She brought herself to a standing position as she worked the kinks out of her bones and muscles. She yawned appreciately to the forest.
She realized that she was quite hungry, and went in search of food. She found on a nearby tree some fruit. Taking a few, she walked to the beach, and sat herself down to eat her acquired breakfast. She took a tentative bite of the fruit, and as she felt sweet liquid dribble into her mouth, she consumed it with a passionate fervor.
After she had sated herself with a sufficient amount of fruit, she strolled the short distance to the water, and inspected it more carefully than she had during her night swim. She had noticed it was freshwater last night, but she now checked to see if it would be safe to drink. The girl brought a handful of the water to her mouth, and carefully sipped it. It seemed to be safe enough to drink on a daily basis. In fact, it was the purest and most wonderfully tasting water she had ever drank. She drank a few more handfuls of the water.
Nutritional needs now taken care of, she decided that this would be a day of exploration.
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She started towards the forest, but was intercepted by the welcoming party from the day before. The monkey appeared from the forest, and rushed over to stand in front of the girl. She leaned down and took him in her arms, giving him a gentle squeeze.
"Thank you."
The monkey let out a string of chatters, seemingly his way of saying, "You're welcome."
Then he gave a call out to the forest.
Beauty exitted from the dark passage, and glided over to the pair waiting on the beach.
Continued in Part IV
