Chapter Five
"What is that, exactly?!"
The Delly's voice grates on my nerves. I stand behind the Peeta, eyeing up all five females wearily. They are just as weary of me as I am of them and I can understand how they may be disconcerted. However, what I do not understand is the Delly's need to screech like a banshee. You don't express fear, you suppress it so your opponent doesn't see it.
"She is not an 'it'," the Peeta says, immediately to my defense. I can only see the back of his head and I don't know whether to be offended or honoured by his need to defend me. I can defend myself.
"It's a she?" the Clove asks slowly.
"Yes, she is," the Peeta explains slowly. I meet the Clove's eyes and I see warmth. I know instantly that she will not be a bother. I see a flame lit behind those brown orbs but I do not see unnecessary ignition. Not a threat.
"Is she from another expedition?" the Leevy asks. She stands the furthest away, arms folded and mouth in a thin line. In her eyes I see peace but unhappiness. Also not a threat but I do not believe she will be all that friendly either.
"No," the Peeta says carefully. "She can't speak but from what I can tell, she's been raised in the jungle. I want to take her back with us so I can show her the world beyond the trees." Beyond the trees? These creatures don't live in the jungle? I flash the Peeta an alarmed look but he smiles warmly at me and my nerves relax a little.
"Back to England?!" the Delly screeches. "Are you crazy?!"
I don't like the tone she's using to address the Peeta. She's abrasive and sharp. Unnecessarily so. The Peeta, however, simply takes it on the chin and doesn't pick a fight about it. Maybe that's why these animals are so well presented. They don't pick as many fights as the apes would do. "Yes, back to England. I think she could benefit greatly from learning about what goes on beyond the jungle," the Peeta calmly explains.
"Primrose, tell him he's mad!" the Delly declares, spinning around and addressing the blonde girl from the picture the Peeta had in his tent.
The Primrose creature is silent. She stands as tall as her petite height will allow, with chin tilted toward the sky and eyes alight with welcome and warmth. After a moment's thought, she speaks up. "I think Peeta's right," she says. "The girl is obviously like us, she just needs help."
"Help and a hairbrush," the Clove comments.
"It's going to take more than a hairbrush," the Delly scoffs. "What shape is that anyway? Is that some sort of braid?" What are they talking about? My fur? My arm goes to my head, to touch my tangle of fur, and almost immediately the Delly squeals, her face twisting in disgust. "Ewwww, look at her armpits!"
"Oh my god Delly, what are you expecting? There aren't razors in the fucking jungle!" the Clove exclaims. I realize they are talking about my arm fur, which I had always believed was something all animals had. Do the female humans not grow arm fur?
"Don't listen to her," the Peeta says to me gently. "She's a little . . . eccentric."
"Peeta!" the Delly shouts.
"He has a point," the Leevy says.
"Shut up!" The Delly threw her hands in the hair in what I can only decipher as exasperation. "Why am I the only one seeing sense? We can't bring a stray back to England! Think of the rumours!"
"There won't be any rumours," the Madge says, smiling at me just like the Peeta did, minus the effect it had on my heart. "I'll help her become presentable before we touch down in England. We'll say we met her on another expedition. I'll even lend her one of my dresses, which will be a temporary loan as I assume you will be fully capable of providing for her once we reach England, Peeta?"
"Aren't we getting into this very fast?!" the Delly yells before Peeta can open his mouth. "We don't even know if she's carrying diseases or not. She could have fucked monkeys for all we know and have ape chlamydia!" I don't understand what the Delly is trying to say but judging by her tone, it is very negative. I should break that pretty little face of hers. Then she'd be destroyed and the Peeta could be mine.
"I'm a doctor, Delly," the Primrose reminds the loud girl. "I will check her over."
"We can't leave her behind, anyways," the Clove adds. "I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing we left a defenseless girl in the jungle to be eaten by who knows what."
"Look at the size of the fucking muscles!" the Delly exclaims. "She's far from defenseless."
"Delly, please stop swearing," the Peeta says. I admire his ability to stay calm and measured, knowing that if I had my voice myself I'd probably be roaring right back at the Delly with double the ferocity and volume. "She's a woman, just like you or any other. She's obviously missed out on a lot of opportunities that we have had in life and I will not allow her to miss out on anymore. I am not leaving her behind. Do you understand me, Delly?"
