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Alaska’s body is seen motionless on the side of the riverbank. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was shallow. She was barely conscious, her energy reserves depleted from her arduous journey across the river.
She was wet, her face was covered by her hair, facing the ground. From the left and the right of her body emerged cat-sized creepy green insects that crawled closer to her. The insects began making an eerie crackling sound as they approached. They were interested in Alaska’s lifeless body. Their many eyes were now fixated on a quick and easy meal. Inch by inch they got closer to her. She remained motionless, unaware of the danger that slowly approached.
Just as the bugs closed in on Alaska’s motionless body, a mysterious figure emerged from the jungle. The figure, cloaked in darkness, moved swiftly and silently, like a ghost. With an old wooden staff in hand and lightning-fast precision, the figure struck down the insects with a swift blow, saving Alaska from certain doom. The figure then turns their attention towards her.
The mysterious figure slowly makes its way toward her. Alaska stirred slightly, her eyes fluttering open to the sight of the figure standing over her. She tried to move, but her body felt heavy and weak. She could feel a strong pain surging from her right leg. Her vision was unclear, her wet hair still covering most of her face and the sun beaming into her eyes, all she could make out was a blurry black silhouette. She then closes her eyes and collapses from exhaustion. She couldn’t speak a single word. Alaska is unable to defend herself, clearly at the mercy of the wilderness.
The figure slowly observes Alaska’s condition. Then it reaches down and lifts Alaska onto their shoulder, carrying her away from the riverbank and into the safety of the jungle.
You, Inkagi, and Pyro make your way through the jungle following the flow of the Mighty Mizian River. You needed to find Alaska fast, every hour that went by would eat at your mind. Guilt would weigh heavy on your mind as you both scramble to find her, hopefully, alive and in one piece.
As you navigated the dense jungle, the sounds of the wildlife grew louder and more ominous. You could feel a strange energy in the air like the jungle itself was warning you to turn back. You could hear in the distance the strange sounds of animals, their roars and grunts, most likely predators out looking for a meal. But you refused to listen - your mission was clear, and you had to find Alaska.
After hours of trekking through the jungle, following the riverbank, you finally stumbled upon a clearing. You didn’t want to be exposed so you try to keep pace and make your way past the clearing as soon as possible. The cover of the dense jungle just felt safer to you. You knew you had to find a safe place to rest and recover, but there was just no time to stop and do any of those things until you found Alaska safe and sound. You couldn’t imagine going back home without Alaska by your side. Her family would be devastated.
You couldn’t help but think that the noises of the jungle were leading you to a trap. You felt as if the danger of the jungle was never far away. As you carefully made your way through the dense foliage, you heard animal roars and rustling branches. It seemed like every creature in the jungle was closing in on you. Your heart was racing with every step. You couldn’t stop thinking about Alaska, but your situation was stressing you out. If a predator did attack, would Pyro be strong enough to stop them, oh so you thought to yourself.
As you both make your way down the river you reach for your red Guardian Stone. You hold on to it to see what Pyro felt. You can see everything that’s around in the jungle as soon as the stone begins to glow. It’s as if you could see with Pyro’s eyes what he was seeing in front of him. You felt it. His power, his heartbeat, and his breathing. You could almost tap into what Pyro was even thinking all with the power of the stone. Inkagi notices the stone’s radiant light as you hold it in your hand.
“Pyro is keeping us safe. He’s following us very closely but he’s deeper into the jungle, making sure nothing gets to us.” You say that to reassure Inkagi that for now, everything is fine. However, Pyro can feel your emotions as well. You were never of the unknown, the mystery that lies within the deep jungle. You put the stone away into your pocket, but as soon as you did that you heard thunder from up above. You look up and notice that another intense storm is heading toward you.
Suddenly, you heard the sound of an explosion in the distance. A massive flash of light illuminated the sky, followed by the sound of a roar that was unlike any you’d heard before. Inkagi and Pyro exchanged concerned looks, knowing that whatever was out there was not something they could handle.
It was clear that you had to keep moving. Things are starting to get even more complicated. With the rain coming in, it would be very difficult to find Alaska. As you raced down the river, you could feel the jungle closing in on you. The sounds of the animals grew louder, and the trees began to sway in the wind. The upcoming storm was making the jungle restless.
As you reached the riverbank, you turned to look back. Inkagi notices your hesitation. He stops in his tracks as well. The jungle was alive with movement, creatures scurrying towards you from all directions. Pyro calls out to you with its roar with the power of the stone. The stone in your pocket begins to glow once again. You quickly pull it out. It was as if he was right there next to you, giving you a warning. At this point, it was clear that you were being hunted.
The sounds of the jungle faded behind you, all you could hear was the trees swaying about in the wind and the occasional thunder in the distance. It was as if the jungle just turned itself off. It was too quiet. This quietness alone made way for an unsettling feeling in your stomach. Inkagi gulps as he positions his arm in front of you, signaling for you to back up slowly and quietly away from the dense foliage of the jungle. Most likely a predator is using the cover of the jungle to hide and wait for the right moment to attack its victims, you and Inkagi. All you knew was that you had to get to safety as fast as possible or become the next victim of the jungle's wrath.
You didn't want to find out what it was. Your breathing becomes labored as you back up inch by inch away from the foliage. Then you notice it begins to shake just slightly. It was too late, there was nowhere to run to. All your footsteps caught the attention of something big.
A growl erupted from the jungle, sending shivers down your spine. You and Inkagi froze in place, not daring to move a muscle. The growling grew louder and louder until a massive beast stepped out from amongst the jungle. It was a fierce mutated jaguar, its golden fur shimmering in the fading light. Its green eyes locked onto you and Inkagi, its sharp teeth bared in a snarl.
