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...
