“No, you idiot.” Saber replied.
“Something’s wrong,” Edgar became suspicious, “Why aren’t they doing anything?”
He walked over to them, accompanied by the pack. Meanwhile, the crocs and alligators grew impatient with every passing second.
“What’s going on here?” Edgar growled.
“A disappointment, that’s what’s going on here.” Al replied.
“We did not come all the way out here for nothing.” Orc added.
“I thought you said the preys were here?” Edgar roared at both Saber and Hunter.
“They were here last night.” Hunter replied.
“Really? Then where the heck are they now?”
“It’s not our fault they packed up and left.” Saber intervened.
“You two always screw everything up.”
The crocs and alligators grew sick and tired of waiting that they began to leave.
“Call us when you get your facts straight!” Al shouted from a distance before vanishing into the forest.
“See what you two just did!”
Edgar turned his back and walked away with the pack behind him.
“What are you looking at?” Hunter growled as they passed by him.
“Leaving so soon?”
Edgar glanced back and saw Zafeen bravely standing in the middle of the field.
“You decided to face me alone? Where’s your mighty army?” He taunted. “Did they finally come to their senses and fled? You should have thought it through before stepping foot in my den.”
At that moment, from the depths, the preys suddenly emerged and surrounded them.
Zafeen cleared his throat, and spoke with a smirk on his face, “You were saying?”
All around, they felt their cold angry stares.
“It’s a trap! They knew we were coming.” Hunter whispered, “We’re screwed.”
“I realize that.” Saber whispered back.
“Alright guys. You know what to do. Follow the usual plan.” Edgar instructed.
“Are you insane?” Saber challenged.
“I agree. No offense, but I’d rather come out of this alive than dead.” Hunter supported him.
“You can still back out!” Zafeen shouted.
“We don’t have to do this.” Saber urged him.
“If anyone wants out, no one’s stopping you.” He growled. “Just remember that when you do, you are out of the pack for good.”
They all stared back at each other, waiting to see who the first wimp would be, but their legs just froze with fear. Setting their targets, they charged in head on but the preys held their ground. They anticipated their attack and blocked it with their strong defence. The first wave of soldiers, comprising mainly of deers, antelopes, and every swift prey, sprinted in their direction. They grazed hard against their skin and wiped them off their feet. A second wave, consisting of rhinos, bulls and buffalos, charged in. However, Saber saw them coming. He quickly evaded their attack and pulled Hunter away from the massacre just in time. Like an unstoppable meat wagon, they came rushing in. They pounded and stomped on the still laying predators, crushing every bone in their body.
“Let’s get out of here!” Saber urged him.
“But we’ll be thrown out of the pack!” Hunter replied.
“After this, there won’t be a pack left!”
Nevertheless, Saber couldn’t wait for him to make his decision. He hurriedly ran out of the battlefield and vanished without a trace. That’s when Hunter realized that he was too young to die, and fled, while calling out to Saber. The last attack soldiers glanced at Zafeen. He stood from a distance with his brother and caught all the action in 3-D. He glanced back at them and nodded his head. This signalled in the third and final wave of destruction. The ‘suicide squad’ rushed in and decimated the entire pack with just one blow to their skulls. The dust finally settled, and what stood before them was nothing more than a bloodbath. Suddenly, Zafeen realized that he had forgotten to account for one predator, Edgar. He moved closer, hoping to spot his foul carcass. Out of nowhere, Varn abruptly shove Zafeen out of the way, but fell to his doom.
“Did you really think that you would get rid of me that easy?” Edgar growled. His claws still held on to a piece of Varn’s fur stained with his blood.
Zafeen worriedly gazed down at his unconscious brother and ran to his aid. He called out his name in sorrow and brushed his forehead against his neck. Tears trickled down his hardened cheeks. Blinded by rage, he clenched his jaws in pure hate and faced him.
“No! He’s mine!” He bellowed, the moment the prey force tried to assist him. “No one messes with my family!”
He uncontrollably charged in, screaming out in anger. Edgar was so full of himself that he never saw it coming. He pierced through his skin and knocked him down. He groaned as he tried to get back to his feet. Zafeen continuously stalked him while he hopelessly struggled to crawl away. His torn skin left behind a trail when he finally made his way to the raised rock. He clawed his way up but could barely stand. He turned around just enough to see Zafeen charge straight at him. He drove his antlers through his neck and drowned him in his own misery. He then walked over to Varn and took one last glance at him, before commanding Elton to carry him home.
Chapter 15: Lecture.
“Son!” Saber called, and Rycka dashed out of the cave.
“Yeah dad!” He replied with glee and stood beside him. He looked up and saw the grim in his eyes, before shying away from his presence.
“Get your sister!” He instructed, with his focus still affixed on the horizon.
He gazed upon the shimmering light of the morning sun and his mind wandered. The piercing voice of his daughter brought him back to reality, for she now stood side by side with Rycka.
“What have I always told you?” He asked.
Rycka and Eury glanced back at each other.
“Always bury your bones.” Rycka confidently spoke and smiled at Eury.
She slightly punched him in the gut and shook her head in disbelief.
