READ BEFORE CONTINUING: All screenplays are copyrighted and / or registered with The Writers Guild of America West. ANY rewriting, incorporating scenes or dialog into other works is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. AFTER READING THE SCREENPLAY - CLICK ON THE "BACK BUTTOM" TO RETURN TO THE PREVIOUS PAGE PLEASE DO NOT PRINT WITHOUT PERMISSION FORMATTING AND PAGE COUNT IS DIFFERENT THAN ORIGIANAL SCRIPT "THE HUNTRESS" An American Woman's Saga by Robert Carl Johnson Robert Carl Johnson www.WeWriteMovies.com EXT. MOUNTAIN TRAIL / FOREST - DAY SUPER: "PRESENT DAY" "ROCKY MOUNTAINS - MONTANA WHITEFISH RANGE" Snowflakes settle upon the snow-covered ground, trampled by a horse's hooves. Snow splatters its bloody lower legs. And up the bloody flanks, a dead lamb hangs over the horse's neck. It shakes its mane and snorts steam. Cowboy boots in stirrups. Wool pants. A scabbard rifle. An old fleece-lined leather waistcoat. SARAH STONE INGRAM (63) rocks in the saddle to the horse's gait. She looks like an 1880's frontier woman: wide-brimmed felt cowboy hat low over her face, scarf around her neck, rough leather gloves lightly hold the reins. MATUSI (V.O.) (male adult South African accent) My name is Matusi. Sarah Stone Ingram, my adoptive mother, is one of the most remarkable women of this century... She stares at the snow-covered ground, occasionally glances at the shadowed forest and rock outcrops, cups her hands to her mouth and cries like a sheep. A LARGE COUGAR pads out of the deep shadowed forest, into a clearing. A sheep's distant, echoing cries. It stops, looks over its shoulder and creeps in the direction it had come. SARAH dismounts, leads the horse by the reins and looks at the trail. At the base of a rock outcrop, she gazes around and goes to one knee. MATUSI (V.O.) ...A cougar hunt is not so unlike tracking African big cats... A gloved hand touches a faint cougar's paw print in the snow. Miniature African wild animals dangle on a gold charm bracelet on the right wrist. She lifts her head, cups her hands to her mouth, cries like a sheep and gazes around. A cougar's snarl. She slowly looks upward. The cougar, eyes ablaze, crouches on the outcrop. MATUSI (V.O.) ...My Mother lived in a culture rarely seen by civilization. After thirty-nine wondrous years, she left Africa and returned home to one of America's last frontier... She watches the cougar, moves slowly to the horse and slides the rifle from the scabbard. MATUSI (V.O.) ...She continues to live adventures beyond all fantasies... The cougar hisses and snarls, ready to leap on her. She puts the rifle against her shoulder. MATUSI (V.0.) ...Perhaps that is what dreams are all about... The rifle sight slides up the cougar's body and holds steady on the head. MATUSI (V.O.) ...And sometimes they even come true. Her finger gently squeezes the trigger. The gold charm bracelet is on the wrist. EXT. RANCH HOUSE YARD / BARN - DAY SUPER: "FLATHEAD, MONTANA - FEBRUARY, 1948" A stick sails upward through snowflakes and falls. SHAG, a small sheep dog, leaps and catches it in its mouth. SARAH (O.S.) Great catch, Shag! Shag runs to Sarah (10). She pets the excited dog, takes the stick from his mouth and sails it into the air. She wears coveralls, boots, old coat, knit hat and gloves. A large cougar creeps toward a walk-in chicken wire pen enclosing wooden rabbit cages attached to the barn's wall. Caged rabbits are increasingly frightened. She throws the stick. Shag catches it and she pets him. Distant cougar's snarl. She see the cougar knock over rabbit cages, screams and runs toward the pen. SARAH No! No! Get out! No! The cougar watches Sarah and the dog race toward it. It bounds from the pen. Shag snaps at its legs. She screams, SARAH No, Shag! No! Come back! grabs a broken tree limb and races after Shag and the cougar. The cougar turns, snarls and smacks Shag. The dog tumbles through the snow. It leaps at the helpless dog. She charges the snarling cougar, swings the stick and screams. SARAH Get away! Go! Go! The cougar turns from Shag and advances toward her. She screams and hits the snarling cougar's head with the stick. SARAH Leave us alone! Go! Go! The cougar stops, then charges her. She hits it with the stick. It retreats a few steps, snarls, swipes a paw at her and bounds into the forest. She runs to Shag, gently lays his bloody head on her lap and sobs. SARAH You'll be okay, Shag. She appears dazed and stares at a half-dozen dead rabbits