I've started working on "Journey of Thade" - The Chronicle, again...
It will be a slow start but I have so many new ideas to trick it out with...
With all the homework from school (yeah, I'm still attending college) I don't have much time for anything else, so my notebooks have been filling up with all sorts of stuff...
I have a paper due the 28th of this month so the going's a little slow for now, but once that's done - the sky's the limit...
If you have been following this story I apologize for the delays...
Business before pleasure, you know
.

Sincerely,
Thade's Darling Human

No, this isn't a lecture on what we can do to prevent global warming, it's just an observation on what I think is the reason...

Now, if we sit back and look at Mercury -- billions and billions of years gone by -- it was probably a lot like Earth. Now, the sun IS getting hotter and over those billions of years, Mercury cooked and Venus became a thriving planet -- perfect weather for billions of years -- until the sun got hotter yet!
Here we are, the third rock from the sun, billions of years old and the sun is getting hotter still. What we are witnessing is not due to our negligence. It's natural. In a few billion years Earth will be Venus and Mercury will probably not even exist anymore.
That's my hypothesis, anyway, but what really cracks me up is that the government is all ready worried about what to do when the sun explodes in six billion years!
Here's what I think is going on with Mars. It's not DEvolving, it's Evolving. It's too cold to sustain life. There's no green-house effect yet because the sun is not hot enough. In another billion years, who knows. Earth will be far too hot to sustain any life except ants, cockroaches and other exoskeletal insects.
It's kind of hard to grasp the theory that we did so much damage in such a short while. Two hundred years and Earth is depleted? Come on now! I think she's been through far worse, don't you?
What people are most concerned about is the survival of the human race. That's the only part of Earth that could become endangered.

I owe to more than just the Dave Matthews Band and herein I do just that...
I dedicate this to: Dave matthews Band, Linkin Park, Disturbed, Black Sabbath, ELO, Heart, Fleetwood Mac, Alan Parsons, Tool, A Perfect Circle, Marlyn Manson, Cyndi Lauper, Korn, Chevelle, STP, Powerman 5000, Rob Zombie, Elton John, David Bowie, Natalie Merchant, Lee Ann Womack, Ozzie Osborne, Queens of the Stoneage, Jethro Tull, John Denver, Led Zeppelin, Kiss, Neil Young, Lou Reed, the Moody Blues, Peter Gabriel, Godsmack, Paul Simon, the "Stones", Neil Diamond, Regina Spectar, Incubus, System of a Down, Live, Heart, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Badfinger, Bliss, Bob Dylan, Bill Withers, Matchbox 20, The Wallflowers, T-Rex, the Monkees, Pat Benatar, Flaming Lips, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Bliss, Bonobo, Bob Marley,Sting,Creed, Mariah Carey, Etta Jones, Al Green, ...

Inspiration comes in so many forms.
So many avenues. So many moods.

1
CHAPTER I
"RESURRECTION"


Spirit broken, Thade remained imprisoned.
Everything he had strived for lost forever.
His world was shattered...

Expressionless eyes stared out. His mind raging.
"What will they do to me?"
His hands trembled as he pushed the hair back from his face.
"Will they leave me here to die?"
He rose slowly. His armor, once regal, beautiful was disshevelled, broken. Bloody.
"I have been BETRAYED!" the inner voice screamed.
His head lashed back, thrashing his fists against the glass as the inevitable hit home.
"N-n-o-o-o!"
The rage ignited deep inside sending him reeling violently into the safety glass, striking with powerful force. The savage instinct for survival overwhelmed him. A snarling, growling beast emerged, beating and pounding on the impenetrable barrier in a desperate attempt at shattering it.
Staggering back confusion filtered into his logic. He was trapped in a cage with no means of escape.
"Let me OUT!" he shrieked.
His hands began to tremble again and his entire body was tingling. Every nerve was short circuiting.
In a state of denial, Thade crashed into the glass with such vengeance the rebound slammed him to the floor leaving him dazed and shaken, his head swimming from the blow.
He could not stop shaking. Shivering as if he were freezing,
Thade curled into a tight ball, wrapping his long arms around himself.
Blackness.
His eyes rolled up in his head, his body writhing from siezure.

2)

"I will die here."
The first thought that entered his mind when he came to.
A low graon of pain escaped him. A surrendering kind of sound one makes upon seeing the end before them in all of its red raging glory.
Fear gripped tightly. He could not move - paralyzed by the apparent conclusion which whispered softly in his ear; "yes. You will die here..."
Thade welcomed the warmth that accompanied his resolution.
Closing his eyes, he waited and the truth that his death was at hand washed over him. His breathing grew shallow. This hell hole was his prison and his tomb. The concept pounded in his temples.
He passed out, giving in to his plight.
Letting go, Thade slipped into deep repose.
There would be no physical escape from here.
He had done this to himself.
Would there be restitution for him after his demise?
How would he be remembered? As a traitor or warrior?
It did not matter now. The fever would burn his brain up in a matter of days consuming any rationality left in his thought process.
His heartbeat slowed, taking him deeper, sinking him into an abyss void of noise, sense of touch - tucking its blackness around him as a blanket in winter.
There was no more prison. No more tomb. There was no more anything.
Just darkness, still and thick.

3)

Time no longer existed.
Pain no longer existed.
NOTHING was what existed and it was welcomed with humble abandon.


***

Kneeling next to his seemingly lifeless body, touching his chest, listening for life sounds - another had entered the tomb where he lay dying for so many days. His skin was hot. Roiling.
Unaware of a journey he had taken for a very elaborate dream, Thade was taken from the place.
Far into the forest.
Away from Calima.
Away from "they" who placed him there.

His armor was removed. The torn and bloodied mail beneath, peeled from his body leaving him naked and vulnerable. Soft finely woven linens were draped over him, cool on his burning skin.
Soft cool hands bathed his fevered brow. Stroked his hair.
Arms held him firmly, safely when seizure tore through him. Embracing him in its regression, forgiving when the froth of vomit drooled from his mouth, cleansing his face.
These hands applied rich oils to his skin, massaging it into his temples, across his forehead erasing the weathered lines which creased his face like a road map.
Relaxing his furrowed brow.
Seizures gripped him, holding him hostage until it seemed he could not bear another second.
Then releasing.
His body was beaten, aching from the exertion as every muscle tensed in uncontrollable spasm.

4)

Through clenched teeth, Thade took in a deep ragged breath. The convulsion was passing. A moan escaped as he fell back sinking into the pillow beneath his head as arms eased him down to release him.
Hands soothed him, stroking the down of his forhead, combed through the goatee surrounding his lips.
Death-like slumber enveloped him. Held him, and still the hands worked to cool him, bathing his sweat drenched body.
Drops of water were placed on his tongue, its wetness sliding down his throat, extinguishing the fire that burned there.
Smells of deep oils aroused his senses. For the first time in many many days Thade dreamed. Or at least he thought he had.
An angel.
Their hands were gentle when they touched him. An ethereal voice echoed in his ears - called him back from the throes of death.
This figment faded in and out of his dream, their fluid garment flowing about feet which never seemed to touch the floor...And the scent of Mihr. The same aroma his home smelled of when he was a child.
Under the influence of such severe temperature his brain offered up no logical insight, instead it presented the delusional decision that the vision was that of his mother, whom he had never known.
He called out for her begging for her to return.
But the apparition did not...

Thade drifted deeper, everything slipping and fading away. Shadows moved and shifted as dark grey thunderheads took over.
Hovering...
Chills shivered down his spine.

5)

Warm blankets were placed over him, embracing his chilled body.
Eyes watched over him...

"Please help me..."
Hands, raised in praise, cupped a chalise, offering its contents to they who listened.
Kneeling in reverence an ardent request for guidance was beseeched. "Ease his mind of worry and the troubles that haunt him. Bring peace upon him."
The chalis was raised to each of the four corners.
"I cannot break his fever. I fear he is dying! Guide me in the direction for which to save his life..."

The sun was setting behind the trees casting their shadows across the ground like long fingers reaching out as if to grasp the last rays filtering through the forest. Night birds took flight from high hidden nests swooping for the insects rising with the mist from the overgrowth.
Lips moved with inaudible words. The plea, repeated again and again, as the cup was lifted high above their head, was offered to the Omnipresent forces.
"Wisdom will come to me..."
The chalis was lowered...
"Watch over our endeavors."
Perhaps the gods heard the prayer. A prayer so heartfelt they could not ignore their parishioner the appeal.

Before the last glimmer of light faded, lamps were lit. Soft, golden light filled the main room coloring the walls a pastel honey.
A comfortable atmosphere. Simply decorated consisted of a sofa, a suspended chair, and a beautifully carved serving table.

6)

Under foot a rattan rug stretched. Odd finds and artifacts, from days gone by, nestled together inside of a curio prominently displayed next to the door. To the other side of the room a dining table sat with six chairs in attendance, all done from the same artisan in the same type of wood and carrying the same detail of grape vines in full bloom. Pictures, depicting dreamy far away vistas and lazy blue rivers decorated the walls. Paintings capturing a place from the past. A time when it was peaceful and calm...
Now the house itself was not a house at all, but an ancient tree, it's circumference reaching nearly one thousand feet, and despite the fact that it had been hollowed out it remained alive and thriving, blending in so well with its surroundings that there was never any threat of being detected by the apes - if they ever had reason to venture out that far.
It was a solitary life she chose.
One did not get hurt if there was no one around to inflict the pain. However, if there was ever a reason to assist anyone in need, be they ape or human, she was always there, never asking for anything in return, just that she be left alone and that they do not attempt to convince her to live among others of her species. To her there was no other "species".
"You are so fragile on your own. We worry about you..."
She would walk away, disappearing into the forest, vanishing into its thick flora like a cammelian. "I will come to you if there is need to."

7)

With lamp in hand she made her way to the bedroom in the back where the wounded soldier lay. She crept to his side, the lone lamp allowing just enough light so she could see him. Fever-induced slumber relieved the hardness of his features leaving a vulnerable, unburdened shell. He was so still she had to rest her hand upon his chest, and it rose with an exhaustive, almost relieved intuition in knowing he was still alive, but which side of the spectrum, he had no clue. He could still breathe and it felt good. Smelled good.
She released a long held breath in relief. He was still alive. Placing the back of her hand to his forehead she felt the fever. Cool compresses were placed under his arms, to the back of his neck - anywhere blood passed through major arteries, fighting like hell to keep his brain from burning up.
"Come here,please. Tell me where I am?" he begged.
Gazing down at him, she could tell he had to be of thee utmost importance even in his poor condition. And even with the furrowed brow he still retained an air of authority though his complexion was palid.
Just by the cut of his hair, the groomed goatee encircling his lips, not to mention that armor - beautifully guilded in gold of two quite primitive primates posed in battle promised severe punishment unto, she presumed, any and all humans crossing him.
It spoke of a warrior. Perhaps even a ruler.
Her fingers glided over the breastplate, feeling its detail, sinking deeply along the gashes criss-crossing the armor, taking liberty of the gold embossing. Destroying it.
Destroying a legacy.
"Why...?" she pondered.
Why had he ended up imprisoned in that place? What could have happened to cause someone to be so cruel as to allow another to just perish in such a way?

