The loud carol of a robin was what drew Krissa from her slumber, her lashes parting and her lids peeling open to lay upon the steaming embers of what had once been a roaring fire now all that was left among the stones lining the pit. A soft sigh escaped her, the clear not yet touched by golden rays but instead bathed in lazy, dim blue. Her chartreuse-hazel gaze then beheld further, falling on the bulky snoozing frame of Slate. The chimp was curled in a partial fetal position, his spear laid within one hand, the other cast carelessly over his snout and eyes. Her heart hiccuped in her chest at first, but she soon recalled the events of the evening before, and calmed herself. Krissa stirred and blinked, her eyelids naturally heavy as she rolled over onto her back where she laid upon her blanket. A shiver ran through her and she hugged herself, gazing up toward the massive, towering trees. After taking a couple of moments to wake herself, she sat up and rubbed her right eye free of sand.
She supposed it was time to take a bath. Getting to her feet, she retrieved a towel. Krissa headed down toward the river at the base of the hill, not particularly thrilled to submerge herself into the freezing body of water. Once reaching the bank, she undressed and waded her way into the crystal-clear chilly depths, teeth chattering as her bare skin was met with the gentle tug of the current. Krissa knelt and then ducked her head under, disappearing for a moment. The water was refreshing, even when it was already cool enough outside. Washing the dirt from her body and her hair, she scrubbed with quick hands and made haste before, goosebumps breaking out across her skin. Wrapping her arms around her slender torso, she gazed off across the river, watching how in the deeper areas she could just make out the shadows of a few fish.
You didn't have to ask Krissa twice to climb out and dry off. The survivor waded back onto shore, letting out gasps as her slick flesh hit the open air. Quickly grabbing the old towel, she dried herself off as fast as possible and finally wrapped herself up. After retrieving her clothes, she darted up the side of the hill, nearly skinning her knees as she crawled under the hanging blankets and into the crawl-space that was her shelter. Unzipping her bag, she went through what few items of clothes she had, stripping herself of her soaked bra and undergarments and exchanging them for new, dry ones. Krissa then tugged her dark grey NASA t-shirt and cuffed the sleeves, tucking it in once she had followed with her father's old jeans before slipping on her socks and lace-ups once more. She then folded the cuffs of the long pants into the lip of the footwear. The woods would become warmer as the day went on, hopefully. Pulling her dark chocolate curls up into a bun, she allowed some of it to hand loose, seeing as they would fall out as she worked; she had a heavy day of labor planned out.
Finally clothed, Krissa ducked under her bow and quiver's strap, and began to attach her knife to her thigh. Her belt was tightened and then cinched closed. The survivor then moved to the exit and parted the blankets that shielded the mouth of the cave, only to jolt in surprise when she met Slate's tawny eyes. Her head met the surface of the ceiling, earning a tiny squeak from her. With a dainty hand, she reached up rubbed the bump, wincing in pain. He really needed a bell. "You're up," she remarked sourly, although more towards the ache in her skull. His wide steely eyes washed over her, intrusive and perplexed, as if he couldn't quite understand what kind of animal she was. Once she was outside, she skirted around the ape and began to make for the river. As she walked, Krissa tilted her head over her shoulder, watching as the primate grew further and further away from her.
"You should go home!" she called to the chimpanzee, clearly busy with other tasks at the time. Pivoting back around, she came to the bank and followed along until she came to the shallowest end and splashed her way through, the small pebbles crunching beneath her boots. Krissa had only made it halfway through the river when she heard the trees above her rustle, a few chuffs escaping her pursuer. Frowning slightly, she finally made it to the opposite bank and began to head east, stepping over her usual path. Krissa could feel the warm sunshine beginning to bleed through the in watery shafts, illuminating the side of her torso facing the burning ball of light. Everything was touched with dew, gleaming in the morning rays. The bird song above was the only sound, aside from the occasional rattle of leaves as (she assumed) Slate kept an eye on her from above. Krissa would occasionally shoot the leering onlooker a peek as he meandered, sometimes closer, sometimes further. Initially he appeared to watched with intent, but the longer she made her way deeper into the woods, he seemed to lose interest and lag behind, before disappear altogether.
