Y'SHAATI: THE WILD HUNT

The soothing sunlight illuminates once again the majesty of Amazonia. However, the peace and tranquility of the amazon jungle is interrupted by the arrival of an unexpected visitor, motivated by a twisted and sick obsession...

With each step she takes, the infamous huntress Devana moves into the depths of this green paradise in her quest to find a legendary creature of this place: Q'oya-Y'uraka'i, the Queen of the Monkeys... or at least that's what one of the natives said after receiving a terrible beating from the fearsome woman when she asked him the meaning of those strange words and the place where the creature lived.

Recognized in the criminal underworld of furtive hunters for her unbreakable will and unparalleled strength, Devana has traveled for so many days and nights through the jungle that she doesn't even know how long it has been since the last time she saw a human. Her insane pursuit has led her to survive in this dangerous but beautiful place like no other hunter had ever done before. Without a doubt, she was more than a survivor... she was a natural predator of the jungle.

However, her surprise was great when she learned that her efforts have been worthwhile the moment she suddenly observed among the thick foliage of the trees, something she would never have imagined possible...

"Well, well... what do we have here! This is definitely something you don't see every day, heheheheh...", Devana said with a sinister smile on her face, while staring from the shadows at the naked girl who was standing on a tree branch just in her way. Unfortunately, the girl hadn't realized she was being watched. A terrible mistake that would leave an unforgettable memory this day in the life of Y'shaati, the guardian of Amazonia...

"What the fuck's up with this girl? How can she move like this!? She has the skills and agility of a monkey!", Devana thought when she saw Y'shaati swinging through the vines and squat on a large trunk, as she followed her stealthily.

"She even behaves as if she were a... wait a minute... could it be that she... she is... yes... yes... YEESS!! IT'S HER!!!", exclaimed the huntress inside her twisted mind while the image of the wild girl reflected in her demented eyes.

"It's real... it must be her, the fucking queen of the monkeys... is a human... this is perfect! Heheheh, hahahaha... MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!".

Devana couldn't help but laugh maniacally at the same time she began to load bullets into her rifle. Immediately, she put a knee on the ground, raised her weapon and pointed at Y'shaati.

"Ohhh fuck me, heheheh... it seems that I've hit the jackpot!".

"...You're mine now..."

A thunderous sound echoed through the jungle, causing all kinds of birds to flee in terror, leaving their nests behind to save themselves. A sound that, unfortunately, many animals already know and for most of them, is the last thing they hear before they cease to exist in this world. That sound means only one thing: death...

But not this day... not for Y'shaati. Devana watched in surprise as the wild girl moved at great speed, dodging the bullet just before it could penetrate her naked body.

"What...? How the fuck...!?", Devana shouted angry while quickly reloading her weapon.

"Take this!!" Without hesitating a second, the huntress fired her rifle again, only to see Y'shaati jump from the trunk, evading the gunshot with impressive monkey agility.

Devana remained speechless as her face began to turn red. Her rising fury prevented her from finding a reason to explain how the naked girl had descended from a considerable height completely unharmed. Y'shaati remained crouching on the ground, staring directly at her enemy's eyes, without a trace of fear in her face...

"Who do you think you are!? You fucking savage... DON'T MAKE FUN OF ME, BITCH!!"

Y'shaati kept her composure and her gaze fixed on the strange human female without moving a single muscle despite having heard her threatening call. As in her previous encounters, she was unable to understand the complex language of humans, however, that didn't prevent her from noticing in her body language that her intentions weren't good. Who was this female? Why she looked so different from the other humans?

"The hell are you looking at!? Have you never seen someone as imposing as me? Ha! I think I'm beginning to understand... you're nothing but an animal without a trace of intelligence...", said Devana in a smug tone of voice.

"Come on! Come closer, you little shit! What, are you afraid of me?". Y'shaati remained in silence.

"I imagined it, heheheh... your name suits you well: you are as stupid and coward as a damn monkey hahahaha... BOO! HAHAHAHAHA!!"

Suddenly... the mocking laugh of the huntress was interrupted...

Devana watched Y'shaati beating her own chest with great strength while producing a powerful and unrivaled battle cry...

"AAAHHOOOOHHAAAAAAAAHHHHミOOOOHHHAAAAAAAHHミOOOHAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

Once again, the face of the infamous huntress slowly flooded with anger...

The wild girl had humilliated her again...

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!! So that's how you want to do it, eh!? Well, come on then! I'm not gonna need this fucking thing... ARRGHH!", Devana screamed just before breaking her rifle in half with her knee, as a display of her incredible strength.

"I'll kill you with my own hands!", the crazed woman said as she tossed her broken weapon to the ground and extended her arms, prepared to charge at the naked girl at anytime.

Y'shaati reacted to the sudden movement of the huntress and immediately leaned her body to plant her knuckles on the ground, adopting her Tahuayo battle stance. She knew the conflict was already inevitable... it was time to defend the jungle from this new threat...

"What are you waiting for, damn whore!? Come on, here I am! Fight me!", Devana shouted to trigger Y'shaati while both women moved cautiously before any attack.

"Ooh-ooh ah-ah!! Ook-ook, ooh-ooh! Ahh-ahh-ah!", Y'shaati answered at her enemy's provocation.

"Do you really think you're a fucking ape or something!? You're nothing!!"

"OOH-OOH AH!! HSSSKKK!!", the naked girl replied as she showed her bare fangs.

"And now you're hissing like a cat... I'm getting tired of your shit. I'll show you that you're just as weak and pathetic as all the damn animals and people I've killed! I AM A FORCE OF NATURE!! YOU WILL DIE TODAY, MONKEY-BITCH!!"

Just then, Devana, completely out of her mind, sprinted towards the feral girl to attack...

The battle had begun...

"COME HERE, BITCH!", the furious huntress shouted just before trying to land a hit on the naked girl. She took a big leap to pounce Y'shaati, as if the disturbed woman's mind had devolved into one of a psychopath.

The feral girl managed to evade Devana's tackle by stepping backwards, causing Devana to crash into the ground. However, to her surprise, the huntress stood up in just an instant, holding the wild girl by her arm.

"Gotcha...", said the woman with a evil smile. Y'shaati struggled to break free from her grasp, but before she could make it, a tough fist hit her beautiful face three times in a row. Y'shaati fell to the ground.

"How did you like that, monkey-girl?", Devana said as she approached the savage girl. The huntress bent to lift Y'shaati, holding her again by her arm to continue punching her. Fortunately, the savage girl reacted quickly and landed a strong headbutt directly to Devana's face and kicked her stomach with her naked foot to keep her away. The infamous huntress stepped back dizzy from the blow. Still on the ground, Y'shaati seized the chance to do a low sweep kick, making Devana fall into the jungle soil as well. The wild girl quickly crawled away again to maintain a safe distance from the woman.

"Argh...you little... don't fuck with me!"

In just a few seconds, Devana stood up and sprinted once more towards the naked girl. In a blink, she was right in front of Y'shaati again. The tough woman threw a series of powerful punches and low kicks that Y'shaati barely managed to dodge.

"Stay still, you damn bitch!", the angered woman shouted as she attacked. Devana's moves were surprisingly fast. She posessed an aggressive fighting style that was completely unknown for Y'shaati. The feral girl couldn't even take a break to counterattack. She had never received punches like those before in her life.

When she finally saw an aperture on the woman's stance, Y'shaati began to connect several of her acrobatic punches and kicks, pushing Devana backwards. But there was one detail: the huntress knew how to block all her attacks. The savage girl soon realized she wasn't damaging her opponent at all. Suddenly, Devana caught her off guard with a devastating knee to her belly and a powerful two-handed punch to her back. Y'shaati fell to the ground again.

"Ha! Your strength and agility is impressive. Blocking those attacks hurt me a little... but I'm still better than you, fucking savage...", the woman said. It was evident that Devana was a highly-skilled combat professional. The Monkey Queen began to understand that she could never defeat her this way; her rival had shown incredible resistance and poise.

If she wanted to stand victorious today, she would have to think on a plan to subdue her with a Tahuayo wrestling maneuver.

At that moment, Y'shaati ceased her attacks and stepped back away from the huntress. The wild girl suddenly ran to the nearest tree and began to climb it quickly. Apparently, she had already thought on something that could work.

"Where do you think you're going!? Get the fuck down from there, pussy! The hell are you trying to do!?", the imposing woman claimed from the ground when she saw the naked girl escaping into the foliage of the trees.

Devana completely lost sight of Y'shaati, however, she could still hear her. The Monkey Queen moved cautiously through the treetops to avoid making any sound and attack her by surprise.

"You can't outplay me. I know exactly what you're planning to do... I can smell your stinky body hiding up there...", the crazed woman said as she looked up, searching for the feral girl.

Squatting on a branch, the savage girl remained motionless, ready to pounce Devana from the back.

Just then, Y'shaati jumped out from the foliage, throwing herself towards the huntress like a wild ape.

"That ain't gonna work..."

Incredibly, Devana turned around and managed to resist Y'shaati's pounce without losing her balance, and instead, received her with a powerful blow straight to her jaw. Y'shaati crashed dramatically into the jungle floor...

