Home again

Acacia wished she had her camera to capture the beautiful - yet scary - moment of the lioness and her cubs. She followed Petras instruction and soon she was able to sit near the lioness and cubs with Petra. It was probably one of the most amazing things she had experienced. She was definitely excited to tell her dad.
"It's suprising that she more calm about us." She said to Petra. One of the cubs rubbed against her leg and her hand softly stroked its back.
OOC: ok, you didn't have to explain but oh well :P

OOC: too late now XD
BIC: "They just recognize us as non predators. If we had come up in a jeep or something fast and loud, they would've attacked. But we're fine." She said happily.

Acacia nodded with a small smile. "Okay, lucky us." She said. She wondered what the time was because then it would be easier to know when they were meant to be back at Camp.

Petra studied Acacia's face then looked over to the sun and horizon. "It's 5:34 pm, you were wondering." She said. "We have to leave tomorrow. I'll call the helicopter." She said and looked over to the lions again. She fished out a MRE of steak and tossed it to the lions and watched as they dug in. Them she pulled out he emergency radio and had a short conversation with the pilot of he helicopter in Kenya. It happened to be Billy. She turned to acacia. "Do you want to go to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro?" She asked.

Acacia wondered how Petra knew that. She looked at the lipns as the tore the meat apart. She thought about her question. She eventually nodded. "It would be nice to get some pictures." Acacia added.

Petra nodded then turned back to the radio. "Yeah, we'd love to." She said in an almost robotic voice. She turned to the lions again as they finished the meat and approached them again, rubbing their necks and soft fur on Petra. She hit her lip and tried to hold back the years that might come along at any moment now.

Acacia continued to pat the cubs and eventually sat there looking at them play. She was still amazed that they have let us be so close to them. The daughter of Athena scanned the sky. The sun had gone down further and Acacia was missing her knives a bit more than she should've. Though they were her most prized possession; the only thing that kept hr alive and living. Plus she had been given them by her best friend Detroit; a satyr who had now left to the mortal world once more. She could feel tears trying to escape. She stood up, slowly in case the lions thought she might attack. "We need to keep moving, we need to get toyour tribe and see if they are okay. Plus iI am sure your father will be worrying about you. She said. She hoped she didn't sound as if she was ordering her around.

"You're right." Petra said, pushing her tears back. "Let's go.." She said and started to walk in the direction of her tribe. "We'll get there in 10 minutes." She predicted and continued walking.

OOC: I just realized I used the wrong color for my last post xD sorry.
BIC:
Acacia nodded and followed Petra's tracks.
-10 minutes later-
They had both arrived at the village once again. Acacia had immediately gone to where she last saw her bags. The snacks bag was torn and there was a trail of rubbish leading away from the village. She didn't follow it. It was hopefully just a wild animal. She was disappointed about that but she rummaged through her belongings until she found her knives; un damaged. The daughter of Athena smiled before quickly remembering they needed to find the tribe. She raced back to Petra. "Fortunately I still have my knives and most of my belongings. Unfortunately the snacks were raided." She said to her.

OOC: it's okay :D
BIC: "Ok." She said absentmindedly and walked over to her father's hut. She looked inside and saw a stone carving. In Mandarin Chinese, it said this:

Petra, we are all safe and in the cave. Everyone. We've counted heads every hour and we are all fine. I came here to put this here, and am probably walking back to the cave. We will gay there for at least one more day. Another thing. The statue in your pack. Place it in the center of this tablet and ask it if I am safe in the cave or on my way back. If it flashes green, I am. Red, I am not. I love you, my daughter.

Petra bit her lip and pulled her statue out of her backpack. She placed it on the center of the slate and waited. She felt I him beneath her fingers, and it flashed........
Red.

Acacia looked at what Petra was reading. She could understand some of it since she was part Chinese. Once she had finished reading over her shoulder she looked at Petras next action. She gasped quietly when it flashed red. She didn't know what to say, she stood there not knowing what to do.
"Oh, Petra. Are-Are you.. okay?" She asked. It was a stupid question but it was a habit to ask are you okay.

Petra collapsed onto the ground and burst into tears. She sober on the ground for what seemed like the rest of eternity. She looked over to Acacia. "M-my father!" She wailed and collapsed again. "Who could've got him? What? Why? Ransom? Manticores? What?!

Acacia bent down so she was face level with her. "It's okay, he did what he did for his tribe and for you." She said trying to comfort her.

"Did he?" Petra asked. "Did he? We can't know! Before a few days ago I hadn't seen this landscape in 2 years!" She cried again. "Maybe he was a great tribe leader but he isn't now, all because of this stupid rock!" She said, stood up and threw the carving as far as she could away from the tribe.

OOC: sorry I took so long to reply. I have been super busy and I haven't gotten time to reply as much. Sorry
BIC:
Acacia tried her best to comfort her. She wasn't the best at being friendly some times. "Look, Petra what's done is done and you can't do anything about it." She told her in a soft tone.

"But I want to do something about it. I need to." She said sadly and looked across the plain as the rock carving fell to the ground. Petra sobbed. Her only family was gone.

When Acacia saw her sobbing she did her best to comfort her. She placed a hand on her shoulder. "It will be okay." She didn't actually know what will be okay, Petra, her dad, herself. She just needed Petra to be okay and content. It weighed her down to have her friend crying.

"Not right now. Not for a long time." She said miserably and hung her head.

Acacia looked at her with a thinking face. She didn't really know how she would make her feel less miserable.
"Look I know you're glum and miserable and probably mad too but I'm sure your dad wouldn't want you to sit around feeling miserable. I know it isn't great now but I am sure it will turn out the best for you. You are an amazing person and you should makesure he ddidn't die for nothing, make him proud." She said to her. She thought that she had said something quite moving. She just hoped Petra felt the same way.

Petra looked up again and stood up. "I guess you're right." Petra said and wiped her tears away. "We need to go anyway." She said and spoke into her walkie-talkie. "We're ready. Meet us at the village limits ASAP." She said and put it back in her bag.

Acacia nodded as she grabbed her bags.. well the undamaged one anyways. Before walking to the village border she grabbed outvher camera. It wasn't damaged a whole lot but it did have a few scratches now. Her fingers found the power button and it sooned whizzed to life. I wish we had power buttons, then maybe Petra's dad would still be here. She wiped away the thought before looking around for a nice bit of scenery.
The sun was beggining to sink now and it was ricocheting lovely colors. Snap.
Acacia took a few more pictures before she finally heard the distant whirring of helicopter blades.

The helicopter touched the ground and -surprise!- Billy was flying it! And to top it off -(not such a big surprise but) surprise!- he was looking miserable. "Sorry I'm so late." He said. "I was supposed to be here at 10 past 8, and here we are at 12 past 8. I'm sorry, girls." He said miserably and rattled off a bunch of other things he was sorry for. Petra climbed into the helicopter and gestured acacia in.

Acacia hauled herself into the helicopter. "You weren't late, just on time." She said reassuringly to Billy. She placed herself down into the seat as the helicopter lifted back up into the air.

As the helicopter took off into the air, Petra, feeling miserable, took a sleeping pill and fell asleep in no time.

Acacia felt her eyelids get heavier as they flew across the rural landscape. Eventually she fell asleep to the whirring of blades.