15-After the Quake, the Aftershocks

5/1/5/4353 M.A.C - Great Western Rainforest- Mid Morning

Emi felt somewhat ashamed at her loss of control and the resulting outburst, but a glimpse at Arctic, still nestled between her wings, brushed all that away. Emi's plan for a nap had been thwarted by the fallout of her actions, but she felt she would sleep better now that the boil was lanced. Arctic kept softly sobbing into her wings for a good thirty minutes before Emi saw the first true signs of change.

It wasn't the adults. It appeared that the idea that children were more adaptable than adults carried over between worlds, and species. The older monkeys were coming to terms with the morning's events, some trying to come up with excuses, others trying to tell themselves that they hadn't been the worst offenders. The youngest children, who were too young to remember the incident, or weren't yet born at that time, looked towards the adult with confusion. Had they been wrong?

The first to truly do something were the teenagers who were close to Arctic's age. One after the other, they approached Arctic, apologized, and walked away after looking him in the eyes. They didn't make excuses, took their share of the blame, and expressed their regrets, as well as their intentions to do better. As it turns out, however much they were loved, every teenager could relate to the feeling of being different, and not belonging, at least to some extent. They seemed to understand that what mattered wasn't the blame, and they could imagine what they would want in this situation better than the others. Not placating words, but actions.

That is what Emi saw in each of their eyes as they apologized. Not just an admission of guilt, a promise. A will that showed they understood better now, and would change. Not just that they should change, which was still the stage at which most of the adults were stuck. An hour and many tears later, Arctic fell asleep with a peaceful expression on his still-wet face. Emi left him to nap in peace. She needed to have a conversation.

The root of the issue wasn't solved, and however big Arctic's heart may be, it was hard to truly forgive people who had wronged you for most of your life. Now, they were fully aware of the results of their actions. Whether they would manage to change was still unsure, but most seemed at least to have the will to do so. Emi felt that even if Arctic decided to leave with her, this was better than simply going with one of the two options she had been given to choose from.

I went with option 3. Ben would have been scary in this situation though, he can be a bit ruthlessly pragmatic sometimes. He would have gone with options 1 and 2 with extra addendums.

"Want to exile the kid and for me to take him? Sure, actually he asked me to run away with him with the stock of pillaged food he hid. But here I was thinking, you have done psychological damage to the kid and this would cost, I don't know, a lifetime of therapy to even have a chance of resolution? Let me just finish what he started and take more compensation."

He would have just left them enough food and necessities to make it to the next harvest, threatening them with science and logic if they didn't comply. Then, he would have sold off all the plundered possessions in the next town to start a college fund for Arctic. Actually, his way might have been kinder to the tribe. Between being made to realize how horrible the things they've been doing are, and losing a bit of material wealth, the second sounds less painful.

Emi was about to peck at the door of Majusculus's cabin, but then changed her mind and called out.

Stupid. I'm the one that needs to see him to hear him. If he can hear a knock, he can hear my voice.

"Majusculus? Are you in? We need to talk."

Emi heard the sound of approaching footsteps coming from inside. As the door opened, Emi thought that Majusculus looked tired, defeated. He motioned her in before closing the door behind her.

"I always thought that I was being a fair leader, maybe even a good one. I knew there were some issues with...Arctic...But I thought that if I treated him like the others, the rest of the tribe would eventually follow suit. I should have done more, but I'm not sure what. I know it doesn't mean much, but I am sorry for what Strong Armor Spear and some of the others were doing. I will make sure that they-"

"Stop."

Emi was doing her best not to let her emotions overwhelm her as Majusculus started pushing all the wrong buttons.

"Majusculus, you have been kind to me and helped me understand my situation. I may be biased in this matter, because of my past, but please hear what I have to say. Strong Armor Spear, as much as he has done, isn't the problem. Arctic isn't the problem. You are. You are their leader, yes, but you are also their family. In my old world, there was a saying that I didn't like;" All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.". The reason I didn't like it, and still don't, is that it is too reductive, too simple. I don't believe that any person is fully good or fully evil. People are more complicated. You cannot expect a good man to drop their whole life and wealth to fight a faraway evil that dwarfs them. I do believe, however, that if people who have the ability to stop evil within their reach choose to remain spectators, then they have no right to call themselves good. Even now, you focus on whether you, personally, failed as a leader. On who you should blame and punish. You try reassuring yourself that you just didn't know what was the right thing to do at the time. None of that helps those you have let down."

Emi stopped to take in a breath, but she was not quite done yet.

