The sun was beginning to set, and the jungle started to become dark. However, Shintiro was able to see it. There was no mistaking what was in front of him. It steps out into the clearing in front of him with no hesitation. It steps over his dagger that was just laying on the floor. It was the golden mutated jaguar, the guardian of the jungle.

As the sun began to set, the jungle became shrouded in darkness. Shintiro had no doubts about what creature was in front of his eyes. There was no mistaking it. Its massive stature was intimidating. His eyes widened looking over at his dagger on the ground. He wanted to desperately make a move for it, but he was frozen in place. He’s never seen a creature of that kind before roaming around the dense jungle. The air was tense, he had nowhere to go. His only option would be to jump straight into the dark river to escape. It was too risky. The first time in the river almost cost him his life.

The jaguar invoked in him fear yet he was awestruck by its massive size. Its six eyes locked with his. He felt as if the creature could see right through him. Shintiro felt as if it could read his every thought. It didn’t make a sound then slowly it began to grunt and make deep non-aggressive purring noises. His hands began to shake. Shintiro couldn’t control his body. It was as if he was a different person, he couldn’t speak and not even the thought of escaping was on his mind.

A drop of sweat rolled down his face, his heart pounding uncontrollably in his chest as he remained completely spellbound by the creature’s presence. Shintiro knew he had to act quickly, or he would be stuck in this trance forever. He took a deep breath, his concentration transitioning from the creature to the dagger on the ground. He noticed the jaguar was making its way toward the river. Now it was his chance to drag his body away from it and move closer to his dagger left on the ground. With all his willpower, trying to break free of his trance, he maneuvers his body on the ground, toward the dagger. He dares not take his focus off the jaguar, as he reaches for the dagger. At first, all he can feel behind him are stones and pebbles. He shifts his reach slightly, trying not to lose sight of the creature, and manages to touch the tip of the blade. When he feels the blade with his fingertips, he fully snaps out of his trance.

He makes his move and grabs his dagger and holds it tight, positioning it in front of his body towards the creature. The jaguar does not even flinch, it turns its view away from Shintiro, lowers its head, and takes a drink of water from the river.

Shintiro’s hand shakes as he lowers the blade, realizing that the creature isn’t a threat. A green light can be seen reflecting on the jaguar’s face. Shintiro squints his eyes and tilts his head in confusion. “Where is this green light coming from?” He thinks to himself while his hands still shake uncontrollably.

Shintiro watches the jaguar intently, his body tensed and ready to strike if necessary. He holds his dagger tightly, waiting for any sign of aggression from the fearsome creature. However, the jaguar doesn't seem to be interested in him at all. Instead, the beast calmly takes another quick drink from the river, looking straight at the river itself, no longer making eye contact with Shintiro. It lifts its massive head, turns in the opposite direction, and slowly disappears into the dense jungle.

Shintiro lets out a deep sigh of relief, relaxing his grip on the dagger. He takes a moment to calm himself down, reflecting on the encounter. Despite his initial fear, he can't help but feel a sense of awe and respect for the majestic jaguar. He realizes that maybe there's more to this jungle than he thought.

Shintiro realizes something while he tries to catch his breath. The green light. It’s becoming more intense. Shintiro quickly makes his way toward the area where the jaguar drank some water on the riverbank. On his knees, he maneuvers his body forward, still in shock and with adrenaline pumping through his veins. His heart was pounding the moment he focused his gaze on the river. He could see his reflection in the river. The green light distorts his reflection in the water.  

He sees once again visions of his village in flames like the dream he had before. He falls into another trance as he looks deep into the river glowing with an odd green light. He sees destruction and villagers screaming. He sees the apes killing his people and Luntra the tribal woman staring menacingly at him. “The Guardian Stones will only lead to destruction.” her words sent shivers down his spine.

