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Jeremy woke with a start.

Another erotic dream had prodded him to wakefulness. There was no reason to get up quickly but once he was awake there was as little reason to stay in bed. Standing he reflexively ducked his head. The ceilings in his room were unsettlingly low for one his size. He had noticed a lot of other subtle but significant differences like the low ceilings since his arrival. His mind wandered as he started cleaning up for another day in what he was coming to think of as the strangest part of the world.

It was his forth day stuck in the hotel room. His dominant libido was already making it difficult to stay focused. It also didn't help that the lemur government and all other concerned parties were letting him chill his paws almost undisturbed. He shared the same hotel as a large number of the personnel of Humbolt. He again faced the differences here in lemur land as he was forced to crouch low under the shower head just to wet the fur above his shoulders. It almost seemed everything had been built to make his size as a dominant obvious.

He'd taken the opportunity to add a great number of random lemur's profiles in PATOMES and yet had refrained from any testing. He had to assume that his entire hotel room was likely under surveillance. He'd only checked the bathroom and had found nothing. Considering that Madagascar was as technologically advanced as York, a simple visual inspection didn't mean there weren't any cameras. He had remained careful.

Coming back into the main room of his suite he paused again to take in the setting. He'd known the lemurs had a reputation of xenophobia but he'd not thought about the consequences of their self imposed isolation. Nearly everything was built to accommodate their stature. He was a full two feet taller than even a large lemur.

It was fortunate that a fair number of the hotel suites were designed to accommodate someone the size of an otter. As it was the personnel he was in country to rescue was also staying in the hotel, and two others. Almost all of Humbolt's staff in Madagascar were otters. Yet another imposition due to the lemur's odd sense of exclusion. None of the Humbolt employees knew him. Given their situation he couldn't blame them for not trusting him. None of them had bothered to pay him a visit in two days.

He really didn't mind too much, he had research to do anyway. Picking up the remote Jeremy turned on the television and sat in one of the chairs provided at the side of the bed. He had to adjust himself a bit to get comfortable in the chair that was built too small for him. Settled in and somewhat comfortable he focused on the program.

Lemur entertainment produced in country was a lesson in and of itself. Almost every actor was as could be guessed, lemur. Jeremy was pleased to note they had a well developed sense of humor. A good half of the shows available could have been considered of high quality, even if they did sometimes poke fun at the rest of civilization. Having subjected himself to the programing for days he no longer felt as unsettled looking at the burning orange eyes staring out from every lemur actor.

That aside, Jeremy was more interested in studying the subtle almost sub-language he'd noticed on his first day in the country. It had been obvious on his arrival that lemurs could boast tails far longer than any other species. He'd not noticed at first but on watching the television for a bit of free information on lemur culture it became noticeable. There were often a subtle almost subliminal lack in comparison to normal conversations.

At first Jeremy thought it was the matter of lemurs all having a similar mindset. It was on watching a newscast that it finally dawned on him that lemur tails were used for a large measure of nonverbal communication. The movements and gestures ranged from portraying emotion, setting or changing the tone of their verbal speech or even transitioning mood. The scope of lemur tail language seem to expand the more he watched. It was a lot to learn for one that had never taken part in such a mode of communication. Jeremy was slowly catching on from watching the television.

He was even more impressed at the news programs. Despite their reputation as xenophobes each of their news programs took a good portion of every hour to cover world events. Here too, Jeremy noted what he was coming to see as the lemur sense of evenhandedness. Every news story was presented as fact, and Jeremy could detect none of the sneering half editorial slants imbedded in the majority of stories back in York. It almost seemed the lemur viewpoint shared a bit of admiration in other countries and their accomplishments. It had Jeremy puzzling over what seemed to him an odd contradiction considering their reputation.

At the sound of the ring Jeremy looked over at the door to his room and stood up from the chair. There was another small difference that made itself known. Lemur-world had ringers for everything. Another odd difference was having the door knob placed in the middle of the door. Jeremy also had to lean over to reach the low placed knob.

He opened the door and greeted the small odd looking lemur. He was dressed typically for his species. They all seemed to enjoy loose flowing robes printed or dyed in bright colors and tied at the waist with equally colorful sashes. Males and females dressed alike, the only visible difference was the larger size of the males. Jeremy had come to understand that attached couples wore matching neck ornaments to signify their commitment.

"Mister Dawn, I'm to escort you to a meeting you have been seeking with our representatives." the lemur said looking up at him with the ubiquitous wide staring eyes. Jeremy noted that his tail stood almost upright and the final twenty inches or so could be seen behind and above his head. From what he'd been able to guess so far it was a fairly neutral set of tail.

Jeremy forced a smile as he replied "Just let me grab my notebook." Despite their overly expressive tails the faces of lemurs were nearly unreadable to him. As off-putting as the eyes were their almost immobile ears gave nothing away. As he came back to the door the smile was easier.

