"You can say that again."
"Pinch me, I must be dreaming."
Smiling, she hit him on his shoulders and chuckled, “There you go."
"Ouch! What was that for?"
"Umm, you’re welcome."
Distracted, he decided to let go of his grudge. He gazed around and whispered to himself, “Where has this place been all my life?"
Thrilled, Eury urged him on, “Come on, let’s check it out."
Back home, Saber abruptly woke up from his slumber, only to realise that they had ran off on their own again.
"Those two never learn, do they? Now where could they be?” He murmured to himself, “Kyra will kill me if I don't bring them back."
Luckily, Sabre-toothed tigers are excellent trackers. With his high sensitive nose, he sniffed them out in every nook and cranny until he found their scent.
"Got 'em!"
He followed the stench of betrayal and disobedience all the way. Hopefully, it would lead him to them.
While their father stressfully sought them out, Rycka and Eury were having the time of their lives.
“Last one in is a rotten egg."
“Not gonna happen."
"Oh yeah, watch me."
They ran towards the river, both trying to beat each other. Eventually, it turned into a death-defying race of the century. Side by side they ran, trying so hard to prove a point. Their hearts’ rates pulsing as blood engorged every vein in their muscles. Rycka, being the oldest, was stronger and faster than Eury. This gave him an added advantage. No way could Eury win this round. Knowing this, she devised a way to destruct him from the race. The river drew closer. It was now or never.
With her face turned to the side, she mischievously shouted, "Hey look! It’s dad!"
"Who? What? Where?"
He looked over his shoulder in fear of the unexpected. Having taken his eye off the price, he lost focus and tripped. He fell down and rolled over, tumbling to his feet. This gave Eury the opening that she wanted. She seized it and jumped into the river, splashing drops to the sides.
She majestically rose up and screamed her lungs out, “I won!"
Rycka pulled himself back up and shook the dust off him. His eyes pierced through Eury's soul as he stared directly at her and walked towards her. He wasn’t at all injured or bruised, just seething with rage.
"That wasn't fair. You totally cheated!"
”Ease off, it's all just fun and games." She laughed.
"Ooh I see. Okay then, if that’s how it is. Cannonball!”
He suddenly jumped and rolled himself into a giant fur ball and dove in. The impact with the water splashed Eury right across her face. This brought so much glee to the oh-so-previously-angry little Rycka that he laughed his heart out.
“Hey! You did that on purpose."
“Yes I did. Now we are even."
Interestingly, the water current started pulling them towards the waterfall. They hadn't taken notice of that yet. They were too busy encroached in their mindless bickering to realise the impending doom.
“Wait, we're moving," Rycka spoke up.
He realized that they were being whisked away from the riverbank and farther into the river stream. Their tiny little minds finally clicked and they became concerned for their safety.
“Come on Eury, swim!"
“Am trying, am trying!"
They tried paddling out of the water, swimming against the current, but it was too much for them to handle. Their every efforts de-magnified as they battled against an element stronger than anything they had ever encountered. They were sucked in multiple times and forcefully flushed out. They gasped for breath and coughed out with every submersion. Closer and closer, they drew to the waterfall, still unknown to them. Finally having comprehended what they were finally up against, Rycka tapped his sister on the shoulder and pointed out.
She slowly turned her head and with a surprise look on her face, she gasped out, “Oh no! Is that what I think it is?"
"Yep." Rycka assured her.
Once again, they gave it their best shot but it was too late. They were already in too deep. At the tip of the waterfall they now were, and for a moment, the world around them froze in place. Their entire lives flashed before them as they gazed upon what might be the last imagery their eyes will ever set upon. In fear, they screamed while they dropped down the river. Gravity, intending not to sit this one out, maximized their speed to its full potential. The only hope for them now was but none as they came to a hard and rough splash-stop in the lake.
Chapter 4: Insane.
Farther away, a male antelope seriously partyed up to the sweet and gentle up beat music of the song-birds. A herd of deers and fawns surrounded him. It was that time of the season, when they all got together, and had a blast. Don’t forget about the kids. They too had their own playground. The place was a fun park to all, and in the middle, a fawn gracefully expressed himself in the art of dancing.