8)

She could not tell what kind of soldier he was. That did not matter now. Getting him well did.

***

Thunder rumbled above, waking her with a start. Lightning stabbed across the sky weaving among the clouds as the wind picked up. She did not remember dozing off - sprawling forward from the chair that was pulled up diligently to the bedside next to the sleeping chimp-soldier. The wind rattled the shutters, whistled through the cracks that it was to enter no matter what.
As she rose he called out, sounding desperatly lost. It was another night-terror. She had become used to them. For many nights she sat by him bathing his brow, offering up gentle words, reassuring him that he was not alone. That someone was there.
His face contorted in rage and he screamed at the demons only he saw behind closed eyes, swinging out, physically, at the phantoms then recoiling as if under attack - covering his face - begging them to leave him be.
Compassion for the poor soul drew her to his side to try and ease his fury. The Comfrey helped the cuts and bruises but as far as his mental - and more severe injuries went - there was little she could do except keep an eye open...
and wait.

The wind fought to enter like an intruder as she unlatched the shutters. Securing them back, the gust burst in. Gossamer netting surrounding the bed sailed and billowed over the soldier caressing his body, sending fingers over him. The sensation making him twitch. She pulled the linens back exposing him to the rush of air watching the heat rise from him.
Rain pelted the treetops. The storm grew in intensity sending wind chimes outside the window into a tempest symphony; a terrestrial rhythm anxiously conveying its distress into the forest.

9)


She took his hand, observing intensely, for any sign he had received any relief. His fever had dropped some thanks to the storm.
She felt a slight squeeze. Was he becoming aware that he was not alone in his nightmare? Stroking his arm she continued to hold on. This time he grasped hold as if desperatly.
He was fighting back.
Weakly though.

***

Another week passed and Thade's fever lingered, refusing all her effort to break it except for short durations. Only to return. Bringing more siezures accompanied by nosebleeds and bouts of nausea, evoking in his caregiver great concern that, in fact, infection coursed, and if it was not intercepted now he would have no chance of ever recovering. It began to show in his features as the sickness took over his body. In the dark he glowed eerily from paleness as dark circles from sunken eyes grew ever more prevalent.
He was dying. Breaking into a sweat one moment only to be freezing in the next. In a heartbeat she had awakened to an antidote. To save his life she would have to administer something that could very well end it. Herbs, such as Foxglove, Goldenbough, and Aaron's Rod - proven fatal if given incorrectly - was as bad as letting him die, but there was nothing left to do...

Thunder rolled overhead. Another storm approached as she gathered the botanicals.
Herbs, roots, and berries were ground together by morter and pestle then added to Meade, making a tincture, in turn creating a sort of "shoot and cringe" type of medication,

10)

the wine disguising, little if any, the bitter antioxidant.
Harsh bitter falvor filled his mouth.
He could not protest.
It burned his tongue. Made him sick to his stomach when he swallowed it. Still, the potion was fed into him day and night. Drop by drop. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he begged to be left alone - locked deep in his prison and crying for redemption, proclaiming that he had changed his ways. His ideals. And that he had learned from his mistakes... all slurred and mumbling, falling into inaudible garble as she laid her hands on him; petting the down of his forehead...
"You are safe now." she hushed.
Sensing the caress, his brow rose in surrender, relaxing there in his struggle with the nightmare. A voice, soothing, and much more powerful than his antagonist drove them from his head as her voice charged into the darkness holding him hostage.
He tossed and turned. His head snapped left and right as if he were looking at someone...or some THING. "Death...?" he called feverishly. "where are we going?"
His voice rang as clear as a bell. His eyes opened. However, blank emotionless orbs stared. "Please," he whispered. "do not return me there?"
The very essence of the plea broke on his brow as he brought his hands up, clasping hers tightly between unexpectedly.
She jumped.
"No...," she promised. "You will not go back there."
He stared through her - unseeing until a deep sigh escaped him as peace befell.
His grip weakened.
"Rest now."
He heard the voice...
He slept...

***

11)


Many mornings brought the sound of thunder to his ears as it passed on through endless grey sky.
His eyes opened. Sandy feeling as if he had only dozed off - weary from studying his maps. He felt sore. Parts of him burned, especially his left shoulder. But for the life of him he could not recall why.
Not yet.
The casting of the sheers across his body was out of place. As his vision cleared he realized that he was somewhere unfamiliar leaving him confused and disoriented. Where was he? This bed he rested in was not his. The articles around him were alien. Nothing was recognizable when his eyes fell upon them; gawking uncomfortably about.
Thade felt the fine linens covering him. Upon lifting them he discovered they were all that did. Exasperated, he brought his hands to his face, releasing a low frazzled groan as he rubbed his eyes. There was no grate of sandpaper fingertips against his eyelids. Befuddled, he brought his hands before his swollen eyes. They appeared to have been manicured, not looking this good in years. Running his fingers along his jaw-line, he felt his face. It, too had been shaven and trimmed. Only the deep crack in his lower lip flawed the smoothness.
"How long have I...?" He spoke out loud, his query interupted by a silhouette at the doorway.
He could not quite make out just who or what stood there. His head tilted quizzically as his eyes narrowed.
"Why do you linger among the shadows?" he rasped. "Let me see you."

12)

She entered cautiously, cast in grey shadow, moving slowly so as not to startle her now awakened patient.
Thade followed her with steely-eyed precision noticing how the form seemed to flow along - realizing they were of the female persuasion.
"Such a tiny thing!" he thought.
The curve of her hip nor the way this stranger carried herself did not capture Thade's attention as much as the cascade of raven-black hair falling down around her shoulder did. Reaching to the waist amply.The breeze through the open window floated strands about her like blithe spirits exposing an ivory shoulder.
"Was this the one who saved my life? This waif?!"
Pensive in her steps, she came closer, gathering her robes when she passed the window allowing Thade just a glimpse of the form beneath the clothing, moving lithely into the light of the lamp.
Hypnotized, Thade awaited expectantly as he raised his head and peered down his muzzle as they approached - the rich scent of botanical oils wafting into his nostrils. He prepared to give his thanks to the simian, but like a slap in the face he sorely discovered his savior to be what he least expected; a human!
His body tensed. This human had caught him completely by surprise.
A dangerously low and fierce growl came from his chest, a warning to her to keep away.
"Who are YOU?!" he snarled, the black rings encircling his eyes worsening as he focused on her.
Smiling softly she leaned into the glow of the lamp, her sweet expression beaming down on him.
"Do not touch me!"

13)

His warning was adamant - distrusting her immediatly - watching her with a deep-seeded loathing for what she was.
His head made a sudden upward motion as if in a half-nod before tilting to the side releasing a belittling snort of disgust - dismissing the girls unthreatening vibration as a ploy.
Startled by his crass aversion she stopped. Her eyes saddened.
She stared down at herself. "What...?" she began then looked to him for the answer, coming face to face with a snarling mask of fangs.
"How did I get here?!"
She was at a loss for words. His deep resentment burrowed under her skin when he peered from beneath his thick brow, diligently watching her every move. He could smell her fear, yet it was not the pungent odor of sweat and piss that usually assaulted his senses. She smelled rich and sweet of rare oils. She came as a whisper. Although her scent was pleasant, he leered at her suspiciously as her voice broke just above a whisper revealing that she was on the verge of tears.
"I brought you here." and with a movement as natural as breathing she reached out, wiping at a bead of sweat breaking on Thade's brow, "You were hurt..." catching the perspiration on her fingertip forgetting his warning.
Long hot fingers coiled around hers like a snake, his reflexes so swift she had no time to withdraw. Even in his weakened state to snap her wrist would take little effort. Never averting her gaze from his, the terror flashed in her eyes as he tightened his grip, drawing her down until she was but a breath away from his face as another resonant growl erupted from his chest.
His fangs snapped periously close. "How long have I been here?" His deadly gaze bored into her leaving her at his mercy if it existed in him at all. Feeling her tremble delighted him, arousing in him that he still induced such fear. If he smiled about it, she could not tell.
With each passing second his hand grew tighter. If she did not answer soon he was going to break every bone in her hand!
"TELL ME...!" each word accented by a wrench.

14)

Whether he had succeeded at what he demanded, she began to whimper as he twisted her wrist, his nails digging in, cutting like four blades as he glared malevolently, demanding his question be answered now.
She could hardly breathe. Her head began to swim. So with all she had, she forced the words to the surface:
"Nine weeks!" she blurted. "You've been here for nine weeks."
The words staggered Thade.
Nine weeks?!
She felt his grip loosen, saw the stupified expression wash over him as it all began to sink in.
Jerking away suddenly his nails dragged through the soft flesh of her arm, leaving a trail of bloody tracks in their wake. She backed away, toppling the chair, wiping angrily at her tears as she fought to regain her balance.
Thade searched his thoughts then suddenly swung his head up to her. "DO NOT EVER TOUCH ME!" he hissed.
Black, emotionless sockets stabbed into her reflecting his hatred, yet he could not help notice the blood running down her arm. He frowned at the sight.
Pulling her sleeve up, she repealed, "I did not harm you." without looking up.
Thade noticed this. And in a way he understood the irony just beneath the surface.
She turned to leave, stopping at the door. "My work is done."
Her voice smooth, uncalloused, even though she had been assaulted.
Disheartened, she lowered her head so he could not see. "I am sorry if my presence disgusts you."

15)

Just then a bolt of lightning flashed through the trees distracting them. It seemed as if they were both holding their breath - waiting for that inevitable explosion of thunder. And it came. Rolling in gradually, reaching its peak as it shook the tree. Rain soon followed, pelting the canopy in search of an inlet. But he had seen. He had seen her weeping by the open window in that split-second. Then she was gone, pulling the curtain which seperated him from her.
Although he did not trust her, his curiosity had been peaked. This was no ordinary human! He realized from the start there was something different here. Her smell - she was clean. And to his surprise; quite civil up until the end. Nonetheless, he could not find it within himself to hold much confidence in her...
Or any human as far as that went.
She had to be up to no good.
Still, to find out more about her, who she was and why she freed him when his "own" would not, he might find closure. It would have to wait. The exertion from their brief struggle had left him weak. His eyelids grew heavy as sleep descended, detatching him from the real world once again...

Shaken, she sat in her chair pondering her new dilemma. The compassion once held for her chimp-soldier turned bitter as she examined her wrist, gingerly turning it back and forth as new bruises formed along a trail of deep gouges.

16)

After nursing him back to health - only to have him lash out so viciously - she felt betrayed. But she knew she would have to approach him again. With that final thought and calm discernment, she understood: Heal him and send him on his way - GOODBYE...!

