I wouldn't necessarily call this a sequel to my story Acceptance, but I do have Guy's background from that story in mind here. I don't think it's super important for you to have read Acceptance, but it might provide context, so check it out if you are so inclined.

On a completely unrelated note, I recently read and really enjoyed the Croods story "The Day the Darkness Got Its Name" from atippleofyourtears. It's in the crossovers so I didn't notice it at first, but I definitely recommend it. It's listed in my favorite stories if you don't feel like searching for it.

Thanks Karts of Sugar Rush for the review! I'll see what I can do about working in the pets...but really, there's a lot of them, plus nine actual characters to deal with so...no promises, is what I'm saying! If I can keep track of Belt, Chunky, and Douglas, I'll be satisfied.

Sorry to babble so much – on to the chapter.


Guy woke early the next morning, with the sky still pink overhead. He tried to lay still for a time without much success. Finally, he got up quietly, scooping up a still-snoozing Belt, and crept to the copse of trees where he'd left his parents. He peered under the branches, and there they were, still sleeping, curled together. One of Pal's arms circled his mate's waist protectively. Guy watched them for a moment, and then slipped away. It still didn't feel real. He wondered what they had thought of him, yesterday. He wondered what today would bring. Part of him wanted to wake them and find out, but he squashed that selfish thought immediately.

Eep was probably up. He'd find her instead. Sure enough, he found Eep's shoes at the base of the cliff and shaded his eyes with his hand to look up. She always went barefoot when she climbed, and she liked to watch the sunrise in the mornings. Guy could see her feet kicking off the edge of her ledge. Not wanting to call and wake everyone else, he put Belt down and pitched a rock up at the cliff wall. It didn't get anywhere near her, but the sound of it striking the cliff made her look down. He waved.

Eep waved back, and then slipped over the edge of the ledge to make her way down the cliff. When she was most of the way down, she backflipped off the wall and landed in the grass in front of him.

He grinned. "Show off."

She grinned back and sat down to put her shoes back on. "What's up?" she said.

"Nothing," he said, sitting down next to her. "I just woke up early." Belt grumbled from where he was curled up on the grass.

"Oh," she said, lounging back on her hands. "Well, it's a beautiful morning."

"Yeah," Guy said, looking up into sky. The pink was slowly giving way to clear blue. Guy felt restless, anxious to see how the day was going to turn out. He and the Croods had fallen into a comfortable routine here, and he wasn't sure how his rediscovered family fit into it. He was nervous, though he really couldn't put his finger on why. "Things are going to be weird for a while," he said.

"Weird how?" Eep asked, rolling onto her side to face him, propping her head up on her elbow. "Because of your family?"

Guy nodded. "When things change, there's always an adjustment period. Like when we met, or when we got here. It's always weird for a little while." He hesitated. "I might be spending a lot of time with them."

"So you're not going to be around," Eep said slowly. "That's what you're trying to tell me." She rolled her eyes. "Why didn't you just say so?"

Guy winced. "Sorry. Uh..."

"I get it," Eep said, pushing herself up and wrapping her arms around her knees. "You need some time. It's okay."

"Okay," he said, relaxing. "But you'll tell me if it's not, right?"

"Yeah," she said, nudging his shoulder with hers. She paused, and he looked at her.

"Eep?"

"There is one thing," she said, uncharacteristically quiet.

"Yeah?" Guy waited while she worked up her nerve.

"Well, I get that you missed them and you're going to want to spend time with them but – you're not going to leave, are you?" she asked, looking at the ground.

"What?" Guy's eyes widened.

Eep plucked at the blades of grass around her feet. "They might not want to stay here. If they don't, you'd want to go with them, wouldn't you?"

He opened his mouth and shut it again. He felt like an idiot that she had seen it before he had, but of course there was a risk. Hadn't he told her himself that his dad hadn't ever really taken to village life? Pal loved to explore, and he'd said yesterday they had been traveling since they got to Tomorrow. It made sense that he would want to keep going. And they wouldn't want to just leave him behind—would they?

His throat tightened. He'd just found them again, and the thought of them leaving was painful, but...He looked away from Eep, back over the valley.

"I hadn't thought about it," Guy said truthfully. It was not the answer she wanted, he knew, but he was careful with his promises – especially with her.

Somehow everything had become so complicated since he'd stopped having to run for his life every day.

Eep watched him for a moment, and then stood up. "Want to go for a run?"

Guy looked up at her, surprised.

"Come on," she grinned. "I'll give you a head start."

Guy chuckled. "What's the point? You'll leave me behind anyway."

"Probably," she agreed cheerfully, bouncing on her toes. "Especially if you don't get up and move."

She was off before Guy could form a reply, pelting at full speed towards the mouth of the valley.

