Chapter 21: What do you want?
A stocky black-furred monkey stepped right in front of her, its long, sinewy arms dragging it forward with surprising speed. Its wide, expressive face twisted into an unsettling snarl. Its mouth opened, revealing sharp, yellowed teeth as it loomed over Nova, its eyes fixed with an unblinking intensity.
Nova and the monkey stared at each other, time seeming to freeze as a chill crawled down her spine like a spider's creepy legs. Then, without warning, it unleashed a deafening roar directly in her face. The sound rumbled through the forest, lifting up the sounds of the other monkeys roaring and screeching angrily like a chorus. The very ground beneath her shook, and her bones rattled.
That scream Nova had held onto ripped from her lungs, startling the howler monkey to freeze. She took advantage of its startled appearance and pushed herself to her feet, screaming again and trying to make herself look bigger. She had no idea if what she saw on social media videos would really work, but the monkey's head tilted to the side, its lips opening and closing like a dying fish, its chest expanding and contracting in confusion.
"Nova!" Nova froze at Yoa's voice. His voice was hoarse, like he'd been roughed up. "Don't move!"
He lived from falling in the waterfall?!
Where the hell was he?!
"Where are you?" Nova spoke calmly even as her heart pounded against her chest, staring at this monkey that could just leap at her and rip her face off.
There was no answer, but the monkeys above her started to howl out more like something was provoking them. Nova's eyes slowly roamed up where she'd fallen from, but there were only thick branches the size of pathways and... Yoa?
He swung around the branch with one hand, gripping it. He looked roughed up.