Spider Monkey

Chapter Ninety - Six - Flames Of Different Meanings

Hedley woke up first and saw Carl tucked into his side still sleeping. Hedley would've laid there forever with him but his stomach growled with hunger. So he slipped out from Carl's grip, covered his boyfriend's naked body with the blanket, gave him a kiss on the head before getting up and dressed. He took his backpack and crossbow, slinging it over his shoulder then ventured out onto the beach. He wiggled his toes in the sand. He liked the feeling. It soothed him.

He saw Connie and her group reeling in nets from the water and went over, only to see his dad and Dog in the distance also making their way over.

Daryl waved at Connie and Connie waved back. Daryl then spotted his kid coming and waved at him.

Hedley ran up to his dad. "You got any food? I'm starving."

Daryl chuckled before pulling out an apple from his jeans, giving it to Hedley. Hedley took it and bit into it gratefully. Daryl looked to Connie and Hedley noticed him watching her.

"Why don't you go say 'hi'?"

Daryl scoffed, "Nah. She's busy."

"I think she'll appreciate it."

"Stop. We've got business to deal with."

"What else is new?" Hedley huffed, walking back with his dad, "When are you going let yourself have something good?"

"I have you, don't I? And Dog."

"I mean something more." Hedley wolfed down the apple, "I mean love, Dad. When are you going to allow yourself to have that?"

Daryl said nothing. Instead he went to where Ezekiel was.

"You ever wonder why they call bird shit "guano"?" Ezekiel asked, looking up at the seagulls.

"Nah." Daryl responded. "I just call it bird shit."

"Yeah. Me, too."

Hedley spoke up after finishing his apple, "The word Guano derives from the Peruvian original language Quechua; of "Huano", which means "dung to fertilise". Guano is a highly effective fertiliser due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. Guano was also, to a lesser extent, sought for the production of gunpowder and other explosive materials."

"Maybe we should start collecting it then." Ezekiel chuckled then said, "You know somethin', when I worked in a zoo, birds used to scare the hell out of me. Lions, tigers, no problem. There's a kind of sense to the way big cats operate. But ostriches? Those things'll disembowel you for lookin' at 'em sideways."

"You gotta eat more birds, show 'em who's boss." Daryl suggested.

"Wonder what seagull tastes like." Ezekiel wondered, still looking up at the birds above.

"Not chicken." Daryl answered. Then Connie showed up on the dock with Dog beside her. Dog ran up to Daryl and the hunter started petting the dog and scratching his ears.

Connie tapped Daryl's shoulder, showing him her notepad. 'I think you lost something'.

"No." Then Daryl began to sign while talking, hand movements slow and heavy, "No. He. Just. Likes. You. Better."

She gave him an impressed look before writing something else. 'Not bad - You sign with a southern accent'.

"Really?" He looked almost in shameful disbelief which made Hedley laugh.

A ship came in and with it Carol hopped off, giving everyone a hug. Daryl lifted her up and made her chuckle.

Hedley stimmed with excitement and hugged her just as tightly.