lying among scattered and broken cages. She wipes tears from her eyes, smears blood on her face and looks determined. She struggles Shag into her arms, stands tall and straight and trudges to the ranch house's rear door. INT. VERA'S RANCH HOUSE KITCHEN - SAME Sarah carries Shag. VERA (40), a country woman, peels green apples at the sink. VERA What in Heaven's name? Sarah lays Shag down and takes off her gloves. The top of her right hand has a large burn scar. Vera wipes Shag's bloody head with a towel. VERA Shag's not badly hurt. A cougar, child? SARAH It killed half the rabbits, Aunt Vera! She gently touches Sarah's shoulder. VERA You have to understand it's been a hard winter. Cougars have to eat just like us. SARAH Not my rabbits! VERA They don't know better and have to fight to survive. You know that lesson very well, dear. SARAH The fire? Vera nods. SARAH I don't remember much about that terrible night,... (habit - rubs scar on right hand) ...or Ma and Pa. I was only four. Vera hugs Sarah. VERA I know, Sarah. Love for your parents will always be in your heart. You must remember to be strong like the wild animals, to survive. She wipes blood from Sarah's face with her apron. VERA I'll bandage Shag, then we'll make pies and have lots of fun. SARAH I have to track the cat! Now it's his turn to die! She strides to the rear door. VERA My dear sister said she was going to have a boy. But God created you in the flesh of a girl, who refuses to dress or act like one. SARAH That's how I survive! Her scarred right hand grabs a 30-30 rifle from a wall mount and she slams out the door. EXT. UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA CAMPUS - DAY SUPER: "TEN YEARS LATER" Administration building sign: "UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA." Wind swirls snow. A few students brave the frozen walkways. CHAD INGRAM (22) carries books and shuffles carefully. Sarah (20) carries books and shuffles carefully from the opposite direction, head down against the wind. She turns the building's corner and bumps headlong into Chad. Books fly into the air. They fall on their butts and stare at one another. They wear gloves, heavy coats, knit hats and scarfs. Only their eyes are exposed. CHAD (South African accent) Are you alright? SARAH I...ah... Sure. CHAD I am terribly sorry. I failed to see you. Please accept my humble apology. SARAH It's not your fault. We're both to blame for not being careful. He glances between books in the snow and Sarah, scrambles to his knees, grabs some books and fumbles and clutches them to his chest. A book falls. He tries to retrieve it and drops the remaining books. She laughs at his frustration. They scramble to retrieve the books and he helps her stand. They slip, grab each other and fall and books scatter. They shift looks between each other and the books, brush snow off the books and shuffle them to one another. She rubs her buttock. CHAD Almost as good as new. She stares at him. CHAD I refer to the books. SARAH Oh!... Yeah! Thanks. They gaze at one another. He starts to help her up. She pulls back. SARAH I'll be safer if I do this myself. CHAD Quite so. They struggle to their feet and share a long look from behind their scarf. She turns, shuffles a short distance and looks back. He watches her and waves. She gives a tentative wave, turns and is lost in a swirl of snow. EXT. FREDERICK HALL - NIGHT Snowing. Distant piano Christmas music. Two-story dormitory decorated for Christmas. Chad breathes steam, shuffles up the walkway, onto the porch and opens the door; same clothes. INT. FREDERICK HALL FOYER- SAME Same piano Christmas music. Rooms are decorated for Christmas. Chad removes his hat and scarf and goes to the staircase. FRATERNITY BROTHERS chatter and come and go. FRATERNITY BROTHER Hey, Chad! We're cracking a keg! Party time! CHAD I will join you after my studies. He bounds up the staircase. The fraternity brother shakes his head. LIVING ROOM A Christmas tree and lit fireplace. The fraternity brother enters from the foyer and joins a party: fraternity brothers talk and listen to a fraternity brother play Christmas music on a piano and another cracks a beer keg. EXT. HAMPTON HALL - SAME Snowing. Distant guitar Christmas music. A female sings. Two-story dormitory decorated for Christmas. INT. HAMPTON HALL FOYER - SAME Same Christmas music. A large Christmas tree. Girls chatter and come and go. MANDY (20) descends the staircase, carries a Christmas decorated sack, and