The Alvin Tribe limped back to their village. David was cursing and fuming the whole way there. What was supposed to be a day of glory was now a day of humiliation. A bunch of fat animal-lovers had beaten them with nothing more than a few rocks. The new chief was sitting in the middle of the village, slowly boiling. He was rubbing his arm where a rock had grazed him. Although he thought that it was only a minor hit, his elbow continued to swell into a ball as if to annoy him. He was surrounded by people with similar injuries, moaning in pain. A few were covered in white sheets, showing that they would never recover. Just as David was about to explode he felt someone trying to wrap a bandage around his arm. He turned to see that it was Georgia, who seemed deeply concerned about him. David growled and pulled his arm free. He jumped to his feet and glared at her.
"I'm fine!" the new chief bellowed.
"If that thing swells too big, it can put pressure on the joint!" Georgia replied, equally snarky. "Stop being a baby!"
"I'm not being a baby!" David shouted back. Just when they were about to become petulant, Braxton and Cayden approached. David deflated a little and turned to them. "Finally! What's the damage?"
"Ten dead, twenty-five injured." Braxton said. He seemed incredibly depressed, as his voice was flat.
"It's bound to happen among warriors." David replied. "We shouldn't allow one defeat to completely color our ideas, okay?"
"It's not that..." Cayden said, his voice equally despondent. "The brothers and sisters of those dead...they were wailing and..."
"Warriors who have fallen in battle will live forever in glory." David bit back quickly. "Remember that."
Cayden gulped and nodded. Still, both of the twins looked completely distressed. David growled under his breath and sat on the ground like a child. He gazed around at the rest of the tribe. The majority of them were unscathed, but they all looked completely defeated. Many of them were, indeed, crying.
"How could this have happened?" David said. "Just after I became chief we launched our attack! They couldn't have prepared that quickly. Someone must have told them." There was only a brief pause before Georgia spoke up.
"The native boy!" she shrieked. "He came to see us before we even left! He must have told them we were coming!"
"Damn that little rat!" David hissed. "Everything is ruined…" The young chieftain then began to think quietly for several moments. Then his eyes perked up. "But it doesn't have to be!"
"What do you mean?" Georgia asked.
"The native boy couldn't have told both of the tribes about us yet!" the chief explained. "The animal-lovers had time to run up into the trees, but those brainy weaklings over at the Simon Tribe don't have trees to climb! They're stuck up a mountain! They won't have anywhere to hide!"
"But…" Georgia began. "But...there are so many injured. Our numbers will be fewer…"
"We don't need numbers!" David shouted. "We just need the element of surprise on our side! We're a hundred times the warriors they are! If we rush them now, they won't have time to prepare!"
"I don't think…" his mate tried to say. She was fidgeting nervously and gazing around for an excuse. She seemed to have lost her resolve. The chief ignored her and turned to his twin brothers.
"Cayden, Braxton, go rally everyone still able to fight!" David ordered. The twins glanced at each other before turning back to their chief.
"As you order chieftain." Braxton said.
"We will do as you ask." Caydon added.
"Great!" David cried as he jumped to his feet. "Ready our weapons! We'll save this day yet!" All three of them then scattered in different directions. Georgia briefly held up her hand, attempting to say something, but everyone left before she could speak. She bit her lip and looked terrified. War was nothing like what she thought it was. She almost saw David...saw him die… She felt a lump in her throat and a knot in her stomach.
XX
Ben walked along the wall his tribe built. It was rather simple, more akin to a palisade with a walkway along the top. He was making sure there weren't any weaknesses on it. He stopped for a moment to gaze out towards the jungle, a large distance away. There was a long incline from the treeline to the wall. It might tire the invaders slightly, but it wasn't likely to exhaust them. The Alvin Tribe was the most athletic of the three, so the wall wouldn't slow them down much either.
Ben turned his head along the wall. Not too far from where he was standing were several other members of his tribe. They were receiving instructions from one of the guards with atlatls and actual spears. An atlatl was a piece of wood that resembled sort of square ladle, with the butt of the spear sitting in the bowl at the bottom. It allowed the spear to fly farther. One of the chipmunks on the end had an unsteady hand. While all of the other chipmunks hurled their spear quite far, his attempts resulted in the shafts falling directly under the wall. The guard kept yelling at him, but that only made the chipmunk more nervous. The poor, young male was beginning to sweat. Ben cocked his eyebrow. All of the other chipmunks were beginning to mock him. The poor chipmunk began to shrink backwards. There was something about the way he was cowering...it stirred Ben's memory.
