Hot Rush

chapter 4

Amail sighed he felt weary, too many years ordering and running the small tribe, he wanted to rest to explore the forest without having to make decisions and laws. Rosa was another factor that he was too tired to deal with, he had come to think of her as one of the tribe, she was sweet, humble and caring, yet the problem she posed was huge for him and his tribe, he didn’t have the heart to tell her to leave. She was one of them now, but deep down he knew she would always be an outsider. The fiasco with the Boudreaux twins he knew was inevitable, she had always been close to them, too close he thought with a sigh, he knew something was bound to go wrong. He just hadn’t expected Rosa to be the one who the problem was over. Time after time he had warned the twins to behave, and act sensibly when around her, everyone else knew to keep their distance. The boys were a different story, being the grandon's of the tribe's elder Rednai and Raoul were to be the new leaders when the time came, his own son had died at the hands of a hunter and young Turuk was still just a teenager. When Amail had found out Rosa was headed to speak to him he had thought for sure she had figured out his tribes sacred secret, instead he was most intrigued to find Rosa herself was the one causing the fiasco, he could tell she was confused about her abilities and bodies reactions. Deep down he thought he knew why she was behaving this way, he didn’t want to admit it, admitting it would lead to more problems then it would solve, yet he knew since he first met her there was something about her, wild and strong willed he knew she would fit in with his tribe, if they gave her a chance. He knew it was hard for them to accept an outsider for they had lost many of their own to their kind But not all outsiders were bad, he wanted to show them that, Amail wanted his tribe to move on from the ways of the past, he wanted them to advance in their hunting and survival skills, learning from the outsiders was the only way. Making his tribe see this was another story. He knew if Rosa was accepted in to their tribe it would be easier for others. She was almost his guinea pig he thought wryly. It was a mere coincidence that she had happened to be in the Rainforest that unfortunate day, He was immensely grateful, his grandson meant the world to him, but he knew when he had seen her, fiercely fighting for Turuk's life that she would be perfect. And his luck seemed to be abundant as he discovered Rosa was actually looking for a place to stay, inviting her to live amongst the tribe was part of a spontaneous plan, he wasn't doing it to be cruel, he had just wanted to see how his tribe handled the situation. He really did feel for Rosa its just that his tribe was his family, and family came first. Sighing once again, he took a spoonful of his wifes soup, 'mmm' he thought, he couldn’t imagine not having his wife by his side, she was his other half. His heart went out to the men of his tribe that were doomed to be alone, the sad fact that their were fewer women in the tribe was a constant worry to him, most of the women had already found their mates. But the men, there was never going to be enough, he hated seeing his tribe down or worried, he had tried to be the best leader be could be. Inviting Rosa to live alongside them had been the best thing he had done for the tribe he was sure, they would see the benefit of having her among them. His thoughts drifted to the upcoming meeting, the news he was about to share would be huge, bigger then when Rosa first came and was accepted in to the rainforest, he didn’t know how his tribe would handle it but he hoped he was doing the right thing.

Rosa scraped the last of the soup from her bowl, savoring the spicy taste of it she placed her wooden spoon back in to the bowl, and unfolded her legs, stretching them out in front of her. If she had thought she probably never would have done this, but the two made her feel so comfortable. Looking back to Laveau and Amail, she saw Laveau smiling warmly at her while finishing the last of her own soup and Amail lost in his thoughts. When Laveau stood up to take the dishes to the kitchen Rosa offered to help, collecting the bowls and spoons she placed them in the wash basin, and then went back to see if Amail had finished, he seemed to be deep in thought so she approached him and gently put her hand on his shoulder, 'Amail, are you finished with your soup?' she asked softly, her earlier annoyance at his lack of co operation in conversation forgotten, he looked worn out and tired she felt sorry for him but knew mentioning anything about slowing down would be very unwise, Amail was proud and didn’t need or ask for help from any one. He broke away from his thoughts and looked to Rosa, smiling slightly he shook his head and indicated for her to take his bowl, Rosa immediately did so. Taking it in to the kitchen to be washed. Rinsing out the bowls her thoughts drifted back to the Boudreaux twins, she realized just how much she relied on them and how much she valued their friendship, she felt guilty and sad for reacting so bizarrely, the men were good friends they wouldn’t hurt her, so why did she flee and over react at being snuck upon, it was a game of theirs they always did it, so why was this time so different. She sighed for the hundredth time that day. Drying her hands on the soft fabric hooked next to the sink, she made her way back in to the main room to find Amail, gracefully slipping on a robe and Laveau no where in sight, 'where did Laveau go?' she asked settling her self in a comfy chair and eying Amail thoughtfully, he was dressing up she noticed, tonight’s meeting was definitely something she mused. 'She's out the back, clearing away spare clothes and pans' he replied fixing the front of his robe so that it flowed down his body and just brushed the floor, A knock at the door prevented Rosa from continuing with her stream of questions. She still wanted answers for her earlier questions.