Modified: How It All Began (ORIGINAL)

20. Monkey Business

I gasp as the branch I'm sitting on shakes and I watch as Caleb's wings fold in from around us as we grab onto the branch to steady ourselves, I look along the branch to see and hear the chatter of monkeys jumping onto our branch and scattering off onto other branches.
A low growl of annoyance sounds behind me just as I turn and snap my teeth at a monkey below me pulling on my tail, it lets go as I whip my tail up and beside me, I watch as it scurrys off, I give off my own growl of annoyance at the pests.

I shuffle forwards so I can stand and stretch out my wings, tail, legs and arms, I sway again as the monkeys bounce around in the tree we are in again screaming at us, I huff as I look down at them with my tail twitching in annoyance,
"Jeez we slept until the afternoon", I hear Calebs tired voice groan out, I hum in agreement as I cast my eyes to the sky to see the sun starting to go down, I say we would have about two to three hours of sunlight left.
I look back down to the group of monkeys below us to see a mother and baby, my eyes go wide at the sight and start to laugh uncontrollably earning a very concerned look from Caleb and the monkeys,
"What's got you so giddy?" Caleb asks as he watches me, I wipe my eyes as I look at him,
"The damn monkeys followed us all the way from the nest", Caleb looks down and notices the mother and baby and his eyes go wide as well, they are the main ones we remember as we used to always give her food when she was heavily pregnant and just after she gave birth,
"Oh my god they did, but why?" he asks more to himself but I shrug my shoulders as I think about the possibilities,
"They probably feel safe around us" I voice my thoughts as I crouch down and watch the interaction the monkeys are having with eachother, the screaming of excitement calmed down to small quiet squeaks,
"Yeah they trust us enough to know we won't hurt them even if they do tug on our tails and wake us up from our sleep", I look over at Caleb to see he has his arms crossed and is glaring daggers at the monkeys, I reply with a mhm as I look back down at them, I wonder if I can make a new friend.

I reach down with my hand towards the monkeys, they all look towards me carrying on their chattering with one another, then one from a few yards away screams out an alarm call, I look to the direction, it instantly makes both me and Caleb puff up, it wasn't for us cause they have never been scared of us and they never alert others from our position except the excited squeals, I snap my head back down to my hand as the mother monkey grabs onto my arm while shouting out her own alarm call downwards, I quickly retract my hand with the mother monkey and baby clinging onto me, she moves herself so she is clinging onto my body looking down below, I jump as I feel a tug on my tail and look down to see a toddler climbing up my tail, it skillfully grabs onto my feathers and climbs up onto my wings and goes onto my shoulders and jumps down to cling onto my forearm while still screaming the alarm call that all the others are screaming, I look at Caleb looking back at me with the same shocked expression, I look down as the three monkeys seem to settle a little more within my arms, I freeze a little more as I feel my tail being climbed on again to see monkeys jumping onto the branch that I'm sitting on and start to groom eachother, I look towards Caleb to see more monkeys on or near him as well.
I smile as I look down at the mother grooming her baby, she then switches to the toddler and starts to pick out dead skin between the hairs on its body, I watch as the baby begins to wander and climb onto my arm, it looks up at me and makes a cute baby noise and reaches for my face, it's little eyes lock onto mine as I cock my head and I gaze down at it.

Then I hear a scream of pain which immediately makes all the monkeys gather closer to me and Caleb, I snap my gaze down towards the trees to see if I can see danger, the scream comes again but more strangled, I stand up suddenly which makes the toddler and the mother cling onto me, I put my arm over them as I begin my descent towards the forest floor, nobody is going to hurt my monkey friends.
I land on the ground and stroke the monkeys clinging to me as they are shaking from the screaming their fellow monkeys are making above, I scan my eyes as I stop at a bunch of leaves that has been disturbed, I stalk over and inspect it, as I do a strangled moan comes from my left, I head in that direction to come across a clouded leopard dragging a still struggling monkey along by the back of its neck, I charge and snarl at it, it jumps and let's go of the monkey which it instantly runs between my feet and holds onto my leg, I hiss as it's ears pin and starts to slowly back away, I do a mock charge which makes it yelp and run away in shock, I lick my teeth as my feathers and fur go back to normal and my tail settles just behind me, I look down to see that it's the leader of the group between my legs.
I quickly look around as I cuddle the three other monkeys close to my chest and reach down and gingerly pick up the big male and hold him to my body as I take off to the tree again.
I fold my wings in as I reach the branch and pull myself up, I'm greeted by all the monkeys cheerful chatter and a shocked Caleb,
"Just a clouded leopard"
"You didn't kill it did you?"
"'course I didnt" I reply with a scoff. "Just scared it", I add with a wink.