As all of the chipmunks lined up to throw their spears again, the poor chipmunk felt someone grab the atlatl in his hand. He jerked his head around to see two crimson eyes staring into his.
"Why are you shaking?" Ben asked. The poor chipmunk gulped nervously.
"I'm afraid." he said. Ben motioned his head to behind the wall.
"What's in that direction?" he asked.
"The village." the poor chipmunk replied.
"Who lives there?" the chief continued.
"My family." the poor chipmunk said. Ben then motioned with his head in the other direction.
"And what will be in that direction?"
"The invaders."
"Right. What do you think will happen to your family if you can't throw that spear?"
"The...the enemy will...murder all of them."
"That's right. Now then, do you want the enemy to get through?"
"No sir."
"Then keep that in mind when you throw. In fact, make that the only thing on your mind. Think about nothing else. Can you do that?"
"I think so sir."
"Try it."
Ben nodded towards the guard and let the poor chipmunk go. The guard ordered all the chipmunks to throw. In unison, the whole line launched their spears. Unlike the previous times, the poor chipmunk's spear flew much farther, almost as far as all the others. He instantly looked much more sure of himself now.
"All of you keep that in mind." Ben ordered.
"Yes sir." they all chorused. The chief turned around, intending to return to his business. As he turned around, however, he noticed there were two emerald eyes staring at him. He flinched and cocked his eyebrow again. It was the girl from the days before, Stephanie. She was looking at him with wide eyes and a smile on her face. When their eyes met however, the female chipmunk flinched and her eyes widened. She blushed, turned her head, and dashed away. Ben watched her for a few moments, completely befuddled. He finally sighed, shook his head, and continued walking.
Stephanie ran until she was behind a pile of logs. She was panting and trying to compose herself. She hoped that the chief didn't think she were strange...but there was something about his gaze. It wasn't just that his eyes were red, it was the intensity that was in them. For some odd reason...it made her incredibly nervous. Stephanie's thoughts were interrupted by someone clearing her throat. The girl jumped and turned her head. A female chipmunk was standing close by, carrying a bag full of fruit in her arms. The new chipmunk looked a lot like Stephanie, but was much shorter, had longer hair and blue eyes. Stephanie quickly recovered.
"Oh! Julie...I um…" Stephanie stammered.
"You know sis, I get that you're shy," Julie began. "But I don't think that entitles you to not work."
"No! It's not work I'm avoiding!" Stephanie shouted.
"So you are avoiding something?" Julie asked. Stephanie flinched, blushed and looked away from her sister. Stephanie and Julie were born from the same litter, but were quite different. Stephanie was tall, Julie was short. Stephanie was shy, Julie always spoke her mind. Stephanie was fearful and often ran to hide, Julie was bold and took threats head-on.
"It's...nothing…" Stephanie stated.
"Stephanie, let's play a game." Julie began, finally dropping the heavy bag in her hands. "I'm going to ask you a question, and you are actually going to answer it, okay?"
"Oh...I'm sorry Julie." the taller sister replied. She gazed at the ground. "It's just...I don't think...I don't know what I think."
"About what?" the shorter sister asked, putting her hand on her hip.
"About...um...Chief Ben?" Stephanie said with a nervous smile.
"The albino? What about him?"
"Don't call him that! It's rude!"
"Before today that's all we ever called him. What's with you?"
"It's just...he...he's actually really nice once you get to know him…"
Julie gave her sister a blank look.
"Nice how?" the shorter sister asked.
"Oh, I don't know. He just...wasn't what I was expecting." the taller sister replied. Julie continued eyeing her sister sternly.
"Right…" Julie began. "Um...maybe you should think more about that after we've made sure we don't all die."
"Okay." Stephanie said, nodding.
"Seriously though sis, go get some bags of fruit and carry them to the stockpile."
"Right!" Stephanie quickly ran off to grab another bag of fruits. Julie watched her sister bolt away with worried eyes. The smaller sister then sighed and shook her head.
"Oh Stephanie, could you have fallen for anyone worse?"
Ben was putting the finishing touches to his battle-plan with Jayden. They were pointing over the edges of the wall, strategizing for what they would do depending on the situation. Just as Ben leaned over the edge of the wall to get a better look at the treeline, he got a rude awakening. Someone popped over the side of the wall, so close that their noses hit each other. Ben shrieked and jumped backwards, almost tumbling over the rampart. Jayden shrieked as well and juggled his spear for a few moments before finally pointing it at the person who had climbed the wall.
"Wait! Wait! It was an accident! I'm not here to hurt anyone!" a black chipmunk shouted. Ben rubbed his nose and saw who had popped over the palisade.
"What the…!" the chief began. "Richard! The hell are you doing here!"
