It didn't help to have a warm furry blanket draped around one's neck in the already stifling heat of the Falyndar wilds. Tinnok was lucky enough to find a low hanging mango, biting off the skin with her teeth rather then risk getting out her knife and scaring the infant howler anymore than necessary. She ripped off small strips of the juicy fruit and fed them to the howler, who managed to separate one of his clinging hands in order to hold the fruit to his mouth and eat as they traveled. The witch stepped softly to avoid irritating the monkey's injury anymore than necessary, and as she suspected the fruit drew the howler's attention from his wound. She continued cooing to him, amazed that the howls hadn't drawn any unwanted attention, and continued un-molested over the forest floor.
In addition to stepping lightly for the infant, the witch did this for her own safety as well, being as silent as possible was key here. She knew how hungry Dhani get and how much they could eat, they probably wouldn't think twice about swallowing her up with the monkey as an afternoon snack, and she was just not in the mood. So her steps were quiet and her eyes watchful, body crouched to create as little of an object for prying eyes to see as possible.
Despite her intent on silence above all, Tinnok realized her slow pace wasn't going to do her any favors when it came to finding the howler monkeys the infant had been separated from. When the infant was full off of the mango he gave a loud burp, then settled his head into the hollow of Tinnok's throat and fell asleep, dark furry body rising and falling slowly, making the witch smirk. Well that would keep him quiet for a while, and as if on queue she began moving at an accelerated pace through the forest.
The tip to tracking howler monkeys wasn't feces or tree marks, no, it was simply listening for the sounds that would come from such territorial monkey high up in the canopy where most dangerous predators couldn't get to them even if they had wanted to. With this kind of height came a level of noise making that would mean suicide for any ground dwelling creature, but not for howlers. Tinnok knew from the infant's jumbled head pictures that they were heading in the direction of Syna's light, at least in the morning, so she walked under Syna's arc, ears peeled for the sounds of her salvation.
They did not come fro several bells, during which Tinnok realized how much infants actually slept, though her groggy traveling companion's dark eyes flickered open just as her own head snapped up, hearing the distant echo of a gruff shout. She paused, motionless like a statue until the secondary cry came up, definitely the piercing and haughty call of a howler.
Pretense of stealth forgotten the witch began running toward the sound, which heralded mewling cries from her companion, which only urged her to run faster, hurtling through the undergrowth of the forest.
It took ten chimes at a fast jog, winded and out of breath to reach the area where the howlers were now collected. Females lounged in branches, two adolescent males fought over fruit, while what must have been the ruling male was getting his scruff preened by a particularly small female. Tinnok began climbing the closest tree, watching to see if any of the lone females would respond to the call of the infant around her neck who was crying his dear little heart out.
One answering call came out of the fray, a lone female up high in the branches, the one's supporting her bouncing slightly in the breeze beneath her weight. The cries of the howler around Tinnok's neck went from loud to frantically loud and Tinnok winced as the tiny mouth was right next to her left ear as it screamed.
The mother met the witch and her child somewhere in the middle of the tree, the baby crying out in pain, but crawling swiftly onto it's mothers back where the two exchanged scents to confirm each was really the right one, before settling into a comfortable grooming session. Tinnok relaxed against a lower branch, leaning against it. The infant could stay on it's mothers back or close by until it's leg injury healed and it would be fine, it would all be fine...
And as an added bonus, no Myrians or Dhani had interrupted her. Thank Caiyha for that. The witch smiled and closed her eyes, letting the challenging calls of the howlers guide her into what turned out to be a quite comfortable nap nestled in the arms of the great jungle tree.