“Always be careful.” Eury corrected.
She looked up and met his gaze.
“Exactly,” Saber continued, “And were you careful yesterday?”
“It’s not my fault dad. I tried to stop him but he wouldn’t listen.” She defended.
“No one forced you to follow me.” Rycka interrupted.
“Idiot.” She insulted him.
“No, you’re the idiot.” He reflected it back at her.
“You’re both Idiots.” He silenced them, for he couldn’t take another second of their senseless babbling.
They bowed their heads in shame and stared at the ground where ants busily foraged for food.
“I hope you both learned a very important lesson,” he said.
They nodded in agreement, still ashamed to look into his eyes. They slowly began to walk away, but Saber abruptly called Rycka back.
“Come with me.” He said.
They moved away from the cave, and together, they walked side by side through the forest.
“How old are you now?” He asked.
“Umm, ten.” He replied, unsure of himself.
“You’re almost a grown up now,” he went on, “Soon you’ll have a family of your own.”
Rycka blushed and smiled at the thought. His mind strayed as he envisioned himself, Caren, and their little kids prancing all over.
“Rycka!” Saber tried reaching out to his subconscious mind.
He abruptly awoke from his daydream just in time to listen to him blabber on about the facts of life and responsibilities. All that crap meant nothing to him. No offence, but was he actually serious? Preaching all that to him? He’d have a better chance with a mockingbird than him. They emerged at the lake, and met with a large crowd.
“What’s going on here?” He whispered to himself.
Rycka spotted Ranus and the gang by the waterfall. He hurriedly rushed over while Saber ho
rned in closer to the massive crowd. That’s when he heard a loud and familiar voice shouting to the crowd. He made his way to the front and came face to face with the cause of all that commotion. It was a pack of brown-furred despicable and disfigured marauding hyenas. They were all huddled around a rotting carcass. Saber shook his head in disbelief as he listened to every single word that came out of their mouth. He grew sick and tired of it.
“Alright stupid, that’s enough. Stop lying to everyone.”
The crowd laughed while the hyenas glared at him. One of them stepped forward, his eyes disgusted by his presence.
“It’s Stew Peed.” He growled.
“That’s what I said.” Saber chuckled and the crowd joined in.
“Real mature Saber!” He said. “And I wasn’t lying to anyone. Everything I said is true. The preys did this to one of us.” He pointed to the carcass.
“Really? You are saying that the preys crossed over to our territory, invaded our home, and killed one of our own?”
“Exactly.”
Saber looked over to the pack’s leader. He comfortably stood there while his second in command ran his mouth.
“Come on Sand, shut your friend up. He’s scaring everyone for no reason.”
“What are you gonna do?” He ignorantly replied.
Saber took no offense to his comment. Instead, he dispersed the crowd until he was the only one left with the hyenas.
“How many times have I told you never to talk about matters like this in front of them?” He exploded, pouring out all his anger and frustration on them. “It’s not their responsibility. So next time you feel like expressing yourself, don’t!”
“But they need to know about this, it concerns them too.” Stew Peed argued out while Sand stood by his side. “This happened in our very own backyard. What if it was one of your kids?”
“Leave my family out of this!” He roared and ferociously grasped his neck with his bare claws.
He helplessly gasped for breath and called out to his master. His eyes bulged to the sudden pressure inside his head.
“Alright! We’ll do it your way.” Sand intervened.
“Good.”
He let go of his grip and Stew dropped down. With a loud gasp, he sucked every single breath of fresh air. He then crawled over to Sand’s side and hid in his shadow.
“And clean this mess up!” He instructed before walking away.
From the deeply sank claw tracks in his trail, one could tell that he was still furious.
“You okay son?” Zafeen asked.
He looked at Jayd and saw how depressed he still was. He laid motionless inside the cave, with his focus still affixed to his last memories of her. He concentrated on one moment in particular; when he held on tight to her lifeless body.
“He needs time to heal.” Kart suggested.
They both gazed at him, wishing they could do something to cheer him up.
Chapter 16: Mistake.
“Look who’s here,” Zafeen said cheerfully, “It’s uncle Varn.”
“What’s up kiddo?” He said, popping out and jumping in his face.
He slightly managed to lift up his head and sound out just a few words that came to his mind.
“Hey Uncle Varn.”
Afterwards, he immediately diverted back to his sorrowful mourning. His eyes were too sore and weary to let out a single tear anymore.
“What do you say we get out of here.” He whispered.
Jayd shook his head in denial. He was in no mood for anything, but Varn insistently tried to persuade him.
“We can go anywhere you want. How about that place I’ve always told you about? I could take you there if you want to.” He baited him.
“The Bermuda?” He asked, his heart pacing.
“Yeah,” He replied, “You would finally get to see the infinite hole.”
Jayd imagined it in his mind, and for a moment, the thought of Mel never crossed him. He envisioned himself living the greatest adventure of his life, and a smile plastered across his face. Zafeen looked on and sighed in relief.
“So, what do you think?”
“Sounds good.”
“Of course it does.” He bragged, making Jayd let out a small chuckle.
