Disclaimer: I don't own the Croods or the characters except Jharii she is mine.
I got this idea after I read WarriorCATZprincessK story - always be afraid
"Why do we always stay in the cave and only go out to get food, there must be more to life than this" Jharii said with longing in her voice to her older sister Eep as they walked to the back of the cave to join the rest of their family.
"We stay in the cave because it's safe, outside is dangerous especially for you since you're not as strong as the rest of us" Eep spoke with what she thought was a caring tone but all Jharii heard was her older sister talking too her like she was a four year old. Jharii knew her sister and family loved her and wanted her to be safe, but she wasn't happy with how things were, she wanted freedom to do what she wanted and live how she wanted. She looked down not wanting to see the look of sadness on Eep's face; Eep got that look every time she talked life outside the cave. Jharii heard Eep sigh and continue walking towards their family but Jharii stopped not wanting to see her family at the moment. She knew she would be reminded that she wasn't like the rest of them.
She was taller, skinnier, her forehead didn't slope and she wasn't as strong, whereas they had darker eyes she had light blue eyes, she had auburn hair that hung just below her shoulder blades which she tied into a pony at the nape of her neck with a small strip of fur. The only thing she had in common with them was the pale skin they shared. Jharii walked back to the mouth of the cave which was covered by a massive boulder to keep out the dangers of the world. She sat down next to it and started to play with the edge of her dress, which was almost exactly like Eep's but instead of tiger fur hers was Black Panther fur. It was still dark outside the cave; Jharii knew as there were gaps around the boulder and during the day light shone through them. She eventually stood and slowly walked to the back of the cave and joined the rest of her family who were listening to Grug tell another story where the ending lowered everyone's morale and made Thunk promise he would never do anything new or different. She barely listened to her father's stories, she usually thought about what life would be like if she didn't live in the cave.
After the story the rest of her family huddled up to sleep but Jharii stayed where she was and laid down missing the look on Grug's face when he looked her way.
The Next Day
Jharii watched her family leave the cave to try and find breakfast; she always had to stay behind because they all thought she would either just get in the way or get hurt. Grug always pushes the boulder in front of the cave to ensure that she wouldn't be attacked by anything, but what her family didn't know was that once she knew they were out of sight she would slip through the gaps around the boulder and start climbing the cliffs around the cave. She knew that she shouldn't but she loved being outside and feeling the heat from the sun, it was refreshing after being stuck in the cave for so long.
'I have most of the day to enjoy being outside and by myself, May as well head to my favourite spot' Jharii thought as she made her way up the cliffs. She was a fast climber compared to her family because she was much lighter than they were; it was an advantage she had always loved. It allowed her to reach her favourite spot in no time. Her favourite spot was a small area where she could lay down in the sun and it was surround by rocks so it offered some protection from creatures and sometimes her family. The other reason she loved the spot was that the ground was covered in grass and there were some bushes with edible berries, she didn't know how it was possible for grass and the bushes to grow but she didn't complain. She sat in the middle of the small are and thought about her family as the sun warmed her, she knew they wouldn't be back until it was almost dark because they had to travel so far to find food and it was never a lot but Grug wouldn't listen to her about the berries even though there was enough for the family until they went to look for more food, just because it was new and different to him.
Jharii stayed in her favourite spot for a few more before she decided it was time to head back to the family cave.
'Better head back now, don't want to be caught outside the cave by myself' Jharii thought sadly as she started to climb down the cliffs. As she was climbing down she heard what sounded like someone talking, she stopped climbing and tried to pinpoint where the noise was coming from but before she could the noise stopped.
'That was creepy' she thought as she resumed climbing down. Once she reached the ground Jharii sprinted towards the cave, not because she could see her family in the distance, she just felt like sprinting. She squeezed through the largest gap around the boulder into the families cave and walked to the back and sat down. She sat quietly for about an hour before her family was back, Grug pushed the rock out of the way and ushered the rest of the family through the mouth of the cave, and Ugga and Eep were each holding a Ramu egg. Jharii pretended to be happy as the eggs were cracked open and shared around, she didn't have much as she snacked on berries earlier in the day. Jharii desperately wanted to tell Eep about what she heard previously in the day but she knew she would be in so much trouble because she went outside by herself and she would never be left alone again.
When it was time for the family to get some rest all Jharii would think about was what she heard earlier in the day and what it would be like to actually explore and have fun and not live in a cave. Her final thought was before falling asleep was 'I wish I knew what that noise was'.
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