An: A few things I would like to address, is that I want to thank you guys for giving me a pretty warm welcome for this story. I know some of you might be a little confused as to exactly how things are going to be going along with this story, and with that I have a few notes that I'll be pointing out.
This is an alternate universe fic, meaning it is NOT going to stick to the story line. Yeah, some things will be here and there from what we know from the TV show, but this will be a completely different reality. I know some of you might not like that, and I know some of you might even love it more. I for myself, love when people change things up, because it can really show you just how imaginative the author really is.
Second, in this fic, Brennan is talking to Angela, but then when she meets Booth, she is speaking in 'broken English'. By this I am saying that when the tribe is conversing, they are speaking in their own language, that I wrote in English. When you read them talking, they are not speaking English, but speaking their native language. Like Kathy Reichs does, when everyone is speaking French.
And lastly, if you haven't done so already, you can follow me on twitter to learn about progress for stories and chapters, as well as hints to future updates and story twists.
twitter(dot)com(slash)alexosaurus
The people of the tribe moved excited through the village, singing and dancing and feasting around the roaring bonfire that licked flames of different colors into the sky. She watched as the dry wood cracked and snapped inside of the fire, and her hand instantly came to cover the scar on her arm that resulted from the same chemical phenomenon. Her eyes closed in on the small group of men circling her father, the same man who saved her all those years ago, and an involuntary shiver ripped up her spine in an uncomfortable disgust as all of their eyes turned to her.
The multiple pairs of dark eyes all looked at her in a longing lust, except for those of her father. Their smiles were sly, and their bodies turned towards her in invitation, before being called back into the conversation circling around their leader. Her stomach pitted in horror, and she slowly backed away from the festivities, ducking down into the brush, before she was completely away from sight, and able to run further into the woods without being noticed.
Her feet bounded off the slightly marshy grounds, and her long legs easily helped her bound over fallen logs and trees. Dying leaves crunched under her feet, and she felt a soft chill rush through the air against the warm air that was still settled around them. She could tell that the cold seasons were approaching, and the death that seemed to come hand in hand wasn't a reassuring thought either.
She felt a rush of cold air brush through the thick lines of trees, and the sound of rushing water reached her ears before she pushed back the last of the shrubbery and opened herself to the large waterfall that the river fell into. Mist floated into the air, and littered her skin with small beads of water as she neared the beautiful portrait of nature, that led to the warm spring oasis she loved so much.
A small opening near the waterfall caught her eye, and she moved forwards towards the slippery stone. She stepped lightly, and kept careful care of herself as to not slip. Her fingers reached out and brushed the high pressured curtain of water, as she walked deeper into the cave hidden from sight, the mildew and smell of wet rock rising into her nose.
She heard the sound of hoof steps and the sound of soft conversation as she noticed that her father had the men he was talking to before, circled around him as they rode through the horse trails. She couldn't hear their conversation over the roar of the falls, but by the way they were looking around at their surroundings, she assumed they were looking for her.
She started to back further into the cave, but to her dismay, a dainty hand reached out and seized her arm. She turned in terror, but calmed the gasp in her throat when she noticed that it was only her friend, looking at her with determined, dark brown eyes.
"Sweetie…why are you hiding under a waterfall?"
"Angela," she muttered, her hand rising in boredom to remove the flowers that had been braided into her hair. "I'm sorry for not telling you but, I had to get away from the camp."
"Is your father trying to find a court for you again?"
"Sadly."
"Well, we're both a little old to not have husbands," Angela explained, her soft smirk following her quick fingers as she removed the braids and decorations from her best friend's flowing brown hair. Her fingers smoothed through the soft strands, and as always she envied the softness and golden colors that seemed to wrap within her hair. Her fair skin and bright eyes did well for her, and what confused many new comers about her heritage, others found very, very beautiful.
"Maybe so, Ange, but I don't understand why I must be held down by a husband. Why should I have to give my freedom to a man who does nothing other than suck up to my father and fight unfair wars," she argued with the passion of an obviously angered woman.
"Because as much as we would like it to be different, we live in a man's world sweetie," her friend offered, her soft skinned hands rising to gently brush against her cheeks. "What we were to do in life was set in stone the moment we were birthed, and no matter what, there's no going back."
"Maybe so, but wouldn't life be much more…fulfilling, if you waited long enough to have that life with someone you actually wanted to have that life with?"