She had traveled for perhaps thirty minutes until she was sure that he was gone, and thus she began to eye the trees for a different sort of creature. The survivor slipped her weapon from over her head, disentangling herself from between the string and the recurve longbow itself, drawing one of her hand-made mottle-feathered arrows as she readied for her first victim. Krissa's ears pricked as soon as she spotted the lira above, it's fuzzy tail flicking occasionally as it gnawed on a seed pod in it's tiny paws. Swallowing gently, she recalled what her father had said about archery. Drawing with a deep breath, the survivor raised herself from where she crouched. Krissa felt her shoulder latch into place and then let the arrow fly, knocking the squirrel down from the branch of the fir. Elated by her success, she couldn't help but feel a smile ghost across her caramel attributes, her supple pink lips flashing gentle ivory teeth.
Retrieving her catch, she hung it over her shoulder by the throat, having strung it using the piece of twinge she always carried inside of her leather quiver. Despite stumbling across many chances for a successful hunt, Krissa would sometimes make too much noise or be spotted, which would typically end with her frustrated any other day… but for some odd reason, today she was determined to keep her wits about her and continue trucking along. She finally came to a stop in a little clearing and by now the sun was already in the cerulean stretch above the towering canopy. Toadstools littered the ground where she stepped, and being cautious of the plants, she chose to rest beside them. Setting her weapons down, along with her three prized catches and a singular cotton-tail, she rested her hands on the base of her back and leaned back, attempting to remove the stiffness within her back. Sleeping outside had taken its toll on Krissa- she just hoped that she wouldn't end up catching a cold. That's deadly these days, she mused inwardly.
Judging by where the sun sat, it had been perhaps an hour and a half, maybe two. Settling down in the thick moss and liverwort clumps, she unsheathed her knife and began to untie the squirrels. A few fir needles stirred next to her and then suddenly the impact of something heavy hitting the ground nearly sent her ducking out of the way. Her eyes flitted up, her sharp hiss escaping through rosy lips. "Christ.." she gasped, shaking her head at Slate's rumbling. So he had returned... what did this chimp find so interesting about her? Where had he gone? Had he been following her the entire time without her knowing?
"Could you remember to warn me before you suddenly show up?" Shooting the primate a glance, she met his eyes momentarily before returning her focus back down at the animals she had been preparing to gut and skin. It had never been her greatest strength before… The blade met the belly of the lira and she began to make small incisions in the skin, pulling back the flesh as best she could to reveal muscle. Krissa continued to do this, having great difficulty with removing what she could- this would explain why some of her food was still fuzzy in places. What could she do, though? Her dad hadn't completely finished teaching her-
A series of cough-like sounds erupted from the ape next to her. Krissa could feel the ape scrutinizing her as she struggled. A large hand suddenly brushed at the young woman's shoulder -albeit lightly, as if he were afraid she would bite him- to which she responded with a grunt of irritation but nothing more. Ignoring Slate, she moved her blade up toward it's throat, blood beginning to ooze from where she had cut. Cussing under her breath, the young woman moved to a different end of the body, just under the legs; unfortunately this time her blade cut too deep and severed a tendon. Slate pushed her this time and Krissa's head shot up. "What?" she questioned.
"Human… not doing it .. right," the ape declared.
"Not doing it right?" she echoed, the words leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. She was still learning! "You mean not to your standards?"
His teeth flashed for a moment, curling his lip at her response. Here she was, a goddamn chimpanzee telling her how to skin an animal. Of all things! Didn't they just eat the skin as well? Rolling her eyes, Krissa moved to continue her hack-job when once again, Slate disturbed her. This time, the brute grabbed for the squirrel. "Hey!" snapped the survivor. "That's mine, you sonova-"
Before she could finish her sentence, Slate swiped the knife from her hand, ending the squabble there. Exchanging an intense scowl with the animal, she remained stiff as a board, refusing to budge any further. Finally, a huff escaped his nostrils and he turned his head down toward the lira in front of him. Great… just great! Not only had he stolen her food, but he had her father's handy skinning knife. Despite her resentment, she couldn't help but peer over and observe as he began to skin the animal with swift hands, using one large coriaceous paw to hold the animal by the tail. All at once, he stripped the pelt off the haunches and trunk of the creature without much trouble. Slate continued by doing the same to the head and discarding of the fur, exposing the tender pink flesh beneath.