Alvin's caretaker was covered in sweat and mud. He had a wild look in his eyes and was carrying a large bag over his shoulder.
"I'm here to help." Richard explained.
"Help who?" Ben asked, jumping to his feet. "Last time I checked you were a member of the Alvin Tribe. You think you can just waltz into…" Ben abruptly stopped and his expression dropped. "Wait, how did you get over the wall without anyone seeing you? We have dozens of people watching that direction."
Richard stiffened slightly. He shifted the bag on his shoulder a little nervously.
"I'm quicker and sneakier than I look." he replied. Ben tilted his head and looked around at the native's back. It was completely caked in mud. The shifty little chipmunk had put camouflage on his back and crawled there. To be able to crawl all the way across the field with all of them watching...that was unbelievably crafty...too crafty.
"I see." Ben said. "Well, what do you want? Have you come to deliver terms from your tribe?"
"What? No! No." Richard replied. "I'm not working with them! I'm trying to save them!"
"That runs a little counter to what we're doing." the chief replied. "Again, what do you want?"
"I saw the wall you built, and I had an idea." the black chipmunk said. "I have something that will help drive them off."
"We have our own plan, why would we take yours?"
"Yours involves pummeling them with rocks, mine will let them survive."
Ben suddenly made a very serious face. He narrowed his eyes at the native.
"How in the hell do you know that?" the chief asked.
"I saw the wall." Richard explained. "It's made of unstripped wood, something we chipmunks can easily climb. The only reason you would have that is because you're trying to lure them in. If you can draw a large amount of them into the field you can pummel them something hard, like rocks."
"Look how clever you are." Ben said, a deadly glimmer in his eye. "You're strikingly close, but we have something better than rocks."
"I see." Richard replied. "I have something even better than that."
"Do you?" the chief asked. "This I have to see."
Richard took the bag off his shoulder, keeping it firmly closed. He held it out in front of him.
"I can only open it for a split second, so look quickly." the black chipmunk instructed. Ben cocked his eyebrow and leaned forward. As quickly as he would dare, Richard opened the bag, and then snapped it shut again. Ben jerked back and straightened his spine. He gave Richard a very serious glare.
"How did you get those?" Ben asked.
"I found them." Richard replied.
"Where?" the chief asked.
"In the jungle." the black chipmunk replied curtly. They glared at each other for several moments, as if daring the other to say something offensive.
"Why would I use those?" Ben finally asked. "What I have will be far more effective...and have a much more lasting impact."
"People cannot learn their lesson if they are dead." Richard replied.
"The dead have no need of lessons." the chief replied. Richard abruptly gazed left and right for a moment.
"So...you are not open to being merciful, are you chief?" the black chipmunk said much louder than before. Ben was briefly confused until he gazed around as well. A crowd had appeared around them. Members of the Simon tribe were jostling around them, trying to see what was happening. They had an audience. "We need to kill all those that defy you, is that what you're saying?"
Ben's eye twitched. Richard was a smart chipmunk. He was likely aware of the fact that Ben's position of chieftain wasn't very secure. On top of that, many people of the tribe still didn't like him. If they heard any negative news about him they would instantly believe it...and it would give them ammunition for later.
"That isn't what I'm saying." Ben replied.
"So it would be a good idea to let them run?" Richard asked loudly. "After all, it's a good idea to be merciful to our brothers and sisters, a family you're a part of, right?"
Ben had to pull a lot internal will not to snarl and hiss at the tricky little native boy. On his greatest day, this boy cornered him in front of his entire tribe. What was he supposed to do? Look like a vengeful, blood-thirsty monster? Not when he was simply the replacement chief for his father.
"Of course." Ben said with venom in his eyes. "Let's give them a chance to learn their lesson. We're all a big family after all." There was a lot of positive chatter with the chipmunks around them. Many of them were surprised about how merciful their chief was. Richard grinned and held out the bag.
"So let's get these to the people you have as throwers." the black chipmunk said.
"We have better things than that." Ben replied a little curtly. He took the bag, careful to keep it closed. He handed it to Jayden, who looked reluctant to touch it, but eventually obeyed. "Take those to the devices."
"Yes sir." Jayden said, carrying the bag and it's contents gently away.
"Devices?" Richard asked.
"Tribal secrets." Ben replied. "You'll see soon enough."
"I will?"
"Oh yes. We're going to sink or swim together...dear brother."