"Of course it would," Angela muttered, with a shrug of her shoulder. "But we both know that you learn to love in this world. If you wait too long, life will pass you by completely."
"Which is why I don't feel the need to marry Angela. I'm in no way ready to give up my independence. I may be a woman, but I'm stronger than most others. I'm not one to easily break in a fight, and this one is no exception. I'm just getting tired of the awkwardness I feel with so many of the men in this village. It's unnerving to know that every one of them…"
"Want you?"
"Yes."
"Well, what did you except Temperance?" the lively woman asked, her hand linking with her friend's as she led her out of the wet cave they were conversing in. They walked out into the light, and easily picked their way down to the river's bed, the parting of the grass against their feet soothing, as Angela continued her statement. "Sweetie, you're different than any other woman in our village. You're exotic, and downright beautiful. Many of those men have never seen anything like you before, and are there for attracted to you. I'm sure it must be hard to have men falling for you, but in your situation, you have some gorgeous guys to choose from and I truthfully don't feel sorry for you."
"Then maybe you should go after one of them," Temperance offered, turning and walking backwards until her heels reached the edge of the rock crescent that guarded her oasis from the cold air sifting through the trees. "I know you might find some of them attractive, but just because they are strong means nothing to me. I don't feel the need to be protected, so shear strength is lost upon me."
"You're too hardheaded sweetie," her friend said lovingly, as she started leading them down the usual path into the alcove. "You need to lighten up a little bit. Take a chance on someone you're not really sure you want to take a chance on. Let the stars lead you for once, and not your mind."
"Angela, I may be too hardheaded, but you most definitely fantasize too much," she laughed, brushing her fingers against her cheek before she dove into the warm water, and rose to the surface with her hair slicked away from her face. "If I did what you wanted me to do, then I would be complying with my father, and marrying a man I didn't know. That is taking a chance I don't want to take. You know better than anyone that I will thoroughly think through any decision I'm going to make, before I make it."
"Yes, my angel Temperance, always so rational and in touch with her inner monologue," Ange grumbled, her legs dipping into the warm water as she settled herself onto the grass. She smiled as her friend swam closer to her, and her fingers casually ran through her wet hair as Temperance's arms crossed over Angela's dark skinned legs, and her eyes rose up to meet her own.
"I'm sorry, Angela, that I can't be like you want me to be, but I can't be anything other than what I am. I know exactly what I am isn't always fun when it comes to talking about my life, but look at it this way, if I do actually end up taking a chance, then it'll be a better conversation than if I always took chances," Temperance reasoned, her smile stretching across her face, before she heard the familiar echo of hooves, and turned quickly to see her father and her courtship moving through the trees. She released a soft squeak and ducked under the water, holding onto rocks and roots to keep her under the current.
Ange smirked as she looked up and met the eyes of her decorated leader. She nodded to him in recognition and smiled her sweet smile. "Hello Maska, can I help you?"
"Have you seen Temperance, Miss Angela? I seem to have lost her at the festivities," the gorgeous, but slightly wrinkled warrior asked, his back straight and proud as he displayed the paints that told of his many war conquests.
"I can't say I have, I'm sorry. Though, I'll be sure to tell her that you're looking for her if I see her."
A smile rose to the beautiful woman's lips as a curt nod was directed towards her. She watched and waited until the horses were out of sight, and far enough away to barely be heard, before she reached down and grabbed for her friend's hand. Temperance rose above the water, and reached for the grassy edge of the oasis, her breathing heavy as she coughed away the water that had settled within her lungs. Strands of her hair covered her face, and with a quick hand, she pushed the tendrils away with a laugh on her tongue.
"Next time, I'm running, than I won't be risking drowning," she teased, a weak laugh leaving her as she finally regained the right to breathe.
"In all truth sweetie, you should be heading back to the village. You're father will find you sooner or later. You might as well go to him first, and just say that you needed some time away from all the people, and then at least you can say that you're tired, and can ignore the advances of all those…delicious men," Ange offered, a smile on her lips as she rose to her feet, and extended a hand towards her dripping friend.
"I suppose you're right," Temperance whispered, her hands gathering her hair and squeezing out the extra water. "If you're heading back, just tell my father that I'll be back soon. I just need a little more time to myself."