*

Vivid dreams filled with violence and madness hurled Thade back into the chamber. His will to continue; at the brink of collapse. His cries fell on deaf ears as they stood like statues and watched him self-destruct before their eyes. All of it came crashing down around him; the loss of his dignity - the rejection by his peers.
It surfaced on his face as he slept.
A furrowed brow, whimpers stirring from deep within were followed by inaudible words that were best left that way.
The nightmare had him tossing and turning. Then the angel appeared, releasing him, taking his hand to lead him away.
He opened his eyes, very much aware of a presence. She was watching him. Sitting right there next to him. He rolled over and their eyes locked.
"Why did you release me?" His voice was cold, demanding.
The dark pools did not avert this time. She challenged him by looking directly into him. "I could not leave you there to die."
Skepticism danced across his face. "You felt pity?!" he scoffed, rolling his eyes.
She lowered her head. "Yes."
Thade's cold untrusting glare was met with soft, emphatic understanding. He could not look away so easily, denying all the way what confronted him. What he purposefully fought to ignore: her profound compassion for all things living. A quality he was unaccustomed to when dealing with her species.
He scrutinized her. Studied the shape of her. She was unlike any creature he had yet to come across.
"I feel for you." The softly spoken words captured him and he found himself staring at her, unable to take his eyes off of her.
Reaching to touch him she stopped, heeding his previous disapproval. "Forgive me." and she laced her fingers on her lap. "I have touched you so many times that not to is difficult."
Thade observed her smugly. In the back of his memory, had it been her hands that had soothed him? She was a human but not from the usual breed of females; the man-like Amazons that could take on his fiercest gorillas or outrun the wilyest of chimps. This one was tiny. Fragile. And her hands were gentle and soft.
He scowled at his reasoning.

17)

She shook her head, closing her eyes. "You only did what you thought was right..."
The words froze him.
"...You were unjustly accused." rushed over his numbed senses like a warm breeze.
Thade felt extremely taken aback by her revelation. It came on his expression - changing it from total distrust to utter disbelief to the fact that this girl, somehow, knew what had transpired. She certainly was not there to witness the battle, for he would have taken this elf down swiftly!
He closed his eyes, searching. 'How does she know?!' as her words rang in his head: "you only did what you thought was right."
He felt isolated once again as he fought back the tears from his anger and frustration which were burning ever nearer to the surface.
He barely heard her say, "I am sorry." as he felt her hand comfort him, coming to a rest on his arm.
He flinched. The sensation from her stroking his fur made him shudder. Being touched by her was not what made him tremble though. It was the strange warmth he felt in the caress. A security, he sensed, that she would not harm him. There was no underlying threat there and he knew that, somehow, it was alright.
He let down his guard and a rare and unusual emotion arose.
He gave a nervous laugh and declared, "I must be losing my mind!"
The very idea of having any kind of amnesty toward this human had him doubting his sanity as he felt a tear roll down his cheek.
Sensing his discomfort, she took her hand away. His reaction was like that of a snake striking when he suddenly reached out, grabbing hold of her arm, startling a yelp of sheer surprise from her. Her heart pounded, shaking her for forgetting what he had warned NOT to do.
"Please..." she groaned.
She opened her eyes to his, positive that his intention was...What? To finish what he started. To pull away was fruitless. He had her but good.
Squinting from his steely gaze, she begged, "Please, do not hurt me again."
Anticipating that the next thing she would experience was to be the excruciating pain from him breaking her wrist, she prepared; taking in several rapid breaths before holding her breath.
And she waited.
But it never came.

18)

He brought her hand up to his muzzle, taking each finger, and like a curious child, examined each one, smelling the rich oils.
He was watching her, observed the bewilderment in her eyes when she opened them - a wan smile spreading precariously across his lips. She withdrew, hands clenched but he pulled her back opening the fists. He studied the bruises, touching them, trailing a long digit along the scratches to her elbow. His face warred with emotion as she sought to interpret - so filled with a mixture of fury, sorrow, and confusion. Their eyes met, searching. He gazed at her, a far away look, a little bleary, but still intense causing her to look away, unsure how to translate it: As a challenge or something more physical?
Pressing her hand to his cheek, he revelled in its softness, dreamily closing his eyes, a sound, not unlike a purr, vibrated from deep within his chest.
She felt a shiver of excitement run its course; "Phallen, get a grip...!" muttered just beneath her breath before she could stop herself.
"Phallen..." Thade mused in a purr.
Enfolding her hand in his, he turned it palm up and pressed his lips to the bruises there. "I hurt you."
She was in a quandry as whether to peer into those hypnotic orbs perchance to see his ideals or tear free and run, helter-skelter, as far away from him as possible.
Surrendering to his gentle purr-like growl she lifted her head as raven hair fell, framing her features.
Still holding her hand to his mouth, he studied her solemnly; the paleness of her skin, the long black lashes which hid her eyes whenever she lowered them, the full brows that complimented those pools of mystery. Her nose was fine and straight, turning up slightly on the end, lending a child-like mien to her. He saw her full lips, which rarely gave way to a full smile of straight, white herbavorious teeth - seeming to span her face, lending itself to self-conscious ideas that her smile was too broad. Her chin came to a soft, rounded point as the jaw-line sauntered back to elf-like ears, thus one more thing she kept hidden. But as Thade saw her - Really saw her for the first time - he noticed none of these flaws. And he had no rational answer as to why he was suddenly so smitten by her. "Maybe she is like a pet," he fancied.
If that were the case, she was like no pet he ever had. Throughout his life he was taught to hate humans. Destroy them. But this one, though, was different. She had no tribe, lived alone and away from anything and anyone. She was impeccibly clean, groomed, and her clothing was of the finest textiles this side of wherever-he-was.
The questions wanted to erupt from him: How? Why?
"When you are well enough to travel you must return to your city."
Thade snapped out of his day-dream and shook his head morosely. "I know they have turned against me, Phallen." He lowered her hand, streamed a long index finger along her life-line. "You're words are encouraging," he laughed lightly, his eyes concentrating on her palm, "but there is no going back for me. I have been stripped of my rank and exiled from Derkein."
Phallen closed her hand around his finger and shook it. "You don't understand. They came back for you."
His hands clasped hold of hers, his breath growing shallow as he waited - a glimmer of hope gleaming in his tired eyes. "Tell me." he urged.
He waited - all feeling pushed aside; delving for salvation from this child who seemed to hold the key that would allow him back into his world, and Phallen read it all in his eyes. Just finding the right way to explain how she knew this was the hard part.
She knew his future...
With gentle persuasion, she reclaimed her hands, patting the chimp-soldier gently on his arm before she began.
"A gorilla - He was very powerful in rank - was especially saddened by not finding you,"
"Attar..." Thade recalled.
Phallen nodded. "He said something about being 'too many years to just let you fall' - that it was a bad move, on his part, to just walk away and leave you like that."

19)

Falling silent, thinking he might explain what the gorilla meant, it was obvious upon looking at him that he was far too upset to speak.
Her last words sent a charge through him though. "The Senate requests your reinstatement..."
Even the thunder seemed to hold itself back; the silence pounding in their ears.
Phallen bowed her head. That was all she could tell him, feeling it was best, now, to leave him be to digest all he had learned.

*

"what has this human done?!"
He knew a dramatic change had occured; that the life he once knew had changed and that his power had been restored.
His chest ached. "I cannot hate her!" Yet his rational side promised he could which was not what he wanted to hear. It spoke to him of how she would eventually fall away, as his most heartened had, leaving him alone and latently saddened in their wake...

*

20)

"Let him go, now..."
She sat in her suspended chair, unwilling to become any more involved in the chimp-soldier's affairs than she already had. To withdraw was her option and she prepared herself to release him and send him back where he belonged: To his people.
"It is time," she announced to no one but herself.

**

Over the following weeks, trust developed into friendship, making it more difficult for the both of them to just accept their chance-meeting and leave it at that. Thade grew stronger and, with help, was able to stand long enough to make it to the high hidden terrace to sit and lsiten as she brought him food and drink, tending to his every need, making him well, all the while blinded to the fact that she was becoming used to the task of taking care of someone other than herself - disobeying her own ardent commitment to stay out of ther's lives. After all, he did not need her. Only now, he did. Only now.
*
It could not be denied they had learned to trust one another, though.
Thade could not begin to express it. His emotions had been stunted long ago. Yet, he felt comfortable, unconsciously dismissing she was human; taking her at face-value, only to shake himself back to reality - circumstances arriving to the fact that she, indeed was, and that he was to leave soon.
There was a strange ache inside of him that he could not pin-point though. Was it having to say goodbye feeding on his emotions? It had been so long since he had felt such a closeness with anyone - having cut his feelings off to avoid the hurt he had learned to tune out long ago. However, he felt, with Phallen, he could tell her anything. And he did. Many things, whether wrong or right and sure to shock and dismay others except Phallen. She seemed to accept them, never finding fault. And he could tell by the look on her face her accetance was genuine and her mind unjudgemetal. Sometimes she never said a word. Just to listen was her sole ambition while other times, engaging in the spirited conversation, she injected her own journies.
Of places where there was cold air and "white rain", describing how it fell without a sound - covering the ground in a blanket of white.
The chimp-soldier looked at her absurdly,declaring, "You are but a child! How can you speak so of such a place?!"
Phallen leaned over the table and pointed her finger at him, declaring, "I AM NOT a child!" before humbly admitting that she was then.
Thade settled back in his chair smugly and gestured, with a wave of a hand, to elaborate before crossing his arms over his chest.
She proceeded to tell him of its coldness, the sound the wind made, and that there were no life sounds; no birds, nor insects. Nothing but the sound the wind made.
"Our father took my brother and I there after the battle."
Thade dropped his gaze. "You were fortunate to leave."

21)

he said. "I did not have such an opportunity."
Phallen smiled knowingly before lifting her glass. "To redemption." she toasted. They touched glasses and drank. Then came an uncomfortable silence. Neither knew how to pull up the reins of this lame horse without sounding outlandish.
Thade leaned into the light and his eyes blazed. A query pursed upon his lips but he could not find his voice, her name coming out hoarse and raspy. She peered shyly above the rim of her glass trying to hide the feelings she had for him; delivering, instead, an almost comical seriousness fleeting across her face. It seemed to have worked. Thade fell back into the shadow of the evening, veiling his frustration. "Never mind," he dismissed in a breath. "It was not important."
But it was. Slumping back in his chair, Thade stared at the wine glass in his hand as he swirled it, hearing himself saying just what he wanted to tell her; how he really felt. How she made him feel. To let her know she meant more to him than what he had perceived her as: a pet. The words sounded so good in his mind. To tell her goodbye was going to be one of the hardest things he ever had to do. The only thought that seemed to quell the inevitable was one he swore on; To return to the unusual creature. She had saved his life and protected him. To repay her with the same virtue was only fair. But he feared his emotions were burrowing far deeper. The longer he was with her the more he wanted to stay. There was this light in her and through those soft brown eyes it was reaching out to him. Touching him.
He brought his glas up and smelled the wine before taking a drink, thinking, "I am going to miss her."