Her words echo in his mind, and he attempts to cover his ears. He drops his dagger on the ground trying to block Luntra’s words. It was as if she was right there speaking to him. “Get out of my head!” Shintiro closes his eyes shut as he suddenly stops hearing her words. He was not able to hear the sounds of the jungle nor the familiar sounds of the raging river. It was an odd eerie silence in his mind. He opens his eyes. To his surprise, his green Guardian Stone slowly floats out of the river. An odd sound resonates from it. The light from the stone glows brightly. It was the only light Shintiro could see. The jungle was pitch black at this point due to the setting of the sun.

He wipes the sweat drops from his forehead. He was in disbelief as to what was happening in front of him. The green Guardian Stone was in the same spot that the jaguar creature was staring at when it took its sips of water. The stone makes its way toward him, glowing ominously. Unable to process what was happening in front of him, his hands shook uncontrollably. He hesitates at first, yet he reaches out to grab the stone in midair. The stone felt cold to the touch. Shintiro could feel the power emanating from the stone in his hand.

The feeling of holding the stone was invigorating. As soon as Shintiro touches the stone all the sounds of the jungle and the river come flowing back into his ears. The light dims and finally dissipates from the stone. Shintiro was left in the dark. The stars and the moon are the only objects lighting the night sky. He finally felt like things were going his way. With the stone finally once again in his possession, he felt no fear and disappointment, only strength and power.  

Suddenly, he hears rustling in the bushes nearby. Shintiro quickly turns around, grabs his dagger, and raises it in preparation for an attack. His heart races as he scans the area, trying to spot the origin of the noise.

Just as he's about to strike, he stops short, recognizing the familiar face. It was his green raptor. “It’s… you.” He drops the dagger. He gasps realizing that his bond with his raptor has returned.

When you close the door to your private quarters, you turn to Inkagi. You can see he was observing the large room that you were both going to share for the night. Soon after, you notice him looking at the large window area. “Come on, this is our chance. We can finally get out of this place through here.” Inkagi signals for you to come over. As you approach him you tell him the truth. He turns to you, seeing you with a concerned look on your face.

“Inkagi, I’ve been thinking about this long and hard,” Inkagi listens to you. You had a concerned tone in your voice. “Even though King Soren now trusts us, it wouldn’t be wise to just run away. His people need us. And Karaee, who helped us out to gain his trust, would be devastated if we just disappeared.”

“I understand the difficult decision you are about to make…” Inkagi pauses knowing that Alaska is out in the jungle possibly, hurt, alone, and hungry. You also think of the same thing. It pains you to have to make a decision that will be with you for the rest of your life. Both situations are a matter of life or death. You thought of Alaska possibly alone in the jungle, starving to death. And then on the other hand you think of the many apes in the village, including Karaee’s little brother Aruvi with Zonda. They will die soon if you don’t head off on this expedition and return with the cure. Inkagi interrupts your thoughts. “Too much time has passed by. It is possible that…”

“Don’t say it.” You didn’t need to hear it from Inkagi. You already knew that Alaska might have been dead. That night you decide to put it in the back of your mind. You both did the best you could with the situation that was presented in front of you.

“If Alaska was in your position, I’m sure she would decide to do the honorable thing”. You nod as tears roll down your face as Inkagi steps forward and hugs you. There was nothing left to say. 

The next morning, after having a grand meal with King Soren, Queen Janaa, and Princess Karaee, you and Inkagi step outside the palace to see military Commander Zard preparing materials and all things necessary for the long trip to the treacherous volcano Yertonu.

Commander Zard was a no-nonsense ape. He was the right ape for the job. He wanted to make sure that everything was ready and prepared for the mission. He had a checklist made. Everything he needed for the journey was written out on an old-looking scroll. He gave orders to servants and other military apes to gather the necessary tools and weapons needed.

You and Inkagi approached the commander to inquire about the mission and offer your assistance. You didn’t want to be a dead weight on the journey. As soon as you and Inkagi offer your help, a few of the apes stop what they are doing to stare. They look at you, some menacingly, others have no care in the world and continue with their tasks. Commander Zard just looked at you, in an intimidating fashion. He did not trust humans but he had nothing against you and Inkagi. Still, he wanted little or nothing to do with either of you.