"Hey uncle Varn!" Jayd called out to his guardian.
“What’s up buddy?" The antelope replied as he headed his way.
"Thanks for bringing me here."
"Any time kid. So, you having fun?"
"You bet I am."
At that moment, Varn looked over Jayd’s shoulders and smiled to himself. He then leaned in closer and whispered, “Don’t look now, but I think you've got yourself a secret admirer. Well, it’s not really a secret anymore since I told you, but still..."
In a flick, Jayd grabbed a sneak peek and noticed how gorgeous she was. His entire body trembled. Words seem to escape him. He was not even able to describe what he felt at that moment.
“I told you not to look!"
“Sorry, I couldn't help myself." He replied. He finally came to his senses and they both humorously laughed.
“Why don't you go over there?" He encouraged him.
"I can't," he replied. He felt a bit shy of himself.
"Why not?"
"I don't know what to say!"
"Come on, It’s easy. Here, watch how a pro does it."
Demonstratively, he searched around and finally spotted an innocent and very good-looking dame. She was all alone. To him, that was best kind ever. He composed himself and strategized how he would actually make his move. He finally walked over to the cute doe. He flashed his bright brown eyes and diastematic teeth as he came her way. She didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, she smiled back. The closer he drew, the more her red-blossomed cheeks blushed. She looked away to avoid his gaze.
He was a few steps across when he romantically said to her, winking her way, "Hey good-looking."
"Hi." She replied, after having the courage to face him and turn his way.
Seeing how much she was into him as he was into her, he decided to bring out the big guns and bang! He took the shot.
"So, what brings you here?"
"Am not sure yet, still searching."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
“Yes!” He cheered in his head, realizing what an easy target he had just landed. He had to seal the deal right away before someone else did.
"Today’s your lucky day then."
"Why is that?”
"Your search is over. You just found it."
"What?"
"It’s me."
She smiled and giggled as he kept on flirting. Jayd looked on, hoping to grab a few pointers from the old but seemingly gifted geezer. Suddenly, he heard a loud ruckus heading towards his uncle. It wrecked everything in its path. It was definitely a force needing no reckoning. In his defence to help, he yelled out his name but he was too distracted. Her beauty compelled his focus away from all that commotion. In a blink, a tall and muscular buck appeared behind him. He boiled with rage. He fiercely glared at Varn, impatiently waiting for him to take notice of his presence. He leaned in closer and eaves dropped on their little conversation. Only this time, Varn did take notice but chose to ignore him. When he seemed not to walk away, he confronted him.
/> “Dude, do you mind? You’re breathing on me."
He just stood there, still, not even moving a muscle. He was like a deadly parasite clutching onto its prey and never letting go. This bothered Varn a lot. He whispered in his mind every despicable word he could think of. Eventually, he could not take it any longer.
“Can I help you?"
The buck raised his head, enlarged his frontal lobe, and out came a deep masculine voice, “No, you can’t. In fact, I should be the one asking you that. You seem to be lost."
Confused, he wondered, “What the hell is this guy talking about! First, he interrupts my vibe and now he has the nerve to say that to me!”
He couldn’t dare sound that out loud, seeing how huge he was. He was in no mood to get his butt kicked today. Instead, he said something else different. Well, almost different.
"Nope, am exactly where I wanna be."
He was speechless. He didn’t expect that kind of response from him. Having absolutely no comeback whatsoever, he gazed down at the doe and sounded out her name.
“Emmy."
She too took notice of him and replied with utter disgust, “Hector."
Varn felt kind of in the way and completely left out. He decided to butt in and cut their chatter up short.
“Umm, I don't mean to intrude, but do you two know each other?"
Unhesitant Hector replied in anger, directing it at him, “Yeah, we do. She’s my girlfriend."
Emmy interrupted. She cleared her throat first before rectifying her mistaken identity. "Ahem! Ex-girlfriend."