***

22)


How quickly the time had seemed to pass. It was to be their last moonlit dinner, and Thade could not help but wonder if he would leave in the morning. Could he leave in the morning.
Phallen had prepared a feast - gathering the most delectible fruits and berries from the forest. Thade awoke to a most wonderful aroma.It rose from an earthen oven, sweet and yeasty of bread baking. He smiled and smelled the air, rolled over and went back to sleep. He knew she would wake him soon.
Phallen shook the flour out of her apron before hanging it on a hook and headed for the bedroom. Tip-toeing in, she went to the closet and picked out something to wear. The Royal-blue dress. She rarely wore it, saving it for special occasions which grew fewer and fewer anymore. This, she thought, was just such an occasion. Looking at herself, she wondered if, maybe, the cut of bodice-type top was too much. Twisting her hair back seemed to help the look and she secured it with a large barrette.
With a gentle nudge, she woke the sleeping ape and told him that dinner was ready and that she'd wait for him.

***

They drank the wine she made, pouring one glass after another, and ate the fruits and bread, burying the coming morning when Thade would walk out of her life and back into his world - leaving her to carry on where she had left off in hers.
It was how she wanted it, trying to play it off by encouraging his endeavors with words that would send him off with no regret or feelings of indebtedness.
Why did she hide what she really wanted to tell him? It didn't matter now if she let her guard down, did it?
No.
They were from two entirely different worlds. That was enough to dampen any idea she may have entertained that this would bloom into a full-blown romance. It lit her face.
A stillness, awkward and unsettling, fell over them; neither willing to be the first to bid the other adieu as the oil lamp cast their shadows onto the walls - leaping and dancing. Phallen scanned the room, memories of the past few weeks swarming in her mind. Thade watched her. Saw the emotion break on her skin in a glistening glow. her soft pale skin so unlike his female kin. Her warmth was real and it radiated to the surface, tangible and visible.
His stare was almost lewd, and she avoided it. There was something behind his eyes she did not want to acknowledge when it hit her. He was staring at her with the very same ideas she held safely in check.

23)

He made an attempt to smile - a cheap disguise over what was really going on inside of him. The smile dancing across his mouth turned downward, conveying an emotion he was finding harder and harder to conceal by the moment.
He searched for the right words, but what came out was a lame, stuttering statement of his sentiment. "You...," He shook his head. To say what would allow closure to a relationship he wished could be more than a fantasy was tearing at his soul, and the fight to control it was weakening. He knew he had to go about the task of letting her know how grateful he was quickly and without stopping, otherwise he felt he might say the wrong thing and ruin a perfect ending to a perfect stay. "You saved my life...Changed my life! You resurrected me from a fate worse than death itself and I feared you. I do not fear you anymore, nor do you, I. Never fear me, Phallen..."
The fervent words could not be ignored. Eyes like embers burned into her until she looked up seeing the desire, unspoken, yet screaming for the affection he wanted released upon him. It was there in her expression. The way she sought for the right thing to say. He observed the storm when the light hit her eyes. He tipped his head to one side as an inquisitive little smile emerged only to be totally caught off guard by her abrupt dash from the table - her glass of wine crashing to the floor in her retreat.
Rushing out under the trees, Phallen began to cry, cursing herself at the same time for being selfish and weak: wanting him to stay and not return to where he really belonged.
"Forgive me," she cried to the heavens. "I know he does not belong here."
Wiping stubbornly at her tears Phallen struggled to regain her composure. She turned back, prepared to explain.
How long he had been standing there she had no idea, walking into him. Thade did not move. He let her stumble into him in the darkness.
"Do you think it is easy for me, my pet?" he admitted with a gentle tone. "My emotions do not reveal themselves as readilly. I struggle with my past, and now..." He sighed heavily. "I struggle with leaving here. Leaving you." His last words fell just above a whisper, moving closer, toe to toe, anticipating her caress. His facial hair brushed across her lips; his breath warm on her face. Thade caught his breath - taking in her sweet smell, wanting to wrap her up in his arms - to bury his face in her long raven hair.
Pulling back, he stared into her eyes losing himself.
"This cannot continue although I want it to." his confession came ardently, excitement peaking in his voice.
"Forgive me," he beseeched. "To allow myself to weaken would be unfair to you."
Running his hands down her arms he took her hands and stepped back, studying her. His heart was aching as he realized how badly he would miss her...

***


24)

To hear the bird songs of the morning brought the inevitable; a smile, a wish for peace and prosperity, then goodbye.
Thade was completely well and ready for his journey home. His thoughts were occupied by what lay ahead as he fretted over having to say farewell to his friend and the closure.
Phallen waited at the door watching as the soldier emerged from the bedroom - seeing him glance back over his shoulder for one last look. She took in a deep breath, preparing herself. To watch him go was painful...'Why did I allow myself to get involved with him?!' She was only beating herself up by doing so, defeating the purpose of avoiding people for just such a reason, once more having to deal with loss. Letting go. Why? Why did he have to go?
Stepping into a beam of light Thade turned and shielded his eyes, looking hard at her, taking in her image, burning it into his memory forever. A deep scowl broke on his brow. He could not understand why he could not keep her with him, and his eyes grew dark.
It was just the way it was...
With a bow not unlike that to royalty, Thade took her hand. "I will never forget you, for you are truly a gift." With that he kissed her hand.
Phallen hid her pain behind a cool smile when he rose, refusing to take responsibility for his broken heart - or her own.
"It's time to go now..." She did not look at him the same.
Thade shook his head angrily, snorting his disapproval before leaping from the deck up into the trees, snapping branches and hooting all the way until he disappeared into the forest. To have sent him on his way with no thoughts of indebtedness was only fair to him. He was free of any of that even though she was a look away from tearing up, holding it all in until he left.
Taking a step toward the door, Phallen wiped at her cheek when without so much as even snapping a twig, the ape dropped down behind her. Sensing a presence, Phallen turned, a gasp escaping as he stalked her; his face set like steel as he stared into the eyes of a very bad liar.
He seized her powerfully around the waist pulling her to him. "I am not dealing with your defiance very well!" he declared, running a big hand down her back.

25)

Inhaling the deep earthy smell of her hair his breathing grew heavier as he buried his face in the endless black mane, a deep resonant purr rising from his chest as he felt the rapture from just holding her.
His words were urgent - forceful, as he searched her eyes - looking into them as his own raged. "I have not felt this way in..." His voice was husky and intimidating.
Phallen placed a finger to his lips, and said. "This is not how it should be." Nodding to herself in agreement, she dropped her gaze.
She wanted him to go.
He wanted to scream the truth of why he came rushing back. Why he held her like that.
Thade could not just give her up.
He always got what he wanted and she was no exception to the rule!
Instead he lifted her chin, losing the battle once their eyes locked.
Phallen pushed out of his embrace and turned to go in and just shut the door. She refused to entertain such an outrageous idea that an ape of such high calibur could possibly have any real feelings for a human. Except, perhaps as a first-class slave.
Shaking her head, a nervous little laugh escaped as she went for the door. He reached for her, his touch pensive and gentle on her hip - turning her to cup her lovely face in his big hands...
"Kiss me, Phallen." his words, so caught up with emotion were barely audible.
She fell into his whisper when their lips touched. To take her breath in him - to feel her touch rushed over him like a tidal wave - unsure, at first, and he pulled away trying to curb the passion igniting within him; a struggle he felt he was soon to lose.

26)

He ran his fingers through her hair, overwhelmed by his own thoughts of passion and desire, knowing that no matter what, he was safe when he hid there...
Her innocence tore at him. She, knowing nothing about him or his treacherous past, how the sensation of ecstasy was coursing through his body and how it could lead to something he would surly regret. How the thought of never seeing her again descended upon him like a dark cloud - breaking and pouring down in a flood of unabashed regression.
"Damn you, woman!" he growled.
Feeling her hand glide across his cheek, the hardened General could only curl into it - all tooth and nail under the touch until he could take no more. With one thick arm he enwrapped her tightly while gliding his fingers through her hair with his other hand, overwhelmed by the knowledge that he was safe there. Slowly they came together - stronger and deeper than any emotion Thade had ever experienced sending him into a tailspin he could not pull out of.
Reeling. Falling. Caught up past the point of right or wrong. Where he did not ever want to withdraw.
His arms swept around her taking her back in one profound kiss as his body rushed with savage abandon. He shuddered gazing down at her lying in his arms. He knew what he wanted to do was wrong and his conscience intruded boldly for the first time in many moons to remind him.
Standing the girl back up on her feet, Thade pawed nervously at her dress in an attempt to straighten it before lifting and draping her hair back.
"I..." Conflict staggered him, overloaded his brain in a deluge of rights and wrongs, before he stammered, "I m-must go."
Backing away, he never took his eyes off of her when, with the agility an acrobat, he bound from the deck into the forest immediatly diappearing. Not to return.
Still breathless, Phallen fell into one of the chairs; her head swimming.
"Goodbye..." she whispered, a demure smile curving her lips.
Suppressing the urge to cry, she let go. It was for the best...



CHAPTER II

"THE RETURNING"



27)

'This is not going to be easy. They are not going to accept this change in me...'
By high noon Thade broke from the forest into full sunshine. Looking back he wanted to dash back to her but, instead, he forced himself to go on. The scent of blossoms and moist loam wafted into his nostrils and he inhaled them deeply stepping out onto the open flat land, going home.
Home...
Why did it sound so alien?
'How do I explain?'
He snorted out loud, thinking, 'I owe no explanation!'
As quickly as his temper had manifested he had it under control. One virtue Phallen had taught him without him even realizing it.
'They will accept me for they, too, had fallen under the words of a false Prophet.'
Sparse groves of trees were scattered like islands across the flat plains of nowhere as he sauntered through the tall grass.
He had never felt so alone.
There was not another soul around except for the birds and they stayed well hidden on those islands, rendering up their forlorn songs.
Still, a smile purged and he let go with a howl silencing them. Just as silent as the Senators were going to fall when he confessed his sentiments for her to them.

***

He realized his return would not be a glorious one. There would be no Army Brass in the court playing "Hail The Returning Hero".
He was coming home but not as a conquistador.
He had faced death; smelled its grey existence and walked the blackened corridors of Hell - a place he never wanted to return to. But to whom could he confess to that he had been resurrected by a human? That she was most extraordinary from the word, GO?
How was he going to explain how he had fallen in love with her when he could not even say it to her?! Hell, he could not even explain it to himself!
...Ten fingers wrap around a peach.
Does one bid the fruit a word of its flawlessness; seeing its perfect skin - smooth and supple?
No...
He had tasted the fruit. Indulged in the sweetness of the nectar...
'I will return.'
Her warmth, which rose in their embrace, was not imagined. He felt her trembling. Recognized her fear. To have taken her would have been barbaric even in his eyes.
How the spark ignited in him, though.
How had she - a mere human - affected him so profusely?
She never asked for a single thing. She saved his life then sent him home...
Home...
There was that word again.
Committed, he would return to her, admitting he had fallen in love with her...
accepting it completely...

28)

***

Corporal Omri scanned the horizon from the tree top. Normally, he could have seen for a good five miles or so, but today, there was not much to look at. The rains had left a haze over the forest making it nearly impossible to ascertain anything outside of a two-mile radius.
It did not matter much to him anyhow. His shift was soon to be relieved.
The Corporal had a two-day furlough and had not seen his wife in a week.
She had promised sweet honey wine and he could almost taste it.
His young chimp face creased into a fangy sort of amile as he bounced eagerly on the limb, anticipating his "holiday". Large pods dislodged, falling through the branches bouncing hard, like golfballs, to the trodden path below.
Still high on the idea of going home, Omri paid little attention to the view ahead, scanning the vista yet missing the approaching figure cresting the hillside.
His head snapped back to the silhouette. Letting go with a yowl of alarm he scrambled from his perch leaping to the ground some fifty yards below landing on all fours; loping silently through the forest, back to the base with the news...