LIVING ROOM joins a group of SORORITY GIRLS. Sarah sings the Christmas song. Her scared right hand strums a guitar. Several girls eat chocolate chip cookies. The song ends. The girls clap and greet Mandy: "Hi!" "Want a hot cookie?" "What's in the sack?" Mandy removes a "teddy" nightgown from the sack. MANDY Bought this for my hunk. SARAH I'm sure he'll love it but it looks too small for an offensive tackle. They laugh and giggle. Mandy holds the teddy against her body and turns in a circle. MANDY It's for me, silly! Sexy, huh? The girls laugh. Sarah puts a 78 lp onto a record player. Rock and roll music. They dances wildly, hold the teddy against their body and passes it from girl to girl. INT. CHAD'S ROOM - SAME Distant piano Christmas music. Chad sits at the desk, writes in a notebook and refers to a book. He wheezes and uses an asthma inhaler. He shuffles through a pile of books, looks questioningly at one, opens it and sees a hand printed name: "SARAH STONE - HAMPTON HALL." He grins, sets the book aside, selects another book and resumes studying. INT. UNIVERSITY CAFETERIA - DAY Snow falls outside the windows. Students gab, eat and laugh. Chad moves down the food line and selects soup, crackers, salad, coffee and Jell-O. Two books are on the tray. He pays the cashier and looks around. All chairs appear taken. He wanders and spots an empty chair between Sarah and Mandy, seated with the same sorority girls. He appears nervous and approaches Mandy. CHAD If I may, could I sit? It appears that all chairs are taken. The girls grin at him, glance at one another and snicker. MANDY Sure. Go for it. She pats the chair's seat. He nods, smiles at each girl and shyly sits between Sarah and Mandy. SORORITY GIRL 0NE (to Chad) Your manner of speech and accent's unusual. CHAD Speech? Accent? I am from South Africa. The girls jibe, "Wow!" "South Africa!" "No kidding?" Embarrassed, Chad grins and nods. The girls discreetly watch him and force back snickers as he nervously tries to open a cracker package. The cellophane wins the struggle but loses the battle. He sighs, rips it open with his teeth and squashes the crackers into the soup bowl, most of which miss and fall onto the table and his lap. His spoon shakes. Soup splashes his chin. He has no napkin. The more he tries to be calm, the more soup he drips. Sarah gives him a napkin. He notices her right scarred hand and wipes soup from his chin. He tries to eat Jell-O but it wiggles and wobbles in the spoon and falls onto his crumb-filled crotch. He shifts a veiled glance at the girls and tries to ignore the mishap, but the girls don't and break up laughing. He shyly forces a tight laugh. The girls cease laughing and gaze about. He becomes aware of the silence. Students seated at nearby tables stare at him, then go back to what they were doing. Sarah looks at the Jell-O in his lap. His eyes follow her lead. He spoons the Jell-O onto the napkin. Mandy grins at Chad and Sarah. MANDY Great catch. The girls laugh wildly at Chad and Sarah's embarrassment and settle down to hushed: "Nice hair." "Great tush." "Love blue eyes." "Built like a fullback." Sarah shushes the girls. They listen and grin to Sarah and Chad's conversation. SARAH What's your name and major? CHAD Chad. Chad Ingram. Animal husbandry. What is your major? SARAH I have a nursing degree and I'm working on a B-A in education. CHAD You are quite ambitious. She grins and notices the books on his tray. SARAH You're reading Poe's book on minor poems? CHAD I...ah. No. I am returning it to... (looks inside the book's cover) ...Sarah Stone. She lives in Hampton Hall. She and the girls laugh. He looks confused. SARAH I'm Sarah. CHAD You are -- SARAH Yes. I now remember your voice and your eyes. CHAD How could anyone forget yours. The girls laugh and jibe: "Oh what eyes." "I'd like to be his nurse." "Chad. Don't look at me like that or I'll faint." "Chad makes my temperature rise." MONTAGE - DAY - CHAD AND SARAH FALL IN LOVE -- They build a snowman in front of Hampton Hall. -- They sit on bleachers and watch the University of Montana team's spring football practice. The sorority girls sit in the background. -- They listen to rock and roll radio music, eat hamburgers, French fries and drink malts inside Chad's 1950 pickup truck parked in a drive-in restaurant. -- They hug and kiss in the truck parked on a secluded bluff, above a valley. Foreground; a distant mountain range. EXT. UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA