The next chapter is posted! Enjoy :)
It may have seemed ok for the first ten minutes. But afterwards, it didn't feel all that pleasant riding a horse.
Julie was just not used to the bumpy up and down motions. The only thing that helped, is when Galen would talk on and off with her a little as they rode. The talking provided her with some distraction.
He was asking her a few questions every now and then. Though he wanted to save most of the talking for when he got back to his home. Seeing as it's a little awkward trying to talk on a galloping horse.
"What part of the district are you from?" He asks her.
"I'm not from around here." She says.
"Another district then?" Galen inquires.
"Hard to explain." Was all she said.
He found her answer to be a little confusing. How can it be hard to explain where one is from?
"Can you at least explain how it is you can talk?" He asked.
Julie gave him a funny look.
"Are you trying to say there are no other humans here that can talk?" She answered with a question.
"None. To us apes, they are simply no more than wild animals. You were in the woods, surely you have come across some." Galen pointed out.
She was a bit shocked to hear him refer to humans as wild animals.
"I just thought...maybe those people were from some primitive tribe with their own kind of language. And that is why they didn't answer me when I tried talking to them. That they didn't understand my language." Julie replied.
"No, they didn't answer because they cannot talk. They are not capable of doing so. They are all for the most part, mute. Considered incapable of higher thinking. Hence why they're seen as no more than dumb animals to most." He explained.
The more she heard, the more upsetting it was all becoming. It was like she was stuck in a world where everything was ass end backwards. In her time, the apes were the ones who were the animals incapable of speech. Yet here, it's the other way around. With the apes the intelligent beings with speech and humans as nothing more than animals themselves.
This really was like a total nightmare to her. Or worse, this was hell.
So many thoughts were running amok in her mind. Like if she is in fact not dead, then how did she get here? Many people throughout the centuries have been struck by lightning, many of which die. But she never heard of any phenomenon of lightning transporting people from one place to another.
"Are there others like you?" Galen inquired.
"I...I really don't feel like answering anymore questions right now. It's just...all too much to take in right now." Julie says, fighting down the lump building up in her throat.
Galen can tell by the sound of her voice she seemed pretty upset. Her last remark hinting that wherever she is from, things must be pretty different. She was clearly unaware that the humans she tried to converse with in the woods were in fact wild non-speaking humans. Until he explained it to her.
"I'm sorry. Listen, we're almost to my home. When we get there, we'll tend to your injuries, and I can give you some food and water." He told her.
"Ok." She said, barely above a whisper.
They didn't speak much after that during the ride back. He kind of got the feeling she didn't want to continue speaking. So, he let her be.
Fifteen minutes later, Galen started slowing the horse down. He took the horse over a small single wooden bridge that went over a small creek a few feet down. Not long after, the woods parted, and he crossed the dirt road to his home.
Julie eyed the home. It was quite big and situated further back from the road.
He pulled the horse off to the side of the house and steered it to a medium size looking stall that was a few yards from the right side of the fairly large home. Galen then slipped off of the horse and turned around to face Julie.
"Here, I'll help you down. Give me your hands." He says, holding his hands out to her.
Julie shifted her left leg over the horse until both legs were on the same side. Then she leaned over and reached out for his hands.
Galen grasped her hands and started to ease her off.
"Careful now, don't come down on your right ankle. Scooch forward a little more, I'll try and lower you down by your hips." He instructed.
She did as he asked and scooted forward a little more until her ass was barely on the side of the saddle. That is when Galen reached up and grasped her by her hips and began to lower her down slowly and carefully. Julie's hands went to his shoulders to steady herself on the way down.
Once her feet gently touched the ground, she let go of his shoulders.
"Thanks." She said.
"Welcome. Just need to put Blaze back in his stall, then we'll go inside." He told her.
"Ok. I'd ask if you need a hand, but I know next to nothing about horses." Julie replied.
A faint smile appeared on his face as he began to take the saddle off of the horse.
"Really not much to it once you do learn. But's it fine, I got this." Galen says.
It didn't take him to long to remove the saddle and the reins from the horse. Galen then set them aside on this large rounded off log next to the wall of the stall. Then he opened the door to the stall and led the horse in before closing the door.
Afterwards, he turned his attention back to her.
"Ready?" He asks her.
"Yeah." She said.
Julie went to walk, but started limping again die to her bad ankle.
Not a few moments later, she felt an arm around her lower back, and Galen started helping her along to the front door around the front. Once there, he opened the door for them and led her inside. Then he closed the door behind them.
He led Julie to the large couch on the left side of the living room and helped her sit down.
"Wait here, I'll get the medical supply case." Galen told her as he got up.
She watched as the chimp unshouldered his leather pack and dropped it down near the front door. Then he walked off into a hall that led out of the living room near the back.