Attar turned casually from his task when Corporal Omri burst in. If he had been caught off guard it never reflected, for his expression remained dauntless.
Still clingng to the door, the young chimp reported anxiously, "Someone approaches from the north, SIR!"
Rising easily from his appointed seat, Attar reached for his weapon. "Are you sure? How many?"
Omri shook his head in an attempt to sort his story. "I saw one but there may be more."
The gorilla's eyes narrowed with suspiscion. "Sounds like a sentry. They may be checking out the parameters..."

29)

The sun was sinking behind the mountain by the minute. Recruiting three of his strongest, five rode out to intervene the outsider. To keep the peace was priority and if it contained a kill it would be done hastily and quietly, never allowing a passage for false security. That could place the whole province in jeopardy; landing them all in a life-or-death situation. And Attar was not about to let that happen. He kept the army strong, drilled them for combat, trained them diligently in weapons-control...
...Just in case.
They had to apprehend the stranger before sunset or spend the night out there meaning; no rest, and no two-day furlough for Omri.
The band fanned out across the purple horizon, all eyes north when a voice barked, "UP AHEAD! RIGHT IN FRONT OF US!"
All eyes trailed after as the troop came together spotting movement about one hundred yards away. Centering in on the shadow, Attar bolted ahead, his hand going to the hilt of his sword as he swiftly rode up on the stranger.
"Identify yourself!" he ordered, ever-so-cautious of the shape sauntering nearer.
"It is I..."
Attar pulled his sabre from its sheath as he wheeled his horse about for a second pass. Pulling hard on the reins he leapt from its back landing directly in the stranger's path. He recognized the voice and focused hard to catch a glimpse of the face in the twilight.
Several seconds passed before the gorilla stammered, "How...?"
At a loss for words, his mouth was agape as their eyes locked.
"How...?" he faltered again.
In the dusk, the gorilla could just make the profile.
He knew this was no phantom before him.
The General had risen from the dead.
"Stop stammering and tell me if it is true." Thade snapped in a gravelly voice.
Still in a state of sheer astonishment, Attar could barely absorb the question posed, resulting in the very reaction Thade had demanded cease; "W-w-what...?"
Thade sighed heavily as he shook his head. "Does the Senate wish to reinstate me?"
The rest of the party rode up fast, encircling the two where they stood noticing that Commander Attar was considerably frustrated and this thin, pale looking chimp in a tattered military uniform seemed to be the problem.
"Sir?" Omri began.
But Attar did not hear him. He was still nodding in response to Thade's question - stupified by his presence, slowly grasping the fact that he was, indeed, standing there before him, teetering on the verge of collapse.

30)


Two of the gorillas quickly dismounted stepping to either side of Thade, and took him by the arms. "You are under arrest..." one of them stated while removing a pair of manacles from his utility belt.
Thade wrenched free glaring out at them. "Take your hands off of me! Are you out of your mind?" he snarled backing away, fingers flexing and just waiting for a power struggle.
Attar snapped out his daze and pushed the soldiers aside before stepping in front of Thade. His enormous girth blocked the soldiers, concealing a stunned ex-general, who, in his frame of mind at the moment could have ripped their heads off.
Staying in the saddle, Omri observed silently, harried by the sudden turn of events which, if it had not been for the Commander, could have resulted in an ugly stand-off. He knew Thade was to go before the Council but not as a prisoner.
Attar growled fierclely. "Thade is still your superior and you WILL treat him respect!" He leered at them menacingly and they backed away with apologetic words, but mostly from fear of the wrath that could be unleashed upon them with the word; "insubordination". That alone would be far worse than having to answer to the Senate.
"Go back to the compound." Attar ordered. "If you breathe a word of his return I will know just who opened their mouths."
The pair stumbled back to their waiting horses and were in motion before even saddling up. Turning, Attar saw the look on the chimps face. He was shocked and angered.
"Are you all right?" the gorilla asked.
Thade seemed to slump as he reached up and rested his hand on the mighty shoulder. "I have been through hell my friend." he admitted. "It is time for a change."
The words came so calmly the commander wondered if this was his warrior-general.
He shivered.
Where was the fire Thade once possessed?
He shook his head and tried not to judge him when, for the first time since their encounter, Attar noticed the armor. Even the mail beneath it was beaten. Thade could tell Attar was embarassed by the disgraced uniform and he nodded in agreement. "I know, I know..." he conveyed. "It is ready to be retired."
Thade grinned painfully before fading quickly. Telling of a much deeper concern as his expression became grave. Too grave for someone who had just been told that they were to be reinstated to their former position.
Nonetheless, the commander was glad to see his friend alive.
Out of nowhere, the huge ape suddenly embraced Thade in a massive bear hug squeezing the breath from him, unknowingly, with his great arms. A splendid smile spanned the gorilla's muzzle when he released, clutching the chimp's shoulders next.
"It is good to see you!" he declared, shaking Thade heartily.
Taking a startled step back, Thade fought to recover from the unexpected greeting. The power in that affectionate hug - though in good will - proved merciless on his healing ribs. Closing his eyes Thade took in a slow, measured breath stifling the pain that was stabbing at his side. The smile fell from Attar's face when he saw his labored breathing, becoming aware to the fact that his friend was still quite fragile.
"You are not well!" he cried, ashamed of himself for inflicting pain upon his general.
Taking him under the arm, Attar assisted him to the waiting horse.
Shaking his head, the chimp disputed, "I have made it this far. I will make it the rest of the way."

31)

Despite the Commander's pleas, Thade refused to take the reins.
"You have not lost your stubborn streak, sir." Attar related matter-of-factly.
But he had.
Thade had all but surrendered.

**

The young corporal stopped just along the tree line while the others rushed sullenly past - egos bruised. He saw the change in Thade. He was not what he used to be. He appeared humbled. Morose. Distant. Something besides his terrible loss had affected him. It showed in his eyes. As if he had lost his best friend.
Omri recognized that ghostly look. He knew the expression of loss and it shook him.
Only one of the three gorillas who had attempted to incarcerate Thade remained with Omri. He looked sheepishly away from his commander once they reached them.
Eyeing the soldier contemptuously, Attar directed his words especially to he: "Make certain ALL understand there is to be no word of the general's return until I say so." His order was calm yet menacing. The warning coming through as plainly as the moons rose in the night sky.
The soldier nodded without hesitation then wheeled his horse about and disappeared into the wood.
Thade watched long after, his thoughts wandering along his own path of uncertainty for what was to occur now that he was returning. Surly his Phallen would never steer him toward his demise.
After all, she delivered him from it.
He dropped his gaze. Stared at his own shadow. He did not feel the pain anymore.
His thoughts were on Phallen and what she was doing at this very moment.
She loved him.
She loved him not.
Was she thinking of him? Did she feel the way he did or was she carrying on with whatever she did out there by herself?
He missed her. He could not help from doing so.

32)


The night was flawless, allowing for a most brilliant meteor shower for which both had grown accustomed to. The only sounds were their footsteps as they raked through the tall grass and the crickets hidden about therein.
Attar noted Thade's unusual silence. It troubled him to see his friend so depressed. So far out in left field - without a clue - and really not seeming to give a damn about anything. Just whatever it was that took him so far away.
Unable to take the silence any longer, Attar stepped in front of Thade and placed a hand on his chest, stopping him. "What happened to you out there?"
She wasn't just another woman, Thade reminised, before looking up at his towering comrade, smiling wanly. He chuckled to himself and shook his head down. "What a tale I have to tell you." he consoled.
Looking up, his eyes were as lucid as still waters, delivering the grief which haunted his soul and he knew that if he did not share this with someone - this helpless feeling for this human - he was certain it would drive him insane.
Thade could not hide his emotions anymore. His brow furrowed as he took in a deep breath.
He paused then said slowly, "there was - someone."

**

Entering through the back gates offered privacy. Avoiding any discrepencies that could have occured due to the presence of the former general upon his return to Derkein. The Infantry had been imformed and awaited his arrival with apt anxiety, knowing not what to expect; retaining reverence, nonetheless, among themselves for him.
For what seemed like an eternity, the two were finally seen. Walking. A single horse trailing after.
Snapping to attention, the battalion eyed their former leader prudently as he sauntered past them with barely an acknowledgment they were there. His physical appearance a mere shell of what they had recalled.
Attar surveyed the assembly with unyielding admonishment, narrowing his gaze onto the ones most likely to incite argument among their peers. However, even the rebel-rousers appeared sympathetic to the chimp's profound loss of power and regarded him with as much respect as they did of their current Leader, Attar.

Handing the reins to the wrangler, Attar said, "I trust you recieved my message?"
They nodded in unison, the stout orang confirming the warning with firm comprehension before taking the horse and leading it down into the belly of the stable.
Attar stood next to Thade, chest out. Proud and ready to do whatever it took to protect his comrade. With a gesture, he urged Thade ahead toward the Officer's Quadrant wondering just how the ex-general would take what lay ahead of him.

33)

The halls smelled of pungent oil and fresh paint. Any and all things which had depicted Semos and of the Legacy had either been destroyed or gone over - removed permanantly from the walls. This perturbed Thade greatly, but there was nothing he could do to change the situation. What had happened happened. Altering the culture forever.
The jade eyes scanned the quadrant from under a heavy brow recollecting the tapestries, statues in the likeness of he and his father, murals of the hunt painted across the great span of wall - larger than life itself. Even the blood-red paint had been covered over.
All of it was erased. Replaced by fresh plaster.
Ascertaining Thade's sullen vexation over the dramatic change, Attar commented, "it was not pretty. Most of the things were destroyed while the rest was auctioned."
"It was to be expected." Thade sighed. Defeated, he felt, once again.
This was not the reaction Commander Attar expected. Something more along the line of a tantrum in full swing, out of control and extremely dangerous was. He was not the only one who saw this. The young corporal stood at the intersection of the Officer's Quad. A ring of keys in his hand. Waiting. Examining each key, he heard and saw the whole thing. It was none of his business, he knew, but there was no mistaking the strong connection from whatever harried the ex-general. Omri knew what Thade was feeling and the sight of everything stripped drew gravely across the aging ape's face.
As he stared down at the keys, the echo of voices drew his head up as his fingers slid around the General's key almost instinctively. And as he escorted them - listening to the hushed conversation behind him, he caught a few words as they rose passionatly;
"I do not care" and "I am planning a journey" floated into Omri's sensitive ears more than once, and when the corporal found the opportunity to get Thade alone, he knew he could confide in him just how he understood. Then Thade would rip his head off.
Omri picked up his pace, arriving at the General's door several seconds before them and slipped the key home.
"Your room has remained as you left it." he reported, pushing the door wide open.
It swung open, revealing the shadowed contents which were once the whole essence of Thade's affluence. Both Attar and Omri noticed the way Thade peered into the room; as if discovering some ancient ruin. Apprehensive to enter. Perhaps fearful of distrubing the contents that once influenced the very essence of a king...

