A/N: So I just watched the movie again today for the first time in over a year. I needed a feel for the characters again. It also has me very inspired to continue the story! So I hope it is keeping everyone interested! Cheers-

Grug pushed through the thick jungle, the smell of the ocean's water becoming fainter as he went. The jungle cat moved nimbly across the soft earth, it's shadow mingling with the ones cast by the canopy's of the towering trees. It seemed to him as though he had been traveling most of the day, but the sun showed that it was only a few hours past midday sun.

His mind drifted in and out of memories while his body moved and shifted with the cat; second nature now. He recalled a version of himself that once would have shouted irrational strings of nonsense while pounding his fists off the ground before he ever even considered riding astride a jungle beast. He envisioned a Grug that would have just as soon made his daughter unhappy than let her go with Guy.

"Please take care of my little girl," he muttered to himself. "Woah!" The jungle cat stopped abruptly. It seemed as though the jungle might never give way, but it did. Grug and the jungle cat were standing in a small clearing. Even the canopy above seemed to give way to the sky above, making the patch full with tall grasses. Grug looked up and around, only to find that they were alone. The jungle cat sniffed the air and then began tracking the scent across the ground. Before Grug could climb down, the cat leapt forward again into the jungle on the other side of the clearing.

Eep walked quickly down toward the group of children playing with Gill as the lead. Belt was wrapped gently around her back and two blue orbs peaked over her shoulder. As they neared the field, Eeps heart soared. Her eyes fell on Guy and she smiled. Belt let out a small cheer and she approached the edge of the game. The small red sloth slid around her torso and into her arms, causing her to instinctively clutched him to her chest. Gill stepped up beside the two and noted the way her eyes brightened when she saw Guy.

"Guy!" she shouted, unable to contain her excitement any longer. Guy looked up quickly with surprise, a happy light filling his face. *Thwack* "Guy!" Eep shouted again, this time in concern. In his distraction the ball had gone straight to him and made firm contact with his head. He tumbled backwards onto the grass and smiled strangely up at Eep as she descended on him. Belt slid onto his human companions lower chest and tapped him with a concerned claw.

The small creature pulled two stones out of Guys pants and rubbed them together a few times before applying them to his bare chest. "Clear!" Belt gurgled in his tiny sloth voice. Suddenly, Guy shot up and grabbed the sloth against him.

"Cold… cold…" he muttered. It was then that he realized how close his face was to Eeps. She just smiled and returned his gaze with a glowing intensity. It was this kind of thing that he had come to love about her. That undying intensity that she wore in everything she did.

"Hi!"

"Hi…" Guy said quietly. The sun behind Eep was suddenly blocked out by Gill as he stepped up behind the neanderthal girl. Guy felt his pulse quicken and it wasn't because of his newest head injury. Without another moment of hesitation Guy hopped up to his feet and Belt assumed his position at the boy's waist.

"Hello, strange person." Guy was uncomfortable with the close proximity the other kept with Eep. He felt a new and odd sensation rising up in his chest, but the problem was he had never remember feeling it before now. There was an uncertainty he felt, watching this boy stand so close to Eep.

"Oh, sorry. Name's Gill." He said with a disarming smile. Guy wasn't put to ease, though. The new feeling only worsened from there. "And you must be Guy. This one's been worried about you all morning."

"Well. Not allll morning…" Eep felt and embarrassed heat flush in her cheeks and she chuckled.

"I'm sorry," Guy blurted out suddenly, remembering through all the current events that he did leave her for the morning without telling her where he had gone. "I shouldn't have left you this morning."

"That would be my fault." Aura moved casually to stand beside Guy. Eep felt a stab of emotion, the problem was, she had no name for it. Aura and Gill made less than friendly eye contact for a moment before anyone but Guy could really notice. "I asked him to show me the owl cat."

"Little far from the priestess hut, aren't you?" Gill said, his tone snide. Aura simply glared at Gill in response. Guy stepped away from Aura to move towards Eep when a dizzy spell hit him. Eep caught him quickly and Belt prodded at him with concern.

