Guess Who? Chapter 14: Observations, a startrek: voyager fanfic

NOTE: Please see Chapter 1 for a general disclaimer.

Observations
by Hester (hester4418)
Rated PG

He stealthily creeps through the woods, trying not to make a sound. It is a game he plays with himself, not out of necessity but to pass the time. Every fallen tree he squeezes under, every rock that he scales in his rummagings, they are all imaginary fiends that need to be either conquered or avoided. In this way he usually passes most of his days, for solitude is his preferred way of life.

He's always known that he's different from the others. They like to stay within their family group, doing everything together − eating, sleeping, grooming, foraging for food. He went off on his own as soon as his mother stopped watching his every move. She keeps telling him to be careful, to stay on his guard and watch out for dangers, but he's long since discovered that there is really nothing to be afraid of. Apart from the bugs that occasionally bite them, his people have no enemies. And so his wanderings take him farther and farther away from home, beyond the river, exploring and discovering. When he returns to his mother every now and then to tell her of the things he's seen, she is mostly indifferent. Only once did he get a sign of grudging approval, after he brought home a sample of berries that he discovered in a secluded canyon about three days' travel from home. She liked them a lot, and for the first time acknowledged that there might be some merit to his explorations.

He is on his way to the canyon now, to look for more berries and possible other new discoveries. Giving up on stealth, he starts running fast, just because he can, dodging bushes and jumping over rocks. There is a clearing up ahead, and he prepares to exit the woods at a flying leap when an unfamiliar object catches his eye. He slams to a halt and hides behind a thick tree, pressing his back against the bark, drawing shallow breaths so as not to alert anyone of his presence.

When several minutes pass without any indication of trouble, he cautiously peeks around the tree towards the clearing. The object is still there, and he even perceives a second similar one behind it. They are grey as rocks, long and round as fallen tree trunks, and easily the strangest things he ever laid eyes on.

Suddenly he's scared. What if these are eggs that will eventually hatch the dangerous creatures his mother always warned him about? 'Shadow beasts' she called them, and if these are their eggs, those creatures must be enormous!

He cautiously starts moving backwards, employing every trick he ever taught himself to move as silently as possible, warily keeping an eye out for signs of ambush or pursuit. As soon as he's out of sight of the clearing, he starts running as fast as his feet will take him and doesn't stop until he reaches his family's home.

But a few days later, he is back at the clearing, peeking through the leaves of a large bush. When he told his parents and siblings about his discovery, they laughed at him, claiming that he was making up a tall story. No one, not even the elders, have ever seen the likes of what he described, so they couldn't fathom there being any truth to his statements. He'd sulked for a while and then decided that he had to go back and find more evidence, something that would support his claims. And if he is injured or killed in the attempt, it will just show them all how wrong they've been to doubt him!

One look at the clearing tells him that his fears were correct. The eggs are gone, but there are unfamiliar sounds coming from the other side of a copse of trees. Whatever was inside those eggs obviously decided to make these woods their new home.

He takes the long way around, keeping himself hidden as much as possible. When he figures that he is close enough, he climbs one of the tall trees and carefully peers through the dense foliage. His hiding place turns out to be perfect; the strange creatures are in plain sight but they in turn can't see him. He makes himself comfortable and starts to observe them.

There are two of them and they are large, more than twice as tall as himself, with broad shoulders and long limbs. However, their teeth and claws don't look particularly sharp, so maybe they aren't as predatory as he feared? He'll have to watch them closely to find out what they eat.

What puzzles him most is the small cave they apparently live in. There has never been a cave in this area of the woods before, so where did it come from? Did they maybe create it themselves?

When night falls, he is startled to discover that they have a small sun in their cave that will continue to shine long after the day is over. It is so bright that looking at it blinds him and he has trouble going to sleep.

Another couple of days later, he is still uncertain what to make of the newcomers. He leaves his perch only long enough to find food and has spent the rest of his time observing them. They seem benevolent enough, or at least he hasn't seen them attack anything but trees.

By now he suspects that one of the creatures is male and the other female, even though it is hard to tell. Their bodies are obscured by some sort of coverings that change from one day to the next.

He soon sees a chance to find out more. There's a new pond outside the cave, and the smaller creature is falling into the habit of taking baths at night. He wavers for several days, but then his curiosity wins out and he decides to take a chance. He waits until the creature has stepped into the pond and then he cautiously creeps down from his tree and moves closer. Alas, despite all his training, he isn't quiet enough. They corner him and blind him, and he's so afraid that he can't even think of escaping. He draws himself up as tall as he can and stands his ground, eyes watering in the bright light that seems to follow them around. They make strange noises and point at him but don't come closer, which he takes as a good sign. Then his survival instinct finally kicks in and he turns tail and runs, away into the darkness, away from the strangers.

This time, he stays longer with his family. They scold him for his folly and obsession, and tell him he shouldn't go back beyond the river. It's not good for him. Only Jajiza listens quietly and even asks a few questions when they are alone. He always liked Jajiza better than the other girls, and now it turns out that she likes him, too. For a while, he is distracted by this unexpected development, and he discovers that there are many other exciting things to life he didn't know about. Jajiza shows him, and he's happier and more content than he's ever been before.

In time though, he becomes restless again. He misses roaming the woods and the canyons, and he also can't help wondering what's become of the strangers by now. Are they even still there?

It takes some doing, but in the end he can convince Jajiza to join him. She's almost as curious as he is, only she hides it better.

At Jajiza's insistence, they approach the cave at night. The small sun is shining again, its light spilling out through a large hole in the side wall. It hurts their eyes at first but they gradually get used to it. Soft sounds can be heard from inside the cave and they steal closer until they can peek through the hole.

The taller creature is bent over the smaller one, obviously grooming its long hair. He feels Jajiza's fingers on his neck, sliding through his own shorter hair, mirroring what they see inside the cave. When the smaller creature suddenly rises and then disappears around a wall, he's disappointed. But just when they are about to retreat, the creature returns and the two of them sit together, just like he and his family do when they tell each other about their day. And then...

He turns to Jajiza excitedly and sees his own astonishment mirrored in her eyes. They are alike. The strangers may be taller, more muscular, with less hair and inexplicable night-glowing suns. But they've just seen proof that these creatures seek comfort and joy in each other, just like he and Jajiza do. The discovery strengthens his hope that they can coexist peacefully.

He'll give them a few days, and then he'll try approaching them again, this time during daytime. Maybe they can even be friends.

-==/ The End \==-

SPOILER SPACE

SPOILER

SPACE

-==/ The New Earth monkey observing Janeway and Chakotay \==-

We didn't get to see all that much of the monkey during the episode, so I thought he deserved the chance to tell his side of the story. And if you thought of Chakotay during the first part of this little tale, that was altogether intentional... ;-)