34)

"If that will be all..." Omri's voice, though soft, startled Thade.
The general turned defensively. Jaw tight. His eyes settled on the young ape before nodding tersly - shifting his gaze back into the shadows of his lost world.
With a silent command, Attar dimissed the corporal, who, with a nod, dutifully left, catching the ex-general's eye just before disappearing around the bend.
Omri knew something had devastated General Thade...

Perceptive to his friend's uncertainty, Attar ushered forth. The smell of leather, parchment paper, and whatever else that had been locked up in there wafted into his nostrils dank and musty. Although it had been closed up for several months, the odor was not offensive. Instead, reminiscent. Bringing back to mind the last days they spent in that room; hatching plans, reading maps, or just discussing life in general.
Locating an oil lamp sitting at the corner of a desk scattered with papers and documents long dead, Attar swooped it up and struck a match.
As light filled the room Thade could see that it was, indeed, left exactly as he had left it.
A mess.
The only thing not covered with either discarded clothing or some now insignificant piece of documentation was the day-bed which he rarely napped but had entertained a few tryst receptions upon with his "select" coutesans. Shuffling in, that bed looked extremely inviting even in its unwarmed state. With a low groan he lowered himself down onto the feather mattress, pain wracking his body mercilessly, his thoughts wandering back to Phallen...
"What was she doing now"?
He threw his arm across his eyes blocking the light. The thoughts. Immensely exasperated, Thade groaned as he tried to make himself comfortable. He could feel the commander's eyes on him as if he already knew. Heard their questions until he had to speak...
"What I am about to tell you can never leave this room..."
Grabbing a chair, the gorilla flipped it around and planted himself astutely. Waiting for the story to unfold. At last, Thade was about to allow restitution to his miraculous resurrection.
A confession was awaiting and Thade's face wrinkled beneath his arm as he sought through his situation - troubled and slightly frustrated.
To divulge such a confession was certain that, among his peers, he would be condemned "unsound".
"Whatever you tell me will never be repeated." Attar assured.
In a calm voice; so unlike his usual boisterous self, Thade commended his friend. "My confidence in you has always been justified by your accomplishments."

35)

To flex his knee, the general clenched his teeth in agony as shots of pain coursed.
"Forgive me," he rasped, resting his leg against the wall. "I forget that I am not the young ape I once was."
Taking in a long breath, Thade realized he had no more to go on. He had come around to the task of disclosing his resurrection and his secret. So, with a sigh, he began. Slowly at first. Recounting the nightmare of the battle at Calima briefly so as not to open any wounds. He told of his liberation from the tomb yet he could not explain how he had gotten to where he was: in the care of a woodlander. And as his tale unfolded, he never revealed to Attar that his savior had been of the Human species, leading the commander to believe that Thade had encountered an emphatic hermit ape.
His memory rested upon, for the most part, the last week or two as his injuries suffered had sank him deeply into fever-induced seizures caused by a laceration to his left arm.

"I cannot forget her." Thade's features shadowed over with sincere candor announcing just how deeply this person had affected him. "She has crept into my very soul." he confessed.
He was almost in tears. His voice, thick with remorse for having left her alone, wavered and he closed his eyes tightly against his weakness.
"You should let her know." Attar suggested.
Thade came up off the bed - ignoring his pain. "Do you think so?!" He sounded almost hysterical. Abandoning all attempts to control his raging emotions.
He laughed. Too caught up. Lest to cry like a baby. And as Attar observed this behavior he saw the grave, saddened expression in Thade's eyes...
OhmyGod! What have you done?!
Thade fell back and held his side. "She is human."
The gorilla gasped looking away. Then took a double-take, before snorting, "Surly you jest!" his lips spanning in delayed reaction from the caper Thade had just laid on him.
But the gleam in those eyes...
They did not lie...
Staggered by Thade's presumptuous revelation, Attar soon lost his grin.
His jaw dropped in disbelief...
"You are serious!" came a whisper of astonishment as his eyes bulged in shock.

The silence which befell them was charged with a nervous energy that left Thade uncertain as to whether his confession had been such a good idea.
He did not feel any better for it. In fact, he felt even worse now that the story had been told; hearing it ring in his own ears.
He felt stupid.
No. Confession was NOT good for the soul!
Not his, anyway...

"Under these circumstances," Attar stumbled. "and in your best interest, I strongly advise you to let this go."
The commander lowered his head as he shook it, adding stoically, "do not waste your time."
Waste his time?!
"She is no mere human!" Thade opossed. His eyes gleamed as his voice reached a feverish pitch confirming deep resentment at the statement.
Then he blinked as if awakening. Stifling his aversion. Awakening to the realization of what he had done: Attacked his friend unjustifiably.
Puzzled black eyes stared back as Thade fought for control.
"Forgive me. I do not mean to take this out on you, my friend. Believe me when I say I know where you are coming from...But can you see what has happened to me?"
An apology from the General was practically non-existant. And Attar could only recall one other time before accepting this one humbly.

"You do not know her..." Thade said.

The hulking figure in the chair could only peer out from beneath a curious brow at his "insane" comrade...
Slowly rising, he prescribed, "Rest..." before placing a mighty hand atop Thade's chest. "We will talk tomorrow." he pledged.
"I am in love with her..."

The gorilla jumped as if jolted by the door latch...
"Tomorrow..." he called.
Stepping out into the deserted corridor he pulled the door shut making sure it locked behind him, then leaned against the wall , slapping a hand to his face...
"this is a nightmare!" he thought.

Closing his eyes, Thade entered, almost immediatly, into deep slumber...
Indeed, tomorrow was another day...

***

Phallen sat on the edge of her bed.
What to do now? Now that he had left.
She had no idea just how strongly she had affected him. Leading her to believe that it was all a misunderstanding - a really big mistake on his part to have kissed her like that. Obviously his status reigned among the elite. Arriving to the conclusion that she would most likely never see him again. That her services were no longer needed. And that her own foolish thought, "maybe he will come back some day", would soon fade.
Oh the fairy tale would have been wonderful if it had been one.
They always had happy endings she mused, but highly unlikely in their case.

"I need to leave for a while." was her last thought before sleep impeded...

He dreamed of her...

She slept dreamlessly...

***



36)

High above the city the water reservoir which held many thousands of gallons of water, warmed as the sun travelled up through cloudless blue sky.
Thade awoke to the sound of business-as-usual outside of his quarters. His first thought being, "will I be able to re-establish myself?"
He knew he was to go before the Council to answer for his misdeeds and also to protect his innocence.
He sat up, swung his feet to the floor and stretched, yawning widely. Resting against the wall, Thade could still smell the oils on his skin.
It had not been a dream.
She really did exist.
Bringing his hands to his face he wondered if he would ever chance upon her again.
Did he dare?
That caress.
He could still taste it. Sweet. Innocent upon his lips.
Hell, he could still feel her in his arms and if he were to close his eyes he could see her; the tiny human whom he had fallen head-over-heels with.
"I don't think I will forget you so soon." a frustrated cry declared before combing his hair back with thick fingers.
'I do not even know her enough to be feeling the way I do.' so he tried to tell himself.
Why, then, did he have these ardent feelings for her?
In the back of his mind he knew.
All she wanted was to heal him. Pervious to the fact that he was needed back home.
"Phallen...," he sighed, closing his eyes.

***

All she needed was time.
Time to forget.
To be in the Highlands was sure to clear her thoughts. Enable her to shed the feelings of loss...
"I have gazed upon your face far longer than you have upon mine. Now I must forget yours."
With only a few provisions, she closed the door. Leaving everything else behind...

***


37)

Stepping under the fall of water, Thade let it rain on him. Washing the scent of Mhir from his hands and face as he tried to recall where it all transpired. Was it the image of the "angel"?
He realized then that it had to have been the girl all along in his fading consciousness.
He shuddered. Opened his eyes. Water trickled into them...WAIT!
"I must find her!" his mind shot.

***


Corporal Omri had dispatched sentries out into the western region in search of the "host", but the effort to locate the human had proven fruitless.
"We found the tree abode but it has been deserted." he reported.
Attar bit at the lining of his cheek. "Very well. At least we know that the place actually exists." he replied, shuffling a stack papers into a neat pile in the center of his desk.
All of the "due-process" work was catching up with him as Omri saw when the commander glanced up. The gorilla's eyes were weary and blood-shot. The corners of his mouth hung from concern.
"If we find her, should we bring her back?"
"NO!" Attar shot immediatly, his hand landing atop the papers. "Thade does not need her in his life. Not now..." and he shook his head. "or ever."
Omri saluted half-heartedly before being dismissed.


**



The knock at the door hastened Thade from the shower - wrapping a towel around as he went.
Corporal Omri stood, impatiently on the other side, prancing about anxiously from one foot to the other.
Opening the door Thade glared out at the young chimp.
"What do you want?" he inquired.
Omri's eyes shifted up and down the corridor.
"What are you up to?!" the general demanded.
Their eyes narrowed on one another.
Omri responded with a knowing smile, as if saying; C'mon now! We know of her all ready!
"I had the forest searched...They found the Tree...," he reported. "but she was gone."
Thade eyed him suspiciously. "What are you saying?!" his voice reflecting immediate distrust.
The Corporal knew he had opened a can of worms better left closed upon seeing the frustration settling along Thade's brow...
Going to speak, the door was slammed in his face in mid-sentence.
Omri felt his own embarassment - standing there, alone...
What a bitter pill to swallow was all that offered any solace. And as he turned to leave Thade threw the door open.
"FIND HER!" he ordered.
His rage was intense. Reddening his cheeks. Not being able to locate the "Papillon" thrust him into a depressed funk from which he could not pull himself up out of - his mind surgeing; "she does not even know how I feel!"
Omri peered up at the weary General. "She is human?" he dared inquire aloud.
"Why should it matter to you?" Thade snarled, pressing closer.
The corporal glanced furtively along the corridor, before his eyes rolled, knowingly, back. "But is it a wise choice to pursue this?" he chanced. "What if...?"
Thade cut him off; "It is more than I can explain!" his voice came breathily.
Extremely irritated, he found it impossible to explain that the care Phallen provided was without warrant.


38)

"I cannot explain my reasons." he concluded brusquely.
"I'll do what I can."
"You would do that for me?" the general asked, a look of surprise dawning in his eyes.
Omri smiled easily and said, "Yes." Then, as an after-thought added; "There is something that has changed you. If it is caused by your fervent regard," and he gave it some thought,"in this "caring" you claim , then I will help you."
Thade nodded his appreciation as his mind fired; "just find her. Bring her to me".
It seemed so long ago - their goodbye. Gazing upon her beautiful face. Those deep brown eyes delving into his very soul.
It sent him running, shaken and scared until his own emotions eventually paralyzed him.
He mumbled something under his breath without even realizing. And though the words were probably not for Omri to hear, he caught every syllable.
Studying Thade, Omri noticed the way he held himself. Not very proudly, he thought. His shoulders were heavy and hunched as if beaten. For the first time alone. Oh this human was much more than a possession to the former general. She was a life line. "You are in love with her, aren't you?" the corporal risked.
The question came from nowhere and Thade froze.
Was it so obvious?!