What now stood between him and his dream were only a few miles of journey ahead. However, that wasn’t a problem that a couple of bonding time couldn’t fix. All they had to do was get out of that cold depressing cave and make the most of it.
“Here we are, the Bermuda.” He informed him.
Jayd impatiently sprinted ahead to get a better view of it, while Varn screamed out to him to be careful. He skidded into place and stood close to its edge. He stared into that dark abyss and let out a loud gasp that echoed off the walls. That enormous infinite pit definitely blew his mind. The only visible point was its top, for the rest was nothing more than darkness. Not even the midday sun was able to shed a light into the heart of its depths. He looked ahead and calculated how far it was to the other side of the edge. He foolishly thought that he could jump that far. He crouched and was ready to prance over it as high as he could, but Varn immediately stopped him in his tracks.
“What do you think you are doing?” He asked.
“What do you think?”
“Are you crazy? Get out of there before you hurt yourself.”
Jayd reluctantly pulled back from the edge and stood beside him. Mesmerized by the amazing scenery, they listened to the joyous melody of the Bermuda as the wind blew through it. They were both having so much fun that they didn’t notice the pack of ferociously hungry predators stalking them. They horned in closer with their claws out. The loud whistle from the Bermuda drowned out their growls. Suddenly, everything went numb. The wind swayed no more, which meant that the whistling stopped too. They finally heard their growls and slowly turned around. They spotted the four untamed predators; a lion, a sabre-toothed tiger and two greedy hyenas.
“Not again.” Varn sighed and stood tightly closer to Jayd.
In front of them were the predators, and in the back, the Bermuda blocked their path. The predators moved even closer, and they pulled back, trying to avoid their grasp. However, the farther they moved the closer to the edge they got. The predators were well aware of this, and cleverly cornered them into a tight fix. Suddenly, the sabre-toothed tiger broke his formation and went for the kill. His main target was the fawn, for he was the easiest to subdue. He roared aloud and his voice echoed inside the pit. Startled, Jayd’s heart sped up so fast that his mind unknowingly carried out an unwanted reflex. His hind legs abruptly stepped back before he could realize what a bad call that was. He accidentally slipped, and his hooves tried so hard to grasp anything that came his way. Varn tried to get a hold on him, but there wasn’t that much that he could do. Still, he tried his best.
Jayd screamed as he fell down the pit. His eyes bulged wide open and glanced back at Varn. He called out his name one last time before vanishing into the dark abyss. Varn desperately looked straight into the pit, hoping in his heart that Jayd somehow survived. However, as time went by, he couldn’t hear his screams anymore. Not even the loud thud of his body as it hit the floor. He let out a soft sob, with his hand still stretched out. Thoughts rushed through his mind, as the last embedded image of Jayd haunted him. Realizing that the predators were still hot on his heels, one thought immediately ran through his mind. A thought made by his best pal in the whole world. The only true friend he’s ever had in his entire life. He dug deep into his subconscious and convinced himself to go through with it. He crouched and drowned out the growls, whispering to himself only five words. Five words that motivated him more than any speech ever could.
“This is for you Jayd.”
With one spring, he jumped over the Bermuda, his sight set on the other side. He didn’t pay any attention to the dark endless pit below him or the vicious predators behind him. He could feel the cold wind beneath his chin as he got closer to the edge. He forcefully
crash-landed and rolled out of control. Nevertheless, he ignored all the sores and aches that chafed his body and pulled himself back up. He took one last glance at his back and smiled. He couldn’t believe that he had actually pulled it off, and neither could the predators. They just stood there perplexed, and watched him sprint away from their sight.
“Way to go Saber, you let another one get away, again!” Sand yelled in his face and walked away.
“Yeah!” Stew added and followed him.
“Don’t stress about it. It could have happened to anyone.” Byron supportively commented as he passed by.
“Thanks.” Saber undeservingly replied, before following him out. He definitely blamed himself for what happened.
“Hey fellas!” A voice suddenly called out from above.
They all looked to the sky as a vulture descended and swooped in right in front of them. He flapped his wings and landed right next to them.
“Any leftovers?” He taunted and let out a weird chuckle.
They rolled their eyes at him and shook their heads with disbelief.
“What do you want Marabou?” Byron asked.
“What do I want? Can’t a guy just hang out with his pals?”
“You could, if you had any friends.” Sand replied.
“Alright guys, be like that, and I won’t tell you the big news.”
“What news?” Saber played along to his unamusing game.
“The kid who fell in the hole, do you know who that is?”
“No.” Sand ignorantly replied.
“And we don’t care.” Stew added.
“Well you should. Cause he’s none other than the big boss’s son.”
“Yeah right,” Sand disagreed, “If he was his son, I would’ve known about it.”
“It’s true.”
“Then what was he doing out here all alone? Huh?”
“I don’t know. All I know is that I’ve been following him all the way from his home to here until you guys ruined everything. Anyways, good luck. You’re gonna need it.”
He hysterically laughed and flapped his wings, before flying away with a smile on his face. However, his words still echoed all around them as the sudden realization hit their unaware minds.
“What did he mean by that?” Byron worried.
“Let’s just say we’re screwed.” Saber replied with a distinct terror in his voice.