"So much for a head start," Guy muttered, standing up. Leaving Belt asleep on the grass, he set off at a fast jog. There was no point in trying to catch Eep, and he'd just exhaust himself if he tried. He thought he knew where she was headed, anyway. He jogged through the jungle on their well-worn path towards the beach. Eep was waiting for him, and they turned down the beach together. Eep kept pace with him for a few minutes before charging off ahead again. Guy settled into the ground-devouring lope he'd perfected over the years, content to catch up with her whenever she got tired – or whenever she decided to stop running. She really had more endurance than was fair for someone running at that speed, he'd often noticed.

As he settled into the familiar rhythm, focusing on the movement of his feet, the restlessness he'd felt since waking started to slacken, the anxiety twisting his chest to loosen. It really was a nice day, the morning breezy and cool but not too windy, the sun shining on the blue-green water. He let his worry go and settled into the run.

Once he could have kept this pace up for hours, but after months of relatively comfortable living where he rarely had to travel any great distance, he found that it wasn't as easy as it had been - especially on the soft sand under him. Running in this stuff was work.

Not that Eep seemed to notice. By the time she stopped and turned to wait for him, it was really pride more than anything else that was keeping him going. As he caught up to her, he could see the sheen of sweat on her face and shoulders, but that was the only sign of her exertion. It really was just wrong, he thought, bending over to rest his hands on his knees.

"Feel better?" she asked.

"Yeah," he gasped, trying to get enough air in his lungs to speak clearly. "I do, actually." He grinned at her. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet," she laughed. How did she have enough breath to laugh? Unfair, unfair, unfair. "We still have to go back."

"Yeah, well, we can take our time with that one," he said, managing to stand up straight.

"You always take your time," she grinned, and when he made a face at her, Eep stepped close and pressed a kiss to his lips.

When she moved back, he moved with her, cupping her face and catching her mouth again. She leaned into him, her lips parting under his as his other arm circled her back. Dark and light, how long had it been since he last kissed her? It felt like forever. He didn't risk it often, with Grug always lurking around where he was least expected.

But the overprotective caveman was not here and Guy was so hungry for this. Life was so much simpler when it was just the two of them, just her small hands on his chest and her muscled back under his splayed fingers and the taste of salt on her mouth.

He was still out of breath and his need for air drove them apart sooner than he would have liked, but he couldn't help feeling smug that, as he rested his forehead against hers and desperately tried to pull in enough air to keep from passing out, she was finally panting too.

"Promise me you won't go without telling me," she said softly.

He was careful with his promises, but he didn't have to hesitate with this one. "I promise." There was so much more he wanted to say, but he didn't trust himself, not with her body pressed against him and the taste of her still on his lips.

They both looked up as the sound of a shell horn rang out in two short blasts. "Guess the family's up," Guy sighed, releasing Eep. She made a face, and then took out her own shell and sounded two short calls back.

They cut through the jungle to get back to the valley, and Eep stayed beside him the whole way, her hand in his whenever the terrain allowed it.

Belt cooed happily as they reentered the valley, and ambled over to Guy. "Hey, sleepyhead," Guy laughed, picking him up. Belt blew a raspberry and arranged himself around Guy's waist.

"There you are," Grug came towards them, his face stormy. "Where have you been?"

"Running," Eep said calmly, her eyes narrowed slightly. Guy flinched and tried not to look guilty as Grug leaned toward him suddenly, sniffing.

"It's a nice day," Guy ventured. Grug growled. Guy hated this part; he knew it was all bluster, but his finely honed survival instincts still screamed "DANGER, DANGER" at him every time Grug towered over him like this.

Suddenly Guy felt a hand on his arm, pulling him back, and Pal stepped between Guy and the caveman, glaring up at Grug. Oh, this is bad, Guy thought, seeing Grug's eyebrows lower into a genuine scowl.

"Uh, uh," Guy stammered, grabbing his father's arm. "Dad, it's okay."

Pal didn't move, staring down the caveman, or rather, staring up at him, since Grug was easily twice the nomad's size. For a moment the two fathers glared in tense silence, and then Grug growled, and hopped around them both, hooking an arm around Eep and moving her away.

"Hey!" she scowled, as Grug shoved her, but Guy shook his head at her, and she pouted and growled but didn't put up a fight as her father frog-marched her away.

"You shouldn't have done that," Guy sighed, putting a hand over his face. "I can handle him. He wasn't going to hurt me."

"Hmph," was all Pal said, distaste evident on his face.

"He's not that bad," Guy insisted. "Just—protective."

"Protective," Pal said flatly, folding his arms.

Inda came running up to them, putting both hands on Guy's arm. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Mom," Guy said. "It was no big deal."

