When the next day's morning shined throughout the treehouse's window beams and onto two figures within the vast jungle home. Y/n slowly awoke to the feel warm early morning rays against her tan skin. She started to slowly sit up to get out of her bed only to be stopped by a lean but muscular arm wrapped around her waist in a gentle yet firm grip, her e/c slowly trailed down to the culprit to see a sleeping James. Y/n let her e/c eyes trail down for a better look of James as he slept, his yellow vest, and purple tie were placed aside onto one of the chairs in the treehouse, his long light brunette hair loose on his shoulders to his slightly opened up shirt from the jungles heat.

James: "Mmm...." He groaned deeply in his tired state as he slowly opened up his green eyes, which had a deeper shade of green from sleep while he sat up. He looked down only for his eyes to widen at what he saw, He was unconsciously holding Y/n in his sleep ridden mind. "I-I am so sorry, excuse me, please!" He exclaimed out in disbelief while politely before quickly scooting away from Y/n to fall off of the bed and onto the floor with a loud thud. "Brilliant, bloody brilliant..." He said sarcastically while rubbing the back of his head to dull the pain of the bump even though his face was flushed with an embarrassment red hue.

Y/n tilted her head aside at James reaction for her it was natural, while the jungle was warm even at night it would get a chill as well later into the night. She rolled her e/c eyes at James as she climbed out of her bed to check the remaining roasted boar in the salt jar was binded with strong rope to easily carry throughout the jungle.

Y/n: "I shall wait for you outside, James." She said while putting the jar onto her back and grabbed hold of her spear beside the doorway. "We'll be traveling on the ground, but I will be patrolling as well, so you'll have to stay close to me." She said before walking outside to wait by the life boat lower pulley system as she placed the jar into the old boat alongside a wicker basket of fresh fruit that wasn't eaten last night than carefully climbed into the life boat.

James walked out of the treehouse with his clothes disheveled but sophisticated still as he walked towards Y/n and carefully got into the life boat with a quiet thanks for Y/n who hummed softly back at him while slowly lowering them down to the jungle floor. Once safely on the ground, Y/n handed James the wicker basket filled with fruit while she pulled the strong rope salt jar onto her lesser dominant shoulder and took hold of her spear in her dominant hand.

Y/n: "Follow me, and stay close." She said in a serious tone as the man did as told to him while she kept her e/c eyes peeled and her ears perked up to all around her on guard in case of danger. After an hour of walking, the two arrived at the jungles end, and the gated community of her tribesmen village to hear people fighting within the area. She set the salt jar beside James and vaulted over the gates to tackle down a strange man away from the elderly chieftain and her father as she pointed her spear's sharp tip against the unknown man's throat snarling at him like a leopard.

Thomas: "Stop, stop, darling, calm down." He said while his daughter slowly looked over her shoulder towards him and saw he nor the chieftain were harmed as his wife and the professor ran over to take care of the situation. "Mr. Porter, this is my daughter Y/n. If anyone can find your son in the jungle, she can." He said as James opened up the gates of the village holding the salt jar and wicker basket of fruit in one arm to see what was happening.

James: He carefully gives the vessels of food to a tribesmen child and runs forward to gently pull Y/n off of the man on the ground. "Father, what is going on here?" He questioned before his father pulled him into a protective embrace. "Father, I'm fine, see. Miss. Clayton saved me a fleet of baboons. They even took my shoe in the jungle, then I met her when she saved me from my death." He explained calmly as Thomas and Maria looked over at the Porter young man who bowed politely to them. "My lord, and lady." He said with a kind smile as Y/n smiled softly towards him.

William: "Miss. Clayton? Mr. Porter, I think you had been hit on the head by this wild woman." He said while getting off the ground. "My uncle, his wife, and my newborn cousin died at sea from what my father told me in tears." He explained before the older red-haired graying man and graying brunette hair woman walked over towards him. "What do you two need?" He asked til he looked at the elderly pair then at Y/n. "Wait, a moment..." He said while taking a good look at the couple. "Uncle Thomas, and Aunt Maria, then that means this wild woman is..."

James: "Your long lost young cousin, Y/n Maria Clayton." He said while his father was shocked at this discovery of his son's as he went over towards Y/n to inspect her odd stance of a gorilla til she stood up as a human and walked over towards her parents. "Father, give her time." He said while watching Y/n interact with her older cousin and family.