"Guy!" Eep cried as he lay in her arms.

"Heh, must've gotten hit harder than I thought…"

"Are you broken? What do I do?" Eep asked, thinking that Guy would have an idea or an answer for the problem; he always did.

"We need to take him to the medicine woman." Gill said, directing Eep to follow him. "Stay," he said suddenly as Aura began to follow. She narrowed her eyes in protest. "You know why." She didn't offer any words, but simply floated off in the other direction. Eep watched her leave, her slender body moving gently. Eep glanced at her own body for a moment before following Gill. Guy walked beside her, his arm wrapped around her broad shoulders for support.

The medicine womans hut was filled with powders, potions, and jars of all sorts and sizes. The woman herself was dressed in a way the Eep had never encountered before. Her face was painted black and white, and the rest of her body was covered in cloths that had feathers attached to them in various length and color. Her head dress was a crown of feathers and made her look like she spent her free time in flight with other birds.

Guy lay motionless on a straw mat on the floor. A cloth had been placed over his forehead and under that the medicine woman had smeared some brown and gray substance. Gill stayed with Eep for a while before offering for her to come with him to get some fresh air. When she declined, he offered to get and bring back fresh water to the hut. Eep held belt in her lap as she watched Guys breathing. In and out. In and out. His chest rose and fell evenly as he dreamed of she knew not what.

"He's going to be just fine, child," the medicine woman said. Eep jumped, startled by the sudden speech. "He just needs a little rest."

"What was the stuff you put on his head?"

"Oh, that? Just a little herb remedy that I came up with." The medicine woman was quite old and yet she seemed very strong. Eep nodded but continued to watch Guy.

"You are worried." It was not a question, but a conviction.

"I-"

"Don't worry. Don't worry," she said gently. "This boy looks at you the way stars watch the moon. He loves you."

"Water has arrived," Gill said as he entered the hut, leaving Eep to process the moment she had just had with the medicine woman on her own. "And so has someone named Grug? Eep I think he is searching for you?" From behind the tall tanned boy stepped Grug. His broad hulking mass filled the remaining space in the hut awkwardly.

"Dad!" Eep wrapped her arms around him, giving him one of his patented hugs. Grug returned her embraced warmly and then looked around with concern. The new Grug was much more open to new and different things, but that didn't stop the once-caveman from showing his concern for this unknown land and these unknown people. He looked down then and saw Guy.

"Oh no…" he said, kneeling down and placing a fist against the earth. His head hung low. "He was a great, well, Guy. Eep, I…"

"Grug. Grug I'm fine." Guy mumbled, still drowsy from the medicine womans sleep powder.

"Oh, uh, well, good then. I knew you were fine." Grug stood straight again and cleared his throat. Eep giggled and as she put her hands back down on the ground, one of them came to rest on top of Guys. He turned his hand over and closed it around hers. Grug took note and for the first time in a while, he didn't stop them from doing so. "Well, better get going. The family is waiting for us, and they are worried sick! You know, this is why I always said splitting up was a bad idea. I'm still a firm believer-"

"Leave?" Arua had come through the hut entrance. Her face was read with concern. "But you can't go. Guy can't travel yet." She was grasping at straws.

"Yes he can." The medicine woman said matter of factly.

"Who's she?" Grug asked.

"Who're you?" Aura said, her eyes narrow.

"Aura, enough. Honestly," Gills voice came from the back of the hut. He had been silent for a while up until this point. Guy sat up slowly.

"This has been a great experience but our family is waiting." Guy knew they couldn't stay, and he was filled with a sense of guilt as he thought of how much he made Ugga and the others worry.

"Family? You really feel you belong with them?" Aura clenched her fists as she spoke.

"Well, yes." Guy squeezed Eeps hand reassuringly. As Aura witnessed this, she turned quickly and the group could have sworn they saw a tear in her eye.