The sun was lower in the sky, causing a mild golden glow to cast over the eagle clan village. When Noa and Mae exited the hut, a lot of the villagers heads turned to face them, some of their facial expressions still puzzled and cautious as they struggled to come to terms with the fact there was a human among them.
Noa lead Mae over to a log and sat her down with the female chimpanzees in front of a fire, then walked where he left he box that he was working on earlier, Mae glanced to her left and saw Soona, she smiled at her and Soona, with a small wave smiled back.
One of the other females who was sitting next to Mae moved closer to her and leaned in “so... what brings... you here?” she signed with her words.
Mae, not sure how to answer shrugged her shoulders “well, Noa’s eagle guided me here, I’m still not sure why” she smiled nervously.
The female smirked and glanced around “Eagle sun clearly... knows something we... do not know yet” she nudged her playfully “he does... not choose... anyone to perch on”
Mae chuckled, quickly realising that the females were a little more accepting of her being there than the males seemed. She noticed one of the males staring at her and nudging one of the others, and they began murmuring to one another.
Wondering if this was a bad idea entirely, Mae looked back towards Noa and watched him as he walked over to the fire and sat down across from her with the other males, he set the box down on his lap and began pulling at the wires inside it. Mae watched him, fascinated by the way he knew how to repair human things. She raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, not realising how much she was staring until Dar taped her shoulder.
Dar spoke softly and handed her a bowl “this... is fish... with a sauce... made from tomatoes and... herbs, I have grown... from the garden” she pointed behind her to a small vegetable patch, smiled at her, then walked around, passing bowls to the other villagers.
Mae watched her and smiled “do you want some help to pass the bowls around?” she asked, motioning to the other villagers “I don’t mind helping”.
Dar stopped, surprised at Mae’s offer, and smiled warmly at her “oh... that is... very kind of you” she motioned for Mae to join her.
Handing her two bowls and pointing to the males on the other side, Dar gave her a look of gratitude. Mae looked over at the make chimpanzees and saw them staring at her. They were nudging Noa, but all he did was frown, too focused on what he was doing with the box on his lap.
Feeling nervous, Mae gulped and walked over to them and handed a bowl of food to each of them, giving a small nod as she walked away quickly, she did the same again, but this time, the two males smiled at her, seeming to be more relaxed that she was there, Mae smiled back and headed back to sit with the females.
Dar walked over to Noa with his food and tried to pass it to him. She nudged his arm “Noa?”
Noa grunted, pulling at the wires and not taking any notice.
Dar sighed “Noa... no fixing... while we have... our food”.
He looked up at her quickly and gave her a cheeky smirk “Yes mother... thank you” he took the bowl from her and began to eat.
Mae ate quickly, she couldn’t remember the last time she had a full meal and this food tasted delicious, she looked at Noa, he was still eating and speaking to the male chimps who were sitting around him.
“Be careful... with this... echo” one of the males said, placing a hand on Noa's shoulder “remember what... your father said” he signed with his whispered words.
YOU ARE READING
The Return
FanfictionA few months after Mae last saw Noa, she began to miss his company. The way she felt safe when he was around, not really accepted by her own kind and regretting how she betrayed Noa and his clan before. She hoped to come across him again, but what h...