Once he'd understood lemur tails were so expressive Jeremy's found his eyes flicking to catch tail movements. It still seemed to him almost rude to break eye contact with someone he was talking with. It took him a day to realize his lemur host's eyes also flicked above his head, likely in anticipation. As his escort brought his eyes back to his Jeremy shrugged his shoulders almost in apology.

The small male tail-smiled in response as he turned to lead the way.

Seconds later he was walking behind the lemur escort toward the elevators. He tried making small talk but the male only gave brief replies that made Jeremy think he was too intimidated to relax. It was amusing that lemur's tails were as expressive as their faces were indecipherable. Jeremy had sensed the same dichotomy from every lemur he'd met thus far. To Jeremy it was almost as if he were talking with someone wearing a mask.

His escort's reaction was clear that he was highly unsettled being next to Jeremy. It had to be difficult to adjust to someone more than twice the size as oneself when it was such a rare occurrence. The trouble was he just couldn't be sure that was the reason for the reactions.

As the male lead him to the entrance of the hotel and to a waiting vehicle Jeremy fell silent. The vehicle was a large SUV, black with tinted windows. He had wondered at a similar vehicle on the ride from the airport. This one was also of the same iconic brand seen in York and typically owned by those rich enough to desire anonymity. It was clear he was to get in the back when his lemur escort practically raced up to open the door for him.

As he climbed in the vehicle Jeremy looked around. The interior had been customized for someone of his size making him even more curious. He settled himself in one of the seats as his lemur escort closed the door leaving him alone in the vehicle except for the driver. The driver in the front was as expected another lemur. Looking close Jeremy saw the controls had likewise been customized for the stature of the driver. She pulled out into traffic with barely a glance out the windows.

As they traveled Jeremy noticed that vehicles pulled over to make way for the exceptionally large vehicle. Jeremy observed the reflections of flashing lights in the windows of vehicles they passed. He'd not noticed their vehicle being outfitted with lights when he'd approached. He was eager to ask the driver several questions but her head never turned from watching the road in front of them. With her face turned away from Jeremy he could finally tell her demeanor made it clear she was equally intimidated as his escort. The vehicle moved fairly rapidly thanks to traffic making way for them.

Jeremy had thought it was going to be a short drive to another building in the city but as time went by it became clear that was not so. The inner city transitioned to the familiar sprawling suburbs and then countryside. It turned out to be a two hour drive before the lemur drove into what Jeremy recognized as a mining operation. They pulled up before what was clearly the offices associated with the mine.

The driver sat motionless for several seconds before Jeremy opened the door for himself. He let himself out of the SUV and stood at the side looking around the small parking area. He thanked the silent lemur before closing the door but she didn't so much as turn her head. The air smelt of turned earth and just a hint of diesel. Despite the smell of fuel it felt good to have some fresh air for a change. From where he stood he couldn't see any activity but the faint screeching sound of heavy machinery of some kind came to him all the same.

He stood by the side of the vehicle waiting. He thought it best to wait and not be thought of as some newcomer to the country ignorant enough to wander off unescorted. The building that he had guessed were the working offices was perched up slope about fifteen feet above the gravel parking area. After the long drive it felt good just to be able to stand on his own feet again. He wasn't left standing alone for long.

The door to the office stood open and one by one lemurs started making their way toward him from within. Jeremy watched silently as they stepped down the stairs. All five were holding their tails in the same neutral position, giving nothing away.

He checked the front of himself. Brushing off nonexistent dust from his belly Jeremy relaxed a bit. He'd dressed in loose fitting clothes and could barely make out the typical outward bulge of his sheath. With the lemur's habit of dress and their smaller stature Jeremy felt oddly uncomfortable in meetings where he was forced to stand in front of them. Face to face their muzzles were just afoot above the level of his crotch.

The group walked toward Jeremy and stopped a few paces away. The lemur standing to the right of center spoke first. "Welcome to Kealuroondea Mister Dawn. Would you follow us please." The lemur said as she gestured and turned to her right. The rest turned almost as one and started walking toward a waiting vehicle.

"Excuse me, but Keal- uh."

"Kealuroondea, is the name of the mine, or more accurately the mountain." The female responded with a tail-smile amused at his attempt to pronounce the unusual name. She introduced herself and the rest of the lemurs and began leading him to the low slung machine.

As they approached Jeremy looked the thing over. He'd never seen a vehicle like it before. It had the look of heavy equipment but was only three feet high. As he came closer he could see the inside was nothing but an opening with low benches for sitting. The controls were at the front but centered. It wasn't hard to understand its purpose and that they meant to take him into the associated mine.

It took Jeremy some time to get situated in the small transport, as the lemurs called it. He could sense their amusement as they made suggestions on how best to settle his large frame inside what for him was a too small area. All their tails expressed what he was able to recognize as pleased amusement. He took an entire section and was forced to lay on the bench with one arm and a leg sprawled own the floor of the cart. Once they deemed Jeremy cramped enough they set out.