Galen went to the second door on the right down the hall and opened it. He then reached onto the top shelf in the closet and pulled the big, slightly heavy case out. He then shut the closet door with his foot and carried the medium size case back out to the living room.
Julie was busy looking around the nice size living room when he walked back in carrying this big green, rectangular metal case.
He sat down on the couch next to her and placed the case next to him on the couch to his right. Then he opened it and started going through it for things he will need and started pulling some of the stuff out.
Now that she was here, he more time to study her features.
She was very petite, with a small build to her. Her skin had a light tan to it. Her hair was a dark shade of brown with some lighter highlights here and there and her hair stopped at her bust. Her eyes were light blue with a small hint of grey to them. She had full pouty lips set in a small oval shaped face.
If anything, most would find her to be cute. With her petite stature and soft features.
She watched as he pulled out this rolled up light beige strip of cloth and started unraveling it. He also had a couple of these little glass bottles that almost looked like little pill bottles. But she clearly saw what looked like liquid sloshing around in them.
He set them aside for now then got up and crossed the living room to a doorway that was a few feet down from the hall on the left.
Julie saw some cabinets lining the upper part of the wall and a counter beneath them. If she had to guess, it's probably the kitchen. She saw him reach up into one of the cabinets and pull something down from it. Then he disappeared from sight for a few moments, and she thought she heard the sound of running water.
Afterwards, he came walking back in with a bowl in his hands and a small blue cloth over his shoulder.
Galen sat back down on the couch next to her, placing the bowl on his lap. She saw there was water in it. Then he took the small blue cloth off of his shoulder and started dipping it in the water.
"Got to clean the cuts off first. We'll start with this one on the side of your head." He says, as he lifts the cloth back up.
He reached up with one hand and gently grasped her chin. Then with his other hand, he started to lightly dab the small gash on the side of her forward with the edge of the wet cloth.
Julie flinched a little when he got too close to the open gash.
"Sorry, just trying to clear away as much blood as I can so I can apply some medicine to it." Galen tells her.
She remained silent for a little longer. Her gaze then slowly drifted upwards and met his gaze. He seemed pretty focus on hat he was doing. Then his gaze briefly met hers and he gave her a small smile.
"Why are you...helping me?" She asks.
Galen paused, "Why not? You were hurt and scared. And you needed help."
"Yet, I just saw a group of gorillas on horseback hunt down a small group of humans, capturing some and killing others. Then they spotted me and chased me through the woods. I ran blindly before falling off cliff and into a river down below. It was the only way I was able to get away from them." Julie says.
"I'm sorry that happened to you. Gorillas can be quite the brutes and not the original thinkers of our time. Chimps like me and orangutans are usually the more logical thinkers. It's why many of us are either scientists, doctors, technicians, or politicians. While gorillas are more of the authority figures here. We're not all like them." He explained.
"Yet, I'm still not sure I can still fully trust you not to turn me into them." She replied, while he continued cleaning out her cuts and scrapes.
"I won't. It's clear you have already been through enough. Wouldn't want to see you get hurt again. You are more than welcome to stay here for as long as you wish. There is plenty of room. It's only me here and we're a good two-hour ride from Ape City. The property this home sits on is huge. Roughly a mile big. Many know this is private property so, no one will come trespassing around here. You'll be safe." Galen assured her.
She shifted her gaze to stare out a window a little further down the wall behind the couch.
"Still don't even know how I got here." Julie says, in a low tone.
"What do you mean?" He asks, as he just finished dabbing a cut on her arm.
"Like I said earlier on the way here, hard to explain. And you would probably think I'm crazy if I told you." She replied.
"Can't be any crazier than the fact that you can talk." He lightly teased.
Julie was silent for a moment. She was unsure just how much she should tell him. Yet, he's already went out of his way to help her, even when he had no reason in doing so.
"Because where I'm from...everyone can talk." She said.
"Really?" Galen asks.
"Yeah, that is why seeing those humans out there in the woods, was very strange for me. We are not mute, dumb animals. We are smart and sophisticated enough to have our own societies and laws." Julie told him.
He was silent for a moment. What she just said, was very hard to believe and sounded like pure fantasy. Galen just figured she was unique, a missing link. Yet, she was very sure of herself as she tells him this.
"It's fascinating. Yet hard to believe. Many apes have traveled to various districts including past some of the borders into the forbidden zones. No one ever mentioned seeing such human civilizations anywhere on earth where humans could talk and have their own society." He says.
"This is earth then." She surmised.
"Of course, what other world would it be?" He questioned.
Julie was silent for a moment, going over things in her head. It all led to one big question. Though for some reason, she was dreading the answer. But she just had to know.
"Galen...what year is it?" She hesitantly asks.
"According to our yearly calendar, it currently the middle of the Spring Solstice in the year 3978." He told her.
The chimp watched as her face seem to pale a bit and she had a shocked look on her face.