Krissa, dumbfounded by the little effort he had needed, gawked at the rodent now laying in the moss. A chuff brought her attention back up to Slate's face; his hand shot forward, fingers pressed together whilst his thumb rested upon his index finger. The chimp then drew it toward him and quickly brushed it against his chest. 'Give.' Understanding, she handed over the other two squirrels, having them snatched from her hands. Slate's limbs moved rhythmically, repeating his actions once again, only this time Krissa studied them. "Dig… knife too deep," remarked the chimp. Although uneasy, she shuffled closer and peeked further over his shoulder. "Draw blood, you make pelt too.. sticky." Was he actually teaching her? His head turned up, something flashing behind his tawny eyes for a moment as he realized how close she was to him. Slate didn't move though. His hand twitched, drawing her attention. 'Slit just above the tail, pull it off the haunches,' he instructed, sniffing and panting. 'Makes it easier.'
Slate then demonstrated, and once more, the pelt stripped off cleanly without error. "Now.. you do.. it," he ordered, shoving the knife back in her direction and picking up the final untouched rodent, tossing it out in front of her. She was suddenly nervous. Gripping the blade's handle in her palm, she swallowed and reached down, doing just as he had before. Tail, then the haunches; Krissa followed though and used her foot to hold down the tail, beginning to strip upward.
The chimp beside her suddenly croaked, catching her attention and stopping her in her tracks. 'Not so gentle,' he advised flatly. Nodding, Krissa tugged a bit harder and found that the skin separated from the meat with little to no problem. A rumble of approval rang close to her ears. He had leaned closer. Mirroring his previous actions, Krissa managed to remove the rest of the pelt, tossing it to the side. Pride swelled in her chest.
She had learned to skin a squirrel.
After the animals were gutted and cleaned out, thanks to Slate's helpful - although nonetheless lukewarm - teachings, she had finished up her job of wrapping them up in leaves and newspaper to keep them fresh. Once she was finished, Krissa rose to her feet and stretched before collecting her things. She was just about to leave when she felt a pang of gratefulness. "Coming?" she asked suddenly, turning. The ape was busy scraping dirt over the entrails when his head turned up, looking at her with that indecipherable look in his amber eyes.
He always looked perturbed, his brow furrowed. Slate, in response, signed, 'Why?'
Why? Krissa's eyebrows knit. "Because I could use the company," she admitted. "It gets lonely out here, and since you've been following me, we might as well travel together. No reason to be hiding… you've made it clear already that you won't hurt me." Krissa watched as something close to insult stirred in his expression, but she dismissed it immediately as the ape glanced over his shoulder and then back at her.
Slate eventually picked up his spear and used it to support his weight while he rose to his hind legs. That was certainly something she would never get used to, seeing an ape standing on its back legs and walking like a human would. Not wanting to stare, she glanced out across the foliage and returned her blade to it's sheathe; Krissa then turned her attention over at Slate, who was now standing next to her. He was only just taller than she was at her height of 5'6, perhaps by a few inches. Her body suddenly felt small and delicate compared to his broad physique, and that made her feel vulnerable. His dark eyes graced across her face momentarily before the two began to move onward, her taking the lead.
Soon the trees became more frequent and the woods more rich.
