The next chapter is up! Enjoy :)

When Noelle woke up the next morning, she surprisingly felt well rested and very comfortable.

But then, she was also sleeping on the ground the last couple nights. So, it's only natural to feel like you get better sleep actually sleeping in a bed.

A part of her still didn't want to move or get up. Though the more lucid she became, the more she started to realize something felt a little off.

The mattress she was laying on was rather firm and... moving up and down a little. She looked down briefly and noted familiar green material connected to some brown leather up top. She also felt a little weight laying across her back.

Noelle froze when she realized what or should she say 'who' she was sleeping on top of.

"Shit." She whispered in a very low tone.

"Well, at least you don't snore...somewhat." Galen replied.

The young woman quickly got up, though not without stumbling a little as she did.

When she sat straight up, she saw Galen still laying there with an amused look on his face. His grin grew a little bigger when he noticed she seemed a little flustered and her cheeks were quite pink. She also seemed to be looking anywhere but at him.

Then her mouth seemed to work before her brain did.

"Uhh, please tell me we didn't do anything last night." Noelle blurted out.

The chimp arched an eye ridge.

"Good morning to you too. And no, other than sleeping, nothing. Not to mention, I would never take advantage of an inebriated female." He stated.

"Even if she did throw herself at me, wanting a kiss." He added.

Galen watched as Noelle's eyes widened to epic proportions and her mouth drop open a little.

"Wait, what!?" She asked, in a high-pitched tone.

He couldn't hold it in anymore and started laughing.

"Easy, Noelle. I was only kidding. That didn't happen. Though the look on your face is priceless. Leaves one to wonder if you were thinking about it last night." He said, with some laughter in his voice.

His chuckling turned into sputtering when he got a face full of cloth.

In her embarrassed state, Noelle didn't find it all that amusing, and she showed it by picking up her pillow and whacking him in the face with it.

She didn't stop there either, she whacked him a few more times.

"So not funny, you ass!" She said as she belted him with the pillow.

"Hey! I'm not the one who apparently has an issue holding their alcohol!" Galen said, trying to defend himself.

"Can probably still hold it better than you, furball." Noelle said, whacking him one more time over the head for good measure.

"Really? I had three glasses of wine myself and was still fine. You apparently were a different story." He told her.

"Just...tell me I didn't embarrass myself too badly in front of everyone." Noelle inquired.

At first, he wanted to mess with her more by telling her something like she got on top of the table and started dancing.

But he stopped himself. Something told him if he did tell her something like that, she would start wailing on him again with the pillow. Or she may go further and punch him.

"You didn't. Everyone there was rather understanding about your behavior. They probably all been there at least a couple times themselves." He assured her.

When she thinks about it, she thinks perhaps she didn't say anything to embarrassing.

"That's good. Though, I'll admit, it's a shame I didn't at least say anything embarrassing about you." Noelle said, with a small smirk.

Galen snorted and tucked his hands behind his head.

"What makes you even think I get embarrassed easily? Perhaps you do, but I don't." He informed her.

"Everyone gets embarrassed. It's just all about finding the right thing that gets them." Noelle stated.

"If you say so." He says, not believing her.

"I do. I'm sure there is something that makes you uneasy. Just have to find it out." She told him.

"Have fun trying, Butterfly." Galen says with a small smirk.

"Don't worry, I will. And I may just record it on my phone too when it happens. Maybe show it to Alan and Pete when we find them." Noelle retorted.

"Don't even think about it. Or I'll confiscate the phone and hide it." He stated.

She snorted, "I'd love to see you try that."

Galen's dark gaze drifted to the ceiling, and he appeared to be deep in thought.

"Well, who's to say, I haven't hidden it already. Especially, after I took funny pictures of you last night. You do make the funniest faces when you sleep and at some point, a dribble of drool came out the side of your gaping mouth, while you rolled onto your back." He teased, with a smirk.

Not long after the last remark left his mouth, Noelle gave him a small sucker punch to his upper arm.

"Ow! What did you do that for!?" He blurted out, rubbing his right bicep.

"You better be joking about the pictures part, Galen." She warned.