CAMPUS - DAY Summer heat ripples across the ground. Insects, butterflies and dandelion seeds drift in the air. Sarah and Chad sit on the grass, under a tree. Books are by their side. Her scarred right hand plucks notes on the guitar's strings and she writes music notes in a notebook. He wheezes and uses an asthma inhaler. She stops writing. SARAH Are you okay? He nods. SARAH How was your final exam in steer breeding? CHAD I have learned that raising American cattle in South Africa will be a little more complicated than just breeding. SARAH Yes. I can imagine how difficult it could be. He looks questioningly at her look. She laughs. CHAD If I may ask. How did you scar your hand? SARAH A fire. When I was a child. He kisses her scarred hand and share a loving look. INT. CHAD'S TRUCK - ANOTHER DAY Snow-capped mountains. Lonely two-lane road. Chad drives; Sarah, passenger. Rock and roll radio music. They pass a road sign: "Trails End." CHAD Isn't that the road we took to Aunt Vera's ranch? SARAH Yes. Dad's ranch, where I was born, is the adjoining section. After the house fire, Vera uses the land to graze sheep. (rubs scared hand) CHAD You were blessed to live in beautiful America. And Aunt Vera is charming and most unique, as is her delicious chocolate chip cookies. The truck passes a sign: "GLACIER NATIONAL PARK." SARAH I pray for worthiness to follow in her footsteps. She was a school teacher for many years. MONTAGE - LATER - SARAH AND CHAD HIKE -- A cougar moves through thick brush and looks back at them, hiking a mountain trail. They wear day backpacks. -- They gaze at the wondrous beauty. He takes her photo. -- A bear fishes a stream and watches them hike. -- A big horn sheep looks down from a rock cliff at them picnicking in a wildflower meadow. - He wheezes and uses an asthma inhaler. She looks concerned. He holds her scarred hand. CHAD I graduate soon and must return home. I love you and refuse to leave without you. SARAH I love you too. But Africa? Aunt Vera has a bad heart and needs me. I can't -- CHAD I need and want you more than life. Please marry me. SARAH I want to. But... If we marry, you can raise cattle on Vera's ranch and the land I own. CHAD Many people depend on me. I have no choice but to return to Africa. Please come with me as my wife. She shakes her head and cries softly. He takes her into his arms and kisses her tenderly. EXT. HAMPTON HALL - LATER Chad's pickup truck parks. Sarah and Chad hold hands and stroll to the dormitory's front door. CHAD I will pick you up at eight tonight. Are you okay? SARAH Sure. If you don't show up, I'll track you down. They laugh. After a sweet kiss, she opens the door and waves good-bye. INT. HAMPTON HALL FOYER - SAME Sarah is met by the housemother, Mandy and sorority girls. They appear sad. EXT. CEMETERY - DAY Dreary. Light rain. A distant mountain drifts in and out fog floating past old, dark tombstones. A small, older crowd huddle under umbrellas near a wildflower draped coffin. On a three-legged stand is a rose wreath and banner: "AUNT VERA - I LOVE YOU." A minister conducts a funeral service. Chad holds an umbrella over Sarah and he. His arm is around her shoulder. She cries softly. EXT. SKY - DAY SUPER: "SIX MONTHS LATER An old single engine, four-seat airplane banks downward and circles bush country. EXT. DIRT ROAD - SAME The airplane circles overhead, lands, appears from a dust cloud and taxies to a stop. The engine sputters and stops. Cheers and shouts. NATIVES (O.S.) Ma Slaba! Ma Slaba! An old Jeep is parked by a wooden airplane hanger. Tribal chief, LUBO (30), NEFF (30) and LUTA (5) grin and wave hello. Fifty native men, women and children cheer, wave and shout, "Ma Slaba! Ma Slaba!" A few women hold babies; several are pregnant. They wear a mixture of old but clean clothes and native dress. Chad, the pilot, and Sarah climb from the airplane. He smiles and waves. She wondrously watches the natives shout, "Ma Slaba! Ma Slaba!" MATUSI (V.O.) In August, nineteen fifty-eight, at age twenty-one, Mother arrived in the South African bush. She was a jewel in the rough. The natives run to and surround Chad and Sarah. He grins. She appears somewhat frightened. The natives step aside and allow Lubo, Neff and Luta passage. LUBO (South African accent) Welcome home, Ma Slaba. Missed you great! They hug. CHAD And I missed you, Lubo... (gestures at natives) ...And all of my family... (hugs Neff) ..Neff, lovely as a swan... (hugs Luta) ...Luta. A