*

To stay.
To leave.
"Will I ever see her again?"
To be with her once again was all that occupied his thoughts.
"You would leave me here? Leave me for the sake of my own good?"
He held his head. "This is not where I want to be if you cannot be here with me."
His every-day thoughts thirsted for answers, yet no confirmation came, leaving him at a loss as to why.
Why he felt as he did.
Taking her up in his arms as he had would have surly sent him to the edge.
To talk as they had...
To hear her soft voice...
He closed his eyes recalling how his hands trailed her arms; the softness there.
He could still feel her...


*

The letter; entrusting it to Corporal Omri, who was sticking his neck out for the general - touched rarely of his true feelings...

My Dearest Phallen,

It is my most heartfelt hope that this reaches your hands for I have not been at peace since parting, and I have come to the conclusion that you, above anything and everything else, are most important now. I have given instructions to the Corporal to bring you back to Derkein where I await for you to join me.
Though it has been many weeks since we parted,
You still haunt me.
Please, do not hesitate.
I await, though impatiently, for your arrival.

Yours,

Thade
General of the Derkein Army.

***


39)

And he waited.
Hoping with each relay there would be some clue as to where she had gone.
With best intentions, Omri searched and searched, yet could not find Thade's elusive butterfly.
The note given to him became wear-worn and tatterd from its many travels - tucked safely beneath his breastplate next to his heart.
Every evening however, anticipating finality, Thade was left with only a vow of unceasing searching.
With that, he slinked back into his room growing ever more withdrawn as each day passed...
Why couldn't they find her?
She was all he needed.
All he was wanting.

"Keep looking," was all he said before closing the door; allowing no one to enter.

With curtains drawn the chamber was lit from a single lamp. Its wick turned to its lowest setting before flickering out.

He sat. A glass of wine near his hand. Holding on to her. The urge to break free aggravating.
To just go and search her out himself...

And though they, who knew he was there came, imploring he join them, Thade quietly declined stating how he was either tired or involved in some task long overdue - never allowing entry into his dark world...
All that time she had led him to the truth, rendering him helpless...


**

Omri pounded urgently on Thade's door.
Pressing his lips into the door jamb, his message was muffled; "SIR! They have found her!"

**

There, in the stable, Thade's steed awaited.
Recognizing her rider's footsteps even after so long, the mare began kicking up straw and bumping up against the stall snorting. Letting it be known how she had missed him...

Grabbing the bridle from its hook as he went, Thade greeted the animal. Speaking softly, running his long fingers through her mane, he purred, "We meet again."
He threw a blanket across her back smoothing it before tossing the saddle all the while anticipating the "reunification" with his Phallen.
If he did not tell her now he felt he would lose her forever...

Placing his foot in the stirrup, Thade hoisted himself up into the saddle, nudging the mare out of the stall. Guiding her through the stable at a steady gait, he grazed the hostler as he passed, taking several sentries by surprise in his wake as the hostler chased after screaming; "You'll hang for horse-thievery!"

40)

Strolling casually through the doors of the main building, Attar heard the yells and spun on his heel, narrowing his gaze on the stablehouse. Without the blazing black armor, Thade did appeare as a horse thief.
He rushed the horse shouting "STOP!", sending it rearing in alarm.
Thade held fast riding out the sudden burst, and brought the mare swiftly under control before Attar realized who it was.
Thade eyed him cautiously. "I must go." he admitted.
The commander took hold of the bridle - pulling the horses head down to get a good long look at his friend. "I cannot allow you to leave the compound. I have yet to release to the Council of your return. I do not know how you will be received!"
Thade leaned down, closer to Attar, his attitude bared. "I'll take my chances." he replied with a crooked grin.
Without another word he sent the horse forth with a sound, bolting toward the partially opened gates of the compound.

At first no one gave him a second look. His physical influence was not nearly as persuasive as it had been - having fallen ill.
He would have made it all the way through the city if, after much scrutiny, one civilian had not realized who it was, exclaiming loudly into the streets: "THE GENERAL HAS RETURNED!"
Heads turned. Gawkers squinted for a better impression seeing that, in fact, it was he. It only took one hoot of approval to get them all clapping.
Their "Fearless Warrior" had returned to them! Their voices rushed upon him as the people came running up extending their hands to touch his horse or perhaps a chance to touch him. Thade eyed the crowd, his expression changing from that of distrust to pure elation in the wink of an eye. He had not been forgotten nor forsaken. He was still revered as a great leader! Thade looked over his shoulder from the sound of hoof beats to see Attar and about fifty officers, all decked out in riot armor, rushing from the compound. Prepared to rescue him from the angery mob. He smiled slyly as he reached down to take the hand of a young girl-chimp, sensing a softness there until he turned his attention to them.
"Josee..." he addressed with a smile.
His personal courtesan - looking oh-so-lovely in green lame', her head covered in beaded braid - was standing next to his horse.
"Welcome back." she greeted, running her ringed fingers up his thigh.
Thade tipped his head capriciously, feeling himself responding before pulling away from those emotions. "Not this time, Josee."
She squeezed his hand and nodded before smiling up at him. "You know where to find me."
Barely hearing her, he nodded, losing interest in the whole fanfare by this time.
Without warning, he burst through the crowd, dashing straight for the gates - leaving his admirers behind, only wanting to return to Phallen. To feel the security of her embrace. To reveal to her the truth...
... His love for her...

With no sign of slowing, Thade gestured wildly for the sentries to pull open the gates. They scrambled to the enormous wooden pass-way, throwing their backs into getting it open just in time as he flew past, narrowly slipping through before they were fully opened.

Into the thick of the forest, horse and rider became one, racing across the land spreading before them...

41)

***

Mist still clung to the forest floor awaiting the heat of the day to burn it away. Without looking back Phallen headed off for the Highlands, a retreat, she felt, that was much needed. To be away as long as she deemed neccessary. The lake - so clear one could see the fish - seemed to beckon. Just on the other side of that lake stood a small structure that her father had built. A simple cabin, yet it had withstood many storms of life.
She missed her father. His gentle smile. His teaching words about living off the land and avoiding capture from the Derlein Soldiers. "Stay away from their city. Do not linger near those who pillage the apes' orchards for they will hunt you down! Keep to yourself, Phallen."
His words never rang truer. She had no trouble living near them, staying in the forest. Hidden away in a colossal redwood that her father also had created by painstakingly preserving its life. Smoothing the interior walls yet still allowing their natural uneveness to accentuate that it was a living thing throughout.
The cabin was rough-hewn though, camoflaged from view within a cluster of evergreens on the side of the mountain.
It will be good to return...
Each step away aided in recovering the independence she so treasured.
Starting over. Remembering the good she had done for the chimp-soldier gave her a feeling of accomplishment. To give of herself to someone that needed her help. Something had sparked between them, though. Letting him go proved difficult. She could not help to feel that she had gotten into his soul. Having released him from the demons tormenting him turned his admonishment to admiration. Not what she wanted...
"Go away, please..."
It was for the best.

42)

***

...Racing through the forest, anticipating just how he was going to explain his reappearance, Thade was beside himself realizing that what he wanted went against everything he had learned. Now, the very effigy he desired - which was something normally hunted down, awaited among the tall timbers, so he hoped.
What if he were too late? What if she had fled deep into the forest as Omri had reported? He could not search her out alone and Commander Attar surly would not entertain such a notion for even a split second.
Eerie silence greeted him. There was no sign of life when he pulled on the reins...
Thade alit from the mare landing softly at the foot of the enormous redwood. A whimper of futility escaped him as he neared the door.
No one came. The door remained steadfast and unanswered. The only reply came from the breeze as it whistled through the trees.
He was too late. Phallen had already left!
His heart pounded in his ears as the sense of loss hit him full force, sending him into an emotional whirlwind of turmoil. Raising his muzzle into the air, Thade inhaled the fading scent of her as he slammed his fist against the door, springing it open - rattling on its hinges before crashing against the wall to reverberate throughout the rooms an empty response.
The throb in his head was quickly turning to pain as he peered within. Everything was exactly as he had remembered... "She has flown."
He heard his own words through clenched teeth, grinding each syllable into a fist before sending it through the door, splintering it in his rage.
Staggering from the deck, dazed and angered, he stared at his splintered fist as if staring into a void. Reaching blindly for the reins, disillusioned by the whole idea he had conjured, he wondered if Phallen had really existed at all. Perhaps this tree dwelling had belonged to an ape and the human had simply shared it by some quirk of time.
Mounting the mare, Thade sat pulling splinters from his knuckles as he stared up at the massive redwood.
"I know you are real." he said out loud.
As if scanning a book for reference, Thade's eyes fell to the ground - searching, seeking, his pondering evoking a memory which left him hollow, now.
She had created this unification - a cut so deep into his soul that no one could heal it.
Plucking the splinters from the back of his hand offered plenty of meditation to the circumstances.
"I thought you had set me free..." spoke softly onto unhearing ears.
Wanting her near. To fall with reckless abandon...
To lose himself in her...
An obsession, all the time keeping him awake at night. Her face constantly in his mind as her voice whispered in his ear...
Thade shook his head, shaking all that was nonsense to the back as he searched for logic. Yes, logic ruled and it kept him sane when things were at their worst.
Coming to terms with fate, the general opened his eyes and there before him, in the soft loam was a footprint. In one motion he was beside it, crouching next to it before his hand ran along the impression, the moist ground clinging to his fingertips.
Instinctively, he brought his hand to his nose, smelling the soil before letting it sift through his fingers; an inquisitive smile crossing his lips as his eyes wandered along the path...

43)



...sitting him up from a dead sleep.
Thade looked around, his eyes adjusting to the darkness.
It was so real! As if he had just been there!
Sitting on the edge of his bed he felt jaded staring into the shadows, alone for the first time, a feeling he did not care to comfort. A shiver went through him at the sound of rain pelting the roof.
And he wondered who really cared. Omri appeared to be sincere in his endeavors and Attar seemed emphatic, but if either realized what one another thought they would be court-martialing eachother.
Burying his face in his hands, Thade sobbed.
"I want to go back."
Looking up - past the ceiling he prayed, "Where is this taking me?"

***


The news had spread like wild fire.
General Thade had returned from the grave!
Reports of his sighting rang through the senate house sending the Council into a tizzy - rushing to each other's homes; first one then two, then a half-dozen, all in a frenzy as they bustled and gossiped
among themselves before bee-lining for the "House" to incorporate a meeting - summoning Commander Attar and Corporal Omri and whomever else withholding vital information in regard to the returning of General Thade.
Attar rubbed his hairy cheek at the summons. It came as no surprise to him, really, as he recalled that big to-do Thade initiated. His brow creased with thought... Describing the General's change in attitude? Piece of cake. To explain how a human fit into this picture?
Attar shook his head to silent questions.
He had a headache. It would be beneficial, in his case, to keep his mouth shut and wait for the queries and hope that anything like his last thought would not surface.