Their sunny day was eventually interrupted by spotty clouds, the sun hiding and then returning. There were times where Slate would stop, unsure of himself and glancing off down the path they traveled. Each time Krissa would paused as well, waiting for him, reminding him that he didn't have to stay, and each time the ape would break his gaze away from the woods behind them. Soon, the rain returned, although this time it was faint and fell softly rather than in sheets. Something in the distance caught her attention as they approached a grove of pines. Was it a bird? A plane? It was something familiar, yes. It was the sound of rushing water. The two approached the rambling river, coming to the needle-littered bank. The water cut through a large expanse of the thicket, the other side made of rocks and moss before returning to the dense wilderness. In the distance, Krissa could just make out the dull roar of a waterfall. Having been this way many of times, she slipped her slender torso between her string and longbow, returned her arrow to the quiver and bent over to make sure her pant-legs were secure within her American Rags. As she knelt and tightened the laces on her boots, Slate stirred next to her, letting out a pant-grunt.
'We have the meat. Why not turn back?' he asked. 'Too far from camp.'
Krissa held back a snort. "Are you afraid?" she teased. "'Cause we can turn around if you really want.."
Slate simply scowled in response, then eyed the rapids. 'Swim?' he inquired, obviously oblivious. The young woman then shook her head and plodded down along the bank. Coming to a fallen tree, she balanced herself and shuffled out along it before swiftly hopping off the massive roots and landing on the first rock. The spray from the river hissed in the air, adding to the gentle rain that already began to dampen her curls. Glancing over her shoulder, she gave a sheepish smile. 'No, we cross here,' she signed, understand that she couldn't even yell above the rushing current. 'I've done it before- it's easy. Just follow my lead.'
Slate didn't take long to adhere to her request. Maybe that means he isn't wussing out then, Krissa mused. Her attention turned toward the next rock she was going to bound to. Taking a deep breath, she took a step back and then sailed through the air, landing as gracefully as possible. When she cast a glance over her shoulder, she took note that the ape had made it to the surface of the moist stepping stone behind her and smiled reassuringly. He still looked rather unimpressed with her to say the least. Krissa leapt once again, followed by two more successful tries, although not without wobbling slightly on her third. When she finally made it to the middle of the water, she paused to peer down the course of the river as she shimmied to the lip of the rock. Krissa recalled crossing here before with her father, the stoic man coming to a stand-still as well to gaze off and behold the beautiful sight before him. Every rock was a deep blue-grey, the wood surrounding darkened brown from the fine mist coming off the crashing water, all the trees taking on an abysmal dark emerald. A few of her heartstrings quivered, a gush of emotion washing over her like the tide. No, she had no time for this. Back to business, she prepared to cross to the next stone.
There was a sudden gust of air and a yelp burst from her lips, quickly turning just in time to catch a glimpse of Slate careening back out of control as he lost his balance. He had jumped too soon. Her gut instinct kicked in and her hand shot out, grabbing hold of the spear in his hands and wrenching it forward, her other hand coming to grip his upper limb. Soon they were inches away from one another, the pair staring with unblinking eyes, each close enough to hear the other's heavy breathing. For a moment, Krissa caught the smooth smell of last night's fire, combined with the earthy undertones of the woods. Slate's wide amber oculars only grew the more he looked at her, leaving his face contorted in a mixed expression of animosity and horror. Snapping from her state, Krissa abruptly pulled away as if he had burnt her. "Be careful," she chided as she turned and leaped for the next stepping stone. Her heart hammered in her chest and her breath was caught up in her throat, hands still trembling from adrenaline. It had happened so quickly that she had overlooked any boundaries; if he had fallen into the river, he surely would have been swept away.
Finally, she reached the other side and waited for Slate, the ape easily leaping to safety where he shot a peek over his shoulder at the rapids. They then continued onward through the undergrowth, each as silent as the grave. Krissa had never grown used to the reticence that followed her each day since her father's passing. He would always chat with her about the trees and the birds, identifying them without a second thought. Even now, as she wandered, Krissa could hear the song of a blackbird off in the thicket, along with a few chipping bull sparrows as they twittered and cried out into the late morning wind. The further they wandered, the more it rained, and soon the young woman was forced to stop.