baby no more and as beautiful as your mother. He takes Sarah's hand, bows to her and grins. CHAD May I present my wife, Sarah. The natives bow respectfully, then cheer. Lubo holds his right arm into the air. The natives stop cheering. He smiles, shakes Sarah's hand and notices the scar. LUBO Welcome, Nonike, to our humble country. SARAH It's nice to meet you. LUBO This wife, Neff, and daughter, Luta. Sarah shakes Neff and Luta's hand and they grin shyly. SARAH It's a pleasure to meet you both. Happy natives line up, shake Chad and Sarah's hand and greet them in South African accented English and native tongue. Sarah smiles at a woman cradling an infant. She accepts the infant, rocks the happy baby and returns it to the mother. SARAH (to Chad) They call you Ma Slaba. What does it mean? He grabs a handful of dirt and sifts it through his fingers. CHAD Man of the earth. Happy, excited natives sing a tribal song and follow Sarah, Chad, Lubo and his family on a dirt road. Two teenaged boys carry old suitcases. A little girl carries Sarah's guitar and plucks the strings. She and other children dance-step joyously. They stroll to an open-gated ranch compound, onto a circular dirt driveway and pass scattered thatch huts. Three-legged cast iron pots are over fires, near the entrances. They stop in front of a wooden shack. CHAD This is Lubo and Neff's house. SARAH Lubo called me Nonike. What does that mean? CHAD Nona means mistress. Ike means small. N-O-N-I-K-E. Small mistress. They continue on to an old wooden ranch house. The veranda fronts onto a huge lawn. A large wooden barn is nearby. They stroll to the ranch house's steps and smile at the natives. The teenaged boys carry the old suitcases toward the rear of the house. CHAD I thank all of you for the wonderful welcome. And thank you, Lubo, for keeping our family safe. LUBO You go university and I watch ranch was your father's last request. The little girl presents the guitar to Sarah. She smiles and touches the girl's cheek. SARAH Thank you. The girl looks at Sarah's scarred hand and backs into the crowd. Sarah and Chad go onto the veranda, he opens the front door and carries her inside. INT. RANCH HOUSE LIVING ROOM - SAME Chad grins and gazes around. Sarah looks surprised at the sparsely furnished room: native built furniture, burlap sack curtains, oil lamps, battery operated communication radio and a microphone on a small table. CHAD It is wonderful to be home. SARAH You must have flunked your interior decorating class. They laugh and kiss. CHAD You should see the bed. I told you at the university that breeding in South Africa would be difficult. SARAH You referred to cattle, not us. So don't count on it. Dreams can come true. He carries her into the BEDROOM CHAD Shall we make wonderful dreams? She looks sourly at an old bed. SARAH In that nightmare? Festive tribal song. Native instruments. EXT. RANCH COMPOUND - NIGHT Same tribal song. Natives play jembe and ashiko drums, shaker gourds, wooden flutes, tap sticks and sing. Luta and natives of all ages dance around a huge fire on the grass area. Lubo and Neff sit and clap to the music. Women roast meat on sticks over small fires. Large three-legged cast iron pots sit at the fires' edge. Chad and Sarah step from shadows and into the fire's glow. She appears somewhat frightened, abruptly stops, rubs her scarred hand and stares at the flames. EXT. RANCH HOUSE - NIGHT - FLASHBACK Flames and smoke billow from the roof and windows. The front door opens. Sarah (4) crawls onto the porch, down the stairs and collapses onto the ground. Her nightgown smolders. CHAD (V.0.) Sarah! What is wrong? BACK TO SCENE Sarah rubs her scarred hand and stares at the fire. SARAH I -- Ah... I'm fine. A little dizzy and tired from a long day. He comforts her and nods at women roasting meat over a small fire. CHAD You need nourishment. Roasted antelope is succulent and meilie pop is fantastic. SARAH What's meilie pop? CHAD A cornmeal dish, eaten at every meal. Meat and other food can be added to it. SARAH It sounds delicious. You love living in the bush? CHAD Yes, but I would be quite miserable if you were not here. Night creatures chatter and shriek. She stares into the darkness. Firelight flickers on her somewhat frightened face. CHAD You will get used to the bushes' many sounds. Nag mary birds and such. Promise me you will not wander alone. The bush is beautiful but deadly. SARAH You think I'm that brave? CHAD Most definitely.