Y'shaati couldn't see anything due to the brutal strike as she layed terribly battered on the ground...

"Stupid savage... you like to climb, swing and play to be the damn "Monkey Queen" isn't it!? Ha, don't make me laugh! You're a fraud, you're full of shit, hahahaha!", Devana exclaimed as she slowly approached and put her right foot on Y'shaati's exposed naked torso.

"They told me you were a legendary creature... a protector of the jungle... pssh, what load of shit!!", the huntress said as she violently stomped on the wild girl's body with her leather boots. Y'shaati moaned slightly due to the sudden pressure on her stomach.

"It hurts, right? Well, this is just the beginning! Take this, and this and this and this!!", Devana shouted as she began to stomp the feral girl's belly repeatedly. The savage girl screamed in pain.

"They said you were a Goddess, hahahaha... those stupid natives don't have the slightest idea... they couldn't recognize one even if she were right in front of their damn eyes!!", Devana said as she delivered a demolishing kick on her ribs.

"I wanna leave something very clear... I'M THE TRUE AND ONLY GODDESS HERE!!", the deranged huntress shouted with a creepy smile before hitting a powerful stomp on Y'shaati's face.

The wild girl remained on the ground, terribly injured after that cruel beating. However, that didn't stop her from growling and kicking to get off the huntress boot from her cheek. She wanted to keep fighting. She even managed to incrust her nails into the woman's ankle.

"Ouch! Oh? You still have the strength to go on? Well, I must admit, you're tougher than I thought hahaha! But don't worry, I'm not done with you just yet..."

Devana took the Monkey Queen from her beautiful blond hair, lifting her off the ground once more. The mark of the huntress' boot was evident on Y'shaati' face. Then, the crazed woman carried her entire body, holding her by one arm and one leg. And suddenly, she proceeded to throw her into the ground... her head crashed horribly against a root.

Y'shaati screamed horribly in pain; she began to sob, unable to hold the tears from dropping from her azure eyes.

"Oh my goodness...! Are you crying? Seriously!? Shit, I can't believe it... you were taking it like a big girl so far!

Damn, and to think I just praised you for being tougher than I expected... I don't blame you tho, that must've hurt like hell. I think that last move was too rough for you, heheheh..."

After this inhuman punishment, the huntress knelt and whispered into Y'shaati's ear after she cleaned her tears:

"There, there... don't worry, my girl... that was the worst part. From now on, I'm gonna make you suffer slowly... heheheheh... HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Devana knelt just above the naked and terribly battered body of Y'shaati. The wild girl's sight was completely clouded. She couldn't see what the crazed woman was about to do next. No other rival had punished her like this in her life. She was driven even to the point of tears...

And then, at that moment, she felt the huntress' hand beginning to tighten her neck... this fight seemed to come to an end soon.

"Ohhh yes... This is my favorite part...", the insane woman said.

"I'm gonna torture you to death... but I'm gonna kill you veeeery slowly... I'm gonna enjoy each of your last moments... I wanna hear your moans of pain and agony...", said Devana with the same disturbing smile that characterized her. The woman had clearly lost her mind completely. There was only one idea going through her head: KILL.

"Yeah, just like that! Writhe, struggle, scream if you can... I wanna see the 'Queen of the Monkeys' humilliating herself before me hahaha!", exclaimed the huntress while seeing Y'shaati uselessly trying to free herself.

The suffocation was beginning to make itself felt... the savage girl began to open her mouth trying to breath and to kick desperately, even spreading her lithe toes due to the huntress terrible torture. Her life was slowly escaping from her body.

"Oh, what's wrong, dear? You don't like that sensation? Well, soon it will be over... everyone feels exactly the same way when I do this...", the huntress said as she tightened stronger.

"You know? I've killed lions, elephants and hippos in the Congo... I've slayed tigers in Siberia... I've dominated crocodiles in Australia... and I've murdered people in many countries... all with this very hands!".

"And I came here to hunt some stupid apes of the Amazon jungle... but you... you will be my greatest achievement... I will be recognized as the most fearsome huntress when I show the Monkey Queen's head to the whole world, heheheheh... HAHAHAHAHAHA!!".

The Monkey Queen kept kicking wildly while she scrunched and spreaded her toes continuously due to the asphyxia... every spasm her body showed was evidence of the terrible torment she was going through.

"It's a shame... now that I'm face to face with you, I see under that tangle of blond hair you hide a cute face... who would've imagined it... you're beautiful...", Devana suddenly said with a creepy but calm voice just before approaching and sensually licking one of Y'shaati's tears.

"Oh well... now, stay still, heheheh..."

In that moment, Devana released Y'shaati's left arm and looked for the knife she always carried on her right leg. That knife had been the executioner of many animals and people alike on countless occasions, and this time, the fearsome huntress wanted to feed it with the blood of one more prey. Despite having a free arm, the wild girl couldn't find a way to remove her hand from her neck.

"Okay now, before I cut off your head and I bathe with your blood, I want you to do something for me...", the woman said while holding the sharp knife just a few millimeters away from Y'shaati's face.

"I know you probably can't understand anything I say, but I wanna hear you say my name... I want your last thought to be the name of the person who ended your life..."

"I'm Devana... c'mon, say it for me... Devana..."

"I know you can do it... say Devana, c'mon! Devana... Devana... Devana!", the insane woman insisted.

Y'shaati could still hear the huntress shouting that strange word over and over again. Her voice began to sound farther and farther inside her head due to the lack of air. Without a doubt, she would lose consciousness at any moment. Everything seemed lost for the Monkey Queen. This would be the end of her legend...

"Say... my... name...!", the huntress shouted as she prepared to stab Y'shaati...

"SAY MY FUCKING NAAAAME... SAAAY IT! DEVANA... DEVANA... DEVANA... DEVANA... DEVANA... DEEEEEEVAAAANAAAAAA!!"

The huntress raised her arm... and then...

"...De..."

"...Huh...!?", the woman stopped.

"...De... De..."

"What the... Arrgghh!!", the huntress screamed when Y'shaati managed to throw a handful of dirt right into her eyes.

"...DE-VANA...!!"

Suddenly, Y'shaati threw a powerful punch direct to Devana's face. The blow was hard enough to cause the huntress to drop her knife, release her neck and stagger her for a moment. The wild girl took this brief chance to push off Devana's body away from her with her arms and kick her right in her chest with unbelievable strength... Devana flew off a meter away.

"Argh... damn bitch!! H-How... HOW DARE YOU!?", the disturbed woman said as she layed on the ground, holding her jaw. She quickly stood up and regained her posture.

"This isn't going to end like this!! You've done it!! This time I'm gonna rip your fucking entrails off!! YOU'RE SO FUCKING DEAD!!"

Devana began to walk to pick up the knife... however, just before the insane huntress could bend down to take it, she began to feel dizzy all of a sudden. The whole jungle began to spin around her, causing her to put one knee on the ground and close her eyes for a moment.

"W-what the hell... Damn it. What is happening...? That punch wasn't even that strong, why do I feel this way? What did you do to me, bitch!?, Devana shouted at Y'shaati.

However, when she finally looked up to see her, Y'shaati was just squatting there, looking at the ground... motionless.

Devana knew something was off...

"W-what... what are you doing... what the fuck is wrong with you!?"

Y'shaati's breathing became intense... her heart pounding harder than ever...

Her messy hair covered most of her face. A feeling of hatred began to dominate her mind and reasoning... she had never felt so much hate for someone. The image of the huntress kicking her, stomping her, strangling her was present in every single thought. The trauma and pain this woman had caused her was making her wildest instincts to emerge and control her like never before.

She knew very well the things her wrath could do, however...

"...De-vana...", she whispered. Her azure eyes began to glow brightly... her body was trembling.

"...the hell...!?"

"...De-vana...!", she began to growl like an animal. It was too late. Y'shaati was gone... Q'oya-Y'uraka'i, the Spirit of Amazonia had waken up...

"...DE-VAAANAAA!!"

And then, the savage Monkey Queen charged at full speed towards Devana as she screamed and leaped into her like an enraged ape. Devana was just beginning to stand up when she noticed Y'shaati's silhouette about to fall on her.

"Oh fuck!!", the huntress shouted when she felt the weight of the wild girl's body. Both fell to the ground due to the tackle. Being on top of her, Y'shaati began to launch a storm of blows right into Devana's face.

"Arrgghh!! Get off me, bitch... Arrgh, keep your filthy body away from me!!", the woman said as she tried to defend herself without success. Y'shaati snarled like a wild beast. For the first time, the Monkey Queen was hurting the huntress with those powerful punches. Her strength had greatly increased.

"I SAID GET OFF ME...!!", Devana shouted shortly before she managed to land a tough kick on Y'shaati's belly with her boot. The savage girl fell back as the huntress tried stand up.

However, in just a second, Y'shaati regained her posture and planned to throw herself violently against the insane woman again...

"Shit, shit, SHIT!!", the huntress murmured as she desperately crawled across the floor to get away from Y'shaati as quickly as possible. The wild girl's heavy blows caused her such damage that she was still unable to stand up. Her head was spinning around and round in a spiral of confusion and pain...

