"The breaching ?" Shuu asked who did not know what it was.
"Some sharks have developed a way of hunting a little different from their congeners, which consists in waiting on the bottom of the water for a prey to pass over them. When one is at the right place, the shark uses its powerful fins to propel itself like a torpedo to the surface, and hit its prey to knock it out. This is a behavior that has long been ignored by researchers... But I think that's what Jigô was planning to do from the beginning !" Explained the vet, staring at the arena.
Indeed, the only hope for the shark to project high enough to reach the tree was to use the water that filled the places to his advantage. But even so, Kast was tens of meters higher. Had he really so much strength ?
Jigô who was indeed at the bottom of the water was waiting for Ornella's signal. The latter had decided to immobilize the squirrel using the tree to allow his partner to be sure to succeed, despite what the shark had asked before the start of the race.
The wolf's voice echoed in Jigô's mind, which immediately took speed by propelling himself towards the surface. He had no right to mistake but did not doubt a single second of himself.
The shark emerged out of the water at a breathtaking speed, under the surprised eyes of all the spectators. Arun felt like a missile had just been launched, and the danger came straight to the squirrel who could not even dodge it.
Yet Kast had been struggling for a while. Whenever he got rid of one of the leaves or branches that hindered him, others came back to block him more. The tree was alive now ?
"No, no, no, he's going way too fast !" The squirrel saw the shock arrive, unable to do anything. He expected to be trapped and attacked down the tree, but he never thought sharks could fly.
Jigô hit his opponent right in the chest, using his head as he was propelled forward. A horrible creak announcing some broken bones spread through Kast's body, along with sharp pain all over his chest. He fell back on a branch, still trying to keep the egg under his arm. If only he could send it to his platform...
But the shark was there too, and he stood perfectly without the slightest scratch. He put his foot on the squirrel's arm, preventing him from moving his limb if he had wanted to try one last desperate action. The poor man even had trouble breathing, and no doubt he would die soon. His lungs or heart had to be hit.
"It was an interesting game, I have to say. Thank you for entertaining me for a few minutes, but my real goal is in the final, so I have no time to lose here." The shark said coldly, stooping to steal the squirrel's egg, which now had no way to resist.
"You bastard... So it's Arun you want, huh ? I suspected that there was something unclear in this Meerkat Show... You've handled everything from the beginning..." Hatred and anger were legible in Kast's eyes, who now clearly knew that his human friend was in danger. And the most frustrating thing is that he could not do anything to protect him, and he could not even warn him.
"You're right, it's for him that we're competing in. After all, seeing a human in the world of pets is an incredibly rare thing, I can't miss this opportunity. With him, the doors to Magna Rosa will open to all."
"So that's your goal ? It's because only some people can go there that it's a safe haven... Without the goddess, we would not even be able to come into this world ! Why do you want to hurt her ?" The more Kast spoke, the more he felt his throat become dry and painful. The man in front of him did not realize the gravity of his actions. The goddess was a being of light who created this world, and Magna Rosa was her sanctuary, protected and holy. So why did he want to defile her when she had already given them a whole world ?
"I'm not going to hurt her. Let's just say I have some things to deal with, and I can't go visit her without forcing the doors, so I need the help of this human." Jigô finished, sighing impatiently. He pushed his foot a little harder on the squirrel's arm, which caused him a few groans of pain.
"Arun... Arun will never cooperate with you, and he will win the final... you won't have his help, he's a honest and sincere human..."
"You bother me, squirrel. As usual, pets don' see further than the happiness they share with humans, which is why I always preferred to engage wild animals. Those who don' have the chance to know this comfort." Finished the shark by finally moving away from the squirrel, before pushing him into the void with his foot. Kast, helpless, could not even hang on to a branch to avoid the long fall that awaited him.
From the public, it had been a few minutes since we could not see the two men. And suddenly, a silhouette fell from the top of the tree. It was the squirrel.
"Kast ! No !" Arun jumped up when he saw that his friend was going to crash into the water if nothing was done, and probably die instantly. It was going too far ! Was he going to kill them all ? What had happened at the top of the tree for Kast to find himself in such a state ?
The few seconds of his fall seemed to last an eternity. He felt himself falling into emptiness, full of rage at once against Jigô, and against himself, who had not been strong enough to protect anyone.
'Arun... I have no choice but to trust you for the rest... My heart will always be with you, even if my body in this world won't exist anymore in a few seconds... You have to win ! I'm sorry to make you carry all my hopes once again, but I know you'll be able to defeat Jigô. See you next time, vet !' The squirrel thought as he closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of his body before finally crashing into the water in a deafening sound.