"I was, though...I may have recorded you snoring instead at some point." He teasingly confessed.

The chimp yelped and quickly got up, clambering to the foot of the bed and getting off just as she tried lunging at him from where she sat on the bed.

Noelle got off the bed and stood before him.

Though when she took a couple steps towards him, he backed up. She may have been smaller than him, but he gotten to know her well enough these last couple days to know she can be quite the firecracker when she wanted to be.

He doesn't know why, but he rather likes that about her. It's probably why he teases her a lot to get her going.

"If you're not joking about that, you better start running, chimp boy." Noelle said.

"Do I at least get the benefit of a head start?" He asks.

"That depends, if you're lying, no. If you're being honest, I just might." She told him.

"Where's my phone?" She asked.

His eyes widened, "You really believe I would do that?"

Noelle looked around and found it on the wooden nightstand by the bed.

She walked over and picked it up. In the meantime, Galen started inching his way to the door.

Noelle tapped on her phone and was surprised to see it was on camera mode. She was certain she didn't leave it on that setting the night before.

She tapped on a rather dark pic in the bottom corner of the camera. It tends to display the last pic taken.

She tapped on it and a moment later it took up the whole screen. At first, she couldn't make it out, seeing as it was a bit dark, indicating it was taken some time during the night or very early morning.

Once she could make it out, her eyes slowly widened, and her mouth dropped open a little.

There she was, lying spread eagle on her stomach with part of her arm hanging off the bed. It almost looked like she was doing a very good impression of Wiley Coyote after he flattens himself against the side of the cliff or into a road.

To most others, they would've found the position she was in rather comical. Like someone who was completely shitfaced out of their mind and just passed out like that.

She whirled around on the chimp.

"Galen! You little shit!" Noelle partly yelled.

Then she went for him.

"Aagghh!" He yelled, then he tried to run for the door.

But she was surprisingly rather quick and caught up to him.

Noelle jumped onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. The poor chimp started flailing about from the sudden extra weight on him.

"Noelle! What are you doing!? Get off!" He blurts out.

"I can't believe you took a picture of me like that!" She said, trying to use her weight to push him off balance.

Surprisingly, he's stronger than he looks though and was holding up fine against her assault.

"It's not like I was going to show anyone! Well...except for maybe Alan and Pete. Thought they'd get a small chuckle out of it." He confessed.

Noelle reached up with hand and pulled his ear.

"Ow! Cut that out!" He said, trying to shake her off.

But she continued to cling to him like a stubborn ape infant that refused to let go of its mother.

Galen then stumbled over to the bed and let himself drop down onto it. He dropped down on his side then rolled on top of her.

Noelle was surprised that he was actually a bit heavier than he looked. He also relaxed and put his full weight on her. But she didn't let it get to her.

She still tried to cling to him for as long as she can.

"Tell me you won't take any more ridiculous pics of me like that again, and I'll let go." Noelle informed him.

"Ok, ok! I won't! Now stop clinging to me like a stubborn infant!" He says, trying to pull free of her surprisingly strong grip.

Satisfied with his answer, she smirked and let go.

Galen sat up with a huff and straightened out his shirt. While he did this, Noelle reached over for her phone, after she dropped it back onto the nightstand a few moments prior.

She went back into her photos library and deleted the embarrassing monstrosity of a pic.

Though while she was doing so, she saw what looked like a small video next to it. She furrowed her eyebrows as she went to tap it. Next thing she knew, she heard what was a video of her, literally sawing wood as she laid there on her back.

On top of that she heard Galen quietly laughing behind the camera as he filmed it.

Between the embarrassing pic he took and this video, it made her regret ever showing him the camera setting and how it works. She turned to him with a glare.

He just shrugged with a sheepish look.

"You're so dead, now!" Noelle said then went for him again.

But this time, Galen was ready for her.

When she got close to him, he quickly wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug, trapping her arms between her body and his and held on tightly but gently.

"Oh no you don't. Not this time." He says with an amused grin.

"Let go, you ass! I can't believe you!" She partially yelled in his face, which was only a mere few inches from his own.