"The knife... the knife... where's the fucking knife!?", she said to herself as she scanned the floor, looking for her weapon.

When Devana finally regained her balance to put herself back on her feet, her face turned pale as she watched the savage girl galloping like an enraged gorilla towards her at full speed. Since many years of hunting, the woman hadn't experience such feeling... the huntress felt a deep and primitive fear...

"No... get away from me, you crazy bitch! NO!!", the woman shouted as she stepped backwards. A second later, the Monkey Queen tackled Devana with overwhelming strength, aggressively crashing her against the jungle floor.

"Arrgh!! How dare you!? I swear to God I'm fucking gonna... Mhhh, Mhhh... MGHH!!", the huntress was interrupted when Y'shaati put a tough bare foot right on her mouth.

"De-vana, De-vana!!," the wild girl screamed as she stomped on her rival's face over and over again, just like Devana had done with her before. The huntress desperately tried to stop it until she finally got her foot off her.

"ARGH! YOUR FILTHY AND DISGUSTING FOOT... FUCKING GROSS!!", Devana angrily shouted.

However, in just an instant, Y'shaati held Devana by her hips with a powerful hug, completely lifting her off the ground. The savage girl was ready to apply a powerful gorilla wrestling technique: Y'shaati stood up, and applied a brutal inverted suplex... Devana flew away a few meters until her head and neck collided dramatically against the ground.

"AARGGHH!!", the woman screamed when she felt an intense pain in her back...

Devana's will to keep fighting was unwavering. Despite having a considerable injury in her spine, she slowly tried to get up again, leaning on a tree that was right next to her.

The huntress was standing again, but her movement was already very limited now and she was finding difficult to breathe... surely some of her ribs were broken and one of her lungs had collapsed due to the bestial tackle. Meanwhile, Y'shaati slowly approached her, moving like a jaguar stalking her prey before kill her. Her messy hair covered most of her face again.

"No, no... go away, away! You're a fucking animal, look what you've done to me!", The woman said with a broken voice... she began to understand her reality.

But it was too late. Y'shaati suddenly pounced once more on Devana, pushing her hard against the tree. Then, she locked her legs around the huntress's body. Devana finally catched a glimpse of the wildling's azure eyes.

"Y-your eyes... what... w-what the hell ARE YOU!?"

"...De-vana...", Y'shaati muttered in a disturbing tone.

"No... no... please, let me go... LET ME GO, PLEASE...!", Devana sobbingly said at the sight of Y'shaati's murderous cold gaze just a few millimeters from her.

"OOH-OOH, AH-AH, OOH-OOH!", the Monkey Queen howled wildly right at her face.

And then, in just an instant, Y'shaati threw a deadly bite on Devana's throat...

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

A thin but gruesome stream of blood began running down the huntress's throat as the wild girl savagely ripped apart a piece of skin from her neck. A lethal attack that would definitely settle the outcome of this violent encounter...

However, with the very tiny bit of strength Devana still had left in her body, the woman managed to push the Monkey Queen away from her, making her fall to the ground.

The horrible shriek of pain coming from the insane woman's mouth was proceeded with a profound silence... Her face was in a complete state of shock... her eyes wide open... her empty gaze lost in the depths of the jungle in front of her. The woman's trembling legs only managed to take her a few steps away from Y'shaati in a pitiful and pathetic attempt to escape from there.

"Aghh... uugh... aaahh...", Devana moaned while she covered the wound on her neck with one hand, unable to speak a single word. Earlier pale due to the fear and now due to blood loss...

The huntress fell to her knees. She looked at the sky, struggling to cope with the situation... thiking how this could've happened to her...

But this wasn't over yet...

Suddenly, Devana felt the wrath of the Monkey Queen upon her one more time. Y'shaati jumped onto the huntress from the back, constraining her with her legs around her waist again.

Then, surprisingly, the savage girl put both hands right on the huntress's chest and torn apart Devana's shirt with ease. Now, the woman was suffering the same humilliation she did to her...

"Ahhhh... no... no... AAAHHH!", Devana whimpered with a weak voice when she sensed her rival's nails like claws incrusting in her soft breasts. The Monkey Queen snarled like a beast while she scratched her from the tip of her nipples down to her armpits...

After that, she took the woman by her arms... it was clear now, the next maneuver would finish this battle for good.

With the mighty strength of a gorilla, Y'shaati brutally pulled back Devana's arms as far as they went... a devastating move that could do an irreversible damage to any creature of the jungle.

"OOH-OOH, AH-AH... De-vana..."

"AAAAARRRGGHHH!!!"

"De-vana... OOH-OOH-OOH AHH!!"

"N-NO... P-PLEASE... FUUUCK, STOP... STOP IT... AAAAAAAAARRRRGGGHHHHHHH...!!!"

Those were the huntress last words before a cracking sound could be heard, coming from her limbs...

The wild girl released Devana as she fell, feeling the most intense pain she had ever experience in her life... and this time she wouldn't get up again. Her arms were broken, completely disabled... and her spine was damaged too...

Y'shaati knew that even this demented human female couldn't endure a devastating punishment such as this. From now on, the huntress would be completely at her mercy.

"Ahhhhhhhh... h-how... could you...", Devana spoke in a agonizing voice, laying on the ground with her face kissing the jungle's humid and soft soil, and still bleeding out.

The Monkey Queen, still angered, approached the huntress. With little effort, Y'shaati moved Devana's body to put her face up, looking at the sky. Then, she proceeded to put herself above her on all fours, holding and extending the woman's disabled arms.

"Hnnngghhh... ahhhh...", the huntress groaned in pain.

"hsssssskkk...", the wildling growled while showing her teeth. She still had stains of her rival's blood on her fangs. Y'shaati had decided to end this woman's existence with one last deadly bite.

"I see... heheh, w-well done bitch...", the huntress said with a smile, much to Y'shaati's surprise.

"Go ahead then... d-do it... kill me... t-take my life... y-you filthy beast, heheheh...!"

As if she had understood Devana's words, Y'shaati suddenly doubted. She noticed the woman wasn't afraid of dying from one moment to another... why?

But as she stared at her prey's eyes, she got a look of herself on her pupils. Her reflection showed her the savage state she was and the brutal instincts driving her. She truly resembled a bloodlust beast... the same kind of murderous monsters she swore to her master K'uno she wouldn't turn into...

This wasn't right...

Y'shaati's face wasn't displaying anger nor desire to kill the woman that had caused her so much pain anymore... instead, she felt angry with herself. She had let her instincts combined with her power to control and turn her mind into a beast again...

Just then, she stepped back from the huntress body, observing the heavy damage she had caused her.

"W-what... what are you doing...?", Devana asked in a weak voice. Y'shaati stared at her for a moment...

The Monkey Queen acknowledged her mistake, she broke her master's promise. This violent woman had pushed her mental stability to the edge... however, she didn't felt sorry for her rival. She knew she didn't have to regret anything she had done to the huntress. She deserved to pay for her insolence... however, she wouldn't take her life. She would let the allmother jungle decide her fate...

"N-no... w-where are you going... y-you... you can't leave me here like this...!", the huntress reclaimed as she heard the feral girl walking away from her.

"Look at me... l-look at what you did to me...!", Devana demanded. By that time, Y'shaati had already climbed a tree to flee from that place... however, while she was crawled in a branch, she turned back at the woman before departing...

"Listen to me... there are only two sides in a hunt... the hunter, and the prey... only one must live in the end... if... if it ends like this... this whole fight will have been pointless. The hunt must be fullfilled, the hunt must be finished... THE HUNT IS EVERYTHING, hahahaha! Then, you must finish me... you must kill your prey... kill me... end me now!"

Y'shaati remained perched in the branch, listening to the huntress speech without understanding any single word. Despite this, the Monkey Queen could understand the tone of her speech... the huntress was asking for mercy... a quick way out from her suffering. Unnacceptable...

"What are you waiting... KILL ME! Have your vengeance for everything I did to you, rip my entrails off and feed upon my corpse if you will, you flithy beast... heheheheh... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

Disturbed due to that last creepy laugh, the savage girl simply grabbed a vine and disappeared swinging through the depths of the jungle...

"COME BACK HERE! KILL ME! KILL MEEEEEEEEE...!!"

Those were the last words Y'shaati heard from Devana's voice...

The jungle had witnessed a fierce battle between two side this day... and only the spirit of Amazonia emerged triumphant...

But were the Monkey Queen's actions correct? Does the wicked huntress deserved to be spared?

A question impossible to answer, for the will of the jungle is enigmatic and unpredictable...

But one thing is certain... when death finds a way and life extinguishes, the cycle begins again...

Y'SHAATI: THE WILD HUNT - PRELUDE

 Somewhere in Peru, in the vicinity of the Amazon jungle...

"Seriously? You ask me if I know Devana, just now that we're getting ready to leave? Hey rookie, don't get offended but you should be helping like everyone else here by carrying weapons and preparing traps instead of asking stupid questions. We're here to make money, not to make friends. This isn't a hunting club, kid!"

"Come on, man, don't be so rough with the new guy, answer his question. We still have time. Besides, you know that story better than anyone, don't you? Come on, tell him the story, so we can all make fun of you and your ridiculous tales for a while before leaving hahaha!"

