JUNGLE DAYS: TO THE RESCUE!

 -.This short story takes place between the 1st arc (Beginnings) and the 2nd arc (The Dark Lands).-

Swinging through the treetops of the jungle like any other day, the queen of the monkeys suddenly heard a distress call: the cries of a unique and little-known creature of Amazonia. The sound was coming from far below, so Y'shaati decided to stop her journey and descend little by little with the vine in which she was traveling.

On the surface, stuck in a large puddle of mud, an infant hippo begged for help. The poor thing had been left behind by his mother and the other members of his pack after having enjoyed a refreshing bath. The little one had separated too far from them and because of that, his life was in danger. The hippo struggled to get out, but this only caused him to sink deeper and deeper. Apparently his fate was sealed... life in the jungle can be cruel and unfair.

However, just before sinking completely, the feral girl appeared just in front of him, hanging upside down. The baby shrieked and kicked in terror, thinking that she was a predator seeking to take advantage of his peril and devour him after death. But in that moment, Y'shaati began to gently caress the hippo's nose with her hands while she held onto the vine with her dexterous feet. When he felt her tender touch, the little one began to calm down as he understood that the strange girl was there to help. Everything was going to be fine. Without wasting any more time, the blonde took a deep breath and immediately jumped into the mud.

Y'shaati quickly found the problem: one of the hippo's hooves was stuck in a thick tree root, so she decided to break it in order to free him. When the infant felt that he could finally move his foot, the animal was finally able to walk to the edge and get out of the puddle. The wild girl followed him closely. With both of them out of there and covered in mud from head to toe, the monkey queen approached the little hippo to make sure he was okay. The baby ran up to her and happily rubbed his little head on her body to show her how grateful he was for saving his life. Y'shaati smiled at him and caressed him again: the Spirit of Amazonia had saved the day once again!

Unfortunately, their brief moment of joy was cut short very abruptly...

The cracking of leaves and sticks on the jungle soil indicated that someone was walking rapidly toward them. Alerted by the weird noise, the savage girl ordered the hippo to follow her and quickly hide with her in the foliage. Once concealed and staying silent, Y'shaati and the infant were able to observe the unexpected intruder: a human explorer who was trekking alone through the Amazon jungle. Completely convinced that he had seen two dark silhouettes, the young man carefully inspected the ground for a few seconds until he finally knew something was off... footprints, two different pairs of footprints... one of them in the shape and size of human hands and feet. This greatly intrigued the explorer, so he decided to follow the trail of mud to uncover the mystery.

Seeing the human heading towards them, Y'shaati began to run, with the hippo following her closely. Hearing the sound of something fleeing, the scout immediately began to pursue what he believed to be a never-seen-before wild creature.

After a few minutes running away at full speed, the blonde and the baby discovered a small pond of clean water. Y'shaati knew that could be an excellent place to hide. Without thinking twice, she hastened the little hippo to jump into the water with her. And so, both jumped at the same time, diving deep into pond and then surfacing under the water lilies. This also allowed their bodies to completely clean themselves from the mud. They both held their noses just barely above the surface to breathe, while the aquatic plants covered their heads. Both remained motionless.

A few seconds later, the explorer arrived in the place. However, the trail he was following had completely disappeared. Y'shaati watched the man carefully... she knew from her own experience that humans were extremely dangerous, so it was best not to take risks and remain hidden until the man left. Looking in all directions but never suspectng the pond, the young explorer felt disappointed of himself: the chance to make an historic discovery had slipped from his hands. Was it real? Or perhaps an hallucination due to the intense heat of the jungle? Many ideas crossed his mind. Whatever the case, the man was very exhausted after running at top speed for a long time. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with a napkin and decided to continue his expedition, resigned.

The gods decided the legend to remain unknown this day. Perhaps it was for the better... the man would never had believed that the beautiful protector of Amazonia was right in front of him, hidden in plain sight...

JUNGLE DAYS: UNEXPECTED GUEST

 -.This short story takes place between the 1st arc (Beginnings) and the 2nd arc (The Dark Lands).-

With each step, the roots of the trees trembled and the leaves shook wildly. A huge shadow slowly darkened the ground, forcing small animals to get out of its way so as not to get crushed under its feet. The majestic presence of the gray elephant marching through the jungle is an spectacle that demmands respect from all creatures. However, the pachyderm's mind would leave pride for another time, for it was only focused on one goal: to cool off on this extremely hot day.

Its destination was a beautiful crystalline pond adorned with lovely water lilies. A safe haven where many members of its species often go to drink and rest in group. Upon arrival, the elephant stepped into the water to lower its temperature, quickly feeling a refreshing sense of relaxation. With its long trunk, it began to splash a large amount of water all over its body to bath itself. The tranquility in the place was so profound that the noble animal couldn't help but close its eyes and submerge a bit to take a short nap. The moment was perfect, after all. It was everything the elephant could have wished for...

After a pleasant time, the peaceful silence was interrupted by a strange noise coming from the other side of the pond. The pachyderm's excellent hearing detected it immediately despite the distance. The sound of a splash meant that something had just entered the water... an unwanted guest. The elephant was no longer alone.

Feeling slightly insecure, the pachyderm slowly approached to discover the intruder. It saw a suspicious dark silhouette swimming underwater, very close to its legs. Only one creature tends to stalk that way: a crocodile. The elephant knew that facing a crocodile could be a very dangerous act. However, she decided not to be intimidated by the predator and defend its territory, as the pond was a sanctuary exclusive for the elephants. Without hesitation, the pachyderm introduced its powerful trunk and pulled the creature out of the water by one of its limbs.

They both looked at each other... "What kind of crocodile is this?", the elephant thought. The girl remained hanging for a few seconds while the fish she had caught with her mouth, her right hand and her right foot were still wriggling. As a display of her great agility and skills, Y'shaati managed to balance her body to grab on to one of the elephant's tusks. Then, she used them for support so she could climb up the pachyderm's head, without releasing any of her prey in the process. Already on top of it, the blonde simply sat on its back, held two of the fish with her toes and began to devour the one she had in her hands.

The elephant didn't move while all this was happening, although it did feel a bit annoyed due to the unwelcomed visitor's disrespect. It only limited itself to observe and decipher what kind of creature she was. "Is she an ape? Is she a human?".

Whatever the case, the good news is that at least she didn't seem to pose a threat, so its worry disappeared after a while. When she finally finished eating, Y'shaati jumped into the water again and swam to the edge of the pond.

The pachyderm didn't care at all and continued with its shower...