Inkagi draws his small jagged handmade dagger, ready to defend you from the jaguar, but the beast doesn't move. It merely watched you with an intense gaze, as if sizing you up. You held your breath, not wanting to provoke it.
Moments passed, and the jaguar finally stepped forward. It was cautious, and it only stared at you carefully.
Inkagi whispered to you, "It is said that the golden jaguar is known as the guardian of these parts of the jungle. Legend says that if it doesn't attack, it means it sees potential in those it encounters." Maybe the jaguar could sense that you were carrying a Guardian Stone. Or maybe it knew you were looking for someone important. Maybe this was a sign of respect, oh so you thought. But all you knew was that your hand was shaking, and the Guardian Stone’s light was becoming brighter.
You felt a sense of awe wash over you as the jaguar continued to stare, its green eyes never leaving yours. You and Inkagi stood there in stunned silence, both in shock at what was occurring.
When it finally moved its massive paw forward toward both of you, Pyro suddenly jumped out from amongst the foliage over the wild beast’s head. To you, everything seems as if it was happening in slow motion. Pyro viciously pounces on top digging its massive sharp claws into the jaguar's back without any fear.
Some of the jaguar’s blood can be seen where Pyro dug its razor-sharp claws. The jaguar roars in pain as Pyro digs its claws even deeper. You and Inkagi stood there frozen as you see the wild cat proceed to shake him off its back.
“Pyro, please stop! It’s ok! He wasn’t attacking us!” You scream in desperation wondering if what Pyro was doing was right. You thought, if the golden jaguar was interested in eating you, wouldn’t it have attacked right away?
Pyro’s lizard eyes dilate when you scream out your command. It was clear Pyro was just responding to your fear, your thoughts of feeling in danger. The red Guardian Stone glows intensely as you hold it out toward Pyro. Inkagi watches as he slowly puts his dagger away.
Pyro jumps off the massive wild cat and bows his head in respect. The golden jaguar growls a bit but steps back, half of its body now retreating into the dense foliage. It then lowers its head, turns around, and leaves slowly. The golden jaguar can be seen walking away, disappearing back into the jungle. It was clear it didn’t want to fight, and it didn’t want to eat any of you.
You sigh in relief. Inkagi turns to you and places a hand on your shoulder. He takes a deep breath. "Sometimes fear can cloud our judgment," he says to you gently. "But Pyro is a loyal companion and will always protect us, even if it's not necessary."
You nod. "Thank you, Inkagi. And thank you, Pyro," you say, reaching out to stroke the lizard's head. But you knew now wasn’t the time to celebrate. A storm was coming fast, and you needed to continue your search for Alaska before it was too late.
Alaska takes a deep breath and suddenly wakes to the sounds of a crackling warm fire. Her vision was still blurry, but she was too exhausted to keep her eyes open. Alaska found herself drifting back into unconsciousness.
A silhouette of Shintiro comes to her mind. She can feel her own body shaking at times, but it doesn’t last long. Then suddenly, a bit of pain surges through her entire body. She tries to open her eyes but all she can think about is Shintiro and his green vicious raptor. She could see that it was dark out. At first, she dismissed it thinking something was wrong with her eyes. Then she was able to open her eyes a bit more. Alaska thought she was outside. She was completely disoriented and weak. She smelled river water and the familiar smells of the outdoors.
At first, she thought it was her eyes failing her because all she could see was black the first few times, she attempted to open her eyes. But she began to turn her head in the direction of the noise. She was able to see the light coming from the fire that was making all the noise. It was keeping her warm. Her eyes for a moment were blurry when she focused on the flames. She couldn’t tell how far away from her body the fire was, she just knew that it was there. But slowly she could make it out clearly. It was difficult for her to process the situation.
Her breathing was erratic at times. Her chest must have crashed into a large boulder or two in the raging rapids of the river as she struggled to stay afloat. She would wrestle with her wild thoughts. At times it was her thoughts, other times it was just faint dreams. The light of the flames fueled some of her wild dreams. She could see Shintiro with flames in his hands, ready to attack her, grabbing her arm and engulfing her whole body in the fire. She could hear herself scream in her dreams, dreams that at times became nightmares.
She started to feel sweat come down her forehead. She felt very warm and the pain in her leg would come and go.
Soon she realized that something wasn’t right. She had the feeling that someone was looking at her. She opened her eyes wide to scan her surroundings. She felt as if she wasn’t supposed to be there. She tries to suddenly pick herself up, realizing that she wasn’t with her friends but instead at some sort of small settlement that’s in the jungle surrounded by trees. Her heart began to race as she tried to pick her exhausted body up from the ground. As she placed pressure on her right foot pain instantly paralyzed her entire body. She falls back down to the ground.
The figure that was watching her began to move. It was sitting on a log across from her, on the other side of the campfire. The figure's voice was a low growl, almost like an animal. Alaska could not make out what it was saying. Her vision was still fuzzy.
The figure watched her for a moment longer before turning away and disappearing back into the deep jungle.
“Who was that? Why did they save me?” Alaska lowers her head and closes her eyes. She's still much too weak to do anything.
She saw for a moment that the figure stood on two legs like a human. That’s when the figure emerged again from the jungle and stepped closer to her. She opens her eyes wide again. Alaska’s heart begins to pound with every step the mysterious figure takes toward her.
She could now see with the light of the flames that the figure’s head and tail were that of a large alligator. It slowly made its way towards her, and Alaska could see now that it was a humanoid alligator, dressed in a ragged tunic. The alligator turned to look down at Alaska, its eyes shining with intelligence and purpose.
“Am I dreaming?”
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