Book 3: Heart Strings

Chapter 20: Who?

Turning tides

Chapter 20

Who?

They had been at the new camp for a few days now. Tyla pulled Tao up onto her shoulder better as she tucked the laundry basket against her hip. She heard a slight argument, she watched as the females surrounded a pool of water designated the washing pool. There were just too many around the pools. Tyla looked up at the males as they didn't want to get involved. She spotted MK talking to Wukong. Both seemed to be discussing alternatives.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Tao asked looking around at Yomi who had a basket as well.

"We could just go use the one at the falls." She whispered to her sister. Tyla shook her head.

"We are Wukongs offspring, we should help rather than finding fixes for only ourselves." She tapped Yomi's nose.

MK jumped down from the trees.

"Its decided, I will teach your males to make a wash basin!" He motioned to the males to follow him. The females walked over to their males. Only a handful of females were left to wash in the pool. A few males were as well. If they did not have a female to do the washing, then they had to do it themselves. Some weren't very good at it.

Tyla felt Tao being plucked from her shoulder. She turned for a moment to see Macaque.

"You'll be here for a moment, I'll go prepare lunch. I need our taste tester." Tyla giggled watching Tao bounce on his shoulder. He loved to cook. He would sit on the side of the cabinet as they cooked and tasted the food.

"Just not to spicy this time Mr. Taste tester!" Tyla called out waving as they went, her smile disappeared though. She felt alone now and she hated it. Where did Yomi go? Her heart clenched down for a moment and she realized she must have gone with her father so she could get a wash basin. Tyla turned and ran right into someone.

"Oh geez, I'm sorry. You turned so fast I wasn't able to compensate for it." The young male said. His black fur and blue eyes were an odd combination on a male monkey. Mostly the golden ones had them. Tyla suddenly realized she had been staring too long without saying anything.

"Oh sorry, I didn't notice you there. I was looking for my sister. I suppose she ran off with dad."

"Yomi? Yeah, she ran off with him right after our new King made the announcement. He's...not a monkey." That was odd. Tyla shook her head and cleared her voice as she tried to talk and she squeaked instead.

"No no, his mother was a monkey and his dad was human. He's a half blood."

"Really? I wasn't aware that was possible." He pulled out a shirt and soaked it pulling out a soap bar and started to lather the shirt up. He looked up watching Tyla pull her shirt out and throw it onto a rock and put her soap into a cup and filled it with water and swirled it around.

"You do laundry odd...why do it that way?"

"You do it your way and you lose more than half your bar within a week. You do it this way and it'll last a month." She splashed the water onto the shirt and then started lathering it up. "Less soap, same result." She said and dunked the shirt into the water and rang it out. She looked at the male next to her looking amazed as he picked up a cup and tried to do the same thing.

"Hold the soap down or you'll just throw it." She told him. He chuckled and did as she said.

Wukong watched them as they did their laundry together. He looked up to the heavens and whispered.

"Thank you..."