"Damn it... you see what you just caused? Argh! Okay, it's fine, if you guys insist so much... hey kid, come here, I'll tell you, but you better not bother me again for what's left of the trip or you will pay, understood?"

"Devana was a huntress, like all of us here. However, she was a true professional... a legend. I don't know anyone in this business who hasn't ever heard her name. Her reputation remains intact through the world to this day, even though no one has known of her in a long time. She was an incredibly strong and brutal woman. Those of us who once worked with her witnessed what she was capable of doing. I saw her dominate and kill the wildest and most dangerous creatures of this world with her own hands. Many men here who call themselves "hunters" would shit their pants just by looking at her. More than one would think that she was anything but a woman...

What happened to her? Well... it's hard to explain. Devana used to travel to all the corners of the planet to hunt the most exotic and rare species of animals. But the last time someone saw her, it was precisely here, in this same jungle: Amazonia. I remember that our last contract was to capture some endemic monkeys and apes specimens for an important transnational pharmaceutical company. I imagine you already know how it works, right? The company pays the government, they cover their eyes and we do our work without problems... everyone wins.

However, during our stay in this place, I don't know how she found out, but Devana heard a rumor about a legendary creature of the jungle. Surely it was those damned savages who told her that stupid fantasy tale. She became so obsessed with the story that she kept repeating her name again and again: "Q'oya-Y'uraka'i" or "The Queen of the Monkeys" or something like that...

The work was done, we had the animals, but the idiot insisted that she would capture an animal no one had never seen before and that she would bring its corpse as proof if necessary. We all told her that she had been teased, that those were simple inventions of the natives, but she wouldn't listen to us. And without saying more, she took her gun, turned around and walked into the depths of the jungle. Pssh! Crazy bitch..."

"That happened exactly one year ago. Since that day, no one has heard from her again. What a waste of a woman... What? Why do you look at me like that? Hey, listen to me, rookie, if you keep looking at me with that stupid face, I swear I'll blow it away myself! Do you think she still matters to me? Of course not, I'm sure she's already dead, rotting somewhere in the jungle! What's more, I'm glad that happened to her, that time we all ended up earning an extra bonus by sharing her part of the profit.

Alright, enough stories for today. We have a job to do, so I want to see you and everyone else aboard the vehicles! We're leaving at this very moment, so move ladies!"

The wild hunt is about to begin...

Y'SHAATI INTO THE DARK LANDS: EPILOGUE

 The beautiful evening announced the end of another day, and a young tribal man contemplated the landscape, thinking deeply distressed in the incident that occurred the other day. The unexpected visit of Q'oya-Y'uraka'i, the Monkey Goddess of Amazonia left him, and many people of the tribe, greatly confused. The celebration of the hunting season that was taking place ended abruptly, and nobody dared to question the true intentions of the Goddess. The meaning behind her appearance. All the people had resumed their normal lives without saying a word. Only a few stopped to think about this. This young man remained sitting outside of his hut... thinking...

Absorbed in thought, the man didn't notice the presence of the tribe's leader, who approached him and sat next to him. The young man turned to see him with a worried look. The leader spoke:

"What is it that bothers you, brother? I've seen you sit here for several days in a row at this time of the sunset."

"N-no! It's nothing, chief. I'm just... meditating. That's all...", the man answered.

"Brother, your face does not denote peace nor harmony. On the contrary, I could notice your fear and worry from afar. Come on, you have nothing to worry about. You can talk with me. You know that, right?", the chief said after putting his hand on the man's shoulder. The young man remained in silence for a few seconds.

"...Alright. But not here. My children and my wife are inside. They could hear us and I don't want them to be more scared than they already are", the man said as he stood up. The chief did the same and started walking together, away from the hut. Being at a considerable distance, both continued their conversation.

"Chief, what happened that day? What was all that chaos? Was that creature really Q'oya-Y'uraka'i? the man desperately asked.

"...I'll be completely honest with you, brother... I'm not sure. I had never seen anything like this before. As you well know, the will of the Gods is beyond our comprehension. The Gods manifest in different forms. Its impossible to be certain...", the chief confessed.

"Yes, I know. The mysterious ways of the Gods... but why take such a strange incarnation? A white-skinned girl... very similar to that of the outsiders that often traverse our lands. Judging by her appearance, she didn't seem to be more than 20 years old!", the man said in crossed arms.

"It's true, she even looked younger than my own daughter," the chief added. "And she was carrying a little monkey on her back. It seemed like she was just trying to protect him. She must be some sort of guardian for them."

"And what about the other things!? What about the disappearance of some of our people!? Since that cursed day, many women and children have gone missing! And not only in our village, but in many others as well. Rumors spread quickly chief, and more and more people talk about having seen shadows of bizarre creatures lurking in the vicinity of the settlements... something like this had never happened before! What in God's name is happening!?", the young man said with a gesture of anguish in his face. The chief remained in silence.

"Until that day, I thought the tales of the Tupí-Guaraní were mere hoaxes. They always spend time inventing legends and horror stories just to scare and keep the other tribes subdued... but I feel that, this time is different. Something terrible is really happening...", said the young man, noticeably scared.

"I understand you, brother, but when I came face to face with the Goddess, I could feel an energy emanating from her. I don't know how to describe it... it was as if I were in the presence of a true miracle!", the chief said with a tone of hope in his voice.

"A miracle? Chief, no offense, but that supposed 'Goddess' almost scared to death my two kids!" With just seeing her face, I felt her fury... the girl seemed more like an animal than a deity. A wildling! It seemed like she was just looking for something to kill and eat it." said the man, still anguished. "Now my children and my wife are terrified... they ask me questions, and I don't know what to say to them... I just want them to be safe, chief!", the man said as he turned to see his home.

"She is here to protect the jungle, to protect us all. The old prophecies say it! We have to believe in it and pray for her divine blessing, brother.", the chief responded, trying to calm down the concerned young man.

"Is that so? Really? Will she truly protect us?", the man asked in disbelief. "Will she protect us from 'everything'?"

The chief looked at his eyes and answered:

"...Yes. I'm sure of it..."

Y'SHAATI INTO THE DARK LANDS: CHAPTER 9 - ENIGMA PART II

 The majestic structure was right in front of her, only a few meters away. As tall as the largest trees in Amazonia, and as imposing as a mountain seen from its base. It was something the Monkey Queen never thought possible...

As she approached to the entrance of the temple, she couldn't help but look at the mysterious symbols and figures that covered its exterior. Strange patterns that adorned the ruins of a long lost civilization. The path by which she moved wasn't the same as the soft and wet surface of the jungle, on the contrary, it was hard and rough. The feel of the sun-heated floor beneath her feet and knuckles wasn't something she was used to. Undoubtedly, she knew that this couldn't be a natural place. This place was surely made by humans... or is it? What did all this mean? Perhaps this was the dark secret that the Naka'i elders had mentioned? The origin of the bad things that were happening in the Darklands, as Ko'too had said before?

As much as Y'shaati looked around for some trace of the Snatchers, she couldn't find anything. It was as if they had completely vanished in thin air. Being now only a few steps from the entrance, she discovered a large amount of ivy, and debris that covered the walls of the place. There was so much that it made it impossible to explore beyond that point. At that moment, she lowered her gaze and finally found what she was looking for, a clue... a disturbing clue: a faint trace of fresh blood droplets seemed to indicate that someone or something had recently entered the temple. An invitation into the darkness...

Immediately, Y'shaati deduced that this must have being the Snatchers doing. But why? Why this place? Why capture animals and drag them to this place? Y'shaati had to dig up the truth once and for all. She hadn't come so far as to stop here. It was the time for her to get answers.

However, she knew that she would have to be careful when walking inside the temple, therefore, she decided that she wouldn't enter through the main entrance. When approaching a wall, she saw a small opening free of the tangled ivy. She quickly climbed the wall and crawled across the narrow path.

The place was very dark, but little by little, Y'shaati was able to make her way among cobwebs, rubble and other obstacles. When she least expected, she finally reached the other side of the path. As she suddenly fell to the ground, a sense of danger ran wild through her body... something inside her told her that this place was much worse than she thought. She was able to detect an energy emanating from deep within the temple. An energy similar to that transmitted by Snatchers. She was definitely on the right track to follow the monsters up close. Then, Y'shaati began to walk through a long corridor that gradually began to light up with a dim light.

With all her senses on alert, the Monkey Queen observed the surroundings of the structure. Pillars of fallen rocks, broken statues by some great impact. The place seemed to have witnessed a battle of epic proportions, similar to the fierce battles between animals species that live in the jungle. However, something wasn't right. There were no corpses, there wasn't a smell of death inside the temple... it was as if time had simply frozen in this place. And this was just the beginning...

As she moved forward, Y'shaati began to notice transparent objects of a blue-green hue emerging from the floor. The structure of the temple was split to give place to these strange and bright objects. She didn't know what these things were, however, unbeknownst to her, humans called them gemstones. Deeper in the temple, these crystals became larger and larger, and no longer only emerged from the floor, but also from the roof and the walls.

