A/N: Hope the story is enjoyable thus far, and thanks for sticking with it. Cheers.

Chapter 4

The sun was just starting to rise over the world of Tomorrow, but Grug had not yet slept. He paced thoughtfully in the sandy earth, and occasionally tapped his stick off the ground. Often he would draw as an idea came slowly to his mind. The feeling of tiredness crept into his muscles and bones but there would be no rest for him.

Ugga, Gran, and Thunk felt much the same. Sandy didn't have the capacity to realize what was going on. The small group huddled together and watched Grug in his pensive pace.

"AHAH!" Grug finally said, grabbing the sides of his head and abandoning his stick utensil. He turned to face his family and smiled. "I have, an idea!"

"What? What is it?" Gran and Ugga said in seeming unison.

"The jungle cat knows where they last were, right? So we ride the jungle cat to the last place they were, and find them! The sun is just beginning to climb." Grug was sure this plan would work.

"But, food?" Ugga was right, they had none from the previous day, and though they used to be accustomed to going without for weeks, now their bodies had become used to not. There was a small gurgle emanating from Thunks stomach indicating an ache.

Grug pursed his lips and his brow wrinkled. She was right, but Eep, and Guy, were still out there, and he had to find his daughter. He let himself imagine for just one moment Guy holding Eeps hand and looking into her eyes. Quickly he blinked the thought away; this was no time to whip up creative untruths when the pair was missing.

Sunlight spilled into a small window above Eeps head and she treasured the warmth it brought her. She slept, for the moment, on a strange bed that made use of something called "straw" as cushion. She dreamed - as most people do when they are in between sleep and waking – about Guy and her family. She also dreamed of the Other and that was enough to rip her from her sleep.

Greenish brown eyes grew wide as she hurried to take in her surroundings. She was encompassed by walls made of wood from the surrounding trees. The roof was made of more of what she slept on. Beside her lay nothing but empty space that Guy had previously occupied. She pressed her hand against the straw; still warm.

She stood then, and walked to the opening in the walls used for entering and exiting the shelter. Cautiously she peeked out into the open space and saw a village bathed in sunlight. Others walked and milled and worked. Shelters just like the one that she was occupying were scattered throughout the open space, with the jungle pressing in on them. The others were all tall, and slender, much like Guy. Some had long hair braided and tied, and some had short hair twisted and tied.

Eep scanned the surrounding area quickly for any sign of Guy. She found none, and sighed as she began to move her head away from the opening of the door. It was then that something soft and warm wrapped itself around her leg.

"Belt?" Eep said, though not unexcitedly. She Smiled down at the sloth creature, and pulled him up closer to her face. He wrapped himself around her arm and cooed. "What are you doing here?" She wondered aloud. Guy never left without Belt. She pictured him wandering around with the other, his pants somewhere close to his ankles. She wanted to laugh, but she also noticed in that moment that although Belt was left behind, the Owl Cat was not.

Guy jumped down from the Owl Cat smoothly and not far behind him was the Other. Aura looked up at the beast with awe. She had never ridden an animal such as this one. They had smaller, tamer beasts in the village, but this one was powerful. It was creature that she would have, in the past, feared before she ever thought of mounting it.

"It's an amazing creature," she said as they watched it drink contently from the river.

"Yeah, but it listens better to Eep." Guy looked thoughtful for a moment, thinking of the way Eep looked astride the Owl Cat. There was no fear in her the way there was in him. He hated that about himself sometimes. The Owl Cat's ears perked up at the sound of Eeps name and it walked over to Guy, its feathered ears fanning and relaxing.

"What's wrong with it?" Aura asked.

"Eep… we should get back to the village. There's no way she isn't awake right now. But I left her belt so she knew I wouldn't be gone long." Guy mounted the Owl Cat and extended a hand for Aura. She took it after a moment of hesitation.

Aura did not want to leave so quickly. She slipped onto the Owl Cats haunches easily and wrapped thin strong arms around Guys waist. When she woke him early that morning, she intended for them to spend a vast majority of the day together.

Her mind wandered to the girl that Guy traveled with. Who was she to him, and why did Guy care so much about leaving her behind? They were not the same. Guy was obviously not a Neanderthal, but he chose to identify with them. It struck her as odd, and perhaps even a little hurtful. She knew that although it was just a newfound crush, she wanted Guys attention for her own.

Eep sat on the ground within the shelter, holding Belt tightly in her arms. The small sloth rested against her and both anxiously awaited the return of the one who was familiar to them. Eep thought of her father and mother, Gran, Thunk, and Sandy and wondered how worried they were. She felt guilty for abandoning her father so thoughtlessly. She wondered if they were searching for her even now. It was hard to sit and wait for Guy to return to her, but she had no choice. She wouldn't leave him with these Others, that, and he had the Owl Cat.

"Hello?" A voice carried suddenly into the shelter and Eep looked up quickly. She thought, just for a moment, that it was Guy, but it was not. "May I come in?" The voice called out into the shelter. Eep could see that it was not in the doorway, but it was infact one of the Others. A boy stepped slowly through the door and looked down at Eep with kind eye.

The amount he resembled Guy was astonishing, except for the fact that he was a little thicker and taller. His hair was brown and fine like guys, and also shaggy. His eyes however were a strange shade of blue. Eep didn't know how to find her voice. None of the Others had really approached them since they arrived late after the sun had left the sky.

"Eep, right? Why don't you come out for a while?" The boy asked, extending a friendly hand to help her up.

"Um, yes," she said, standing on her own and keeping Belt close to her. "And this is Belt." The sloth looked at the boy curiously and then returned to his resting position on Eep.

"Well, Eep and Belt, I am Gill."

Silence.

"Why don't you come out, and let me show you around?" The boy seemed genuine. Eep agreed and followed him out into the sunlit village. As they walked around, some of the Others looked oddly at Eep, but for the most part, they remained diligent in their toiling. The more comfortable Eep grew towards the situation, the more her curious self-began to show. She marveled at things they used and had. Cups and plates, and the way they built their shelters. Some of them farmed. She didn't even know what that meant, but she wanted to.

A/N: I feel like I'm leaving off in an awkward place, but I hope you like it anyways! More to come soon!