Otherworld

Part 2

Bridged pushed her glasses farther up her nose as they kept slipping every few seconds because her nose was sweaty from the high humidity in the forest. She sat cross legged on the edge of the forest sketching a plant that reminded her of a cross between lavender and rosemary. If you crushed the leaves between your fingers it gave off a minty smell like peppermint.

The group had stopped to make camp and Bridged had taken that opportunity to sketch some of the local plant life. Most of it was strange and it reminded her of a forest. A rustling in the trees to the right drew her attention that way. She peered over her glasses into the gloom of the underbrush, but couldn't see anything. Bridged shook her head and went back to work. Her sturdy hand, made delicate strokes as she worked on getting the tiny hairs put into place that seemed to cover the plant.

"What kind of plant do you think this is?"

Arnold squatted down beside her and peered down at her journal. He pointed to the plant and then motioned down at her sketch. "It almost looks like a cactus."

Bridged cocked her head to the side as she held up her sketch and compared it to the plant. "You know, I think you're right Arnold. It does resemble a cactus."

"Of course I'm right," Arnold said with a superior air which caused Bridged to glare at him. He winked back at her before he stood up. "When you're done coloring I want a foot rub. I'll be waiting over here for your ministrations."

Bridged threw a stick at him and gave him a rude finger gesture. She glared after him before she bent her head and continued her drawing.

Unbeknownst to Bridged, she was being watched. One of the natives that she'd glimpsed the other day was watching her. It had steadily crept closer since the moment she had sat down. It was now within six feet of her and still moved closer. The native crept around and found a perch a little taller than Bridged and looked down upon the drawing she was making. It knew that the plant had a wicked bite to it which Bridged had found out when she tried to crush the leaves. The native watched as Bridged sucked on her stinging fingers in between drawing and studying the plant.

The native studied Bridged closely. It scrutinized her before it turned its attention to where Arnold stood. Its eyes narrowed as it remembered the tone of the man's voice and how he'd treated Bridged. It stiffened as Arnold headed back over and squatted down blocking Bridged from the other's view. It listened closely to words it couldn't understand. The words sounded harsh and full of disdain, but the facial features of the man were soft and the woman's body language said she was comfortable with this man. The man and woman left and the native stared after them. It couldn't understand why the tone of the man and woman was so off from their body language.

The native waited for a long time before it came out of the forest. He moved across the ground in a cautious gate before he crouched at the edge of the camp. He touched the boot prints in the dirt and studied the prints. He could tell the difference between which ones belonged to the woman and which one belonged to the men. The native wondered if the sole woman in the group shared her bed with one man or with all of them. It was what a woman in his tribe would do. He also wondered if the woman had power like the women in his tribe did or if the power were with the men. The native searched the area looking for any other signs of what and who these people were before he headed back into the forest. Once in the forest he stood up to his full height and scaled a tree. He paused for a moment as he orientated himself and then he ran along a thick branch before he jumped to the next tree. He made his way through the forest by using his hands and feet to move through the tops of the trees.