Lady Penelope and Parker took refuge in a quiet thicket of bushes, far from the tribe's turmoil. Penelope clung tightly to me, her arms wrapped around me as if she could never bear to let go. My small sobs trembled through her, and she pulled me even closer, her soft voice soothing.
"There, there... it's okay, sssshhhhhhh," she whispered, her hand gently stroking my hair. "I'm here, sweetheart." Her voice was a blanket of calm that wrapped around me, making me feel safe despite the fear that gnawed at my heart.
She turned to Parker, her eyes filled with concern. "What are we going to do, Parker? The tribe… they've turned against one another. And they want to… hurt her." Penelope's voice faltered as she held me tighter, her chest rising and falling with a mixture of fear and protectiveness. "She can't survive like this. Not with them wanting to—" her voice cracked—"to hurt her."
Parker, standing just beside us, furrowed his brow but remained steady. "I think you're truly right, milady," he said, his voice low yet reassuring. "This tribe is too dangerous for our little one."
Penelope gave a small, sad nod, her fingers trembling as she brushed a tear from my cheek. She glanced back at Parker, a faint smile flickering on her lips despite the fear. "Not that we're married, of course," she teased softly, her blush returning for a brief, tender moment.
Parker smiled back, a light chuckle escaping him. "Of course, milady. But that's not what matters right now."
His tone became serious again as he knelt down beside her, his hand resting gently on Penelope's bare shoulder. "Listen," he began, "I know of a place far from here, somewhere safe. It'll be a journey, and it won't be easy, but it's the only way we can protect her." He glanced at me, his eyes soft with concern. "There's plenty of food and water there. A paradise, if you will—shared with the animals that call it home."
Penelope's eyes glimmered with both hope and hesitation. "A paradise…," she murmured, glancing down at me nestled in her arms. "But… what if we don't make it? What if our legs give out?" Her voice was soft, full of the weight of all the unknowns that lay ahead.
Parker sighed, his hand gently squeezing Penelope's shoulder. "We'll make it, milady," he said, his voice firm yet gentle. "I promise you, we will. For her."
Something in those words filled Penelope with a new strength. Her shoulders straightened as she took a deep breath. She looked down at me, her gaze soft and full of love. "We'll do this together, my love," she whispered to me, brushing a kiss to my forehead.
With Parker by her side, Penelope rose to her feet. They set off, determined and hopeful, leaving the tribe far behind. As the sounds of the tribe's anger grew faint, only the distant cries of Virgil echoed through the trees, venomous but weak. "I will take that child, Penelope!" he howled, but his words were no longer a threat. The tribe became a mere memory, growing smaller and smaller as the world before them opened up.
Parker and Penelope pressed on, the promise of a new home, a sacred place in Africa, guiding their steps. Though the path ahead was uncertain, the love they shared for each other—and for me—was enough to light their way.