The two stared in each other's eyes in disgust. Emmy's thoughts raced in her mind. She wondered why he still insisted on their relationship. She felt like her private life was being invaded. Emotions overwhelmed her, but she still managed to hold it in. Still, one emotion however managed to sneak out past her, unleashing its wrath upon him.
“Why won't you just leave me alone?" She thought aloud
Unfortunately for her, Hector was no quitter. He still pushed on.
Lowering his voice, he pleaded, “Please Emmy. Just give me one last chance. I swear next time I'll..."
Emmy however had already made up her mind and was going to stand by her decision no matter what.
“It’s over Hector. Just leave me alone." She said as she looked away.
"But Emmy...”
He just couldn't stand to reason or spot the obvious. Fortunately, Varn was there. He came to her rescue.
“You heard her. Leave her alone."
“Who asked you smarty?"
His actions aroused a change in the scene of events thereafter and for the next foreseen play that took place after that. It was nothing more than a brutal brawl amongst the two overheads. A battlefield was no place for a lady, so Emmy stepped aside and let them settle their differences. To be honest, the odds didn't seem to favour either one of them. The only guilty parties here were themselves, but it seemed that the grass beneath them paid the price. Majorly the antlers did most of the fighting. Moreover, their head-to-head collisions didn’t make matters any easier. It just intensified the pain’s impact surging through their nervous system.
All that time, Jayd just stood by and portrayed comically funny reactions each time the two laid a hit against each other. It was a deal gone wrong for both of them. From the look of things, no one would come out on top. Emmy tried her best to come between them. She tried reasoning but her every efforts bore no success. Annoyed that they paid no attention, she walked away and left them there. Two guys fighting for a lost cause. Just when it couldn't get any worse, it did. They both aimed for each other’s gut and face, kicking around, hoping to get a direct hit. Watching them as they made fools out of themselves could make either one laugh or cry.
One final clash however brought it all to an end. They both moved farther back, spacing the distance between them. They then came in hard, sprinting straight into an intense head bash that resulted to a severe head concussion.
“Ooh! That's gotta hurt!" Jayd emphasized.
Eventually, they came to a compelling agreement and called it a draw. Staggering away, Varn found his way back to his nephew. He was out of breath, but still managed to be humorous and crack a joke.
"I have to admit, that was a bad idea."
Being unsentimental about it, he too threw one back, “You think?"
“Hey! Did you see where that chick went?” He went on.
His head was still woozy as fictional Emmy characters floated over him. In response, Jayd just shrugged. He humorously laughed. His uncle wasn’t much of a pro as he thought he was. Varn tried to join him in his humour but it was too painful for him to make a sound. His ribs ached from within. Still dizzy from the fight, he helplessly crawled out of the way. A few moments later, he lost sight of all consciousness and ended up drop dead on the dance floor. Everyone who passed by walked over his laying body. No one cared. Insane, right? Jayd just kept laughing to himself the whole time. He laughed his little heart out. This was definitely the most memorable day in his entire life. An interesting tale to talk about someday.
Chapter 5: Alive.
“What was that?” Creatures murmured as they discontinued their usual routines and focused their attention at the lake. All became silent as to what had disturbed their peace was still but unknown. They came in for a closer look. Suddenly, blurry images rose to the surface. They cleared up as they got closer.
“Woo hoo! That…was…AWESOME! Let’s do it again!" Rycka shouted as he shot up.
Eury followed up behind him. She rose to the surface, gasping for a breath of fresh air. She watched her brother gloat to the fact that they had just escaped death.
“You’re insane!” She muttered to herself.
Realising that it was just a false alarm, everyone departed. They whispered to each other in utter disbelief. They paid no attention to Eury and Rycka. They got out of the lake and dried off their skin.
Eury, still shocked by their survival, uttered in disbelief, “I still can't believe we are alive."
Rycka overheard her little side comment and reassured, “Believe it. It’ll take a lot more than that to get rid of me.” Turning his address to the universe, he yelled, “Is that all you’ve got?”