In an attempt to know what these objects were, Y'shaati approached one of them to inspect it. As she approached, she saw her own reflection in the crystal, as when she saw herself in the river's clearwaters of the jungle. But these precious gemstones hid something, Y'shaati could feel that there was something odd about them. Without thinking twice, Y'shaati decided to touch the object.

At the moment of placing a finger on the precious stone, she felt a powerful source of energy... evil energy...

She immediately took off her finger from the object and backed away desperately... she didn't want to feel that thing again. It was as if she had received some kind of wound in her soul. Definitely these crystals didn't mean anything good. She would remember this for the rest of her stay at the temple. Right in that moment, mysterious noises began to appear in the place. It sounded like something was being dragged along the ground. Something was approaching. Looking behind her, she saw several silhouettes: the creatures she was following, the Snatchers, were walking towards the core of the temple. Startled, Y'shaati ran towards one of the walls and climbed quickly on a statue, shaped like the head of a beast. Thanks to the poor visibility, she was able to remain undetected in that place while she saw how the Snatchers began to walk in a row towards the heart of the temple.

Squatting, always prepared for anything, Y'shaati simply stayed in that place to avoid being discovered. She thought that maybe after a while, the monsters would leave the place. However, and to her bad luck, what she was about to witness, would leave a mark on her memory for the rest of her life.

At that moment, the nightmare began: Y'shaati saw that the Snatchers were dragging with them the captured preys that she had previously seen. This poor animals were severly wounded, leaving a trail of blood in the ground. But the thing got worse seeing that the room was slowly filling up with a large number of these monsters. Each one brought a victim with them, and for some reason, the beings stopped before walking towards the front, where there was a small staircase that was heading towards a large golden statue.

Y'shaati couldn't do anything but just look for now. As much as she wanted to help those defenseless animals, she was incapable of defeating even a single Snatcher. The monsters had proved too dangerous.

At the moment, one of them walked to the front, climbed the stairs and held his prey by the neck: a small boar. The poor animal began to shriek and kick to try to escape. Just then, Y'shaati was able to observe what was inside the golden statue: a huge and round precious gemstone, with a color very similar to the crystals that were in the previous corridor. This spherical gemstone was embedded right in the center of the statue. The Snatcher remained motionless for a few seconds, until, without warning, did the unthinkable: it broke the small boar's neck, killing it quickly.

Y'shaati could feel the pain in her heart knowing that a noble creature of the jungle had died in that instant.

But the next second, the precious sphere on the statue began to shine. A resplendent, powerful, bluish glow was present throughout the temple hall. When least expected, a thunderous sound, similar to that of thunder, caused the earth to tremble. What was happening? A spectral echo invaded the place when Y'shaati finally understood the dark secret of the Darklands:

The sphere began to absorb the boar's body, disintegrating it as if it were dust, absorbing its soul in the process...

Y'shaati couldn't believe it, this was an aberration. Immediately, the other Snatchers began to sacrifice their preys one by one, killing them in front of the precious gemstone so that it could absorb its essence and increase its power. Meanwhile, the blood of the victims began to drain all over the place, forming horrible crimson-colored rivers of blood on the temple's floor.

Y'shaati just could'nt see this horrible scene anymore, it was a massacre. The Snatchers offered their victims in a sacrificial ritual. But for what purpose? What did they even try to achieve with this?

While she was thinking horrified, a scream went throughout the temple. A kind of scream that she had heard before. The simple sound caused a tear to come from her beautiful azure eyes: those were the cries of a human child.

At that moment, a Snatcher walked down the hall, dragging a little tribal girl by her arms. The girl screamed and kicked to save herself, but this was in vain. The poor human girl cried inconsolably and shouted strange words that surely were supplications for the monsters to let her go.

Y'shaati was catatonic. She couldn't react to see what awaited to the little girl.

At the moment when the Snatcher took her by her small neck with one of its branches and held it in front of the gem, the girl uttered the most heartbreaking shriek possible. One that Y'shaati would never forget in her life. Just a moment later, the absolute horror occurred:

The Snatcher, with one of his arms, pierced the poor girl's chest, ripping out her heart, killing her instantly...

After that, a sepulchral silence flooded the temple... The girl's entrails gushed all over the place. The monster had bathed with her blood. Abd then, the precious gemstone began to glow again and absorbed the dead girl's whole body.

It was a dreadful. Y'shaati didn't want to see anymore. She covered her eyes with her hands. She wanted to flee from that place immediately, but if she did, she could end up just like the poor human girl.

Just then, the monsters cleared the place. The next victim was on the way. Several Snatchers brought dragging a huge and heavy creature. When she removed her hands from her eyes, she finally saw it: it was a giant monkey.

T'eya, I'ppi's mother, was next to be sacrificed...

There she was. The very reason Y'shaati had come to this place... The Monkey Queen's hearbeat was accelerating for the tension. This was too much for her. The Snatchers slowly placed her body in front of the gemstone and held her by her limbs. T'eya produced weak grunts, apparently unable to recover after inhaling the toxic gas with which she was captured. But she was still conscious.

Every second that passed was a torment for Y'shaati. She had to do something to help her, she couldn't let her die in this deadly place. Time was running and she had to take an important decision...

As she continued to observe, Y'shaati noticed something she hadn't given importance... right next to where the monsters were, there were two vessels containing fire: the "red flower". As on that occasion in the human village, the red flower remained docile and controlled, but by the way it moved, it seemed that it could become a major problem if it were to provoke its anger. Y'shaati thought that perhaps this could be a unique chance in which this powerful entity could help her.

Meanwhile, the Snatchers began to pull each of the giant monkey's limbs with brutal strength. T'eya roared loud this time due to the intense pain. If they continued like this, T'eya would suffer a terrible death at any moment. Without thinking twice, Y'shaati closed her eyes and thought about the promise he made to Ko'too and I'ppi.

The time had come. This was her time to act as the true and only guardian of the jungle. The time to fully become the Spirit of Amazonia...

In the blink of an eye, Y'shaati jumped from the statue where she was standing while producing her war cry:

"AAAHHOOOOHHAAAAAAAAHHHHミOOOHAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

When the Snatchers finally detected her presence, it was too late for them. Just before landing, Y'shaati kicked the vessel containing the red flower, making it fall to ground. At the moment the object broke, the red flower spread all over the temple's floor. In a matter of seconds, the fire reached the Snatchers, causing their bodies to set ablaze immediately. Desperate to escape, the burning monsters ran towards the exit of the temple, causing them to collide with each other, which only spread the fire more and more.

The Monkey Queen quickly ran to T'eya and using all her strength, dragged her little by little to push her away and prevent the red flower from burning her too. Being at a safe distance, Y'shaati tried to help her get up and escape together from the temple.

The giant monkey was very battered, but had no significant wounds. The fire gradually began to increase in the hall. Just as she began to rise to get out of that place once and for all, the spherical gemstone began to emit a dazzling brightness once more. The monkey-girl tried to ignore this and continued to help T'eya, until she heard something that left her cold with fear:

"Y'shaati... Y'shaati... YYYY'SHHHHAAAATTTIIII...!!"

A whispering voice coming from the gemstone began to call her name. Y'shaati, completely terrified, slowly turned to see the sphere. In just a second, the glow emitted by this powerful object brought her into a state of trance. For some reason, she couldn't withdraw her gaze from the sphere. And in just a second, Y'shaati's mind was transported to a completely dark place. An infinite void... infinite darkness...

And in that darkness, she saw the face of a woman: a woman with black horns and blue skin, similar to that of the gemstone...

"Yshaati... Y'shaati... YACURUNAAAAAA..!!"

After that, Y'shaati came to herself. And to her surprise, a Snatcher was in front of her, about to pierce her heart, as they did with the tribal girl. But before it could do this, the monster received a powerful blow that sent him flying through the air. T'eya had finally regained her strength and once again, she had saved Y'shaati. The giant monkey quickly told Y'shaati to climb on her back to escape from the burning temple. Without hesitation, she jumped in.

With great agility, T'eya began to run and jump through the walls of the temple, avoiding falling into the flames. While both escaped, Y'shaati couldn't avoid seeing on the road the charred remains of the Snatchers that were consumed by the fire. Once again, the wrath of the red flower had proved lethal to any creature in the jungle.

With a roar and a powerful charge, T'eya managed to knock down the wall of rubble that blocked the exit of the temple. Once outside, the giant monkey took a big leap into the trees to finally get lost into the dense foliage of the jungle.

They did it: T'eya and Y'shaati had finally escaped...

What happened in that temple's wasn't a coincidence. Fate had already decided the outcome of this event. The secret of the Darklands that the Naka'i elders mentioned before the beginning of this journey, professes that the ancestral battle between light and darkness would be born again from the collision between two deities:

The Goddess of Life and the Goddess of Death...

The Goddess of life, reincarnated in Y'shaati's body.

The Goddess of death, absorbing the souls of living beings... waiting for the moment of her resurrection...

The next day in the Michí's great tree, the giant monkeys saw the pale dawn of the Darklands, contemplating that the girl who left in search of T'eya was probably dead by now. Among the monkeys, Ko'too remained with a slight ray of hope in his heart.

