Not Like You (The Simian Forest Saga: Vol. I)

The Change [XI]

The morning was tame and damp.

It had to be just below fifty degrees fahrenheit, the cool breeze that swept through the woods adding to the drizzle that fell from above. The light was dim and grey, the forest floor as soft as pudding in some places from all the heavy rain. Four months had passed by quickly while Krissa had been among the ape colony, the leaves vaguely turning color as the seasons changed. Without the constant pressure from the presence of human beings, the temperatures had plummeted from their usual lukewarm readings, and although Krissa didn't own a thermometer, she was sure that it would most likely read something close to her guesstimate.

They lined the river bank, quietly listening and watching their surroundings with sharp observant eyes of emerald and brown. A morning dove cooed softly, its call lazy and drawn out. The young woman's bare feet sunk into the pebbles along the shore, the muck sticking to her heels and sucking at her arches. Her eyes found the distinct tracks of mule deer, noticing how they curved into two tear-drop like scores. Knuckling up beside her was Salt, a muscular greyish-brown chimp. His sideburns were particularly shaggy, giving away that he belonged to Hail's lineage. The male had grown fond of Krissa, although his mother Ring wasn't all too interested. Hail, however, seemed to encourage it. She met his emerald eyes. Salt swiped his index finger across his brow, followed by his right mitt hovering in place and his left digit wagging as it pointed toward the ground. 'Black-tail,' Salt signed, then continued, 'Small, travel in groups of ten or eleven.'

Krissa's head bobbed, a few of her wet curls hanging loose after having come free from her messy slicked-back ponytail. 'Smaller, right? Than White-tail?' Her gestures were quick and small, as if speaking quietly. She had learned to stick to sporadic sentences during times where she needed to be silent. Too much movement could scare game off, as Slate had taught her.

Salt's large pate dipped and he crouched slightly. 'Yes,' he responded, mimicking her private movements. His grip tightened around the net looped over his brown-grey shoulder. 'Easier to use nets on.' The two fell silent and still once more, wordlessly waiting for the signal to begin moving. Krissa had to admit, she was a bit nervous. This was only her second hunt, and the last time her training hadn't paid off very well. Perhaps she simply needed to try harder, but all the commotion made it hard to focus. One of the apes rocked gently from foot to foot where he squatted, his friends calmly signing back and forth next to him. Krissa knew it was rude to stare and turned her head. She had made the mistake of gawking countless times, but who could blame her? They were talking apes. Each time Krissa would find herself being caught engrossed in a conversation she had no business in, she would remind herself that they were not the aliens she saw them to be. Now it was something normal. This was their world, not her's.

Her eyes searched the throng of apes that lined the water's edge for a familiar face, although she came up short. Slate was either further up along the bank or he was up in the trees. From up in the branches above, an ape rumbled and she shot a glance up at the canopy. The prince and his adviser were resting next to one another upon a sturdy branch. Rocket raised a fist into the air and swept it forward, allowing his fingers to unfurl. This was her signal to collect her group together, plodding forward on her hands in order to keep herself balanced. Krissa didn't wish to have them spotted before they even got into their positions. Salt brushed against her, reminding her that he was there as well. Once they were all accounted for, they hobbled off toward the other side of the river. The chilly water sloshed around her ankles as she walked, keeping herself stooped down low. Krissa would have happily knuckled around just as they did, but with how stiff her back and shoulders got, she could barely move.

The group came to a thick patch of vegetation and quickly huddled up inside, hovering close to one another. Their bodies were warm from all that thick fur, which she was grateful for now. If it weren't for them, she would surely be freezing in her simple set-up of distressed high-waist jeans and a drenched NASA shirt. Her eyes fell upon a leathery hand that was parting the branches in front of them, revealing their targets in the meadow. They were only a couple feet away, their tails twitching joyfully. Her heart began to hammer. This was it. Adrenaline began to course through her. Krissa turned her head to look upon Salt who stared out at the scene with intent, his hair beginning to rise along his shoulders in excitement. Her cranium then tilted and she found she was met with another familiar face. Her gut soured. Pine looked so similar to Slate, aside from that gnarled scar he wore, marring what would have been considerably attractive features. His right ear was in tatters, nearly absent from his pate. The male's teeth flashed and his eyes narrowed. She was surprised that he wasn't blind, the nasty mark just gracing from his cheekbone to his brow. Krissa, more concerned with the task at hand, shifted warily next to Slate's sibling and returned her attention back to the deer.