The Outcasts

Chapter 6 - Pumpkin Pigmy

Jerome's POV:

I woke up drowsy, head aching. For a moment I had no idea where I was or how I got there, but then the memory flooded back to me as I came to.

I looked around. I was in a cell made from bamboo with hay flooring in the middle of what looked like a Jungle Canopy Village, or village built out of tree houses connected by bridges.

As I took a better look around the room I saw our horses tied up outside the cage next to a passed out Ashen. Adam, Hobo and Mitch laid on the floor, knocked out, but the rise and fall of their chests reassured me they where alive.

I went over to Mitch and lightly shook him. "Mitch," I whispered-yelled, "Wake up, Biggums!" He fluttered his eyes open and grabbed his neck. There was a bruise there from where they had struck him. I didn't feel any pain, but I checked and I did, in fact, have a bruise.

"What happened?" Mitch asked drowsily, "Where are we?"

"I'm not sure," I told him, "It looks like we're in a cage made of bamboo."

Adam and Hobo started to wake up. As soon as Hobo was up Ashen jerked his head up like he was never asleep. Once we where all awake a few tribal women came down from one of the branches above us. They talked together in a language I couldn't understand, then another woman who looked like the leader parted the group and walked up to the bars of the cage.

She had on a dress made of leather and leaves and a flower crown and looked about 35~40, wile the rest of them had mid drift shirts and shorts and each looked about 15~30. She knelt down and looked the four of us over.

"Who are you?," she asked.

"Umm..." Adam started, "I'm Sky, and these are my friends Hobo, Jerome and Mitch."

She turned her attention to Adam. She seemed curious about him.

"Sky?" She asked, "Is that your real name or a nickname?"

"A nickname," Adam answered. "My real name is Adam."

She strengthened up and opened the cage door to walk in and have a better look at Adam. It was weird but... When she was next to him, they looked a lot alike.

"Why do you ask?" Sky asked, "Do I know you from somewhere?"

"No, I was going to meet you, but then Katilina and Jstreams died." She answered.

We were all confused, especially

Adam. "Who are they?" He asked.

"Your parents," She answered, "Who died saving the Village you where raised in."

We all had shocked looks on our faces. I never knew Adam was an orphan.

"I never knew there names, how do you know them?" He persisted with the woman.

"I am Katilina's sister, Hannah. Queen of the Woman worriers on the female side of Pumpkin Pigmy Village." She answered.

Adam looked numb for a moment like he was just processing all of this. I can tell this may be a lot for him to take in.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions," Hannah started,"but first lets get you and your friends out if this cage and into a hut for some food, you boys mush be hungry."

We all nodded and followed Hannah out of the cage. She spoke something we couldn't understand to the rest of the women and they backed down. Most of them left to do something else wile a few stayed and guarded the Queen and us as we made our way across the Village.

~Le Time Skip: Moments Later~

I finished my Mango and sat down by Mitch. He put his head into the crook of my neck and kissed my cheek. I loved it, this was the first time we could do that without caring about the people around us. It felt nice.

"So Sky, what would you like to know?" Hannah asked. Sky hadn't eaten anything. He had a blank expression on his face, like he was still processing everything. He looked up at Hannah with a blank face.

"Everything." He said. Hannah sighed.

"Well, I know everything about your mother, so well start with that." She started, "She was born here, in the village. I was the queen-to-be and she was going to lead the Warriors, but she didn't want to. She was like us in the sense that she was a skilled warrior, great with animals and archery, she was especially attached to her wolf Dawn, but she wanted to be more independent, and was demeaned a lot for that.

Then she met Jstreams from a town nearby called Brist.

He had left his home for being bullied too much, and wished to find something in the world. She went away with him. We didn't hear from her for about 5 years after that until we got a letter from her, saying she was pregnant and was going to return to the Village she had traveled so far from.

We where all very excited to see her and Dawn again, and was excited to meet you for the first time. She wrote for about 10 months during her journey back, but then she stopped writing.

Needless to say we where all worried about her... Then Dawn came with their bodies two months later. The animal whisperer of the town, Alana, talked to her and she told us what had happened, we where devastated. Alana told Dawn to go back and be your guardian, so she did. It has been 20 years since that happened, Katilina was only 15 when she passed, and now your here."

"Okay," Sky mumbled, still processing what Hannah had said.

"Where is Dawn by the way? This pink collared dog doesn't look like her."

"That's Ashen," Hobo added, "Dawn's widowed-boyfriend. Dawn died about a month ago, saving Sky."

Hannah looked down, kind of upset. "Oh... So it looks like Sky is at the end of the family tree now." She stated, "That means you get to have something that I'm sure may answer any other questions about your mother." She snapped her fingers and another girl came over and gave Hannah a woven box made out of hay and straw.

"Jstreams and Katilina knew they may not make it back, and left something behind for you." She handed Sky the box. He took it, the numb look still on his face.

"Thank you." He said and put it next to him. "Do you know anything about Jstreams, my father?"

"Not much really." Hannah answered, "He was a Furry, Pansexual, Cross dresser. He loved adventure, and was going into the world to look for something with Katilina."

"What where they looking for?"

"I don't know. But Katilina wrote a diary since she was 9 and included her adventures with Jay. That might hold the answers."

"What was Katilina like?"

"She was strong, smart, and very kind. She had a thing with people and animals alike. She was also, very beautiful."

The conversation went on like that for a long while until all of Adam's questions had either been answered or left out in the open with an "I don't know" from Hannah. When they where done the sun was about to go down.

"Would you like to stay here for the night?" Hannah asked us. We all looked at each other and nodded. She led us to a few open hits near each other. "You can stay for as long as you need, you can live here if you like, we're just glad to have finally met you, Sky, and your friends alike."

We all thanked Hannah and settled into our huts. Me and Mitch layed next to each other for a bit before bed.

"Woah..." Mitch commented.

"I know right?" I agreed. "I never knew Adam was an Orphan, or that his mother was so badass."

"What do you think is gonna happen now?" Mitch asked.

"I don't know." I answered, "I think we should stick with Adam for now. He may need someone, so let's take this one day at a time."

"Okay, Biggums." Mitch cooed. He cuddled up next to me and we both just fell asleep in each others arms, unsure of what's next.