.
“Abel will make you feel right at home.” He said. Leo had no doubt he wouldn’t.
“Hank here has been in the logging industry for years. If you got any questions, he’ll be able to answer them.” Jonah leaned down to Hank. “Hank, you don’t mind taking your break and showing Leo here how to get started.” Hank bobbed his head. Jonah straightened back up and nodded once at Leo, then turned on his heel and left with a wave over his head. Hank cut his saw and stood up. His unfriendly face eyed Leo with suspicion and disgust.
“You better come with me then.” He finally grumbled and stalked off. Leo stumbled to follow him.