While Michí babies ate pieces of meat, in the distance, they saw in the fog a large silhouette approaching them. Immediately the baby monkeys shouted to alert the adults that a possible threat was near. However, when all the giant monkeys believed that they would have to face one of the many Dark Gods of the jungle, the truth was unveiled in a few seconds.

Ko'too's eyes lit up with happiness: his mate T'eya had returned home, safe and sound along with the human girl.

Upon learning of this, all the Michi began to jump and celebrate the return of the female alpha of the troop. The monkey couple approached and rubbed each others noses, as a sign of their love. Without a doubt, this was a day to celebrate.

Y'shaati, still traveling on her back, jumped and approached Ko'too to show him that she had kept her word. However, being face to face, Y'shaati mentioned that it was T'eya who saved her again. With a big smile on his face, little I'ppi jumped out of his father's arms to hug his mother. The scene was moving. Finally, mother and son were together again. At that moment, T'eya swore that she would never separate from her baby again.

While this was happening, Y'shaati simply observed them with a smile. She finally understood that her chance to be a mother wasn't present yet, but that without a doubt, one day that chance would appear...

After a day of rest at the home of the Michi, Y'shaati finally prepared to return home. The Naka'i would surely be waiting for her in the great tree. Before leaving, the giant monkeys troop bowed again before the Queen of the Monkeys. Once again, she had shown that she is the true protector of Amazonia and guardian of all the inhabitants of the jungle.

Gathered, Ko'too and T'eya approached Y'shaati to say farewell to her and to launch a great roar to the sky to communicate that the giant monkeys of the Darklands will prosper for many years to come. The Monkey Queen didn't stay behind and proceeded to do the same, throwing a powerful cry of victory that would resound throughout the jungle:

"AAAHHOOOOHHAAAAAAAAHHHHミOOOOHHHAAAAAAAHHミOOOHAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

Just before taking a vine and leave, little I'ppi jumped off a branch to land on Y'shaati's breasts. The baby monkey hugged tightly to her. She cared for him like a true mother during this long and dangerous adventure. Y'shaati took him in her arms and told him that this wasn't goodbye. With an illuminated look and full of hope, he asked his parents if those words were really true. Ko'too answered his question by saying that when he grows old enough, he would be free to travel wherever he wanted and reunite with Y'shaati, knowing that, just as she took care for him, I'ppi could also take care of her whenever she could need it.

Happy to hear this, the little monkey jumped back into his mother's arms.

And without further ado, Y'shaati took a vine and began to swing through the trees to return home. Thus concluded her journey in the Darklands. Just a single thought was present in her mind:

"We will meet again... someday, somewhere..."

Y'SHAATI INTO THE DARK LANDS: CHAPTER 8 - ENIGMA PART I

 She slowly opened her eyes... After a whole day of rest, recovering energy and strength, Y'shaati suddenly woke up lying in a large bed of huge leaves. The sensation of the damp leaves making contact with her naked body made her think for a moment that she was back home, in the great tree of the Naka'i rainforest, as if everything had been just a bad dream...

However, this idea vanished in an instant. She looked around and noticed that she wasn't alone. A large troop of giant monkeys were accompanying her, apparently they were waiting for her to wake up. Y'shaati immediately recalled that she was saved by a group of these monkeys accompanied by I'ppi. At that moment, she got up and started to look around to find the little baby monkey. One of these large monkeys approached her to calm her down and show her that little I'ppi was sleeping soundly in its arms. There was nothing to worry about, the poor pup probably ended up just as exhausted as her after such an intense experience.

She also noticed that several of the monkeys had babies sleeping in their arms. Something was going on. Looking at the jungle sky, she understood that it was night time, for that reason the young were asleep.

The monkey standing in front of her began to communicate with Y'shaati to explain a lot of things that would clear many of her doubts...

First, the monkey spoke about himself and his family: his name is Ko'too, one of the leaders of the troop... and I'ppi's father. They call themselves the Michí, a species of great prehistoric-like monkeys of the Darklands. Unlike the Naka'i, the young adults are the leaders of the troop and make important decisions that allow the survival of their species. They are carnivores, and thanks to their large size, strength and sharp teeth, they can hunt preys large enough like any other apex predator of the jungle. Little I'ppi could never have explained anything about this because he is only a newborn. Ko'too explained her that, when he grows up, he will be as big as one of the adult Michí that saved her. This fact left Y'shaati speechless.

After that, the monkey-girl asked about I'ppi's mother. She wanted to know what happened from the beginning, and how it all led into this complicated problem. Ko'too decided to reveal her the whole truth:

A few weeks ago, his mate, the mother of I'ppi, whose name is T'eya, along with all the Michí troop, were attacked in their home by the same sinister beings that attacked Y'shaati: the living bushes. Ko'too mentioned that most of the inhabitants of the Darklands just call them "Snatchers", because these creatures don't kill their preys, but simply use their mysterious powers to kidnap them and drag them away into the darkness of the jungle to never be seen again.

Snatchers always attack in groups, but Ko'too mentioned that this time was different... there were too many monsters. The creatures were more restless than ever, and decided to start kidnapping both infants and adults alike. Many Michí were kidnapped that day. In fact, the only leader left alive was himself, and now he is in charge of guiding the rest of the monkeys to survive. He suspects that something evil is happening right now in the depths of the Darklands.

Upon hearing this story, Y'shaati, with a terrible sorrow, admitted to having met T'eya before and that she saved her on one occasion, but ended kidnapped by the Snatchers. If it weren't for her, Y'shaati wouldn't be alive right now.

Ko'too appreciated the monkey girl's honesty, and in the same way that T'eya did, he also bowed to her. The other monkeys had already told him that she managed to kill E'zso, the devil maggot, which undoubtedly meant that she was the worthy Queen of all the Monkeys. He also thanked her for having brought his little baby back to him. Such is the way in which the threads of destiny work. The other monkeys also bowed their heads in respect for the Monkey Queen.

But just at that moment, Y'shaati refused to receive more praise... she wasn't happy. She knew that this couldn't end like this. Stepping closer to Ko'too, she looked at his eyes and mentioned that her promise wasn't fulfilled yet. She swore to I'ppi that she would return to save her mother and reunite them again as a true family...

I'ppi's father remained silent. As she looked at the monkey pup sleeping tenderly on his arms, she couldn't help but feel a strong willpower to do her duty as the guardian of the jungle. Immediately, Y'shaati asked Ko'too how to find the Snatchers. All the monkeys gasped in surprise when they heard this...

Ko'too, understanding the Monkey Queen's feelings, explained that, for some unknown reason, the Snatchers always march together towards the higher grounds of the jungle. However, nobody has been able to know why or what lies beyond that place, mainly because there are too many Snatchers lurking that area.

Upon hearing that, Y'shaati immediately turned around and ran to the edge of a branch, took a vine and left swinging towards the depths of the Darklands. All the Michí looked confused and open-mouthed due to Y'shaati's action, but only Ko'too knew exactly what she had planned to do.

The huge monkey simply thanked her and wished the young human girl good luck...

A great thunder shook the earth, as if the Gods had decided to unleash their fury. Seconds later, a powerful storm fell on the Darklands. Perhaps it could be an omen of what could happen to the venturous monkey-girl, heading into the unknown...

After several hours of travel through the heights of the trees, Y'shaati knew that, from now on, she would have to be extremely careful tp avoid making a single sound. She already knew what those monsters were capable of. However, she had an advantage, the sound of the rain would cover her steps to avoid being discovered this time.

Suddenly, just after landing on a thin tree branch, she looked down after hearing something moving on the ground. She finally had found her objective: a snatcher, walking uphill, just like Ko'too mentioned. Hidden in the foliage, she stealthily started to follow the creature's path. Little by little, the ground began to become steep, as if they were walking up a high mountain. Each time there were fewer trees to hide in, so the Monkey Queen would have to descend at some point.

As she continued to follow the creature, several Snatchers began to appear. Their paths began to converge, and after a few minutes, the group had grown significantly. A large number of monsters walked gathered now, determined to reach their destination. However, Y'shaati could noticed a disturbing detail: several of the creatures brought preys of all kinds with them: birds, small mammals, rodents, reptiles, and many jungle creatures more had been captured. Apparently, the Snatchers didn't care about the type of animal they captured, they simply attacked everything that moved. This caused her a deep frustration in her mind. So close to being able to help those poor animals, but at the same time so far from them. Y'shaati knew that she had to remain silent. These moments were the most dangerous for her, a misstep could mean the end of her journey.

After a while, when Y'shaati least expected it, the Snatchers finally stopped moving. She almost fell to the ground due to the abrupt motion of the living foliages. In front of them was the entrance of a cave. A tunnel under a huge wall of rocks. The monkey girl continued to watch from the heights as the rain became stronger. The Snatchers began to enter this cave, as if it were a passageway to somewhere beyond the jungle. Sitting on her hauches with her knuckles between her feet, Y'shaati waited for all the monsters to enter the cave, so once she saw that the place was safe, she would do the same to keep up with them, always avoiding being discovered. She couldn't help but hear the cries of the kidnapped animals being dragged by force, as they sensed that something terrible was on the other side...