It seemed that Slate wasn't paying much attention to her cues as he sauntered by her. "Can you give me a second?" she requested as she reached up to removed her hair tie. Her near raven curls tumbled down and then she bent her head back; using her slender fingers, she began to comb her locks out and then tied back once more, this time into a ponytail. Slate seemed to be more focused on something further off in the brush. "I'm almost done.." Once the task was finished, she adjusted the bow on her shoulder and followed after.
The ape was traveling off the beaten path and down along the mossy grounds, eyes to the ground like a hound after a trail of blood. Cautiously following behind, she eyed her surroundings, beginning to wonder if she were being lead into a trap. Slate suddenly came to a halt and knelt. A beat. At that instant, his head rose and he crept forward on his knuckles. "What is it?" she asked wearily. Without an answer, she took the time to duck out of her bow and draw another arrow, lowering herself to the ground by crouching slightly. They eventually came to an actual marked trail, the ground cleared and full of scattered leaves from being left unattended for decades. A fallen oak was balanced on a slant over top the open walkway, which she easily dipped under. Slate veered off to the right, giving her a glance without much context. That's when she passed by it. Deeply engraved in the dirt path were a set of tracks.
Deer tracks. Her heart sang and she couldn't help but just about smile. Krissa followed more eagerly, creeping silently along as they traveled down a short decline in the land, coming to level land once more. Above, the thick cedars and pines creaked and moaned in the breeze. A jay shrieked and cackled from somewhere in the distance. Slate's entire posture had changed, his dark hair raising slightly along his shoulders and spine. His hominin behavior was completely erased at this point, replaced with a wolfish instinct to hunt, just as any predator would. He appeared to have completely removed himself from her company, focused on the trail he followed for the moment and only that. Although she had been nervous at the beginning, she was becoming enthralled, fascinated. Her mind was confused, trying to register him as one thing in particular, but she found that he was not human nor primate.
He was an ape. This was his world and that was his advantage.
Finally, they began to ascend once more, this time steeper. They came to a thick shield of sharp, stiff branches and suddenly Slate's hand shot out. Krissa froze on the spot and hovered, waiting as the primate used a long leathery hand to part the greenery. With another sharp gesture, he waved her over. Exhilarated, she crouched and lowered her bow, hesitantly drawing near to the primate. He moved so she was allowed to see through the gap in the thick clump of saplings out toward the break in the clear. There, standing as she munched on a mouthful of greens, stood a doe in all her glory.
She couldn't believe it. He was helping her hunt!
'She is separate from herd,' gestured Slate. 'Be still, watch for any signs of a buck.' Nodding, Krissa watched as the deer's ears swiveled and her jaw worked, looking out over the hillside. Her head lowered, tail wagging as she took a half-step forward, swatting at flies. Krissa couldn't help but feel her breath stilling in her throat, afraid to even twitch in the shy creature's presence. A soft huff escaped the ape next to her, intently watching the long-legged creature before them, standing so calmly in the undergrowth. Clovers and blossoms pooled around her ankles, stirring as she brushed through them, her dark wet nose nudging through the great clumps. Her head rose once more and turned in their direction, although she continued to chew, munching delightfully so at her meal. Biting down on her bottom lip, Krissa didn't day waver where she sat, even her trembling hands now stilling. Once the doe's great head swung back around, she turned her attention toward Slate. The chimp's gaze lingered for a moment before it fluttered over to the girl next to him. 'She's beautiful,' Krissa gushed, movements faint but nonetheless readable.
The chimp gave her a once-over before his head turned, peering through the parted shrubbery. For once, his expression did not seem crumpled and grumpy; this time he actually appeared curious, eyes no longer hidden from beneath heavy brows. Slate studied the doe for a while longer, tilting his head slightly. His attention then returned to Krissa, his head bobbing in agreement. The chimp then seemed to retract back into himself, the faint curl to his lips disappearing and reverting to his usual steely expression. There was a lull and the huntress shifted, as did the ape. As they sat there motionless in the brush, she felt the rain beginning to leech into her dark t-shirt and pant-legs. Goosebumps broke out across her skin. The doe took another step and exposed her back to them. Slate shifted. 'Aim for the haunches,' signed Slate. 'It will slow her down.' A shrill burst of adrenaline spread through her stomach and her heart began to pound.