"What? I couldn't sleep through that ruckus, even if I tried! Yet, at the same time, it was quite amusing. Didn't know one small, female could snore that loudly." He joked.

Galen watched as her cheeks turned bright red as she continued to glare at him.

"I'm so going to kick your ass for this." She threatened.

He tilted his head and wrinkled his nose.

"How? You're currently sitting down, and, in this position, your legs can't reach my bottom, and your arms are currently sandwiched between us." He teased.

"You have to let go sooner or later." She retorted.

"And I will...when you promise not to intend bodily harm on me." Galen stated.

Noelle kept trying to force her arms out from between them and pull back.

But he wouldn't let up. He really was quite strong. She knew one move she could use on him to get free. Though she won't use it, because in truth, she never intended to really hurt him. At the most, she was messing with him.

One thing did come to mind that she did have to do though.

"Ok, Galen, seriously, you need to let go. Because I really need to use the bathroom." She told him.

He arched an eye ridge at her.

"Unless you want me to piss myself, let me go." Noelle said.

The chimp finally let her go, but moved back a little, still not fully trusting her not to jump him again.

Instead of doing that though, she got up, turned around, and made a b-line for the bathroom across the room from the bed. Muttering something that sounded like the word 'jackass' as she went.

He smirked in amusement when he heard her.

"Don't see how. I am in no way a jackass, seeing as I look nothing like a donkey." Galen lightly joked.

Noelle stopped in the doorway after opening the door to the bathroom and looked over her shoulder back at the smirking chimp, who was still sitting on the bed.

"Could've fooled me with those big ears and muzzle of yours." She joked back, before shutting the door. Though not before she saw the grin on his face disappear and be replaced with a slightly surprised look.

Galen heard her laugh a little as the door shut behind her.

After a few moments, he just rolled his eyes, and shook his head with a small smirk.

Her company sure was different than Alan and Pete's company. But no less welcoming. Being around someone who joked and could be as playful as him at times, was a nice change of pace.

Galen then got up and grabbed his pack along with hers. He carried them over to the two comfy chairs that sat near the two windows. There was a small, round wooden table between them.

He started pulling out some food from his bag and some food from hers. Then he placed them on the small table, along with their waters.

Not a few moments later, Noelle came out and noticed Galen in one of the chairs and the small assortment of food on the small wooden table between the chairs.

Noelle walked over and sat in the second chair.

"Thanks, for taking some food out." She said.

Then she picked up one of the pieces of fruit and started eating it.

"You're welcome. Think of it as a peace offering and apology for the small pranks I pulled with your phone last night." Galen said, with a small, lopsided smile.

She was silent for a moment before speaking.

"Ok, fair enough. Though I meant what I said earlier. No more pics and videos like that. Understood?" Noelle inquires.

"Understood." He replied.

They were silent for another couple minutes as they ate their breakfast.

"What do you think we should do now? Should we move on? Or wait around here a little longer in hopes that Alan and Pete may just show up?" She questioned.

Galen sighed, "I'm not sure. From what I've been told last night, this district is quite large. It's apparently larger than the district we were previously in. With way more open land with dirt roads and paths that stretch into different directions.

If they do know we're alive, they still may not know what direction we went once we left the river. Though perhaps, we could try to sit it out at least one more day, just in case.

It wouldn't be dangerous to do so, because as I mentioned to you once before, it would take Urko and his men a few days to get around the Cairn River and probably about another day to get here." Galen explained.

He paused for a moment, a little hesitant on what he was about to say next.

"Also, Fangor...knows we are not master and servant. That we are in fact friends traveling together who got separated from our other friends while being pursued by Urko over the bridge." He confessed.

Noelle gave him a surprised look.

"Galen, how could you tell him that? Now, if Urko comes here, Fangor will tell him that we're here or have been here." She says, a little surprised and angry at him for telling the other chimp the truth about them.

"I don't believe he will. Something tells me, we can trust him." He said, trying to reassure her.

"You didn't tell him our real names too, did you?" She inquired.

Galen was silent and didn't say anything. Just awkwardly glanced at the floor.

