“Whoa! I really should have thought this through!” I realize as I go flying. I can feel the wind on my face, “This feels wonderful!” I open my eyes to see myself soaring above the treetops right as I begin to descend. “Alright! Here we go!”

Grabbing onto a vine so I can swing towards the ground, I quickly dive back into the Deep Jungle. “Safe!” I shout at the top of my lungs as I slide to a stop, out of breath and barely alive.

“What the hell are you screaming for? Huh? Fukai?! Are you causing trouble for us?! Huh?! Fukai?!” I’m greeted by Ramsey’s familiar frustrated-voice.

I look behind me only to see an angry Ramsey. “Hey, Ramsey, didn’t see you there.” I quip.

Maka walks up right behind Ramsey with tears in his eyes. “Thank the Gods you’re alive, Fukai!”

“Of course I’m not dead. Wha---w-what would give you that impression?” I stutter as my eyes dart all over the place.

Ramsey leans over and examines a branch on the ground that looks like ash. “I don’t know why we would think that, Fukai. Maybe it has to do with the multiple explosions we heard in the jungle,” Ramsey touches the ashen branch and it begins to crumble, “and we figured that you got lost and stumbled upon an ophidia’s nest. Then, knowing you, you made it angry. At which point it then tried to kill you.” Ramsey looks up at me expectantly.

“What a crazy imagination you have, Ra-R-Ramsey! I…!” I stutter as I try to avoid eye contact.

Ramsey continues, “And you somehow managed to get away from it. But now there’s a possible chance that that ophidia is making her way here.” Ramsey finishes his assessment with a sigh of frustration and acceptance.

I quickly turn away to hide my shame. “I don’t-!”

“Come on, Ramsey! Kai would never do that! He knows I have a massive fear of dying!” Maka says, his fluffy ears perking up with confidence.

“Yep, that’s me! I would never do that…” I can feel my soul shriveling away for lying to Maka.

Ramsey looks at me and then turns to Maka, noticing that Maka’s worries are gone. “Maybe you’re right, Maka,” Ramsey looks down again at the ashen branch, “but never mind that. Look!” Ramsey points at it with concern. “I wonder if someone has been here recently?” he inquires.

“I’m not sure, but that does remind me. When I was running from oph-! Cough!” I come to a stop, coughing as I realize what I was about to say. “Aaas I was saying…” I resume with confidence in my voice.

Ramsey takes notice of the pause and the cough. “Hmmm…”

“…When I was RUNNING PAST a fur bark tree…”

“Why were you running?” Ramsey questions quickly and flatly; continuing to cast suspicion on me.

“That’s not important!” I insist.

An unconvinced Ramsey stares at me.

“Cough!”

“Why do you keep coughing?” Ramsey looks deeper into my eyes.

“Cough!”

“…”

“Cough! That’s not important! Anyways, as I was saying, RAMSEY, before you rudely interrupted me! RAMSEY!” I inhale and exhale to calm myself down. “I saw a couple of leaves that were also ash.”

Ramsey gets up off the ground and wipes the dirt off his clothes. “Anyways, I think it’s time for us to head back before someone notices that we’re gone,” Ramsey looks at the sky. “I know my father will be upset with me if he finds out that I skipped classes today.”

“Boo! You’re no fun, Ramsey!” I say, flopping back so that I’m lying on the ground.

“Shut up! Some of us have responsibilities to uphold!” Ramsey insists while pulling me by the arm.

“Yeah, Kai. We had our fun! I--- I think we should go back,” Maka says while looking around keenly with fear in his eyes. “Hey, is it just me, or is that some sort of hissing sound?” he squeaks.

Ramsey drops my arm and looks up, seeming not at all pleased. “So, Fukai?”

“Yep, what’s up?” I sit up with a smile on my face and look at him.

“So, you’re positive that you weren’t chased down by an ophidia?” Ramsey asks, continuing to look up.

“Look, Ramsey, I don’t know what it will take for you to believe me, but I’m one-hundred…!” Ramsey begins to turn my head. I catch a glimpse of something silky. “…ninety-two…!” he continues to turn my head, “…sixty-five…!” he fully turns my head. “…Hmmm…. Cough! I just remembered I have to be somewhere!”

Suddenly, we all hear the annoying sound the mocker bird makes as it flies high above us. “Liar! Liar! He is such a big fat liar! And from the looks of it, ain’t all that bright neither!” The mocker bird cries as it circles around us with a smirk on its face.

“Shove it! You damn bird!” I scream at the bird.

“Kekekeke!” It cackles from on high.

I hop up to my feet quickly. “Well, we could stand here arguing, or-!” I grab Maka by the arm and begin to make a mad dash deeper into the jungle, “we can just get the hell out of here! And worry about things later!”

“Don’t you dare leave me behind! Fukai!” Ramsey yells at me, right on my tail. “Shit! This is all your fault, Fukai!”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Ramsey!” I say as I begin to whistle conspicuously.

“I heard the bird, you’re a BIG FAT LIAR!” Ramsey tries to take a swing at me and misses.

“Hmmm, guys! I don’t think we have time for this! B-B- Behind us!” Maka shouts with fear in his voice, his tail puffing up behind him.

Ramsey and I look behind us to see the ophidia closing the gap. The serpent head in the middle prepares to strike.