Taking a deep breath, she rose from where she had been hidden and stretched her arms in her best archer's stance, her back arching slightly and her shoulders drawing the arrow back as tight as the bow would allow it. She could feel the ape shift to look up at her as she did so, his amber eyes chewing into her. Lining it up along her index, she paused, then let it fly. The arrow met its mark in her haunch, earning a cry from the doe; the next few moments were quick and simultaneous. Krissa flew out from where she sat in the bushes and Slate scaled the nearest tree, pant barking as he swung himself with his powerful arms. Bounding after the whitetail as quickly as she could, the huntress was no match for the deer, it's short alabaster tag disappearing into the shrubs and out of sight.
Confusion set in, adrenaline causing the world around her to whirl around her in a storm of emerald and ash. Her pace faltered slightly, and thus Krissa's attention sorted to the chimp soaring through the trees ahead of her. With newly found confidence, she swung around the closest tree and dashed along the ridge, her breaths coming in heavy puffs now. Hoots and hollers echoed through the wood as they gave chase, the young woman eventually losing her stamina and tripping slightly, only managing to catch herself against a towering sycamore. The trees had leveled out, the blood on the ground leading in the direction she should follow. Slate was far ahead of her at this point, but eventually seemed to have realized she was out of breath, now resting on a short but sturdy branch in the canopy. Krissa bent over, resting her hands on her knees and trying to rid herself of the pain shooting up her throat with each gasp for air.
The rain was dripping down her face and beading at her nose in pearls of clear liquid, sweat mingling with the chilly precipitation. The sound of the leaves rustling once more alerted her to Slate's gradual approach. Frustration boiled in her chest and she finally slipped herself into the longbow to make it easier to move. Then, she sat down in the moist earth and began to vigorously remove her boots and socks. After cuffing up her pant legs to her shins, she unsheathed her blade and embedded it into the tree, marking where she had left her footwear.
Then, whirling herself around, Krissa took flight again.
They never found the deer, which meant she had wasted an arrow. It had been a fruitless attempt, seeing as she knew they would have never caught her without a few others to aid them. Returning to her boots and her knife, she collected her things and they set off toward the river once again. Stewing in her own impediment, she began to wonder if it would have been more successful if she hadn't been so slow and cumbersome compared to the chimp that accompanied her. Her eyes ghosted over to the male, whom knuckled along beside her, his spear helping him even his weight. "I'm sorry," she apologized glumly, averting her eyes as soon as his head turned. "I should have ran faster. Maybe we could have caught her…"
Not only did she feel awful for letting the game escape, but she pitied the deer wandering the woods, an arrow in her hide, pain resonating through her leg each time she stepped. Swallowing gently, she pushed that away, focusing on crossing the river next. "Will catch next.. time," reassured Slate. His attitude seemed unrecognizable now, his shoulders not as set and tense. The ape rose up next to her, meeting her height. 'Your first time hunting big game?'
Krissa hummed and nodded, shrugging. "My father and I would go out hunting for quail out here, but birds are different," she explained. "Plus, we used guns, not longbows. He only gave this to me because it was the first thing he grabbed when we left our home.." Her stomach soured, remembering the smoke and the gunfire splitting overhead as the riots and pillaging ensued. The night they had left it all behind… their humanity lost. "We'd go camping out here in our tents, but because it was so dangerous those days, we decided to look for some kind of natural place to stay…"
Perhaps he was listening, perhaps he was not... but it felt nice to just talk. "My dad and I spent years moving from place to place.. Avoiding your kind and our kind alike." Her story trailed off. Clearing her throat, she allowed her eyes to fall and made for the bank, trotting now. What did he care? He was a chimp. The two made it across the river safely, without error, and began to ascend to the blanket of orange and withered cedar leaves and pine needles.
