The Monkey & the Prince
When the door crashed open and the yelling began, Chi-Chee stayed at Dee-Ell’s side and didn’t budge. Standing right there inside was the Prince, looming behind Doug like a trained shadow. Chi-Chee gazed at him and didn’t move.
He’d always sensed the Prince on his master’s assistant, but no one ever talked about him. No one went looking. And Chi-Chee thought they must not want to look -- even though his master was sad and brave, even though she could forgive anything, even though he owed them, owned them. It was always a jumble for him, primate memories mixed with alien whispers and his master’s affection seeping into the gaps like warm honey. Cold, now. He was on his own.
He reached up to take Dee-Ell’s hand in his own small one until the angry voices stopped.