"Will do," she agreed, her hand brushing against her friend's pale arm, before she retreated into the woods, and moved out of sight.
A deep breath settled in the bottom of Temperance's lungs, and her fingers brushed through the tangles of her hair before she worked away the water clinging to the fibers of her clothing. Her hands passed over her bare stomach, and brushed away water droplets, before she turned into the woodland flora arches, and decided to blindly stumble forward into the unexplored territories nearing the shore.
(Oooh Alternative Universes)
"Jared!" the tall, brown haired and tan man greeted as he stepped outside of the colony gates. His little brother held the usual Booth charm smile, and the two siblings locked their arms around each other as they came face to face. They laughed and ruffled each other's hair lovingly, before they separated and the older brother softly patted his younger brother's cheek. "I see you finally got enough money for the ticket over here."
"Hey, I couldn't let you have all the fun," the younger, amber eyed Booth declared. "The older sibling always seems to get the adventure."
"Hey, but not anymore," he assured, grabbing his brother's bag and throwing it over his shoulder. "You should have sent me some sort of notice before you jumped the ship. Maybe then I could have set up a comfortable cot for you."
"Oh Seeley, isn't that what this is about? Forget about the comfortable ways of life. We're here for adventure!"
"You can't very well have an adventure if you're cranky with a sore back," Seeley shot back, as he once again ruffled his brother's moppy hair. "And when was the last time you got your hair cut? I might have to hand you over to Miss Delilah to clean you up."
Jared grumbled softly, and raised his hand high enough to slap at his brother's wrist. They shared a brotherly laugh, before they ducked into the wooden cottage that Seeley had made himself. The one room abode wasn't much, but to him it was home. He dropped Jared's things near his bed, and he ran his dirtied fingers through his hair before he nodded towards a space at the far end of the room where a newly made bed could easily fit. "If you give me about a day, I can make you something to sleep on."
"It's going to be a little hard finding tough, dry wood out here though, isn't it Seeley?" his younger brother teased, his thin frame settling against his bed. "I noticed it was a little wet around here."
"It's fine Jared, I know exactly where to go to get the best and sturdiest wood," he assured, a smile on his face as he reached up and took the axe that was settled against the wall. "Of course, we could always make things interesting."
"Alright then…if you can come back with…a good twenty pounds of tough wood, then I'll do your chores for a week, and you can have free time to do whatever you want," Jared offered, a smirk on his lips as he rose to stand before his sibling. They were almost the same height, and amber clashed with chocolate in a tender love. They laughed and locked hands, kissing their knuckles in a childhood oath to uphold their bet.
"You'll be sorry little brother," Seeley muttered, as he opened his door to the smokey camp air. "You might as well learn some of the ropes now. You'll be using them a lot pretty damn soon."
(Oooh Alternative Universes)
Seeley's boots crunched dried leaves and twigs under his feet as he neared the drier areas of the forest. Light slashed through the large leaves that held the rain water high in the air, and dried the grounds almost instantly after rainfall. He smirked as a small animal jumped from trunk to trunk, and his fingers touched the bark of a nearby tree to determine how close he was to his week of freedom. Sure, he loved the life he was living, but his lack of restful breaks had left him weary on many occasions, and just the thought of relaxation was like the fine English wine he never got to taste.
In his mind, he was settled on himself, chasing his thoughts so deep into the recesses of his brain that he didn't notice the change of terrain under his feet from forest brush, to stone. He didn't realize that he was trekking up a hill, and he most certainly didn't realize that he was nearing the edge of a seemingly bottomless cliff that was littered with skin slashing thorns down to the last moment of life.
His foot touched the edge, and his body started to pitch forward, but a strong hand circled his arm, and pulled him backwards. He stumbled back, and fell on a collection of small stones, his soft groan rising into the air, as he opened his eyes and met the wide, sky blue gaze of his savior.
Her skin was pale, but she dressed like the Indians he had heard lived deep in the woods. Her hair was long, well kept, and shining under the sun's rays, as his hand absently rose to stroke the edges of the soft strands. She was panting from the terror, and inner turmoil was settled in her eyes, as she quickly stood and started to back away from him. Her mouth opened and she spoke first in native tongues, before her sweet voice came out in broken English, and she quickly disappeared into the darkness of the underbrush.
Who would have known that "fall far," would sound like an angelic symphony?