From a far, a group of young mammals came their way. The herd consisted of; a reddish vixen with a pointed nose and thick bushy tail, a brown yellowish male puma, a light brown lioness, a black female jackal, a black spotted greenish male cheetah, a black striped yellowish tigress, a dark spotted yellowish male leopard and a dark grey male wolf. Take a closer look and you’ll realise that they are all predators. Eury and Rycka stood still as they approached. However, their eyes defied that command. They shifted from left to right, studying the strangers, who by now were standing right before them. It was nothing but utter silence as they stared back at each other. To ease the tension between them, the leopard strolled over.
“Hi. My name is Ranus...” He greeted, breaking off the silence. “…and these are my friends, Loksi…” He pointed out as he introduced them.
“Hi," the vixen replied.
“That’s Kris..."
"Hey," said the lioness.
“He’s Leron…"
“What’s up?" The wolf replied with a deep masculine voice.
“Qelshy..."
“Hi," said the jackal.
“Daphy..."
“How you doing?" Said the puma.
“Lystra, fastest cat ever..."
"Hey! That's what it is. Don't hate the player, hate the game." The cheetah bragged.
“Alright Lystra, I think they’ve got it.” Ranus chuckled. He then went back and finalized the introductions. “And that’s Caren, our little miss sunshine."
“Hi." The tigress softly replied.
Rycka gazed upon Caren, filled with so much love and glee. He became distracted from what Ranus was actually telling them. Lost in her ever-bashful eyes, daydreaming gave him comfort towards his Mrs Right than
reality could.
“So, what about you?" Ranus asked.
“Am Eury and this is my brother...” Eury gently replied. She paused and waited for Rycka to complete the sentence. Seeing how distracted he was, she patted him in the back. He finally came to and nervously stammered.
"…Ry…ry…cka…cka…Rycka."
“You are new around here?”
Still in a state of shock, Rycka hurriedly replied, “No."
“Yes." Eury rectified.
“Yes." Rycka finally agreed with her.
“Come on guys, what do you say? Show ‘em around?" Ranus said.
"Alright!" Loksi cheerfully agreed.
“Sweet!" Lystra joined in.
Reluctantly, Rycka and Eury agreed to the offer. They took a stroll around the lakeshore. Rycka moved in closer to Caren to get a better peek at her beauty. She glanced back, resulting in an immediate blushing on Rycka’s part who quickly shied away.
“Stay close," she whispered his way.
“Whatever you say princess," Rycka humorously replied.
She smiled as she walked away. He followed up behind her, and let her take the lead.
"This is Lake Guilderm,” said Ranus as he pointed out to the lake, “Everyone comes out here. It’s the closest place to a home that we know."
“It’s where we all first met." Qelshy added.
“One would call it paradise…minus the brawls of course.” Ranus continued.
Eury suddenly displayed a worried look on her face. She just couldn’t resist asking, “What brawls?”
Ranus, aware of her concern, assured her worries away, “Don’t worry. They rarely even happen.”
Feeling a lot safer, she nodded her head, letting all her worries fade away. Lystra however felt that things were getting too serious for him.
"Alright! Alright! That's enough lecture for today. I don't know about you guys, but am definitely in the mood for some landslides." He suggested.
"What’s that?" Rycka curiously asked.
“Only the most epic game ever. It’s so much fun. What do you say?" Lystra replied with zeal.
"Count me in." Rycka was thrilled.
“What about you doll face?"
“Sure, why not?" Eury agreed.
“Then what are we all standing around here for? Come on, let’s go."
“Wait!" Ranus suddenly intervened.
"What now?"
“Race you there!"
He shoved Lystra out of the way and ran towards the hill’s peak across the lake. They all followed up behind him. It was all smiles and laughter as they ran to the starting point of the game. As soon as they reached the top, every one grabbed hold of a tree bark. It was thick and hard as a rock. They got on them and faced the lake. They were now set for the race. Lystra however had a better idea. He voted that they ride on the opposite side of the hill for it was much steeper. They were all terrified at the mere sight of it and voted against it. As cunning as Lystra was fast, he managed to convince them of the idea. They all hid their fears and took a leap of faith.