||The Legend of Taavi ||

|lovebirds|

            Taavi spent the next few days in the jungle with her family, playing with the younger apes, foraging for food, and practicing her words in private. Everyone acted as if it had always been this way, like Taavi had never even heard of humans. And for a while, everything seemed as if it was back to normal.

But Taavi, every morning when she woke up to the dusky sun, had an undeniable pull in her heard to go back to the camp. She tried to convince herself that the reason for that was because of her need for learning, but that was only part of it. Spending time with James gave her a feeling that was nearly indescribable. At times when she looked at him, she felt as if she was floating, and there would be a faint aching in her heart. Her face would get hot and the bubbly feeling would come back, the excitement. She had never felt so many mixed feelings with another being before; it was all so new and curious. Sometimes, Taavi hated the feeling because being away from James for so long left a small hole in her heart.

On the fifth day of being away from the camp, Taavi decided she could keep up her streak no longer. That morning, she leapt out of her bed of leaves so quickly, vertigo buzzed around her ears for a moment. Stocking her hands full of fruit, she made her way through the jungle with lightning speed. She had memorized the way to the camp long ago.

The campers were already awake, making their tents tidy and looking a bit glum. Taavi crashed through the brush and grinned ear to ear.

"Good morning!" she shouted, taking a large bite of mango.

James turned around at the noise, and when his eyes met hers, Taavi saw her own joy reflected back at her. "Good morning!" he replied happily, dropping his blanket and walking towards her.

She felt the pink bubbly feeling again.

"Where have you been?" Porter chuckled rhetorically, approaching her as well.

Taavi just smiled (she didn't quite understand his question) and took another bite, the juice dribbling down her chin, which earned an endearing look from James.

"Let's get you cleaned up," James said gently, taking her hand and leading her to the main canopy tent.

Taavi furrowed her brow and cocked her head. "Bath," James explained.

Her eyes brightened immediately and she jumped up on her toes. "Bath!" she exclaimed cheerfully. She missed being groomed by warm water. Before she met the humans, she didn't even know water got that warm.

After her bath and a good comb, Taavi was more than ready for her lessons. Porter took over that day's lesson, and she couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. But she cheered up once she realized the lesson was just a review, which was easy for she had been practicing the days before.

Once the lesson ended, Porter went back to his study to continue writing, and Taavi was free to roam the camp. She instantly began looking for James. She found him crouched on the edge of the camp, nearly hidden in the bushes, drawing something.

Slowly and quietly, she crept up behind him as to not disturb his art. She loved watching him draw, even more than she did when she first saw him. His eyes were pierced with focus and icy blue, his bottom lip caught in his teeth in concentration. Yes, still the same.

When she got closer, she realized he was drawing a creature that was resting on a branch in front of him, a bird she saw around the jungle. It was red-orange with green highlights, with soft feathers and round features. She sat behind him to watch, and James looked over his shoulder, glanced at her with a smile, and continued working.