Under the watchful eye of Bolin, and with the help of Dingo to locate the items in the trucks, Liam and Nayeli returned to the clinic with their personal bags and the one that held the satellite phone.
They took the items to the clinic, but laid the bags carefully on the corner of the small porch. Under the continued watch of Bolin, they sat together, watching the gathering of the humans and the gargoyles. They couldn't hear anything, and what little they could hear, it was in a different language.
They did see the doctor, however, when he stood in the firelight facing the elders of his tribe, the gargoyle clan standing tall and still behind them.
The doctor was gesturing wildly, his voice raised in that foreign language, when one of the tribal elders stood and motioned for the doctor to stop.
The elder appeared to be speaking, and one by one the tribal members made their choice.
There was a cry from an older woman, and a man gently led her away.
Liam sighed and slung an arm over Nayeli's shoulders as the doctor was escorted from the circle.
Evidently, the choice had been made and the vote cast.
Judging by the woman's reaction, he didn't need a translator to know what the decision had been.
{+}+{+}+{+}+{+}+{+}+{+}
The gathering broke soon after. A few of the humans moved to take up their lookout posts, while most went into one of the buildings, presumably to get rest.
Most of the clan stayed around the fire. One female walked back towards the nearest of the rock formations, while one of the few that the kids had already met broke away to walk in their direction.
Koa, the second in command, approached them with a hand raised in greeting.
Liam and Nayeli hurried to their feet as the male made his way to the medical clinic.
Koa gave them a smile in greeting, and only a trace of sadness in his eyes gave away that anything was wrong. "Greetings, again," He greeted the two young ones. "I wonder if your clan leader is inside?"
"Yes," Nayeli said with a smile. "He's inside. I can go get him, if you would like."
"No need, little one," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Our clan's hatchlings are being gathered now, and will be here shortly. I know that they will be excited to meet you."
Nayeli gave him a sad smile. "I am sorry about your friend."
Koa shook his head. "That is not for you to worry about, little one. Auton has been away for far too long, and was not happy with what he had. He was always wanting more, and that want led to him making his own choices. It is a sad thing to see him go, as I was here to see him born and watch him grow, but he cannot be allowed to stay if he cannot respect the tribe's laws."
Nayeli frowned. "What will happen to him?"
Koa lifted a shoulder. "He will probably return to the traveling doctors, though I do not know for certain."
As Koa passed them and entered the building, there was a chorus of laughter that drew both Liam and Nayeli's attention.
Turning, they spotted a small group of hatchlings as they hurried towards the pair of them. In the lead was a small female who seemed to almost be racing with a…
"Is that a kangaroo?" Nayeli asked, almost bouncing in excitement. "A real kangaroo?"
Liam laughed. "Well, if it's a fake one, I'd be really impressed."
Nayeli reached out and slugged her brother's shoulder. "You know what I mean."
The lead female came to an almost skidding stop, and the Kangaroo mirrored her actions.
"Hello," the girl said with a wide smile. "My name's Bindi."
"I'm Nayeli," she said, looking between the female and the kangaroo.
Bindi threw her head back and laughed. "I almost forgot. You are from America. Have you never seen a kangaroo before?"
Nayeli shook her head. "Not in person. I have seen some in pictures or movies."
Bindi reached out a hand. "Most are not friendly with those not of their own kind, but this one seems to have adopted us. Come and meet her," she invited. As Nayeli approached, Bindi said, "This is Lenah. We saved her from a brush fire when she was a baby. She's friendly."
Nayeli reached out hesitantly, brushing a soft hand over the kangaroo's head. Lenah closed her eyes, and pressed into her palm.
Bindi laughed. "See? We tried to return her to the wild, but she just kept coming back and sleeping with the clan during the day. Now, we're not certain she'd survive on her own in the wild."
Nayeli smiled at the small kangaroo. "Hello, Lenah," she said softly, then looked at the female."It is nice to meet you."
"It is good to meet you, too," Bindi said. "We have been hoping to meet you."
Nayeli blinked at Bindi, then let her gaze roam over the others. There were six total, four boys and two girls.
One by one, Bindi introduced the clan hatchlings to both Liam and Nayeli. "These are my brothers Mani, Omeo, Ponto, Yarran and my sister, Orana."
"This is Liam," Nayeli said, turning to motion him forward and off of the porch. "My brother."
Without hesitation, without question, the two Americans were surrounded by laughter and acceptance.