"I thought you said you were like family to these people," Inda said, her face tense. "That didn't look like the way you treat family to me."

"It's—a little more complicated than that," Guy muttered, feeling his face heat. "It's fine, he won't actually hurt me." Probably. If only because Eep would never forgive him.

Inda glanced back over her shoulder. "Guy, if you're not happy here—"

"Stop." Guy forced a smile, but there was no real humor in his expression. "I know what it feels like to be an outsider. That's not what this is. He's just a dad who doesn't want his little girl to grow up." Guy folded his arms. "It's not like the nomad tribes were any better. I've been chased out of camps just for talking to women – not even girls my age, for talking to married women older than you!" He shrugged. "I think I prefer Grug's growling to some of the things they said."

Inda looked stricken, and Guy bit his tongue. He hadn't meant to upset her. He put his arm around her shoulders. "Mom, really, it's okay." Guy looked at Pal. "Just let me handle it. We've got a system," he grinned. "He growls at me, I look scared for a few minutes, he makes a big show about pushing Eep away, and five minutes later everything's back to normal. I can't say I enjoy it, but I'm used to it."

Inda still looked unhappy. "I just think you deserve better than that."

That caught Guy off guard. "I—" he smiled. "Thanks, Mom. I don't think anybody's ever said that to me before."

Indignation flared in Inda's eyes, followed by sorrow, and she put her arms around him. A quiet sob shook her.

"Mom?" he said, and turned round eyes on his father.

"Oookay, let's not start that," Pal said gently, putting a hand on Inda's shoulder. "You'll just tire yourself out. Guy and I have work to do, why don't you go get a little more rest?"

Inda straightened and wiped her eyes, and moved off back towards the fire.

"I didn't mean to make her unhappy," Guy said, watching her go.

"It's not your fault," Pal said. "She's just upset that we couldn't be there for you. So am I," he admitted, a lopsided smile on his face, "But there's nothing we can do about it now." He cleared his throat. "So. Fishing spears?"

"Yeah. Yeah!" Guy said, brightening. "Come on, I want to show you something."

Guy stopped by the fire for a torch and then led his father to a crevice in the cliff walls. "There're a few caves in this valley," he explained. "We use most of them for storage." He slipped through the crack into the short tunnel beyond, Pal trailing behind him. After a few paces, the tunnel opened up into a small cavern barely tall enough for them to walk without crouching.

"Okay, here we go," Guy said excitedly, holding up his torch. "Ah, let's see, we've got horns over here, bones over there, plenty of dried sinew - I think I have some already made into cords over here somewhere, and oh, there's a stack of wood by the entrance that I was keeping for spears. Take whatever you need," he said, picking his way through the neat piles arranged in the little cave.

"Wow," Pal said, staring around. "You've been busy."

Guy shifted, grinning a little. This was riches, as far as he was concerned, and he was proud of his little cache. He would never lack for raw materials again if he could help it.

As Pal sorted through the items, a thought occurred to Guy. He handed his torch to Belt and put him on the floor, and then bent over the small pile of bones. Guy picked up one or two, examined them, and put them back. When he found what he was looking for, he slipped it into the feathered pouch on his hip.

"Tools?" Pal said, looking up.

"I've got my knife," Guy said, walking over to the far end of the little cave and crouching down by a small ledge. "More over here if we need them. Or if these won't work, tell me what we need and I'll make it."

Pal came and picked through the blades, picking up a couple of ax heads and testing their weight. "Okay, this should do it," he said, backing out to where he could stand straight. Guy helped him gather up the items he had picked out, and then went back out into the sun. Guy tossed his torch into the fire, and directed Pal to the corner of the valley where he usually worked. "Watch your step," Guy said, kicking aside a sharp chip of rock left over from making his flint tools. "I try to keep it cleaned up, but the flakes can be hard to find in the grass. That's why I mostly only work over here." He glanced at his father's bare feet. "I should make you some shoes," he said thoughtfully.

"What's that?" Pal asked, jerking his chin towards a ring of stones off to their left.

Guy grinned. "That's my thinking circle. I don't know if you noticed, but the family can be a little - uh...there. All the time. Loudly. That little circle has saved my sanity. Nobody's allowed allowed to cross the stones or talk to me while I'm in them." He shrugged. "It mostly works. Except for Grug; every once in a while he bugs me just to prove he can, but he never stays for long, so I don't really mind. So." He threw himself on the grass. "Show me what to do."

Pal grinned, and took a seat across from him, picking up a piece of antler from their piles of supplies. He explained to Guy what they were going to do, and started working a piece of antler. Guy watched him for a few minutes, then began working on his own.

"You know, your mother never gave up hope that you'd survived," Pal commented, glancing at Guy.

Guy smiled.