James: 'From all I’ve seen before
And yet here, we’re just the same'

James thought while smiling softly at the sight of the Clayton family reuniting before feeling his heart pound against his chest when he saw the sun beam onto Y/n's figure.

James: 'My heart is beating faster
I must know more about her
There’s something strange that draws me near her
She’s nothing like I’ve seen before
She makes me feel so alive!'

James father looks at his son then towards Y/n as she is inspecting her cousin's photo album to point to an old photo of her parents holding her baby self. William listens to his long-lost uncle and aunts story even Y/n's life here while Y/n grabbed hold of her spear and began walking towards the gates again.

James: "Where is Y/n going?" He asked while he began wondering why he felt as if his heart would explode without her around him.

Chieftain Elder: He walked over towards the young man. "Y/n brought you back, and now she must partol for not only our safety but the jungles." He stated as he stopped James from following after her.

Y/n ventured deeper into the jungle to her gorilla family camp to meet her gorilla parents and friends, talking about the new strangers within the jungle as well if they posed a true threat

Y/n: "Kerchak, why do you fear anything different from you?" She asked while defying her leader for once in her life as he grunted at her to protect this family and the jungle as well to stay away from the new strangers. "I think you are wrong about them, Father." She said while the two glared at another in challenge before a loud growl filled the air from Sabor. "To the trees, quickly!!" She shouted out as the family quickly climbed within the trees, Y/n helped baby gorillas back to their mothers amongst her family while watching Kerchak fighting Sabor til the beast strikes him and wounded him badly which made her roar out to swing out of the tree to tackle the she-leopard away from Kerchak with her spear at the ready to fight. Y/n snarled at Sabor in a challenge to the death as the family above her screeched out for her to win.

Sabor and Y/n circled another before navigating themselves into the trees as Y/n was alone for a moment til Sabor tried to ambush her, but the young woman used her strength to toss Sabor near a pit and making the beasts shoulder bleed from her weapon which made Sabor snarl at Y/n angrily only for Y/n to growl and bare her teeth towards Sabor before she grunted out as Sabor slashed her claws outwards and strikes true. Y/n held four claw mark cuts on the right side of her chest, which slashed her chest binding cloth as well.

Y/n's e/c eyes narrowed at Sabor, for both of them had drawn blood from each other. Sabor rushed toward Y/n and tackled her onto the ground, even breaking her spear so the blade fell into another pit below them. Y/n kept Sabor back with her spear's pole and kicked the leopard off of her before jumping down into the lower pit and holding tightly the spear's sharp blade in her dominant hand when a shadow formed under her, Y/n quickly turned around and held her blade up just as Sabor pounced down onto Y/n and broke the thick wooden vines around them both. Seconds passed by as the gorillas thought their guardian had died when they saw Sabor rising from the pit only to see Y/n toss the now dead leopard aside to breathe heavily from adrenaline. Her gorilla family hollered out at her victory against Sabor while she looked over at them all, then glanced at Sabor's body to grab hold of it tightly to lift it above her head to holler out in victory than took the body of Sabor to Kerchak.

Kerchak: He looked down at Sabor's body and then at his adopted daughter to sigh softly. "You did wonderful, my daughter." He said as Kala walked over towards them. "I give you permission to learn about these strangers, take Sabor's body to your tribesmen, and get treated as well." He said before he walked forward and placed his forehead against Y/n's. "You've made me proud, Y/n." He said while Y/n pulled Sabor onto her shoulders and began walking back towards the tribesmen village.

The young woman walked towards the village as the guards saw her holding Sabor's body but as well injured and yelled out for the medicine man to prepare as the Chieftain's son alongside James ran out of the gates to see the guards taking the leopard off of Y/n then carry her in to the village for treatment.

That late afternoon, James sat within the medicine man's tent by Y/n's side as the medicine man's wife spread ointment onto the four leopard claw wounds on the right side of her chest as well the little scratches even as the young woman slept from exhaustion. James gently held onto Y/n's right hand as and his was the leopards whole pelt, even its claws held on a leather string.

James: 'I’ve never felt like this
I feel so different
Being so close to her
Something deep inside feels so different
Since everything has stirred
There’s something so exciting
Somehow, more so inviting
It feels so new yet so familiar
Something tells me I will never
Ever be the same again!'

James thought while he carefully caressed the Y/n's left cheek as she slept, not noticing that Y/n's parents, William, alongside his own father, was watching him interact with Y/n endearingly as he looked down at her with pure concern.