"What?!" She gasped.
That seem to do it for her, and she started to hyperventilate.
"What's the matter?" Galen asks clearly concerned, while lightly grasping her shoulders.
Her hand flew to her mouth as she kept breathing rather heavy.
"Julie? Julie, you need to slow down you're breathing. You're going to make yourself pass out breathing hard like that." He calmly told her.
She hunched over a little and tried to take deep breaths. She felt a hand on her back as he began to gently rub her back.
"Calm yourself. Take slower breaths." Galen softly said.
"But...3978!" She blurted out.
He's unsure why she's freaking out over the date. It made him wonder what year she thought it was.
"Julie, what year did you think it was?" He asks her.
She brought her hand to her mouth once more as a stray tear left her eye.
"Oh god." She gasped.
"Hey, hey, look at me. You're alright. Just calm down." He told her.
She eventually shifted her teary gaze to him, though she was still breathing a little hard.
"Two-thousand years. It's...been two-thousand years." Julie said, as a couple more tears left her eyes.
Galen reached up and gently wiped them away.
"Easy, tell me what you're talking about. What do you mean it's been two-thousand years?" He gently asks her.
"I... I'm from...2024." She finally got out.
A surprised look appeared on his face as she tells him this.
"I don't understand. How's that possible?" He asks.
"That's what I'm trying to say. It's not. It shouldn't be. There is no possible explanation as to how I got here. I was walking down the street, minding my own business, I decided to cut through the woods to get home because I would get there quicker. And as I'm walking through the woods it started raining. Not a few minutes later it started thundering. I picked up the pace trying to get out of the storm, next thing I know, I'm struck by lightning, there's a bright flash and I suddenly found myself in the middle of nowhere in some fucking field!" Julie sobbed, as she let it all out.
Didn't take a genius to see the poor girl was having a total meltdown and very distressed.
Galen lifted his arms and pulled her in for a hug, trying to calm her down and comfort her. He never did like seeing females in distress.
"It's ok. It's ok. You're ok now. Easy." He gently told her as he ran a hand through her long, dark hair.
"No, it's not ok. I'm two-thousand years away from home! And I don't know how to get back!" Julie cried.
"I understand it's upsetting and this all seems scary and strange to you. But as I told you before, you can stay here as long as you want. And you're not alone here." Galen said, trying to reassure her.
She rested her cheek against his shoulder and tried taking some deep breaths to calm down her racing heart. Julie could still feel his fingers sifting through her long locks. In a way, it was soothing and comforting.
It felt strange being in close contact to a human like this. But Galen knew she needed it, and he did the first thing that came to mind when it comes to comforting females.
Eventually, she was able to relax more and calm down.
"Do you...think I'm crazy? After what I just told you?" She quietly asks, as she still rests against him.
Julie feels him slowly retract his arms and pull back. Then his gaze meets hers.
"No, I don't. Your speech, your intelligence, the way you dress; there just isn't any explanation for it. Though your explanation does seem to surprisingly make the most sense. I feel you are being truthful." Galen says.
For the first time since he has encountered her back in the woods, Galen saw a small smile appear on her tear-stained face.
He gave her a small smile back.
"Would you like to finish tending to your injuries? I finished cleaning most of them off. Just need to apply some medicine and there's a couple I may need to apply bandages." He said.
Julie nodded, "Yeah, thanks."
Galen grabbed the cloth and went toa part of it that was still dry. Then he grabbed one of the small bottles of medicine and uncapped it. He then put a small piece of cloth over the opening of the bottle and tilted some of the contents in it.
"This may smell a little funny and it will sting a little. But it's to help prevent infection." He informed her.
"Ok." She replied.
He started with the small gash on the side of her forehead.
Julie scrunched up her face a little when she felt the sting as he applied some medicine. It lingered for several seconds before it started to gradually dissipate. Stuff kind of reminded her of rubbing alcohol.
Afterwards, he stuck a small bandage to the tiny gash. Before treating the other cuts. The large one on her left bicep really smarted when he applied medicine to it. That one, he had to put a wrapping around her upper bicep. Because it was the biggest wound on her. It stretched from the very top of her arm and ended an inch or two right above where her bicep and elbow meet.
Luckily, most of the other cuts were very shallow and didn't really need to be covered up.
"Alright, now let's look at that ankle. The best we can do with it though, is bind it, and you may have to stay off of it for a little while." Galen told her.
"So, in other words, I'm going to be couch bound for a while." Julie stated.
"You don't have to stay on the couch. There are two spare rooms here. You can stay in one." He says.
"Thank you." She said.
"You're welcome. Now, let's take care of that ankle." He says, while gesturing to it.
Julie lifts her leg, then she reaches down to pull her slip-on sneaker off.