XX
Many generations ago, Alvin was screaming and yelling in the forest again. A makeshift balloon he had made was hanging from the tree. He had set it free last night, to see where it would go. Like everything else, it blew back to the island. Alvin was cursing and screaming. Every word in the book he could think of, he said. He threw sticks, stones, and nuts at the hanging balloon. With every passing second he got angrier and angrier. His face was red, as he was stomping, and kicking. He had everything in common with a toddler throwing a tantrum.
He was abruptly interrupted. Something dropped out of the tree near Alvin, and landed with a loud thud. The chipmunk shrieked two octaves too high and briefly scrambled away. Then he saw it was one of the natives. It was a female, covered in necklaces of shiny rocks and dressed in a loincloth. Once Alvin saw that it was a person that purposefully surprised him he hissed in her direction.
"Why do all of you do that?" Alvin shouted. The native woman tilted her head.
"What I do?" she asked. Many of the natives had picked up on English, but the ones that did usually messed up a little.
"Try walking up and saying "hello" next time!" Alvin shrieked. He was more than happy to take his anger out on her. The women gazed at him for a few moments.
"Hello." she said. Alvin gave her a deadly glare. He got onto his feet and turned his back on her. He took a few steps before the woman spoke again. "No leave. We talk."
Alvin whirled around, an angry fire in his eyes.
"What about?" he demanded.
"Why you scream in jungle?" she asked. "You should be with woman."
"I'll do what I want!" Alvin yelled in response.
"You newcomers stay with each other." the female said. "Stop being with natives. You be with woman."
"You don't get to tell me what to...wait, what are you saying?" the male chipmunk said.
"You female...Britt-uh-nee." the female said. "You get her. She yours. Tano belongs to Jala."
"Tano?" Alvin asked. Jala made some motions with her hand, indicating her chest and stomach. She then broadened her chest and arms. She was indicating someone who was muscular. "Oh, meathead. Guy who thinks he's God's gift to the world. Yeah him."
"He chkartl Britt-uh-nee." Jala stated.
"Chkartl?" Alvin asked. Jala seemed to think for a moment.
"He try to be…" she tried to say. She brought her hands up and then brought them together, weaving the fingers together. "...one."
"Wait...what!" Alvin shouted. He abruptly looked incredibly concerned.
"Chkartl part of becoming one." Jala explained. "He try with Britt-uh-nee." Alvin managed to put it together. Chkartl was their word for courting or dating. Tano was trying to date Brittnay! "Tano belong with Jala. Britt-uh-nee belong with you. Keep woman away."
Alvin had never felt the way he felt now. It was like some level of panic he had never felt before. Brittany was dating Tano? Impossible! She wouldn't date him...would she?
Something clicked in Alvin's brain. When they first got to this island, Brittany said that he looked cool. Back when Jeanette was giving birth...Brittany had given him a defeated look. She...had given up on Alvin! And now...with Tano she was…
Alvin felt something churn in his gut. It was hot, and it felt like it was stabbing him in the stomach. His hands clenched into tight fists so hard that it actually hurt. The chipmunk turned toward the native. There was now an even more fiery look in his eyes.
"Where are they?" Alvin demanded.
"They at The Pool. Under waterfall. Tano doing chkartl there." Jala explained. Without further words, Alvin bolted into the jungle. He could feel that sensation in his gut spread out through his entire body. His eyesight seemed to narrow into tunnel vision. His could barely feel his entire body. He had only one thing going through his entire body. The Pool. Get there. Now.
XX
The Alvin Tribe was hovering at the edge of the woods, near the path toward the Simon Village. David glanced around trees, narrowing his eyes. There was a wall blocking the path up the mountain. It looked freshly-built. The logs were still covered in bark. David was growling and cursing. How could they have built that so fast! It was impossible! Georgia hopped over towards David and put her hand on his shoulder, getting his attention.
"They've built a wall." she whispered. "We should head back. We can't beat that!"
David then shot her a glare.
"It's covered in bark!" he shouted. "We can easily climb it!"
"But...but we don't know what's on the other…" Georgia tried to say. David ignored her. He turned towards his twin brothers, standing a little further back in the woods.
"Is everyone ready?" he asked. Both Braxton and Cayden glanced at each other nervously. They began speaking to other chipmunks around them. There was some indistinct chatter around them, before the two brothers turned back around.
"We're ready." Cayden stated.
"Good!" David shouted. "We climb over that wall! No matter what's on the other side, we will overcome it! We are warriors! We will not be tricked again! Their wall will not shield them from our power! Over the wall! To victory!" The tribe behind him yelled in agreement.
"Wait...you shouldn't…!" Georgia tried to say. No one listened. David charged out of the trees, towards the walls. Hordes of tribesman charged out of the forest, following their chief. Georgia watched in horror for a few moments. What happened at The Thicket...was going to happen again...and David was leading the charge. If David was by himself...and he got attacked…! Georgia could feel terror seize her. With a horrified expression on her face, she turned and tore into the horde, directly heading for David.
