And if he slept until sundown, he could quickly find their sleeping trees by employing his night time powers; that is, unless he awoke to find his mother Eeda somewhere nearby, guarding the entrance to his makeshift lair.
Then he would be delayed overtaking the group for his mother could not move through the forest as quickly as he—especially at night.
Gazda had happily discovered that despite his sun weakness, if he were rested, he could still match the brawn and agility of his peers during the day; however, at night his dexterity, speed and strength were multiplied many times those of the other apes his age.
And, the same thing occurred with his senses. Young Gazda had found the manifold jungle scents confusing, an indecipherable maze of odors and perfumes, until he had learned to control his enhanced olfactory powers. Then he could detect the subtlest smells in the forest, allowing him to track prey near or far, flawlessly discerning the old game trails from the new.
His vision was also amplified many times, and he could see perfectly in the darkest night or shadow, relying on heat, moon and stars to illuminate the gloom—cloaking all shapes in a flickering glow and locking the dusky forest into twilight.
Gazda’s superior hearing worked in tandem with his eyesight, employing sound to complete perfect pictures of the dark surround, as though the noises were turned to light within his head that shone on what he perceived.
The jungle sparkled with noise and color undetectable to the daylight creatures with which he lived, and as he grew to understand his senses, Gazda was better able to direct those powers to his will.
So, where the tribe would hide in their sleeping trees, the adopted night ape would fling himself through the high branches of a world defined by smell, sight and sound from which he felt no separation. He would marvel upon the jungle at that time, and wish his friends Ooso and Kagoon might share his special vision.
For to him a moth that was dull gray by day became a glorious thing at night, scintillating against the surrounding shining leaves on which it fed, as its wings and legs came together rhythmically to form a song for others of its kind.
He could see its curious light a hundred yards distant, though its dappled motes would flicker against his hands when he held them up, and to the night ape the melodious actions of the insect’s limbs created a subtle breeze that crossed the great space to caress his cheeks.
The moth became but one set of uncountable facets that Gazda could perceive as a whole, or with his powerful senses parse into a thousand fragments more. To the night ape, there were countless cues to speak of difference, or a million dazzling elements woven into a tapestry to which he was an integral part.
The jungle pulsed with life; its abundant elements throbbing to the beat of his heart and the restless sigh of a million leaves.
It took him years, but the night ape learned to master his magnificent senses and navigate this bedazzling space with the efficiency of a creature made for it.
In time, Gazda used these special abilities in concert with a growing knowledge of wood lore and hunting to track almost anything day or night, in any weather condition often following trails many days old by deducing information from the slightest of spoor.
This ability was doubted and mocked by the other apes at first until he stunned his naysayers into silence by leading them time and again to the very creatures he had described.
The anthropoids came to admire his prowess, and enjoyed the meat and fruits his skills provided them, while those who scoffed began to fear and distrust Gazda’s strength.
Being confident in his own powers, King Goro saw no threat, and instead considered the night ape’s abilities a welcome boon for the tribe. The silverback was pleased that the foundling could earn his keep, and he had long been impressed by Gazda’s spirit when faced with so many obstacles.
Others hated him for it. Omag refused to be convinced of the night ape’s hunting abilities, even when proof was presented to him. The crippled ape nurtured his envious thoughts and shared them with any other jealous or small-minded member of the tribe who would listen.
CHAPTER 10 – Omag’s Mischief
Gazda did not listen to any whispers since he was focused upon the competitive world of the adolescent blackbacks, a group to whom he now belonged despite his outlandish ways, diminutive size and unhealthy appearance.
He was dwarfed by his companions, but he could easily fight any of them to a draw during the day—even going so far as to defeat one outright at sunset.
That fact had caused an uproar and scandal among the rest of the tribe that briefly led to anarchy as several angry blackbacks crying foul chased the night ape into the trees where Gazda used the high branch to which he clung as a podium for touting his fighting prowess.
Both Goro and old Baho had been required to bring peace back to the group, with the king declaring an end to contests in the long shadows because they were dangerous, and too difficult to judge winner from loser.
The truth was that neither he nor Baho could understand the outcome of that fight, and did not wish the night ape’s unnatural strength to encourage more animosity toward him within the tribe.
But Gazda had made no secret of his victory, and had enjoyed teasing the defeated young blackback and even challenged his friends. For years, the night ape had suffered as the butt of the joke among his peers, and still suffered jibes about his “snakeskin” and “birdlegs,” so he could not resist goading the vanquished.
The silverback watched this,