Noelle pinches the bridge of her nose with a loud sigh.

"Oh, Galen." She sighs.

"Noelle, please. Just trust me on this. We're safe. Plus, he informed me that no one here really likes Urko at all. They're more or less likely to give him bogus directions than actual ones to our location. Not to mention, Fangor would be putting himself and family at risk getting involved with Urko." Galen said.

She looked at him, "In what way would they be putting themselves at risk?"

"You saw yourself. You saw how Fangor's wife is human. Here in this time, something like that is extremely taboo, rare, and frowned upon. If Urko saw his wife and put it all together. He would have no qualms arresting Fangor, his wife, and ... executing them." He admitted.

Her eyes widened a little. She knew an ape/human pairing must've been rare. But she still didn't think it was something considered bad enough that they would kill you for it.

"Maybe...we shouldn't stay then. I don't feel right, putting them at risks. They're good people, who are clearly just trying to live their own lives. Everyone here is. The last thing I want to do is put anyone's life in danger, rather it be directly or indirectly." Noelle said.

Galen understood what she meant.

It was just a hard decision. Because, by staying here another day or two, he really hopes it heightens the chance of Alan and Pete possibly finding their way here and thus, finding them.

At the same time, he doesn't want to put any of the villagers here in danger for aiding them.

Galen had already seen plenty of times, what has happened to some who have helped them in the past. His mind going back to when Gregor was caught after saving Galen with the antidote after he was stung by a tiger scorpion.

Then to the indirect death of Mikal, after Alan, Pete, and Galen reluctantly agreed to let him help steal back the grain from Aboro and his troops that one time.

Then there was the time, he put his own parents at risk, when he chose to go back to Central City with Alan that one time after Pete was captured by Urko's troops and taken back to the city to be interrogated.

Those are just a few shining examples on what happens when you're not careful enough or cutting it close.

His dark gaze drifted back to Noelle, who seemed to still have a look of worry on her face. He slowly reached over and lightly grasped her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze to comfort her.

"You're right. It wouldn't be fair to put any people here in danger. We can leave by noon if you want. And hope that we bump into Alan and Pete on the roads somewhere. I like to think, we will eventually cross paths with them again at some point." He says.

They were separated at least once before and able to find each other again. Galen likes to believe they will find one another. It's just a matter of when.

"Noon sounds fine. We can hope to run into them out there. Or if they do stumble upon here, maybe we can get Fangor to relay a message to them. We should think of the next destination to travel to.

Then perhaps tell Fangor. He can then tell Alan and Pete where we're headed if they come to town looking for us. Though, we probably shouldn't give Fangor the name of where we're going next, for safety reasons. But maybe just tell him we're heading say north or west.

Then he can tell them that, so they have an idea what direction we did go. Or...does that still sound unsafe either way? I don't know, I never found myself in situations like this.

So, I'm not entirely sure what would always be considered safe or a good idea in these situations. You have been at this a lot longer than me. What do you think would be the right thing to do?" Noelle asks.

Galen sat there and thought about it. He understood what she meant and knew she made some good pointers, but yet, could still be a tad risky for them.

"Perhaps, not tell Fangor the name of what our next destination may be. But as you suggested, we could possibly just tell him the direction. Which would either be North, South, West, or East. Then he can point out the direction to Alan and Pete, if they do make it here.

Because when one says a certain direction like that, it still could be anywhere. A lot of places could be in any of those directions. So, it wouldn't necessarily give away our location to the patrol. But give an idea to our friends on which way we did go.

They may still have a hard time finding us, but at least they would be going in the right direction and not the wrong one. There are no guarantees, but we don't have much to go on. Seeing as this is a completely different territory, one I don't even know much about.

All I do know for sure, is that we can never stay in one place for too long. Even when Alan, Pete, and I were together, we knew this, and this is what we did with each place we stopped at.

At the most, we never spent more than a week tops at a place. And those long stops were very few and far in between. Because even a week was pushing it." Galen explained to her.