Pal didn't. "I did. I was sure you were dead. I thought, even when we made you run away, there was no chance...then when we found your pack, I was sure. I gave up on you entirely."

Guy's smile faded. He wasn't really sure what to think about that.

"Clearly I underestimated you," Pal said, finally beginning to smile. "And it looks like I owe you an apology. Not only did you live, but you grew up, and became a man. I'm proud of you, son."

Guy hadn't known how much he wanted to hear that. He swallowed hard. "Thanks, Dad."

"I think it's actually been a little tough on your mom, seeing you so grow up. She still thinks of you as her little boy, who couldn't make it without her, and instead we find you here, healthy and happy, helping to lead a family and courting a mate."

Guy flushed. He hadn't thought of his relationship with Eep in quite those terms before...but that was what he was doing, wasn't it? He fixed his eyes on the piece of antler in his hands.

"You are still just courting, right?" Pal asked him in a lowered voice, glancing at him sidelong, and Guy's knife slipped off the antler with a jerk.

Guy's face burned but he tried to keep his tone light. "Uh, you remember that big guy who was so welcoming just now? Also his big pet with the giant claws and teeth?"

"Very wise, son," Pal looked like he was trying not to laugh. Then he cleared his throat and spoke in a rush. "Look, Guy, there's a lot of talks we probably should have had while you were growing up that we never got the chance to have, and I know you've probably figured a lot of it out on your own by now, but—I'm just saying, if you have questions—"

Guy's mouth dropped open. "Dad."

"I'm just saying, sometimes stories men swap about the things that did or didn't go on inside their tents aren't the most accurate source of information," Pal continued. "Especially young men. They tend to—exaggerate. So before you decide to—uh—"

"Dad!" Guy covered his face with his hands.

"You should just make sure you have your facts straight," Pal finished inexorably, suddenly extremely focused on his own work.

"Thanks," Guy said dryly. "I'll, uh...keep that in mind." He cleared his throat, glancing around to make sure no one else was in hearing range. He didn't think so, although Gran was a little too close for comfort, and she looked like she was laughing at something.

Better her than—

"What's that?" Guy glanced up to see Eep examining his father's work – from rather close range. She was practically in Pal's lap. She grabbed his hand and pulled it to a better angle for her to see.

"Eep," Guy said, trying not to laugh, both at Eep's enthusiasm and Pal's disconcerted expression as he leaned away from her. "Remember our talk about personal space?"

Eep immediately let go of Pal and retreated a few steps. "Oh. Sorry. So what is it?"

"It's part of a fishing spear," Pal told her, showing her the notched barbs he was working into the piece of antler.

"Why can't you just use a regular spear?" Eep wanted to know, eyes still on the piece.

"You could," Pal said, going back to work, "But these work much better. Regular spears are too heavy and not fast enough, and the barbs on these keep the fish from slipping off and getting away."

"Ohhhh," Eep said. "But it's so short."

"This is just the end," Pal told her—a little stiffly, Guy thought. The boy frowned a little, and then smiled to himself as an idea took shape in his mind. When they'd first arrived, Eep had spent hours on the rocks near the beach, giggling and staring at the fish. She'd tried to catch a few by hand, but hadn't had much luck.

"Eep, can you tell us what kind of fish you've seen?" He nodded at the cliff wall next to him. "Maybe draw a few?"

Eep looked skeptical. "I don't paint as well as my dad does."

"I know, but it doesn't have to be perfect. I just want Dad to know what's out there."

Pal was the one looking skeptical now, but Guy just smiled to himself.

"Okay," Eep said, scooping a handful of dirt and stepping to the wall.

Guy went back to working on his piece of antler, grinning, as she sketched out several varieties of fish, talking the whole time. He kept one eye on his father, whose expression went from skeptical to incredulous to impressed as Eep talked. She was right, her drawings weren't great, but her memory for detail was excellent, and her descriptions more than made up for her lack of artistic expertise. There was only so much one could do with dirt on stone, anyway. When Pal questioned her, she was able to tell him where she had seen which fish and at what time of day. By the time Ugga called her away, Guy couldn't keep the smile off his face. He glanced up at Pal, quirking an eyebrow.

"She's got a good eye," Pal said, a little gruffly, and it was so like one of Grug's grudging compliments that Guy almost laughed.

"Yeah," was all Guy said. "She's full of surprises."


This type of story is pretty far out of my comfort zone, so it's nice to have feedback. Please leave me a review if you enjoyed it (or if you didn't, that's okay too). I have to say I have mad respect for the movie writers – it's NOT easy to keep track of so many characters, which is why it's easier to split them off into small groups. Ah well, it's good to stretch yourself, right? Right. Ahem. I'm also not planning for this story to be quite as minute-by-minute as it's been so far. Sorry about that.