"Not only Arctic, but Strong Armor Spear as well. I spoke to him last night, and honestly, I feel like even though he was a large part of the problem, he understood that what he was doing was wrong. He was just too weak. He tried to make the situation better, but kept failing at keeping his emotions in check. He needed you to be a leader, and keep him in check. He needed you to help him grow past his shortcomings. Were you so invested in trying to prolong your life, and becoming a Spirit Beast, that you didn't have the time to take care of your successor?"

Emi thrust her right wing forward, its tip pointing straight at Majusculus.

"You used the word "fair", but I think the word you were looking for was "detached". You say that you treated Arctic like any of the others? Were any of the others in his situation? Being fair doesn't simply mean treating everyone the same. I only have 23 years of memories as a person, and you have lived for hundreds! You probably forgot as much if not more than I have ever known. As I said earlier, I am biased. I don't mean to insult or anger you, but you need to stop and look around you. Your tribe needs you to be their leader. Strong Armor Spear needs you to help him become a better person, he has the will. Arctic needs you to help the others process their regrets, and shame, so that one day he can feel like this village is a home to him again. The past is behind you, you cannot fix it. Look at what you can do for your tribe going forward. Otherwise, things are not going to get better for anyone. Punishments and apologies will not fix this issue. I have no power over you, and I know I am being preachy as fuck right now, but someone had to try to break you all out of your stupor, or you guys were about to reach a point of no return. You don't have to do it on your own, I will help if I can, but it is important that you involve yourself. Now, I'll find an out-of-the-way place to nap, since I don't think you want to see my face right now. I'll be back in a few hours, you can decide whether to run me through with your staff then."

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Emi hopped out the open window before Majusculus had a chance to finish processing her tirade. She quickly zipped around a corner, so that he could not easily follow her, then headed for the opposite side of the village.

Damn, [Reciprocal Empathy] seems to have deactivated when I emptied my energy reserves earlier. [Comunicative Intent] seems to reactivate on its own as soon as my energy begins replenishing though. Good to know that I need to reactivate some ongoing Abilities if they stop.

I'm not really sure how Majusculus is going to react. Worst comes to worst, Arctic has an escape plan ready. Might as well be rested if we need to make a quick getaway.

***

Emi stood up and yawned. She had just woken up from a nap, high up in the foliage of one of the trees incorporated in the village wall.

Huh? I wonder, do I yawn because I used to be a human, or do birds actually yawn?

Emi was still drowsy and she could feel that she needed more rest. From the position of the sun, high up in the sky, Emi thought that it was probably a couple of hours past noon.

I don't think any of the isekai anime or movies I saw ever had to deal with jetlag. Good thing that Trans-Pacific flights prepared me for this. Not sure exactly what time it is, but I must have slept at least a few hours, probably three or four.

The village seemed more active than it had in the early morning, but many of the adults seemed preoccupied as they slowly went around doing their work.

Well, I don't regret what I did but I really killed the mood, didn't I?

Emi's stomach grumbled loudly. Emi looked around her and noticed that a lot of the leaves and the smaller branches around her seemed to have been ravaged. She then noticed a strong bitter taste in her mouth, alongside a small stinging sensation on her tongue. Her muscles still felt stiff and she barely felt rested. Emi decided that she should make her way back to the ground while she was still steady enough.

Why am I feeling worse than when I went to sleep? I get that I would get more hungry over time, but my body feels as if I've been going around jogging instead of napping. Also, I thought I was carnivorous. The honey and preserves in Majusculus were one thing, but why the heck did I start eating twigs and leaves in my sleep?

Emi hadn't quite put two and two together, as her mind was still a bit fuzzy, but she understood what happened as soon as she landed.

Oh...[Evolution in progress]...right. Guess whenever I'm asleep, it uses what I've eaten to continue evolving me, then seeks out the closest sources of "food" once it runs out.

Emi had noticed that she had grown at least another four or five inches throughout her nap, as the ground had, once again, gotten further away from her head.

I guess twigs and leaves aren't as nutritious as a ton of honey, so that's probably why I feel like shit right now. Huuuuuh...Now I'm going to have to shamelessly ask for food from the people I blew up at earlier...I feel like a teenager again...

As Emi walked toward her destination, she noticed that most of the adult monkeys avoided making eye contact with her, while a select few did the opposite. They didn't glare at her though. The look they gave her reminded her of the few times Meg had gotten so drunk Emi had to forcefully stop her from doing something stupid. A look that said "Thanks for stopping me" and "Sorry you had to do it". Emi had always been a rather social person, but she noticed that she had become more perceptive than she used to be. Understanding other humans was hard enough at times, and these monkeys had some peculiarities of their own.

