intelligent,
earnest, fearless, and had a lot of heart.
"Do
you know a place where we can take shelter for the night?”
The
boy looked back at Thor, then shrugged, looking uncertain. He stood there,
wavering.
"I
don’t think I should," he said. "Grandpa will get mad.”
Krohn suddenly
emerged from behind Thor, and walked towards the boy—and the boy's eyes lit up
in delight.
"Wow!"
the boy exclaimed.
Krohn
licked the boy’s face, again and again, and the boy giggled in delight and
reached up and stroked Krohn’s head. Then the boy knelt down, lowered his
spear, and hugged Krohn. Krohn seemed to hugged him back, and the boy laughed
hysterically.
“What’s
his name?” the boy asked. “What is he?”
“His
name is Krohn,” Thor said, smiling. “He is a rare white leopard. He comes from
the other side of the ocean. From the Ring. Where we are from. He likes you.”
The
boy kissed Krohn several times, and finally stood and looked back at Thor.
"Well,”
the boy said, wavering, “I guess I can bring you to our village. Hopefully
grandpa won't get too mad. If he does, you're out of luck. Follow me. We have
to hurry. It will be night soon.”
The
boy turned and quickly weaved his way through the jungle, and Thor and the
others followed. Thor was amazed at the boy’s dexterity, at how well he knew
the jungle. It was hard to keep up.
"People
come through here from time to time,” the boy said. “The ocean, the tides, it
leads them right into the harbor. Some people come from the sea and cut through
here, on their way somewhere else. Most of them don't make it. They get eaten
by something or other in the jungle. You guys were lucky. There a lot worse
things here than that Gatherbeast.”
Thor
swallowed.
"Worse
than that? Like what?”
The
boy shook his head, continuing to hike.
"You
don’t want to know. I've seen some pretty awful things here.”
“How
long have you been here?” Thor asked, curious.
"My
whole life," the boy said. "My grandpa moved us when I was little.”
“But
why here, in this place? Surely there must be more hospitable places.”
“You
don’t know the Empire, do you?” the boy asked. “The troops are everywhere. It’s
not so easy to stay out of their site. If they ever catch us, they capture us
as slaves. They rarely come out here—not this deep in the jungle.”
As
they cut through a thick patch of foliage, Thor reached up to brush a leaf out
of his way, but the boy turned and shoved Thor’s hand, screaming:
“DON’T
TOUCH THAT!”
They
all stopped, and Thor looked over at the leaf he’d almost touched. It was large
and yellow, and seemed innocent enough.
The
boy reached out with his stick and gently touched the tip of it; as he did, the
leaf suddenly wrapped itself around the stick, incredibly fast, and a hissing
noise followed, as the tip of the stick evaporated.
Thor
was shocked.
"A
Rankle leaf," the boy said. "Poison. If you touched it, you’d be
missing a hand right now.”
Thor
looked around at all the foliage with a new respect. He marveled at how lucky
they had been to encounter this boy.
They
continued on their hike, Thor keeping his hands close to his body, as did the
others, and trying to be more careful about everywhere they stepped.
"Stay
close to each other and follow my footsteps exactly," the boy said.
"Don't touch anything. Don't try to eat those fruits. And don't smell
those flowers either—unless you want to pass out.”
“Hey,
what's that?" O'Connor asked, turning and looking at a huge fruit dangling
from a branch, long and narrow, a glistening yellow. O'Connor took a step
towards it, reaching out.
"NO!"
the boy screamed.
But it
was too late. As he touched it, the ground give way beneath all of them, and
Thor felt himself sliding, racing down a hill running with mud and water. They
were stuck on a mudslide and they could not stop.
They
all screamed as they slid in the mud, hundreds of feet, straight down to the black
depths of the
earnest, fearless, and had a lot of heart.
"Do
you know a place where we can take shelter for the night?”
The
boy looked back at Thor, then shrugged, looking uncertain. He stood there,
wavering.
"I
don’t think I should," he said. "Grandpa will get mad.”
Krohn suddenly
emerged from behind Thor, and walked towards the boy—and the boy's eyes lit up
in delight.
"Wow!"
the boy exclaimed.
Krohn
licked the boy’s face, again and again, and the boy giggled in delight and
reached up and stroked Krohn’s head. Then the boy knelt down, lowered his
spear, and hugged Krohn. Krohn seemed to hugged him back, and the boy laughed
hysterically.
“What’s
his name?” the boy asked. “What is he?”
“His
name is Krohn,” Thor said, smiling. “He is a rare white leopard. He comes from
the other side of the ocean. From the Ring. Where we are from. He likes you.”
The
boy kissed Krohn several times, and finally stood and looked back at Thor.
"Well,”
the boy said, wavering, “I guess I can bring you to our village. Hopefully
grandpa won't get too mad. If he does, you're out of luck. Follow me. We have
to hurry. It will be night soon.”
The
boy turned and quickly weaved his way through the jungle, and Thor and the
others followed. Thor was amazed at the boy’s dexterity, at how well he knew
the jungle. It was hard to keep up.
"People
come through here from time to time,” the boy said. “The ocean, the tides, it
leads them right into the harbor. Some people come from the sea and cut through
here, on their way somewhere else. Most of them don't make it. They get eaten
by something or other in the jungle. You guys were lucky. There a lot worse
things here than that Gatherbeast.”
Thor
swallowed.
"Worse
than that? Like what?”
The
boy shook his head, continuing to hike.
"You
don’t want to know. I've seen some pretty awful things here.”
“How
long have you been here?” Thor asked, curious.
"My
whole life," the boy said. "My grandpa moved us when I was little.”
“But
why here, in this place? Surely there must be more hospitable places.”
“You
don’t know the Empire, do you?” the boy asked. “The troops are everywhere. It’s
not so easy to stay out of their site. If they ever catch us, they capture us
as slaves. They rarely come out here—not this deep in the jungle.”
As
they cut through a thick patch of foliage, Thor reached up to brush a leaf out
of his way, but the boy turned and shoved Thor’s hand, screaming:
“DON’T
TOUCH THAT!”
They
all stopped, and Thor looked over at the leaf he’d almost touched. It was large
and yellow, and seemed innocent enough.
The
boy reached out with his stick and gently touched the tip of it; as he did, the
leaf suddenly wrapped itself around the stick, incredibly fast, and a hissing
noise followed, as the tip of the stick evaporated.
Thor
was shocked.
"A
Rankle leaf," the boy said. "Poison. If you touched it, you’d be
missing a hand right now.”
Thor
looked around at all the foliage with a new respect. He marveled at how lucky
they had been to encounter this boy.
They
continued on their hike, Thor keeping his hands close to his body, as did the
others, and trying to be more careful about everywhere they stepped.
"Stay
close to each other and follow my footsteps exactly," the boy said.
"Don't touch anything. Don't try to eat those fruits. And don't smell
those flowers either—unless you want to pass out.”
“Hey,
what's that?" O'Connor asked, turning and looking at a huge fruit dangling
from a branch, long and narrow, a glistening yellow. O'Connor took a step
towards it, reaching out.
"NO!"
the boy screamed.
But it
was too late. As he touched it, the ground give way beneath all of them, and
Thor felt himself sliding, racing down a hill running with mud and water. They
were stuck on a mudslide and they could not stop.
They
all screamed as they slid in the mud, hundreds of feet, straight down to the black
depths of the