Just Like You

Chapter 3: The most interesting person

Later on the day of the fight, Perens returned alone to the clearing with a small bundle of clothes in her arms. She did not at first see Qama, who had climbed high up a tree to attend to the wounds inflicted by the men from the Transition. Nearby fruits had provided some nourishment, and Qama had noticed that a nest within easy reach contained six large eggs. It was unprotected, which was not usual, but perhaps one or both of the parent birds had been killed while searching for food. If a small animal did not venture close by soon, two of the eggs would serve well enough as a final meal before the darkness came.

By chance, Perens’s search for the peculiar character she had met earlier took her towards the tree they were occupying. When she was six paces away, Qama called out softly.

“Are you looking for me?”