Standing on top of the hall, front and center, was Benjamin. He was completely calm as he heard the chorus of yells from the forest in front of him. All of the members of the tribes nervously flanked him, their spears at the ready. In a matter of moments, a huge tidal wave of chipmunks charged out of the trees. They flooded the area in front of the wall, charging up the mountain towards them. There were more chipmunks in front of that wall than the Simon Tribe even thought existed.. The ground was blotted out by a sea of red-colored chipmunks. They all instantly knew, if that army got over the wall...there was no hope.
Richard, who was standing next to the acting chief, glanced several times nervously at Ben. His eyes watched the flood of red chipmunks charge closer and closer towards the wall. The albino chipmunk was seemingly unconcerned. He watched the horde with indifference. Once the army was halfway up to the wall, the native chipmunk couldn't take it anymore.
"Are going to do something," Richard asked. "Or are you going to wait until they crack our skulls open?" Almost casually, Ben turned towards the black chipmunk. He cocked his eyebrow at him.
"Oh, you want to lead my tribe as well now?" Ben asked with a pissy attitude. He rolled his eyes and turned back to the area behind the wall. "ROLL OUT THE MACHINES!" Richard turned and watched as the tribe went to work. They uncovered what Richard had originally figured were houses covered in tarps. Once the sheets were ripped away, he got a good look at the machines.
"What...what are those?" Richard asked weakly. Ben grinned widely. His beady, red eyes seemed to glow with delight.
"Trebuchets." the chief said. "Put those bags of Richard's in them first...and launch them."
In a matter of moments, the tribesman had pulled the siege devices into place and loaded Richard's bags onto them. They managed to pull the arms on the devices into place. All of the chipmunks nervously glanced around. They seemed to be waiting for a final order. Ben turned around to see that the horde of invaders was getting very close to the wall. All of them looked bloodthirsty and ready for a fight. Ben grinned smugly.
"FIRE!" The albino shouted. The Simon tribesman let the lever on their siege engines loose. The arms flipped around and the bags launched through the air. Richard watched the objects arch over the wall and soar towards the invading hordes. The invaders saw the bags coming. They easily parted as the bags slammed into the ground at five different points among the horde. They completely disregarded the projectiles for a few seconds...and only a few seconds. In a matter of moments, a giant mushroom cloud of insects flooded the entire area. What had been a raucous, excited horde of warriors, began screaming and running around in circles. They all shrieked a single word in loud echoing chorus.
"BEES!"
XX
Generations ago, Alvin was madly dashing through the forest, seeking The Pool. He had the look of a maniac in his eyes. Somehow, despite the terrible feeling in his gut and narrowing vision, he managed to make it to the water source. He stood at the fringe of the trees, watching with an intense gaze.
Brittany was lounging one of the rocks near the waterfall. She was on her stomach, seemingly enjoying the sunlight. Sitting next to her was Tano. He was as muscular as always. He probably weighed twice as much as Alvin, with broad shoulders and a toned chest, visible even through his black fur. He was gazing down at Brittany, with a mix of satisfaction and desire. Alvin could feel his gut tighten even more. Had they already...had Brittany…?
Tano reached into a pouch attached to his waist. He extracted what appeared to be a necklace inside of it. It was strung together with shiny jewels, similar to what Jala had been wearing.
"This for you." Tano said. Brittany lifted her head. She briefly scoffed and shook her head.
"We've been sitting here for like an hour." she said. "You wait until now to give it to me?"
"I enjoy looking at you." he replied. Brittany paused for a few moments. She then sighed and turned her head back towards the waters.
"I know what giving me those means." Brittany said. "I know what you want."
Tano grinned. He set the necklace down next to Brittany's head. He scooted a little closer to her.
"What you want?" he asked. Brittany paused again.
"I don't know." she said. "I'm ready to move on with my life...but with who…" Brittany tilted her head. "For a long time I thought the man was Alvin. It's becoming clear to me now that he isn't.."
"I am." Tano said. He scooted even closer. He reached out with both of his hands and put them on her shoulders. With surprising skill, be began massaging. Brittany bit her lip and made a pleased sound. "Forget about boy. Choose me."
There was silence. Brittany's sapphire eyes gazed at the waters. She seemed to be genuinely considering it. Tano's hands on Brittany had Alvin seeing nothing but red. In his moment of sheer rage, he reached down and seized a large rock. Without a single thought, he charged forward...intent on using his weapon.
