Primal

Chapter Eleven

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Chapter Eleven

 

Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have. ~Margaret Mead

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After he left, Noor didn’t take her eyes off of his disappearing form. He slid up the rocky ledge, making it look like ease before going in to the trees. He didn’t once look back at her to see if she was okay, and it left an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She sighed, falling back to lie on the ground. The hot air suffocated her, her skin growing pink under its bright rays. Noor closed her eyes, allowing the heat to usher her back into an unconscious state.

 

She woke up to the smell of cooking meat over a crackling fire, the sound of two different voices conversing in whispered tones. Who else was there? She knew that one voice belonged to Aeron, but she didn’t recognize…

 

Footsteps neared her, crunching in the dry rubble slowly. They paused right by her head, and they kneeled down. Soon a hand was on her shoulders, hesitating before moving gently.

 

“Tilly, let her sleep. We can wake her up when her food is actually done.” Aeron whispered fiercely, and the hand let go of her shoulder. It was too late to stop her from waking up, Noor’s eyes were already wide and looking up at the girl. Her wild hair was outlined by the beaming sun behind her head, her face darkened by the extreme contrast of light. Noor tried to focus on her facial features, but there was no way that the person above her could be the same person who she met so long ago. Her angry expression was gone, and now she looked down at Noor with friendly eyes. She almost seemed welcoming. Noor sat up, saying nothing to the girl.

 

“Did you say there was food? Is it any good?” Noor asked Aeron, inching towards the cooking fire. Some kind of skinned animal was rotating above the flame. Its flesh was becoming brown, making it look far more edible than the raw flesh he had previously tried to force her to eat. “It looks good.” She whispered, quickly walking over to the stick he was circling. “Is it done?” She was rushing now, her words eager as she gazed upon the meat.

 

“Hello to you too, wing girl.” Tilly mumbled behind her, kicking at the ground. Noor ignored her comments, continuing to watch the food. “I caught that, you know? All so you could eat. I deserve at least some kind of acknowledgement.” Noor bit her tongue, refusing to turn around and face her. She had expected to come across her again soon, but not in this way. She wanted to be awake when she appeared. The fact that she saw Noor sleeping made her uncomfortable. She saw her in such a weak state.

 

A hand was on her shoulder then, trying to grab her attention. “Hello?” Tilly said again, her words falling directly into Noor’s ear. She shoved her hand off, standing up quickly.

 

“I’m sorry that I don’t want to look you in the face.” Noor said, her voice full of venom. “The last time we met, there was the small fact that you were dragging me through mud.”

 

Tilly took obvious offense to that, automatically grabbing onto Noor’s balled fists. “The guy you’re traveling with tried to kill you! And you can’t forgive me because I got your skin a little dirty?” She yelled, her voice echoing through the empty space. Noor closed her eyes, knowing that those words were true. Aeron had tried to kill her, but only in self-defense. She had attacked him first, and he was only saving his own life.

 

Tilly took her silent words as a hint, dropping her hands. “I hope we can get along.” She said softly, lending a soft smile in Noor’s direction. Noor nodded, sitting down by the fire once again. The fumes were filling her nose, her stomach growling angrily. All she wanted was to eat the food right in front of her, but Aeron insisted that it wasn’t done yet.

 

Tilly grew stiff, running past Aeron. “There’s something in the skies!” She yelled, pointing up to a dark figure circling in the blue sea above. From the ground it would have looked like a dark blob to the two Felamus next to her, but Noor could tell that it was a Nocarae. Their flight style was distinct, unrivaled by any other species on the planet. It was coming down slowly, their wings extended gracefully. As they grew closer, Noor could tell it was a male.

 

“Leave it alone guys!” Noor called, holding up a hand towards them. “It’s a Nocarae. We aren’t dangerous people.” She walked towards the silhouette as it came towards her, waiting on the ground below. They landed directly in front of her, throwing their arms around Noor before she could even see who they were. He was talking in her ear then, expressing relief for finally finding her. Was she in danger? “No, I’m not in any kind of danger. I’m safe.” Noor whispered. The voice sounded familiar, but it had been such a long time since she had come in contact with anyone other than Aeron. Over time, the mind forgets everything it had previously known.

 

She pulled out of his arms, focusing on his face. It was dirty, but she could see him clearly now. “Zander!” She said, throwing her arms around him. “You’re here!” He said something complaining about how hard it was to find her, but she didn’t care. She had a piece of her true life right in front of her, and she suddenly felt like she was alive again. She felt so distant from who she once was, and now she couldn’t help but remember that she was a person. She was a real person.

 

Aeron and Tilly stood a few feet away, and she could feel their eyes trained on the back of her head. Noor no longer cared about what they thought of her people, she was just happy Zander found her. He asked about the people she was traveling with, and Noor tried to explain their current situation to the best of her capabilities.  “…And now we’re here, trying to get to some old lady in the mountains that can break whatever curse has been placed on my life.” Zander still looked a little confused, but he nodded along upon her closing sentence. Noor took his hand, guiding his tired body towards the others. They were met with obvious raised eyebrows and unsaid questions, their lips shut and words choked down.

 

“This is Zander.” Noor explained, her hand gesturing towards the sandy haired male. “He’s from the city, obviously, but I’d like it if you two welcomed him now.” The fire was put out, and Noor quietly ripped off a piece and reached it out towards Zander. “Eat.” She commanded, and he took the food without question. She couldn’t even imagine how long that it had been since he had eaten, but it most likely had been a longer period of time than she had gone. He smiled in a quiet thanks before sliding it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully before helping himself to another piece. They both ate in silence, the only sounds around them coming from the two Felamus whispering to each other. They’d be wondering what to do with Zander, whether to make him go or kill him. Noor wouldn’t let them make him leave. He had to stay with them and help with their journey. If Aeron could have Tilly by his side, she could have Zander here to keep her mind grounded.

 

Soon small, scattered bones were thrown around the ground, all meat stripped from the white skeleton. “Thank you Aeron. Thank you Tilly.” Noor called, waving towards them softly. They walked over slowly, eyeing up Zander as he picked at the meat stuck under his fingernails. He was so oblivious to the world around him, staring at the clouds rushing through the sky. Everyone sat around the smoking wood, staring at one another. No one was talking, and Noor could feel an uncomfortable silence sink into the hot air.

 

Aeron looked at Noor, his eye staring at her as if he had everything figured out. She knew he didn’t, it wasn’t possible that he had, but it left a strange feeling at the pit of her stomach. If he knew, what was he thinking? What would they do?