Galen grabs another rolled up piece of wrap and unravels it. She holds her leg up for him so he can reach it better. Then he started to wrap and bind the ankle. He didn't do it too tight, but not too loose either. Just enough to limit the movement a little.
Afterwards, she sets her foot back down on the floor.
"Hope that covers everything. Does anywhere else feel sore?" He asks.
"My whole body feels quite sore. But not much we can do about that. Only time can fix it." Julie replied.
Galen nodded, "Alright, I'll just put the medical supplies away then."
Before he got up, he paused and turned back to her.
"Would you like some water?" He asked her.
"Please. Thank you." She said.
He grabbed the bowl of water off of his lap that had the cloth in it and got up from the couch.
He took it to the kitchen and emptied the bowl in the sink. Then he grabbed a small bar of soap off the side of the sink, turned on the water and ran it under the water, grabbed a clean cloth and started scrubbing the bowl clean. Afterwards, he put the bowl on a wooden drying rack.
Then he grabbed a small metal cup out of the cabinet and filled it with water, before bringing it back out to Julie.
"Thanks." She said, as he handed her the cup.
"Welcome. I'm going to put the medical case away. Be right back." He says.
Galen put some of the medical supplies like the medicine bottles back into the metal case before closing it. Then he picked it up and brought it back to the closet in the hall.
Then he returned to the couch and sat down next to her again.
"Were you studying those humans out there before? I saw you looking at them and writing things down." Julie inquires.
"Yes, I'm a scientist. My main focus is on humans, mainly human behavior. Was observing how they interacted in small groups and families. How they interact with their offspring. Which is not something that is commonly observed. But then, humans aren't always an easy study. It's hard getting close to them in the wild. They can be a rather skittish lot. Usually, when they see apes, they go running. Took a lot of time for some of the humans I have studied around these parts to get used to my presence around them. It's why I was able to observe them today from a mere few yards away. Because they have seen me a few times before and most likely stopped viewing me as a potential threat." Galen explained.
"Kind of sounds like some of the animal researchers and scientists in my time. They do something similar. Go out into the wild locate certain groups or individual animals and start studying them from afar. Sometimes the animals are aware of the human's presence, sometimes they're not. The ones that do notice people though, the more they see them, the more they may start getting comfortable around their presence when they eventually realize the researchers mean them no harm. Some of these animals got very close to some of the researchers. As close as to within a few feet of them sometimes." Julie told him.
"Really? That's interesting. So, if there are researchers and scientists in your time, I take it you have people that take up other kinds of job positions as well?" He inquires.
"Yeah, like you have here. We have doctors, technicians, teachers, and politicians too. And that's still only a fraction of the jobs we do have. There are various jobs that people take." She says.
"And what's your job?" Galen asks.
"I am... was a writer. I wrote fictional stories. Mainly for young kids and teens." Julie replied.
"That's pretty amazing. While we do have some writers here, they are very few and far in between. What kind of stories do you write?" He sked, clearly intrigued.
"Mostly adventure and fantasy stories. Usually with the main protagonists and characters being kids themselves. I write them that way so kids can relate and see you don't have to be an adult to be brave or be a hero." She said.
"It all sounds very fascinating and sounds like you really enjoy your work." He says.
"I did. Writing was my escape from some of the real-world problems, a place where I could just let my imagination run wild. It gave me a sense of peace." She stated.
"I can relate. My work makes me feel that way as well. Gives me peace. Also, a lot of uninterrupted and free quiet time of observations and studies." Galen replied.
"Guess we both prefer the quiet lifestyle, huh?" Julie lightly jokes.
"Yep. Looks like we both prefer the company of books and humans. Can't have better company than that, right?" He jokes back.
"Yeah, especially, when neither of them complains. Well, at least in this time, the humans don't complain." She joked.
That got a small chuckle out of Galen.
"Nope, can't say I have ever met one out there that did. Can only hope I never will. Because I hear enough complaining from my relatives that'll last me a lifetime. I'm telling you, the stories I could tell you about some of my relatives, I'm certain you could write a comedy/drama about in one big volume of a book." Galen jokes.
This got a small silent laugh out of Julie.
The pair conversed for most of the afternoon, and the more she conversed with the chimp, the more at ease she was starting to feel around him. Most of all, she is grateful that he treated her injuries and opened his home to her.
I apologize if my OC came off as kind of whiny or a big crier so far. But at the same time, when you think about it, how she's been acting is very relevant and realistic to how many would act if they suddenly found themselves in a world that is being overruled by humanoid apes and humans are now the animals. Not to mention, being hunted down by said apes could traumatize and freak out anyone and cause them to have a nervous breakdown. If I were in Julie's position right now, I feel I would've reacted the same way and have a total meltdown and a panic attack on top of that. Hopefully, now that Galen is here and is helping her, Julie can learn how to navigate and survive in this strange new world.
Until Next Time ;)