They moved silently, venturing through the thicket. "What… happened to.. your father?" Slate's question stunned Krissa for a moment, their eyes meeting as he looked at her in question from behind lowered brows. 'Apes kill? Humans?' Slate's hands were graceful and gentle for once. The two paused, exchanging a look. He looked so engrossed that she genuinely felt as if he were listening to her.
Krissa cleared her throat and her eyes fell. "No. He got sick again… the flu came back," replied bluntly. Turning back to the path, she strode ahead, stuffing a hand in her pocket. Krissa couldn't deny the tightening in her throat. She continued, her voice croaking. "The fever made him forget who I was, and I had to kill him.. Otherwise, I wouldn't be standing here today." The young woman's memories returned and she remembered how she had curled up inside the cave, leaving her father's body alone for days until she had finally built up the nerve to look upon it. Pressing his eyes shut, she had lifted him as best she could, although evidently had to drag him to where she was to bury him. She had dug until her nails had broken and her fingers had bled, and finally laid him to rest beneath a large pine tree far off on the other side of the fallen redwood. Krissa had left his shotgun resting up against the tree's base, along with his baseball cap.
That had been a two years ago. "Now, it's just me."
The rest of the walk was silent and long, but soon Krissa began to see evidence of their slow approach to her territory. The sky was a hard cinereal, cold just to look at. She knew she would have to put something dry on or she'd catch a cold, and so she made a beeline for the river as soon as it was in sight. Sloshing through, she could hear Slate trailing behind her, still keeping close to her now that they had become so comfortable with one another… more or less. They were making progress. A great relief washed over Krissa as she quickened her pace, ascending the slight slope leading up to her home. Her bones were tired and her muscles sore from running for so long. Not only that, but she was freezing. Maybe she should have counted on rain. Readying to kneel and crawl under her shelter to where her clothes were kept dry, she heard the rustle in the trees and suddenly jolted around. Racing to the redwood as quickly as she could, she shouted up to him.
"Slate, wait!"
The primate peered down at her from where he rested for a moment, debating on whether he should descend once more to listen to what she had to say. Eventually though, he swung himself down, colliding with the earth with a pant-grunt. He stretched to his full height and she looked into his eyes, rather unnerved. Swallowing, she offered her hand. "Thank you…" she said warmly. Then, when he tilted his head and narrowed his gaze slightly, she clarified. "For teaching him how to skin, that is. It helped a lot and I'm sure the food will taste much better now.." Once she was finished her piece, he looked down at her head, examining it at first.
Slate then sniffed and reached forward, his leathery hand coming to clasp her upper forearm, holding it firmly. Krissa hesitated, but mirrored his action and gently gripped his burly ulna. The fur beneath was moist, just as her own hair was. Finally, he released her.
"Does… does your tribe know about me?" she asked, curious suddenly. His eyes flared open. "Th-they… I figured they would-"
"No," chuffed Slate, his tone so blunt that it caused Krissa to abruptly shut her mouth. 'Apes do not.'
She nodded, taking a deep trembling breath in through her nose. "Alright… thank you." He studied her for a moment longer before he ascended the tree silently and carefully. Krissa shielded her eyes against the ghostly light of the afternoon rain and observed as he began to swing through the air so gallantly. She couldn't help but smile. He was keeping their meetings a secret.
If it had been any other day, she couldn't have taken his word as truth, but after their time off in the brush together, Krissa felt safe to trust him.
Author's Note: [inhALES] That took a lot out of me, creatively, but I feel so energized now! I've been listening to a lot of The Oh Hellos lately, which helps a lot with inspiration and getting into that "stuck in the woods and making a strange new friend" vibe. Its exciting to see this stuff coming to life before my very eyes and I hope it works out that way for you guys as well.
Thank you for the continuous words of encouragement you guys, I really really really appreciate it! Y'all are keeping me afloat and its great to see everyone is enjoying the storyline so far.
"Apes do not", well, he just blatantly lied to her face. I wonder how that will effect their relationship in the future? Stay tuned to find out!
Keep up with those reviews, I absolutely adore hearing from all you guys. Love you lots, see you in the next chapter pals!