While Noelle understood, it made her feel very bad for Galen and his friends. It sounded like a rather turbulent life to live. Always on the run, always those hunting you and trying to kill you. It really wasn't much of a life at all.

It sounds like the only thing holding the two astronauts and renegade ape together is by sticking together through it all. If they were ever alone to begin with, they probably wouldn't have made it as far as they have.

"Alright. Though I feel like this may mainly be your decision. Seeing as you been at this much longer. Should we stay until noon, or do you think we'd be ok staying at least one more day or so?" Noelle asks.

"Hard to say, but...since we are quite far removed from danger, seeing as that river separated us from the initial danger by at least a few days, perhaps it wouldn't hurt to stay another day, if you wish." Galen told her.

He wanted her to feel like this was just as much her decision as it was his. Just because he has been at this much longer than her, didn't mean she didn't have a say at all.

Noelle thought a little more on it. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to stay a little longer. It was nice being around other people again in the safety of a town and who knows, maybe by later today or tomorrow, Alan and Pete may find their way here while Galen and she were still here.

"I think...we can stay a little longer." She replied.

He nodded and gave her a small smile.

Noelle smiled back. Then Galen realized, he still had her hand in his and he was gently running his thumb over her knuckles.

Galen released her hand and awkwardly coughed into his hand. The young woman's smile turned into one of amusement.

'So much for nothing embarrasses him.' She thought.

"Well, when we're finished here, how's about we go back out and explore more of this town?" He said, changing the subject to get his mind off the fact he was holding and caressing her hand in a rather affectionate manner.

"Sounds good to me. Just don't go holding my hand now, while we're out there." She teases and gives him a wink for good measure.

He gave her a look, then a smirk slowly appeared on his face.

"Oh, don't worry, I may share a kiss with you in front of a large crowd instead." He teases.

His smirks widens as he sees her cheeks lit up a nice pink color again for what had to be the third time that morning.

"You can try, though I think they may find it rather hilarious when they watch me deck you in the face for it." Noelle fires back, with a sweet smile.

Galen's eyes widen a little at first, then he chuckles at her response.

"Alright, so no kiss then. Especially, if it means I may lose some teeth along with my dignity." He replied.

Noelle laughs a little at his reply as she takes a sip of her water.

They conversed a little longer over breakfast before finishing up around ten minutes later. Then they grabbed their packs, shouldered them and headed for the door of their rented room and headed out.

Meanwhile with Alan & Pete...

"Dammit, which way could they have gone? These woods are so dense, we can't even see any signs of footprints out here." Pete says, in frustration.

"I don't know. But it has to be somewhere around here. Noelle leaving her bracelet down by the river on that fallen tree at least gives us indication they are around this general area somewhere.

They could've easily stopped in that abandoned barn we found earlier before moving on. There was a clearing not far off from it that looks like it used to be an old road. I still say we should continue following it.

It may lead us to a main road that is used more often. Then we can follow it to the nearest village and see if they have been there. We'll ask around if we have to." Alan surmised, trying to stay the levelheaded one here and not losing his cool.

"I hope you're right, buddy. Because this is even worse than the time, we lost you back in Oakland that one time when you were captured by Urko after we found that old, advanced machine with the message on it from the holographic scientist.

This territory is probably at least three times the size of that city alone. Maybe even bigger. If that's the case it is the proverbial looking for a needle in a haystack bit. That's for damn sure." Pete said.

"We just got to keep moving forward, Pete. And hope we can find them soon. I like to think we are not that far behind them. We keep pressing on, and we should eventually run into them.

They won't always be in the woods; they will want to stop by the nearest villages to restock supplies when they can. That's why trying the nearest villages may be our best bet going for us right now." Alan explains.

"Agree, Galen would know what to do, we've all been at this long enough to know what to do. He's smart and knows to remain one step ahead, just like us. It's what kept putting a safe distance between us and Urko." Pete says, trying to reassure himself.

"Let's not forget, that he's also not completely alone. As long as he has Noelle with them, they will both be fine." Alan added.

With all this in mind, the two astronauts kept on the overgrown path they were on. As they try to hold onto some hope of finding their lost friends.

Until Next Time ;)