Delly rolls her eyes and doesn't answer.
Despite the calm in his voice, you can sense the edge in it as Peeta pushes the point. "Do. You. Understand. Me. Delly?"
"Don't you dare talk to me like that, Mellark, do you hear me?!" Delly snaps. She charges forward, full of fury, and I lurch into action. I've seen such a feral glint in the eyes of the angriest of monkeys, the ones who have the shortest of fuses and rip apart even the tiniest shimmer of a threat.
I push the Peeta behind me and make myself as tall as possible, muscles tensed and prepared for a fight. The Delly stumbles to a stop and stares at me in complete horror. Even the other girls look surprised. I'm breathing heavily, putting every ounce of animosity I feel for this girl into one deathly stare.
"You touch a hair on his head and I will break your neck in two."
The Peeta lays his hand on my shoulder. "It's okay," he tells me. I shake my head. No it's not. This girl needs to be reminded of who rules this jungle. I am higher than her on the food chain and I will crush her like a bug. "Please, don't. It's okay, I promise."
"What? Is she your new bodyguard, Peeta?" the Delly spits acidly. "Scared of getting hit by a girl?"
"Not now, Delly, please," the Peeta says tiredly. He pauses, immediately realizing what the Delly has just done. She has just admitted out loud that she intended to hit him. She hits him, as in multiple times. I am past the point of rational thought and don't care that she is no longer charging at him. I launch myself anyway.
The Delly screams and runs away. I want to give chase but two strong arms wrap around my waist and pulls me back. The Peeta has me and, no matter how hard I struggle, he somehow keeps hold of me. "Please, calm down! It's okay!" he shouts, trying to get his voice heard over the Delly's screaming and my struggling.
"She's feral!" The Delly roars.
"Shut up Cartwright, you provoked her," the Madge rebukes.
The Peeta puts me down but before I can chase after the Delly, he grabs my wrists and pulls me over to face him. "Hey, look at me, hey, hey, it's okay," he says gently. I'm still trying to be freed but his eyes have somehow captured my attention, despite my desire to rip the Delly's head off her shoulders. "It's okay, just keep looking at me."
I do. And my anger melts away. My muscles relax and my rage disappears. "She hurts you," I tell him with my eyes. "Hit her back."
"I can't. That's not how it works," he replies.
"Leave her then."
"It's not that easy." The Peeta smiles at me. I smile back. "Please don't hurt Delly. I know she can be a pain but that's just the way she is."
"I want to wring her neck in."
"I'm sure you're not the first," the Peeta says warmly.
"Something tells me you're right."
The Peeta laughs. He reaches up and brushes a stray hair away from my face. I grab his wrist on instinct. "Sorry," he apologizes. My fingers squeeze his wrist tight but I release him, not sure why I even grabbed him in the first place. I glance at the other girls, who have gathered in a tight huddle, obviously discussing something of great importance.
"Delly, is she your mate?"
The Peeta looks away. "I suppose that's a way of putting it."
"Do you procreate?"
"Not yet," he tells me. This makes me grin. I can't help it. It means I can still claim him. All I have to do is rid the Delly of her ownership. Shouldn't be too hard, considering the way she ran away from me, screaming like a coward.
I wonder what mating with the Peeta would be like. I am clearly the more dominant being, since I must fight for the partner I want, and I am sure that the same rules apply when it comes to making me with child. Would the Peeta allow me to do so? If the Delly were out of the way and I had full control over him? Would he allow me to do it?
"Peeta!"
The Peeta and I turn to the source of the Primrose's voice. She stands a little away from the rest of the group, where the Delly seems to be sulking. "She can come with us," she says.
The Peeta grins and looks back at me, eyes alight with joy. "You can come to England," he tells me.
His grin is contagious. I wonder what this England is like. I wonder if it is far from here.
I wonder if once I go there, if I will ever want to come back.
A/N: Thank you to everyone reading and reviewing! Sorry the chapters are so short but I'm hoping that they will get longer in the future when the plot picks up a little bit!
As for Delly's attitude and the nature of her relationship with Peeta, that will be one of the many mysteries of this story. If she is abusive, why does Peeta stay with her? What makes her so abusive and why does she feel the need to shout and rave about Katniss coming to England with them? All to be revealed! ;)