I guess [Comunicative Intent] is more far-reaching than I thought. Or maybe it is because I also have [Reciprocal Empathy], but I'm reading body language far better than before. I could just be imagining things though.

As Emi approached Majusculus's cabin, she noticed the door was open. she decided to silently make her way to the door, staying out of sight of the occupants. As she peeked inside furtively, she noticed that Strong Armor Spear, Majusculus, and Arctic were sitting in a circle, on the floor. In between them was the small varnished whittled wood statuette of a smiling armored monkey, holding a spear high above his head. The life-sized version of that same spear was laid across Majusculus's lap, split in twain two-thirds of the way up the shaft.

"You both need to understand something. Hanu did not die because he failed. He succeeded, then died. Strong Armor Spear, you weren't with him in the end, you were trying to find a way to save him and had not given up hope. Hanu knew he was dying, and that you wouldn't make it back in time. I stayed with him for his last hours. He held no regrets. In his last day, he smiled through the pain because he knew he had done well, because he knew that you would grow up to fill his role. He loved you more than anyone in the tribe, even me, and he believed you would surpass him someday. In the end, he kept going in and out of consciousness as his mind got fuzzy. There were three things he kept asking me though, every single time he woke up. The first was asking if he had managed to save the small one. The second was whether I was proud of him. The third was a request. He asked me to make sure you were okay after he was gone, and to help you become who he believed you could become. I answered yes each time, to all three questions. It would seem that I have failed to keep my word. This was his beloved spear, it broke as he stabbed it into the heart of the panther that killed him."

Majusculus stood up and put the spear on the table behind him. He retrieved a small metal chisel and used it to pry off the head of the spear. He then took a hammer and used it and the chisel to split the head of the spear in half, before handing the other two a piece each.

"You two keep these and carry on his legacy. I will keep the shaft as a memento of my lost son. Keep these two pieces of stone and remember him. Not your regrets, not your guilt. Remember him for what he was. The kindest and bravest member this family ever produced. I will be sending you both out on a journey of growth. Come back when you are able to look at this stone and smile. I believe it would be best for Arctic to stay with Emi. Strong Armor Spear, the first step in your journey is to accompany them out of the forest, and to protect them until you have all reached the human village. Where you go after is for you to decide. This is not an exile or a punishment, this is a chance to grow for both of you. Whatever happens, remember that you are members of this tribe and this family. You can come back and visit, or rest a while, but don't come back for good until you feel it is right. I will keep the tribe safe and look after everyone in your absence. Are you okay with that Emi? Will you look after Arctic for us?"

Emi was startled. She thought she had done a good job of remaining unseen, but it was difficult to see where Majusculus was looking, thanks to the bushy eyebrows that covered his eyes. Strong Armor Spear and Arctic both turned towards the door and saw half of Emi's head peeking from the side of the doorframe.

"If Arctic is fine with it, then so am I. How about it Arctic, want to become my little brother and go on an adventure with me?"

Arctic Stood up as fast as he could and nodded his head so fast Emi was scared he would become dizzy and fall down.

"Then Emi, you are now part of this family as well, even if by extension. If the rest of our world turns out not to be to your liking, feel free to come back to us. If anyone is stupid enough to try and trouble you about what happened this morning, or bother Arctic before you leave, send them this way and I'll channel your spirit and give them a good talking to myself."

Majusculus made eye contact with Emi, and she could see that same look she had gotten from the some of the others.

Oh good. Honestly, I thought there was at least a 50% chance of me getting kicked out today...

Emi was about to say she was thankful for the offer, but as her beak opened, her stomach decided to make itself known again. A loud rumble escaped from the depths of her stomach. Strong Armor Spear grew an evil smile as he began signing.

"You Hungry? You lucky. I find many mice. Most good. Some crushed."

Strong Armor Spear pointed to his boots, which he'd had to leave at the entrance, so as not to track any blood and viscera inside.

"Oh crap! Uh...you're welcome?"

Three monkeys and a strange Owl began to laugh together. It was a complicated laugh, loaded with many different feelings. Amusement, hope, sadness, and yes, quite a bit of unresolved pain, but above all was relief. A dark cloud, that had hung over the tribe for years, had finally begun to dissipate. Emi stopped laughing and put on the most serious expression she could muster.

"...but seriously, I'm starving. Got any food?"

The three monkeys just started to laugh even louder as Emi looked around for something to eat, only to realize she had emptied his stocks the previous day. Arctic quickly dipped out of the house and returned with some of the dried fruit he had stashed away.

Emi looked down at him and smiled.

Maybe this world isn't so bad after all. I think I can work with this. I've never had a little brother before.