The Doll That Saved Team Crafted

Chapter Five

"Right behind ya"

Not all hybrids dwell in villages or even with each other. Some have the wilder instincts that drive them to be far away from any who could be a threat. Some hybrids never interact with humans throughout their life. It just depends on the first few years of their life, and how close their genetics are to their wild ancestors. You see, the term 'Hybrid' can mean many different things. Your parents could of been two loosely connected species, or you gained human intelligence over time.

     This was the case for Jerome Aceti of Team Crafted. His great grandparent was the only human in his direct bloodline, giving him a much more primal mind. He preferred to be alone once he was old enough to survive on his own. That was until a certain abandoned baby was left in his path. Jerome was human enough to care. And so the animal came to understand the human, and the human understood the animal. It's an odd place to be right in the middle of the two. That how both lived in solitude for most of their youth. Team Crafted was a big change, but it was undertaken nonetheless. Too bad it all fell apart.

I huff as I swing my diamond axe, the sharp edge easily cutting through the mass of vines in front of me. The thick tree canopy blocks out the sun and casts a slight shadow over everything. My vision is thankfully sharp enough to see clearly. I've traveled through five different biomes, and I might not even do what I plan to do. I stop walking and growl in frustration. Things used to be so much simpler. I used to be so much simpler. If I could turn back back the clock to before Team Crafted, would I? Things used to be so different........

My paws quietly crunch through the leaf mulch as I look for anything edible. It has been three full moons since I left my mother. I've caught some rabbits, but I've mostly been finding berries or chewy roots to eat. The sun is almost down. I'll have to find shelter. It's all been traveling since I left mom. I have to find territory of my own.

A sudden sharp cry splits the air. I whirl my head around, growling and bearing my teeth. The sound doesn't stop. It's coming from the side of me. I stalk through the brush while still growling. There's something moving under that tree. That sound it's making is awful..... why am I still going closer? I'm now standing in front of the wiggling thing. It doesn't seem aggressive. Is it crying? It's such a weird sound.

I bend closer sniff the thing, my wet nose nuzzling it's furless skin. The strange crying suddenly turns to a loud shriek. I flinch back in fright and bear my teeth. But the thing has a weird look to it's face. I feel like I should recognize it. It's only making quite sound now, a meaningless babble. It kinda sounds like what I would do when mom was missing. So does this mean it's a cub? I don't know what kind it is.

     This really isn't my problem. I'm sure that it's mother will come back for it soon. And yet, I find myself unable to leave. Why should I care? It's not like me. It's not a Bacca. It doesn't seem to have very much fur or claws of any kind. It probably can't define itself.

     It can't defend itself. I quickly look around before bitting into the nest-like material that the cub is wrapped up in. It makes the happy shriek as I dangle it in the air. It's nearly half the size of me, but I'm strong enough to carry it. I won't admit to swinging it around on purpose, making it make more happy sounds. The sun is set now, but the moon is all my sharp eyes need. I wandered with the cub for hours, it must have fallen asleep at some point. I stopped when I saw a large shadow looming ahead. Mom had told me that these were human caves. Humans are dangerous, even if I've never seen one. But this cubs needs somewhere to be safe while I sleep......

     I remember going into the house with Mitch wrapped up in a blanket. It took me awhile to figure that he was, indeed human. I figured that out when I saw some on a path through my forest. I just watched and staid hidden. Mitch was still too little to keep up with me. Their words were strange to me, but I did understand some in the hours I followed them. They kept referring to each other with certain words that I didn't understand. One of those was the word 'Mitch'. "If I'm taking care of a human cub, then I want to teach him human things", I decided. I started calling the cub Mitch.

"But what you called?", Mitch asked me in grunts and growls. "You're Mitch. I'm not called anything", I told him. "Um..... you're Jerome now", he giggled. I still have no idea where he heard of the name. I'm guessing that it's something he heard from his parents, before I found him. I remember purposely stalking different humans just so I could learn what they were saying. I then taught it to Mitch. Their came a certain point in time when I realized Mitch was suppose to walk on his two back legs. Baccas occasionally reared up on two legs, but we didn't really move like a human. I taught myself how to walk like a human, and then I taught Mitch. I learned some humans words; I taught them to him as well. I've never regretted the day when I took him from under that tree.

     Mitch filled a whole in my life that I never really knew was their. Adam once told me that it was called loneliness. It's a human emotion I felt even before I found Mitch. Being around him, and later Team Crafted, really opened my eyes on how big the world can be. I came to love all the travel and kinship. But it all ended when Adam died. Jason and Ian couldn't take the turmoil. Mitch wanted to keep 'making a better world'. I just wanted us to go back to our home in the woods. That's what drove us apart.

      All that's left now is regret. I miss Mitch. I miss everyone. I've finally hit my limit. A few days ago, I found a little doll in the forest. It had Adam's clothes and little sunglasses. It brought all the memories crashing back. That's why I'm here, in this jungle, far from home. I start walking forward again with a hardened resolve. I know this jungle will end soon, with a plains biome beyond that. There's a village their. I'm going to sneak in at night; right up to the town hall. I've written a letter to him. To Mitch. I've heard that he's holed up in an old fortress.

I'm going to ask him to meet with me. To meet me at the old Team Crafted manor. I miss him, I miss them, and I can't take it anymore. I thank fate for bringing us together, but now I'm just trying to glue the remaining pieces together again.