Luther had arranged to have them fly on his private jet. It wasn't too large of a plane, but that would allow them to get much closer to the jungle. He flew with them, giving Kane sharp looks the whole time, and he hugged Livia goodbye. He was sad that he couldn't stay, but the underground world needed him and so did his businesses. He did make Livia promise to send messages back to him, and to let him know how the baby was doing, before he left for Kardanthia.
They had arrived at a small airport fifty miles away from their destination. An all terrain jeep took them as far as it could, but when it got down to the last two miles, Livia and Kane had to begin traveling through the thicket of the Amazon on foot. Thankfully, they didn't have any luggage or bags to carry. Livia had been away for so long, that when she returned, she felt a strong sense of nostalgia. The jungle had changed in the years she spent away from it, but she still knew how to get to where she needed to go. As they walked, Livia pointed out the various plants and animals to Kane, showing him which ones were poisonous and which ones were safe. She had given him his final dose of poison earlier and now he was finished with his resistance training. "I can't wait to see everyone. It's been so long. I wonder if they all remember me. Oh! Before I forget, you can still speak English to them. My birth parents taught them the language when they were still alive, so most of them know how to speak it. We still use the native tongue though, so I might have to translate some of it for you."
Livia felt very nervous. Kane had met her father, Luther, already, but now he was about to meet her tribe. This is where she came from, the place she was raised, and the place that gave her so much joy and pain. It was like she was really bringing him home to meet the family for the first time. Kane could decide at any moment that he doesn't like them or their place. He could decide that their way of living is too different from his life and leave. She didn't think he would really do that, but it still made her anxious. "It might take some getting used to, but you can go at your own pace here. I'm glad you came with me."
It was then that Livia walked up to a large tree, about seven feet in diameter, and knocked on it. For miles around, all a person could see was trees and plants. There was no village, no people, and no indicators of any kind. Still, Livia looked over at Kane and said simply, "We're here". Livia climbed the tree in front of her and motioned for Kane to follow. As she reached about ten feet up on the moss covered tree, she climbed to the back side and looked into a large, dark hole. "This is how we get to the tribe. It's quite normal around here for tribe's to be hidden. There are other ways in, but this is the fastest from where we are. Let's go."
As Livia climbed in the hole, her body disappeared from sight. The tree they were climbing moments before was actually half hollowed out. It had been carved by the tribe so that even as it continued to grow, inside there was a spiral staircase. It took about ten minutes traveling down in darkness, for them to emerge into a cave, far below the earth. It was hard to tell thanks to the forestry, but the entire time they were walking to the tree, they were actually climbing a hill. This cave led out the far east side of the hill and as Livia pulled back the wall of vines, sunlight streamed in and a village of about one hundred people came into view.
There were children of all ages running around, and men working on huts while women made various baskets, blankets, or dishes. The men were shirtless and wore a knee length loin cloth that went around them all the way. The women wore the same and a variation of tank tops, tube tops, and halter tops, all made of animal hide. Most of them had leather straps with pouches around their necks and more tied around their waist. This is where they kept their poisons or herbs. Just like Livia. The tribe also had enlarged pupils. Their sizes varied, but even small children had pupils larger than normal. Unlike Livia, they had darker skin, but it was still easy to tell that this was the place Livia was raised.
The tribe came to a stand still and stared at the new comers, unsure of what to do. They looked as though they were ready to launch into an attack on their new visitors until Livia took a step forward and put one hand directly up in the air. The other one soon joined it and as she brought them down in front of her body, they crossed and formed an X. As she moved them slowly to her sides, she took a deep bow and said, "Marashi". The frozen tribe suddenly burst to life and cheered. Soon, there were many people surrounding Livia and talking all at once. The younger children didn't get involved, though, they just continued to play peacefully as older children came up to her calling her "Lee-vee". It was clear that the older children remembered her while the younger ones had no idea who she was.
Livia figured Kane was completely lost at this point. "The bow I gave and marashi are a greeting. It means 'I have returned'. And they call me 'Lee-Vee' rather than Livia here. It's my tribe name," Livia turned to one of the children, who was about ten, and asked, "Ah-Vee?" The child pointed to a hut on the other end of the village that was decorated by many plants. One plant, in particular, grew abundantly there. It was belladonna. Livia smiled as she took Kane's hand and turned to the tribe of people, who had been staring at him for a while now. "Sakish, Kane Soto," she said holding up his hand. Another cheer escaped the crowd as Livia led Kane by his hand towards the hut.
When they got outside the large hut, Livia turned to Kane. "Sorry for all of that. I'm honestly glad they remembered who I was. Most people who leave the tribe never come back, so it must have been a shock for them at first. And although I spoke to them in Ah-Vwey, they really do know English. It's just customary to give the first greeting in the native tongue." Livia paused and turned to Kane. "This woman is the woman who took me in and raised me after my parents died. She's like my second mother. Her name is Ah-Vee. She gave me the name Lee-Vee and she is the witch doctor of the tribe. We don't have a chief because we make all of our decisions as a tribe. She's the closest thing we have to a chief, I suppose. I hope you like her."