The position Jeremy was forced to take barely let him see over the edge of the cart. They made a U turn from in front of the office building and drove around the hillside the trailer was perched upon. As they rounded the hill Jeremy could see well worn tracks that led into the mine entrance. Jeremy ducked his head as they entered even though there was more than a foot of clearance above the top of the cart. He decided not to turn to see who had chuckled at his reaction.

Even before the daylight faded the track they were on took an almost immediate downward slope. Jeremy noticed the engine changed pitch as the driver endeavored to keep the heavy cart from over-speeding. The headlight beams gave off plenty of light. Jeremy could see the light reflected off the exceedingly low ceiling they traveled under. He took a deep breath of dank air but could smell nothing familiar other than the lingering scents and odors of the countless lemur and occasional otter that had sat on the bench before his trip.

One of his escorts in the bench in front of him turned a light on. He could see both Kass and Monica had turned to look at him before they'd turned on the light. There was frank assessment in their eyes. Jeremy mentally pulled back from the experience to asses his own reaction.

Perhaps it had been his experiences in Chile. Perhaps it was the presence of five lemurs and the intellectual reassurance that they had looked calm and even amused prior to entering the mine. Perhaps it was the physical inconvenience of riding in the too small cart. Whatever it was Jeremy was certain, and glad he felt not a hint of claustrophobia. He even managed a slight smirk back at the lemurs.

He thought it best not to challenge them any further than that.

They in turn grinned back to him before turning and extinguishing the light. They rode in silence for more than half an hour. It was more than enough time for Jeremy to better adjust himself and relax onto the bench. The scents of the lemurs faded letting him get a better draught of air within the raw rock. He was surprised at the unusually powerful scent.

It more than reminded him of the smell of the ocean and yet at the same time was unlike anything he'd sensed before. Unlike the smell of life the sea had this was completely different. The smell of the deep earth had a feel all its own. Not even the sharp cutting tang of ozone brought on by a lightning storm compared. Jeremy was lost in trying to associate anything with what his snout was drowning in. While the air had warmed the deeper they'd traveled it had taken on an increasing bite. He shook his head, the analogy was wrong.

From everything he'd experienced with his coyote sense of smell the scent of the deep earth had nothing in common with anything living or dead. On reflection it was more a feeling it brought to mind. Jeremy took a deep breath at the idea of what the air reminded him of. Perhaps it was more to do with where he was than the smell but a connection had been made. He nodded to himself in the dark. Whether the lemurs shared his impression or not Jeremy settled on his own conclusion.

The deep earth had a scent of its own, far different than the mighty ocean. It was the smell of ultimate patience, of a waiting and restful potential. Experiencing it for himself he could understand how their fore-bearers could imagine that there had once existed gods of the sea the earth and sky. With just a bit of imagination the less educated could possibly associate such a powerful scent with an otherworldly presence. Considering how deep they must have traveled Jeremy thought it would have been easy to get caught up in the ancient superstitions.

The transport finally came to a stop. They'd come to a large enclosure wide and high enough that Jeremy was even able to lift his head and sit up. As his lemur escorts stood and got out of the vehicle Jeremy followed suit. The carrier had stopped before a wooden wall that stretched above them to almost thirty feet high.

He was about to speak but was stopped by the changed demeanor of the lemurs. They were all acting nervous and would only glance at him for brief moments. He used the time it was taking his escort to address him to look at his odd surroundings. Jeremy could see power cords running along the ceiling and continue through the wall. Turning to follow the power cords they were hung from the tunnel ceiling they'd come from. Jeremy found it odd that there was over a dozen thick cables running into the cavern. He guessed they would have had to bring miles of cable to the point they were at. Curious at what could demand such a commitment to lighting a cavern deep in the earth he turned back to inspect the wall.

Hastily constructed he could see light shining through gaps between the sheets of wallboard. He could only guess how many strings of lights lit the entire cavern beyond. There was no other sound in the cavern except for those that were made by his lemur escort.

"Mister Dawn," The lemur named Monica barely made eye contact before looking down at her feet. "I apologize for not preparing you for what you're about to witness. Its not through malice, we simply don't wish to cloud your judgement. Please, come this way."

The lighting on the side of the wall they stood was poor. It was only by her clothing Jeremy could tell it was the same female that had spoken before. He could see their tails. It didn't take much understanding of their tail-language to know they were more than a bit agitated. The others turned with her and made their way toward the single door forward into the cavern beyond. Jeremy had no choice but to follow.

Suddenly ill at ease from her cryptic statement and behavior, Jeremy opened PATOMES and added each of the lemurs. In seconds he had the command to reduce each of them ready. He had no idea what he would be able to do to escape after that but he suddenly felt the need to be prepared for anything. The lead lemur reached the door and opened it and entered the cavern without slowing. Each of his escort had stepped aside once they'd passed through the door to let the others follow. Jeremy was the last to pass into the cavern.

He could only stand and stare.

* * * *

Oh yeah, I'm going to stop here, and no I'm not kidding. Also going to skip the geography tour this week.