When the last of the snatchers entered the cave, Y'shaati finally came down from the tree she was on and headed towards the entrance. Her naked body was completely soaked due to the rain. Before going in, she made sure that no other Snatcher were behind her. She noticed that the tunnel was like a void into the unknown... however, she didn't give up and immediately walked forward... this was her mission.

Once inside, she noted that the place was pitch black. So dark that she couldn't even see what her bare feet and hands were stepping on. It felt like if she were strolling through a long hallway of bones and sharp rocks. She ran as fast as she could to get to the other side quickly and avoid being there for too long... you never know who can be watching from the darkness... However, to her surprise, she began to see a small scope of light at the end of the tunnel. Apparently the other side was close, so she quickened her pace.

When she finally managed to get out of the tunnel, she couldn't believe what was in front of her eyes...

Suddenly, the foggy ambient of the Darklands had dissipated. Y'shaati was finally able to see the blue sky again. That beautiful color that she always saw every day. On the other hand, the storm had completely disappeared. And there seemed to be no trace of the Snatchers or their prey. Everything was so strange... as if she had crossed from one world to another in a matter of seconds. Now, the rays of the Father Sun warmly illuminated the landscape of the jungle.

To avoid danger on earth, she climbed a tree and quickly began to swing again as she always did. She thought the place seemed pretty normal, like any other place in Amazonia. However, on entering a little more, she observed something that caused her to stop for a moment in the vine in which she was traveling: a big structure made of some kind of strange rock with the shape of two human faces was in front of her. A few meters ahead, a path made of the same material stretched across the soil in an ascending way... the monkey girl had never before seen such a pattern of terrain somewhere else in the jungle.

With a little doubt, but still with great determination, she jumped out of the vine and began to climb the stone-made stairs. As she climbed, she couldn't help but wonder where the Snatchers might have gone. A place as mysterious as this couldn't mean that she would be safe, because at any moment they could appear and attack. For some reason, she sensed that her journey was about to nearing its conclusion, and finally all the questions would be answered. But then, when she finally reached the top of the stairs, she observed the most incredible thing she had ever seen in her life so far...

A great structure, or at least what was left of it, was in the depths of the Darklands...

Something that in the civilized world would be called... the ruins of a lost temple...

Y'SHAATI INTO THE DARK LANDS: CHAPTER 7 - THE ARRIVAL PART III

 In just a moment, Y'shaati watched as a gigantic jaw filled with innumerable lines of sharp teeth emerged right in front of her. The Monkey Queen had never seen a creature with a snout of such magnitude in the jungle she lived in. Not even the terrifying and imposing titanic serpent Ma'i D'goa could compare to a beast like this.

As if it were a black abyss approaching quickly towards her, Y'shaati tried to jump as far as possible from the creature to avoid being devoured in a single bite or ending up crushed under its belly, but due to the muddy surface in that she was standing, her movement was clumsy and slow, though effective. She barely managed to dodge and get out of the way of the beast's attack. The great weight and size of the monster caused the mud of the trench to splash in all directions. Y'shaati simply closed her eyes just before a huge wave of mud dragged her through the ditch...

This creature was known in the Darklands as E'zso, the Devil Maggot. One of the many Dark Gods that roam free in this unexplored part of Amazonia. A beast with a covetous spirit that simply wanders in the depths of the earth in search of prey to satisfy its extreme hunger that seems to have no end. The creature had two small limbs very similar to human hands, as if it were an indication that this monster was once a human...

Struggling and kicking in distress to return to the surface, Y'shaati finally managed to get out of the mud and take a deep breath. Her naked body was completely covered in mud, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. Desperate to not be able to see anything momentarily, she quickly shook her body and removed all the mud that covered most of her face.

When she could see again, Y'shaati noticed that the monster had disappeared. However, the earth was still trembling...

It was evident that E'zso had submerged himself in the mud again to attack by surprise from below once more. Without wasting more time, the Monkey Queen tried to move towards the edge of the ditch to get out of there. Upon arriving, Y'shaati immediately began to climb. The earth continued to tremble even more and more...

Despite having her legs and feet totally covered in mud, she managed to climb up relatively quickly thanks to the good grip and strength of her skilled toes. However, being only a few more steps away from escaping the trench, the Devil Maggot emerged beneath her once more, and seeing that its prey was about to flee, the creature opened its jaw and stucked out its tongue.

E'zso had a long and powerful tongue that quickly reached Y'shaati, wrapping around her hips. The Monkey Queen fell to the ground and began to be dragged into the grotesque mouth of the maggot. She dug her fingers several times in the creature's muscle to free herself, but this proved useless each time. She had almost no strength left due to her previous battles with the jakare and the living foliages. The only thing that kept her from failing from exhaustion was her will power and unbreakable fighting spirit. She knew it... this couldn't be the end for her. She had to save little I'ppi and his mother to reunite them again. She promised it. That was her mission as the guardian of the jungle...

Being about to be devoured, Y'shaati roared with all her might, causing her body to begin to radiate intensely. The Monkey Queen restrained E'zso's tongue with her hands again, and this time pulled from it with superhuman strength. When he least expected it, E'zso felt a strong pain... as if his tongue was being torn from his palate. Because of this, the monster quickly released Y'shaati to protect his tongue. But now it would be the Monkey Queen who wouldn't let the Devil Maggot escape.

Y'shaati, glowing incandescently and using all of the power bestowed by the Goddess within her, stopped using her hands and used her own mouth, biting savagely E'zso's tongue to pull from it. Y'shaati incrusted her teeth deeply, causing a large amount of dark blood to flow from the organ of the beast. Immediately, the creature roared in pain and agony, as if he were asking the girl turned animal to stop the torture. In that moment, the maggot looked at Y'shaati, feeling a profound fear: her azure eyes glittered intensely. She was staring at him as her mouth was being soaked in blood... the maggot saw the wrath of the Monkey Goddess burning in her face.

Just a second later, Y'shaati turned her body and head with an incredible and devastating strength, completely tearing the tongue from E'zso's muzzle once and for all.

A great stream of blood began to sprout from the monster's mouth as it writhed in pain in the mud, similarly to its severed muscle. After a while, E'zso slowly stopped moving as his body began to sink into a puddle of mud and black blood. It was definitive... E'zso, the legendary Devil Maggot was dead.

Seeing this, Y'shaati, without any more strength left in her body, finally collapsed from fatigue and exertion. The monkey-girl crashed on the mud. However, she also began to sink rapidly. She didn't even have minimum bit of strength to stand up. In a matter of seconds, the mud was already at her neck.

At this rate, the ditch would become her grave as well, just like E'zso. Everything seemed lost...

And suddenly, the Monkey Queen felt something or someone taking her hand and pulling her out of the mud trench. When she opened her eyes, she saw who it was: a gigantic monkey, very similar to I'ppi's mother, was carrying her in one of its arms. After leaving the ditch, the huge monkey laid her on the firm jungle soil. At last, she could see with little more clarity. She noted that, not only one, but several giant monkeys were gathered around her, watching her intrigued...

The monkeys got to see the way in which she killed E'zso, a creature feared by them. A Goddess of the jungle slaying one of the Dark Gods. They thought this young human female was certainly special, without a doubt. They considered her worthy of being called Queen of the Monkeys right away.

Y'shaati's sight became more and more blurred, but just before she passed out, she saw a small silhouette on the shoulder of one of the great monkeys: Little I'ppi was there. The baby monkey managed to escape from the swamp to bring help and save her.

Y'shaati simply smiled before closing her eyes and fall in a deep sleep...

Y'SHAATI INTO THE DARK LANDS: CHAPTER 6 - THE ARRIVAL PART II

 The sensation of her body being dragged through the humid and dirty soil caused Y'shaati to slowly begin to open her beautiful azure eyes. Her sight was clouded due to the ivy leaves covering much of her head. As she regained consciousness, the monkey-girl could see that the soothing sunlight was still not penetrating the dense fog that covered the place. Instead, the jungle was just getting darker and darker...

When she finally managed to completely awaken in her five senses, Y'shaati realized the precarious situation: she was captured. Her whole body was wrapped with thick vines coming from her captor's arms. Then, she saw them... the living foliage, marching into an unknown place hidden in the depths of the Darklands. She couldn't help feeling a bit frightened to see a group of creatures that she had never seen in her life before...

Trying to look around, she managed to observe a large number of logs and fallen trees in the path that were slowly sinking into mud puddles and thick water. Undoubtedly, she knew they were getting close to a swamp. While she continued struggling to free her arms and legs, she saw something that immediately triggered her rage and instincts: little I'ppi was also captive, tangled inside the entrails of one of the monsters. The monkey pup was unconscious... he probably fell exhausted from screaming, crying and begging for Y'shaati's help. Suddenly, her breathing began to stir. The Monkey Queen's body and eyes began to glow with great intensity...

With superhuman strength, Y'shaati howled with all her might and broke the vines that covered her upper body. With two of her limbs free, she was finally able to shake off the tangle of ivy that covered her legs... she was finally free.

The living bushes immediately realized that their prey had been released, so they abruptly stopped their march and turned their bodies towards Y'shaati. The Queen of Monkeys, ready to fight to free I'ppi from the strange creatures, stood up and furiously beated her chest like a wild ape while launching a powerful battlecry.