“Apes are taking care of all the essential things for this mission. There is no need or room for humans...” You wanted to say something in defense, but you felt tension growing realizing that not everyone in the village liked humans. A military ape that was walking by brushes up against you and nudged you forward aggressively. You look back and make eye contact with the ape. He looks at you in disgust. “Ohee-lum…” He whispers that under his breath as he walks away casually.

“Commander Zard, I hope you may reconsider,” Karaee suddenly approached the commander with a smile on her face, her head held high. A female royal bodyguard follows her at a distance. “These humans are quite capable of a lot.” You notice Karaee’s sword fastened to her belt around her waist.   

Commander Zard and every other ape there stop what they are doing and bow to the princess. You and Inkagi do the same. Suddenly when the apes stand up, they raise their fists in the air. “Yai-Nu Yai-Nu!” They all chanted in unison in response to the arrival of the young princess. 

“Oh, Princess Karaee, I did not see you there,” Commander Zard clears his throat, gulps, and fixes his posture. “My apologies princess for the rude comment I made. I did not mean any ill will of it. I was just stating that we are already prepared and have enough help as it is with everything.” Commander Zard faces you and Inkagi and continues. “I will let you both know if later we can use your assistance. Thank you for your willing spirit on this important mission.” Commander Zard turns his head, someone catches his attention. You, Inkagi, and Karaee notice it too. A young muscular ape approaches Karaee mounted on a strange bird-like ostrich-sized creature. “Ah, this is my second in command Tyenx. A strong, courageous, and honorable ape.” As Commander Zard was speaking, Tyenx rides the ostrich-sized bird with his head held high. An arrogant smile is on his face as he makes a flirtatious gesture and grunts in an ape-like manner to Karaee. With his ostrich-like bird, he rides in quickly kicking up dust in the air. The dust floats into Karaee’s face. Karaee just looks away uninterested in his advances.

You and Inkagi couldn't help but feel uneasy when Tyenx dismounted from his ostrich-sized creature. You scratch your head in confusion wondering what exactly that strange bird was. Tyenx gives you and Inkagi a dirty look and then pays you no mind. Tyenx immediately bowed down to Karaee and outstretched his left hand. Karaee didn’t even pay him any attention. He became irritated with her response. He was waiting for her to touch his hand and acknowledge his presence. He stands up and dusts himself off.

“It is a pleasure to see you today, Princess Karaee,” Tyenx said in an arrogant soft spoken gentle manner.

“Tyenx, I was speaking to Commander Zard,” Karaee sighs in frustration. “It’s rude to interrupt a royal, especially when we are preparing for a critical mission.” Karaee made no eye contact with him. She made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with him.

“How long have we known each other Karaee?”

Karaee sighs, “Not long enough.”

Tyenx embarrassed by her response gives out a nervous chuckle. “M-my apologies, I just wanted to let you know that I’ve made all the necessary preparations for this mission to be successful. I know how much this mission means to you. I – I was just rushing over to you to let you know that you can count on me to protect you.” As Tyenx spoke with Karaee, you couldn’t help but notice how odd it was the way he was talking to her. It felt to you that his demeanor was fake. Nothing about him felt genuine.

Commander Zard interrupts Tyenx. He coughs and says, “I’m sorry Tyenx you are not needed for this mission.”

“Wait, what?” Tyenx turns to look at Commander Zard completely shocked at the decision. His smile turns to complete confusion. Karaee smiles. “Who made this decision? There must be a mistake. I need to be by Princess Karaee’s side and protect her.”

“I do not need your protection Tyenx.” Karaee sighs again and looks up at the sky. She crosses her arms and stomps her foot frustrated with his comment.

Tyenx takes offense at Karaee's brush-off, and his demeanor suddenly changes from charming to threatening. His eyes flash with anger. He lowers his voice so that only she can hear it, “I do not appreciate being ignored, Karaee," he growls. "You will address me with the respect I deserve. I am your second in command after all.”

Karaee's face twists into a scowl as she meets his gaze. "You are nothing to me," she says, her voice cold and flat.

Tyenx looked over in your direction. “So, you’re counting on these humans to be of some help, huh? Th-These humans? The ohee-lum?”