The courtroom was filling fast as curious citizens crammed into public seating, intrigued by the sudden reappearance of their once revered leader.
Commander Attar and Corporal Omri stood before the bench, flanked by their own soldiers when the call to stand rang from the bailiff, both tugging at their collars simultaneously as if on que when Council filed from the back room, their black gowns - neatly pressed and pristine, flowing about their feet. Ascending the dais, they shuffled into position and settled before each one's designated chair before glancing furtively out at the soldiers.
With the fall of the gavel Senator Lantres announced, "This hearing is now in session." A tiny pair of spectacles sat upon his simian muzzle as he peered down at some papers before him, thumbing through them with dull surprise with one hand while stroking his goatee with the other as more interesting aspects sprang forth therein, totally engrossing him.
"It has been brought to our attention that Thade has returned." Senator Nado stated, his jowls jiggling from every word. "And," the orangutan continued, "Due to his status as a war criminal we have called this preliminary hearing in order to analyze the accused."
All eyes fell upon the commander and the corporal, viewing them both with apt presumption; cover his ass, fellas because you are all in this together whether you like it or not.
"Commander Attar...?" Senator Sandar summoned.


44)

Snapping to attention, Attar's guts trembled with apprehension.
"We, on behalf of our city, are charged herein to ensure the safety of the citizens, therefor we must insist that you surrender any and all information pertaining to the witholding of such suspect. Do you understand, Commander?" he finished.
"I understand Senator." he croaked.
Nado's jowls brushed the top of the desk as he leaned forward. "Has Thade completely lost his mind?"
Lantres peered over the tops of his glasses at his fellow councilor; Where did that question come from?
Ignoring their dueling inquisition, Sandar stared intently into the faces of those gathered shaking his head lightly. "Can we skip the drama and get to the important issues here?" he inquired with a bit of irony.
Nado looked over at im, his lips pursed. "Well, we can't have him going off half-cocked and endangering the citizens. Or the army for that matter."
Lantres released a deep sigh, stifling his frustration over the way Nado had convicted Thade so hastily.
"Is it true Thade has returned to us?" Lantres petitioned.
Corporal Omri's head jerked up. "Yessir." he answered before Attar even had a chance.
"And can you describe his disposition? That is, in regards to how he was?"
One could almost hear a pin drop as Omri nodded to himself as if
discussing it with his conscience, a curt smile skimming his mouth. "He is quiet within, sir."
"Could you be a bit more specific?" Nado pried, tipping his head to one side inquisitively.
Attar spoke up, saying the same thing Omri had but with less poetic license. "He has made peace with himself. He confessed to me his sins. Is that not enough?"
"We understand there is or was some animosity. With whom did Thade hold this and does he still?"
Attar stared down at the toes of his boots picking his words carefully before coming back up. "To fall short of your expectations vexed him. It has been a trying time and he is still coming to terms with failure. If he carries any animosity, it is for that, not anyone."
The gathering crowd of spectators were silent as they soaked in Attar's last reply. The words "fear" and "Thade" only fit one way and this was not the way those pieces used to fall.
"His world was as misleading to he as it was to us. Surely you..."
Attar's words were cut short by Sandar's hand as it rose for silence leaving the commander to feel that he had said more than he needed to, but upon seeing the look in Senator Lantres' eyes there could be no witholding what was true.
The polititians huddled, their voices rising in hisses like a basket of snakes before they broke; all eyes falling on Attar and Omri.
Once again, Nado leaned forward, his great jowls resting atop the mahogany desk this time. In his droll, lathargic tone, he charged, "It is rumored that Thade was released and treated by a human," accentuating on the last word with an air of unpleasant disclosure.
Sandar's brow knitted in concern and the spectators began to buzz with excitment before the gavel fell for order, resting his head in his hands as he shook it; 'Could this get any worse?' he asked himself
drearily. His daughter Ari had been 'betrothed to this one and now this one is placed under the microscope'. How Sandar had hoped their differences could have been worked out - to be as they had been long ago. Maybe now, though, things would be different...
The last question still hung in the air as Attar and Omri looked to one another for cues to answer it.
It was time to spill the beans...
Reluctantly, Attar took a step forward and said, "It is ture," finishing with a sigh,"He was freed by a human."

45)

The whole room seemed to gasp in unison soon followed by a growing murmer over what was unfolding before them.
The gavel fell twice startling the buzz into silence. Sandar leaned forward - clearly distressed by the news, and asked, "Where is Thade now?" his voice rising, fighting his drive to just dismiss the whole hearing and reinstate the chimp to his former status as general, thus marrying his daughter off to him.
As this thought danced in his imagination Attar was shaking his head to the Senator's query, replying humbly that he did not know, gesturing with his arms his uncertainty. Just as he shrugged the doors swung open. All heads turned to see Thade. He paid no attention to the eyes as they followed. Upon reaching the bench he bowed tersely. It was obvious there had been a change brought about in him, yet he seemed dauntless to the conflict that was about to release upon him for his absence for the better half of the hearing based on evidence found that could be used to convict him.
Still, he held his head proudly and said, "Forgive my lateness."
Sandar caught his eye. Saw that far-away look. The senator's brow creased in despair as he began to shake his head at the ex-general but Thade retained his pride. He knew it was not going to be easy to convince his seniors to allow him to take a human for his mate, but he was determined to be with Phallen. Even if it meant giving up everything. His life was different now, and to him, she was significant.
Lantres was observing him, open-mindedly, all this time. This proud yet humbled stand Thade took, that boldness he still held gleaming in his eyes as brash cynicism unfurled in them, damning them all. Lantres knew Thade well and understood how the warrior tended to wear his emotions for all to feel. While all of this contemplation swirled about, Thade scanned the courtroom. All that had pertianed to his legacy had been stripped from there too, leaving bare walls and half-finished murals of nature depicting peaceful forestry and calm blue lakes and streams. He smirked to himself as he shook his head.
With a heavy sigh he turned his attention back to the bench just as Senator Nado started to inquire as to where he had been and with whom. He felt a wave of nausea come over him accentuating the paleness all too prevelent to his palor, reddening his cheeks to chrimson. With all his strength he managed to utter, "She saved my life." And as they began to chuckle he decided to add injury to insult. "She changed my life!" The passion in his testimonial rose like a choir from him sending a clear message that his strength had been restored by her, instilling a confidence within his heart and soul when he took in a ragged breath of relief - his mind drifting back to her - to the time he had with the human he so fondly called "Pet". His revelation did not stop there though and he laid it on thicker and heavier. "She returned to me a feeling I had not felt for so long..." and he began to smile that Chesire smile he wore when knowing more than any.
Nado scribbled something on a piece of paper, snorting, "You talk as if you are in love with her!"
"I am..." He answered quickly wearing that same smile.
Deafening silence fell over the whole room as gape-mouthed faces stared in disbelief. With one gasp the room broke into a buzzing hive growing evermore louder as his last words were repeated among the on-lookers. Thade glanced nonchalantly over his shoulder, his expression proving he gave little regard as to what they had to say. Sandar could not believe what he had heard. It must be the fever causing the general to take such leave of his senses. Looking down from his post the senator found it hard to digest what had just been served to him adding a sour stomach to the employing headache. Absolutely dumbfounded, Sandar could not believe he heard correctly as he stayed locked on Thade's face. No, he thought, This warrior/erradicator of the human race, in love with a human?! The very thought repulsed him.
"You are walking a thin line." Sandar charged. "Do you realize what you are proclaiming?"

46)

"Surely you have taken into consideration your future?" Nado chimed in sharply.
"Future!?" Thade snarled. "I was left to die!"
He turned resentfully mumbling, "That was my "future."
All, except Lantres, hid sheepishly from the accusation. They knew as well as he that that was their intention - to just leave him there to fade. And upon catching Thade's dark vision, Lantres beamed. You have them there! Resting his chin in the palm of his hand Lantres focused on his peers with unrepenting shrewdness, biting his tongue, wanting so badly to lay into them the truth - Thade's honest approach - their guilt as well as his own.
Thade sighed heavily. "You have taken everything away from me. If it had not been for her I would be dead. Maybe that is how you wanted it to be." He frowned and lowered his eyes. "I returned for you, though."
Curious, Yahn, the youngest on the bench spoke up. "Why did you, Thade?"
Over riding his rebellious spirit, he replied calmly, "She sent me back."
Nado and Sandar both looked at one another. Their expressions identical. She what?!
Whispering something to Nado, Sandar stared down at Thade pathetically seeing in his mind's eye the total impeachment of Thade's future as it spun down the drain.
"This is preposterous!" The senator spat, reaching for his quill.
"Is it?" Thade challenged.
"YES!" Sandar spouted like a volcano.
Patting his friend reassuringly on the arm, Nado said, "With time he will get over this infatuation."
Thade froze.Infatuation?! One could have heard their own heart beating as he peered up, stepping intrepidly closer to the bench. "This," he began slowly, "Is no infatuation."
But indeed it was. Phallen had more than just gotten under his skin. She was a major part of his life now and he wanted her with him.
Thade threw his arms up in defeat, surrendering not to them but to the feelings he held for the human.
"I have nothing further to say. If my work is finished, sobeit."
Turning to leave he caught his comrades emphatic expressions and smiled wanly, placing his hands upon their shoulders as he passed between them. "I am sorry..." came like a secret.
"Have you located this unusual being?"
Thade spun on his heel to the familiar voice, falling under Lantres'
watchful eye. "No. She has disappeared. I have been searching for weeks."
To hear that positive inquiry was like a breath of fresh air and Thade inhaled its sweetnes deeply.
"When you find her, please introduce us?" Lantres gently invited, his brow raised with a knowing integration.
Thade's expression stayed neutral as he nodded, his words lost to the fact that he had an ally up there. Then he was through the doors.
"Have you lost your mind?" Nado uttered from the corner of his mouth.

47) (Chapter 2, The Returning; cont.)

"No," Lantres replied, ignoring the hungry eyes. "Only delighted that Thade has found someone to soothe that which burns in him."

***

Where to now was as good a guess as the next. Back to the tree-abode was where he would pick up at. Thunder rumbled in the distance as his foot slid into the stirrup...
"Sir..!"
Thade wheeled the mare around, trotting toward Attar as he sauntered from the building with a tense grimace across his muzzle.
"Got a little tough in there." the gorilla admitted whiping at his brow.
Just as they both nodded, Omri burst through the doors. His anger, evident.
"They are so full of sh..."
His seniors observed soberly, silencing the young ape. Ah, to be that young again...
"Let it rest, Corporal." Attar soothed.
Omri flung his hands toward the building. " They are not fair!"
"Let it rest." the gorilla advised again only a bit more forcefully this time.
Thade was nodding absently within the duel, feeling drained, mumbling to himself, "I cannot find her!"
Distress was visible in his demeanor as well as in his tone of voice.
"You need to rest." Attar advised.

For those about to enter this realm, I must warn you that the contents herein tend to be erotic and/or a bit far-fetched, so those who have no imagination should not venture further than this announcment...
What I write is solely from what my imagination conjures and I hereby release and requit all and any consequences one's afterthoughts may produce...
Therefor, keep an open mind...

The Author...