Felicity Ch. 72

The questions on which animals to protect on Cel were difficult, the island had very little habitat space and most of it would need to be shared. In the question between African rhinos and pygmy rhinos the pigmy won because they took up less space, same with the hippos. Asian elephants won because of their docility.

For most it was a question of food source. Hummingbirds were small but required a lot of food daily. For many it was the ability to survive when deprived of migration routes like Canadian Geese.

Many were chosen because of their ability to adapt or the low numbers required to maintain a reproducing population although none with lifespans longer than ten years would be reproducing until the planet had become stabilized. For many creatures it became a question of would it consider a human child as prey, none of those were saved.

Compatibility became an important issue as the committee doing the choosing progressed. Would gibbons and bonobos coexist? Would Orangs and spider monkeys? Would macaques and lemurs? Would marmosets and squirrels?

Among the primates there where many hard choices, mountain gorilla or lowland gorilla? As is turned out they were the same species so young specimens of each were placed in three mixed family groups of four.

Bonobos or chimps? Bonobos were chosen because they have the more amenable nature and seemed to be the more intelligent.

A ranger named Lin was a primatologist and the committee listened to her and asked for her vote first on each question. They had done that with each species of primates chosen. Lin had made the hard decisions and all had voted with her. All members of the committee could see her sadness when any primate was stricken off the list.

The voting was done and the selected creatures placed in their environment when suddenly a new species of primate was discovered that needed saving, Sasquatch.

A ranger in Yosemite National Park had been recruited by the Peer at the suggestion of a couple from Felicity.

Her name was Megan and when she learned the nature of her new job had called for the committee to meet. She invited a friend named Teresa and between them announced that Sasquatch were not a myth.

"We have some photos to show you. These are friends of ours, there are around ninety in Yosemite. I know people that know of other populations which suggests the Sasquatch numbers throughout North America may add up to at least two thousand but perhaps as many as ten times that number.

I know the ones in Yosemite and Teresa knows the ones in the Canadian Rockies north of Jasper. They understand English and some can speak it. I know one young girl that can play the flute.

We need to save them."

To their credit the rangers and the two Lords present believed them and wondered if they thought they could get her friends to walk into a space ship.

Both replied, "Yes."

Five weeks later a ship set down quietly in a glen in Yosemite on a late afternoon. The ship had slowly slipped through the air just above the tree canopy in the Sasquatch territory to make sure all saw it. It was softly playing a Vivaldi flute concerto as its door opened.

Megan and Teresa came out and sat on the grass. A family of beings came to them and the women stood, hugged the air then hugged the beings.

It was an extended family which included and adult male who was the rangers lover, his mother and two sisters. Shortly after the greeting two more family groups arrived, one a mother with two daughters and a young son and another older male, his female, their daughter and granddaughter.

Those were the beings the ranger wanted to save and the beings were welcomed inside the ship and treated to a meal of all their favorite foods which had a mild tranquilizer in it.

None noticed when the ship lifted off and landed on a similar glen a thousand kilometers north. Two families of beings joined them, Urg and her Mom, her sister,and two daughters. Urg's brother's two mates and their three children were there but he did not appear until later much to Teresa's relief.

Both clans were at first concerned with the others in the ship but when the first group spoke to the second in English all relaxed and joined them in dinner.

When the doors to the ship opened again they found themselves in what appeared to be their glen but was in fact a high valley half a world away. The beings understood it was not their own home and somewhat understood why it was not but were still apprehensive. The smiling ranger welcoming them, Lin, calmed them down as she hugged the air between them.

The hugs Teresa and Megan shared with her won her their trust.

Lin told them the whole valley was theirs and that except for her and their own friends no one would intrude on them from the outside. She then led them up the side of the valley to what seemed like habitations with open spaces for windows and doors.

"We are in a warmer part of the planet than you are used to, these shelters will keep you cooler. There are platforms for sitting and sleeping that keep a lower temperature for you. If you step through to the other side you will see it opens up to a plaza as humans call it with a water fountain in the middle. There are creatures for you to snack on in there.

You will see a wide path on each side of the plaza, they go around the valley at three different elevations. Food items for you abound along each trail. The items on the longer lower trail may be unfamiliar to you but be assured they are all good food.

The fountain here drains to the lake at the bottom of the valley. From there it empties down a waterfall to the lower levels. Next to the waterfall there is a trail that will take you out of your valley through different forests and to the human settlement. Please do not scare the humans if you decide to go down. If you wish one of the three of us will keep you company if you decide to visit.

Over here there is a communication booth. You press this green button once it will connect you to my office. If you press the red one it will connect you to Megan,, the blue to Teresa.

You are now home. Choose the place you want to sleep in and the one you want to sleep with. Rest, then go explore. Oh, each room has a music button on a wall and you can change the music by pressing the button again. If you hold the button down the music goes off.

The big room on the other side of the fountain has a visualizer that will show you the rest of the land and its people. Again, welcome home."

The humans hugged the air between them and they hugged back. All stayed to watch the ship lift off and float away.

The beings were now on their own.

The first altercation occurred when young girls of different clans decided to share a room to themselves. The family adult male objected. The oldest female interceded for them reminding them they were safer than they had ever been in their lives.

She went to the communicators and pressed the green button.

"Bears?" she asked.

"None."

"Big cats?"

"None," was again the answer.

"Safe," the eldest said.

At that moment she became the leader of all family groups.

Her son decided to be by himself. Not that he was anti-social but that he wanted all females to feel free to visit him for sex. He had a visitor that evening.

There were cameras everywhere in the compound and throughout the valley. The monitors were in Lin's office. Edited portions were shown Cel wide.

When the first Sasquatch ventured below their valley and encountered other beings they were greeted with a hug. The hug was from a bonobo. The two were fascinated with each other and became friends.

Lin was ecstatic and got on a boat to go upriver and see them together for herself. She hugged the air between them and both hugged back. She was floating in air then found herself floating down river. The beings screamed and did not settle down until the boat crew fished her out.

She had the crew put her on the bank next to them. Her presence calmed them then they got mad and she kissed each on the lips, hugged the air between them and waited.

Reluctantly each forgave her for scaring them half to death and hugged the air for her. She kissed each again, returned to the boat and waved goodbye as she rode away.

That video had all of Felicity gasping in fear and smiling in tears for a day. A week later it was laughter and tears.

The rangers did send out expeditions to find Yeti and swamp creatures but by the time the Gulf Asteroid hit they had found none.

They did find a relative of the Sasquatch at the base of the Andes near the birthplace of the Amazon river. They seemed to be the same species so just one family group was brought to Cel.

They also found arboreal human beings in the same forest and they were rescued too. They understood some English but would not speak it. But two visitors and their daughter knew what they were thinking. They also knew what the search party was thinking.

Suddenly the entire tribe went into the space craft and sat and seemed to be listening to the woman called Lisa. She was not speaking.

The scene sent shivers down the spine of the crew

Cel had an Amazon forest habitat so they were taken there. The family visiting them were invited to stay in Cel as intermediaries. Lin saw she needed Lisa to communicate with them. Both were biochemists so were needed on Cel anyway.

Their daughter was a young anthropologist and Lin hired her and recruited the Islands only exobiologist to help. She then tried to find someone to help with the two new rangers, both of whom were nearly incomprehensible.

Still, Lin was overjoyed by the turn of events and so were her assistants. They had rescued all humanoids on Earth.

They were wrong of course.