Y'shaati planted her knuckles firmly on the ground, and in less than a second, she charged at full speed to attack the monsters. Y'shaati took a big leap to pounce one of the creatures... her great power and strength would surely demolish them in one fell swoop... however...

Just before she could collide with the strange monsters, a disturbing, ear-piercing sound left Y'shaati completely stunned, causing her to crash into the ground instead.

As she quickly tried get up, she began to hear those sounds inside her head... the human voices were invading Y'shaati's mind once more... but this time, it was more than just whispers. It was worse... now she heard screams... horrible cries of pain, agony and suffering...

Screaming and whimpering in the ground due to the dreadful sounds, Y'shaati put her hands on her ears and began to wildly shake her head in a desperate attempt to somehow stop the pain. It was so strong that even tears began to flow from her pretty eyes. Then, she looked up to glare at the monsters. The living bushes were motionless. They didn't have eyes, but it seemed that they were staring directly at Y'shaati's soul. She began to understand: it was the creatures that were mentally creating the horrible screams inside her head.

As the monkey-girl's radiance and strength started to fade away, one of the monsters took Y'shaati by her neck with one of his long, dried arms. It seemed that the creature intended to strangle her to death this time...

Her vision started to become blurry again... but this time, it would be forever...

Her life was about to come to an end...

The jungle fell into a deep silence... everything was about to fade to black...

Suddenly, a powerful and guttural roar shook the place. Startled, the living foliages turned to look at their surrounding. They knew something was approaching...

Just in that moment, a giant monkey jumped out of the foliage of the jungle and began to tear the monsters apart with an uncontrollable rage. Y'shaati fell to the ground. The wild monkey smashed the living bushes with its fists, crushing their bodies as if they were simple sticks.

While Y'shaati tried to catch her breath back, she realized that the voices in her head had stopped... she could feel her strength returning to her body, little by little. When she finally got up from the floor, she contemplated the massacre...

The gigantic monkey had reduced all the monsters to pieces. All except for one... the one that had I'ppi trapped inside its body. The monkey tore the creature's head with a powerful bite and managed to get the little monkey out of its entrails.

Finally, all the creatures had been vanquished...

Delicately, the giant monkey took I'ppi on its arms and held it close to its chest in a gentle and loving way... all this while Y'shaati watched, completely shocked...

She knew what was happening, but she didn't want to believe it: That huge monkey was I'ppi's mother...

It was incredible, I'ppi's mother was several times the size and volume of Y'shaati. She was much larger than a Tahuayo, who was believed to be the largest apes in Amazonia. While Y'shaati looked puzzled, the huge monkey slowly approached towards her. She started sniffing her until she noticed the green glow that produced her white-skinned body. I'ppi's mother immediately understood that the girl was a guardian of the jungle, and that she was the one who brought her little baby back to her. I'ppi's mother bowed to her, as a sign of her gratitude.

Y'shaati still didn't know how to react to this situation. She was too shocked to even think on something. In that moment, I'ppi finally woke up from his deep sleep and immediately realized that his mother was finally at his side. The little baby was so happy and excited that he couldn't help but jump in joy on his mother's arms. Then, he turned to see Y'shaati.

The little monkey jumped onto the monkey-girl to happily hug her until he noticed a sad expression on her face...

Y'shaati knew that this was the moment to say farewell...

Y'shaati, sheding a tear, took the little monkey in her arms and hugged him with all the love and tenderness of a mother's... I'ppi's mother allowed this gesture, for she couldn't be more grateful with the girl for her aid. Still holding the baby in her arms, Y'shaati looked into her eyes, and with a friendly smile, both females expressed the same thing without pronouncing a single sound:

..."Thank you"...

Before the little monkey could return to his true mother's arms, a large number of living foliages jumped from out of nowhere and pounced directly on I'ppi's mother...

The creatures surrounded the giant monkey and immediately began to release a soporific gas from their heads. The dense, brown cloud began to envelop the giant monkey's whole body. She couldn't help breathing the gas while trying to get rid of the monsters on her back. She quickly started to feel numb until she collapsed in just a matter of seconds.

Y'shaati, without thinking twice, took the little monkey with her left arm and quickly climbed the nearest tree to avoid being reached by the poisonous cloud. Little I'ppi launched a cry of despair for his mother, but Y'shaati didn't look back and started to swing through the trees. The baby monkey implored Y'shaati to return to help his mother, but the monkey-girl was determined: she wouldn't risk losing I'ppi this day. She knew that these creatures were extremely dangerous and she wasn't going to be able to defeat them all by herself. She would find a way to help her mother in another moment... now, it was the time to escape.

Completely angered and frustrated for the Monkey Queen's decision, I'ppi bit Y'shaati's arm with his sharp fangs, freeing himself from her grasp. The monkey pup jumped to grab a vine and swing back to where his mother was. Startled, Y'shaati took a half turn in mid air and began to follow I'ppi as she hooted for him to return.

The little monkey continued swinging, ignoring Y'shaati's howls. He was determined to return to help his mother by himself. However, due to his small size, I'ppi failed to grab the next vine and suddenly began to fall.

Seeing little I'ppi falling to a certain death, the monkey-girl also dropped down to save him. Miraculously, while both continued to fall, Y'shaati managed to catch I'ppi. With incredible agility, she managed to grab the monkey pup by his paws with her skilled toes. At the same time, Y'shaati managed to hold on to a vine close to her and avoid falling into the void with the baby monkey.

When both finally stopped, Y'shaati noticed that they were just a few meters from hitting the floor... but there was no earth on the floor, but water... she realized they were at the swamp...

While the Monkey Queen tried to climb up through the vine, I'ppi climbed up through her lower body until he reached her head and firmly grabbed the vine. However, while this happened, a big shadow appeared in the water below them... and was getting bigger each time. Y'shaati stopped, alerted by what was about to happen.

From one moment to another, the shadow finally emerged from the water to reveal its identity: a huge Jakare, a prehistoric crocodile jumped out of the water, hitting Y'shaati with its tail and causing her to fall into the water.

The little monkey, terrified, saw how both fell into the swamp, losing sight of them just a moment later.

Spinning inside the thick water, Y'shaati tried to keep her posture and swim as far from the crocodile to avoid being devoured. However, she didn't notice that a second jakare right in front of her launched a powerful bite that went close to end her life.

Using all the strength and power left in her, Y'shaati managed to stop the crocodile, putting both hands on its gigantic snout. Meanwhile, the first jakare came back to try to eat Y'shaati again with a single bite. It was the perfect chance for the beast...

Seeing the other crocodile approaching at full speed, Y'shaati made use of her outstanding flexibility, and in a incredible way, she managed to turn around and stop the beast's bite with her feet. With great precision, she planted the soles of her feet between the crocodile's fangs to keep it from closing its jaws. Due to the heavy force of the impact, Y'shaati and the two jakare emerged from the water directly to the surface.

At that moment, I'ppi, still hanging in the vine, saw Y'shaati again. The monkey pup couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing... the Monkey Goddess was stopping the bites of both crocodiles at the same time with incredible endurance.

Making another superhuman effort to keep the two jakare in that same position, Y'shaati could see I'ppi hanging in the vine. She yelled at him, telling him to go away. She would reunite with him as soon as she finished battling with the two giant beasts.

Without wasting time, I'ppi obeyed Y'shaati this time and quickly left that place swinging out of the swamp.

Y'shaati's body began to glow intensely... she was ready to end this fight.

With extraordinary power, and screaming with all her strength, Y'shaati managed to open even more the muzzles of both beasts, to the point where their snouts completely dislocated from their jaws.

The crocodiles, seriously injured, began to sink into the depths of the swamp.

Y'shaati quickly began to swim to the edge of the swamp to search for I'ppi as soon as possible.

However, just as she was about to get out of the water, a third jakare, relatively smaller than the others, jumped out of the water, trying to rip Y'shaati's arm off.

She nimbly dodged the attack and placed herself on the back of the crocodile, holding on tightly to him. Both came out of the swamp's water while the crocodile spinned on its own body to get rid of the monkey-girl.

She punched the beast's eyes to deprive it of its sight and thereby effectively defeat it. However, the jakare did too many spins that he didn't see the gulch near there. Then, both began to fall downhill into a deep mud trench.

Y'shaati and the crocodile went round and round until they reached the bottom of the ditch. A little dizzy, Y'shaati quickly shook the mud from her body and then watched the jakare doing the same thing. Apparently, the beast wasn't close to giving up at anytime...

Squatting in the mud, Y'shaati howled again like a wild ape to fight once more with the crocodile. The beast gave a powerful roar, and in the same way, was ready to launch an attack.

However... just a second before he could charge against the Monkey Queen, the jakare suddenly began to sink into the mud. The animal screeched in despair at the feeling that something was dragging it from its tail... and in just a few seconds, the crocodile completely disappeared...

Y'shaati approached slowly to see what had happened. The ground was soft, but not enough to sink on its own... definitely someone or "something" had dragged the jakare to its death.

And just then, the ground began to rumble right in front of her... her deduction had been correct: something buried in the mud was just about to emerge.

Y'shaati was ready to face anything... but she would never have imagined the magnitude of what was about to appear before her eyes...