Hearts Across the Divide

Close Call

You hoist yourself up on the tree branch and begin the climb, going from the grip of the bark on the trees to the crumbling concrete of the fallen city. You swing from one of the overgrown buildings landing perfectly on the other side. You smile to yourself proudly. Father's words always ring in your ears as you venture out into the overgrown city. "Too small... too weak... be taken... or killed... safest for you... At home. At village."

You climb into an old crumbling building, the archways barely holding the ceiling up. You walk in carefully walking through the endless corridors. You walk into a large open space, one, two, three floors!

You wrap your hand around a vine of ivy, sliding down until your feet meet the concrete surface of the bottom floor. You walk down the bottom floor, many many rooms. Most were filled with junk, some filled with few valuables. A shimmer of something catches your eye. You bend down in the growth, retrieving a gold shimmering chain. Dangling at the end was a blue gemstone. You gasp with a smile. Mother would love this. You go to stuff it in your bag, seeing a shuffle as you turn your head.

You freeze at the sudden sound of movement. It could be an animal. It could be an ape. It could be another human. All three alike make the nerves on your neck rise. A rock suddenly flies at your head, only missing by an inch. You gasp and waste no time running in the opposite direction. You duck behind a fallen tree, begging your heart to still.

The shuffling becomes louder, rummaging around in the ruins. You lean over slightly, just a peak, to calm your nerves. One single Ape walks in slowly. His eyes are wide as he looks in every direction.

Noa continued through the old remains, keeping an eye out for any relics that might help him understand more about the human ways. He knew from Raka that human civilization had left behind knowledge, and Ceaser was one to know of this knowledge, it was just a matter of finding it among the overgrown buildings and rubble.

As he walked, Noa occasionally paused to examine an old sign or bit of debris, hoping to uncover a clue about the past. As Noa passes by a dark entrance, he hears a soft scuffle coming from the shadows.

His ears immediately perk up, his senses on high alert. He stops, his eyes scanning the darkness in front of them. A low growl rumbles from the darkness. You sit from behind the tree with fear.

Noa tenses, his attention immediately focused on the source of the growl. He slowly moves to stand strong, his body positioned protectively. He scans the shadows, trying to see through the darkness and identify what's hiding in the entrance.

Noa barely has time to react as a cougar pounces upon him, its weight knocking him to the ground. He hits the concrete hard, the wind momentarily knocked out of him. He tries to push the cougar off of him, but the animal is strong and fast, its claws digging into his flesh.

You watch as the young ape struggles against the wild cat attack. Noa reaches for his spear and lodges itself into the side of the cougar, causing it to yowl in pain. But the cat is not deterred, its attention is still fully focused on Noa. It continues its attack, its claws digging deeper into his flesh. Noa grits his teeth, doing his best to hold the cougar off. But the animal is strong and determined, its weight pressing down upon him.

You huff and stand quickly, sprinting at the wild animal. You run into the predator, knocking it off the ape.

Noa's eyes widen in surprise as he watches you roll to the ground with the cougar. The cougar growls, its attention shifting towards you. It snarls and readies itself to attack.

The cougar snarls at you, its eyes narrow as it sizes you up. You smile, confident in your abilities. Noa watches from his position on the ground, a mixture of awe and concern on his face.