Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
"Mmm," I mumbled under the dirt. A thumping noise woke me up from my dirt nap. My heart started to race, matching the thumping sounds coming from above. I feared an animal had found my hiding spot. My body had yet to heal so. I was in no shape for a fight. I just laid there praying to whoever would listen. ( Just leave!) I thought, hoping whatever found me would give up and leave.
Minutes went by, and the thumping continued. I heard the sound of digging as well. (Oh no!) I thought as the dirty was moved from my face. The bright sun shot directly into my eyes so that I couldn't open them. I just waited helplessly for my head to be bitten off.
OOooo
"Are you kidding me!" I said when I was able to open my eyes. In front of me was the monkey from yesterday. At least I guessed it was the same one. The monkey smiled wide, which made me even angrier. (Here, I thought I was a goner for sure, Only to find this annoying monkey.) I thought as my hand sprang out of the dirt. I planned to strangle the little animal, but it got away. The monkey dodged my weak hand and landed on my now exposed head. The beast danced around my horn as I tried to swat it away.
"Fine, you win!" I said as I sat up. The monkey just stays firmly on my skull. I summoned a few berries from my ring and handed them to the animal. It took the food and ran off again, not bothering to thank me. I should thank the monkey. If not for it, I may have slept threw another night. I needed to keep moving. I knew I wasn't safe staying in one spot multiple times. I also feared the tiger was still on my trail, and I hadn't gone too far from my drop.
I started to get up, which turned out to be more difficult than I thought. Sleeping in the dirt was a good idea. It made it so that I didn't move so much. Because as soon as I began to move, pure pain shot through my body. ( Ignore the pain, you have to keep moving!) I tried to give myself a pep talk. I began to limp in the direction the monkey went. The monkey did seem to have a pack or tribe. Whatever you called a group of monkeys. I'm sure it would have brought more when it found me this morning if it was a part of a monkey tribe. At least, I hoped.
I pulled out some nuts and meat from my ring as I made my way through the forest. As I walked, I thought about my two Jackals. I hoped that they were doing well. I also thought about my maid. I guess almost dying had made me miss being with Mog. I had it made with her around. ( Stop being foolish.) I thought to myself. My mistake was thinking I could have a quiet and safe life. I needed to come to terms with the fact that I was now truly alone in this forest.
Along my journey, I ran into a few deer and rabbits but no preditors. I was lucky that the animals I came across didn't eat meat. Because even the tiny rabbits I passed were layer four beasts. It was because of this that I chose to keep my distance from any beast I came across. I still had my sword out, ready for any surprises, not that I would be able to do much.
I didn't go very far from my last resting place. I had only made it about two to three miles away from my dirt bed. My wounds had caused me to make stops frequently. The cuts and scratches had healed already, along with my cracked ribs. My right arm was still broken, but it had begun to heal. My legs were healed but still ached with pain. Every step felt like I'd been stabbed with a million tiny needles. I had no idea about the state of my internal injuries. I would puke up blood if I drove my body too hard.
" I gotta stop for today." I said as I looked up into the trees. Half the day had gone by on my journey. I only had a few more hours till night, so I decided to make camp. I would need time to dig another bed for myself. After resting for an hour or so, I began to set up my bed for the night. I finished with a few hours to spare. ( I feel like I'm digging my own grave.) I thought after finishing covering myself back up. Sleep came fast. I had exhausted my wounded body with all my walking.
I woke up the next day to the thumping from yesterday. I was pretty sure it was the same monkey, but I waited for it to dig me up just to be sure. ( How the hell does it keep finding me. ) I thought as the monkey dug my face out. I sat up quickly, and the little animal jumped on my head again. It played with my horn as I stretched my good arm.
"Back again, I see. Here you are, your prize for waking me." I said, holding out an apple. The beast was lucky I had saved a lot of food before coming here. I would never give away my food if I didn't have enough left for myself. The ring had quite a lot of space. I had a few months' worth of food stored away, and I wasn't even close to filling the thing. ( I really have to thank my brothers for their gifts. They turned out to be very helpful to me.
ooOOOo! AY! AY!
The monkey cried as it snatched the apple from my hands. It then ran off again. ( A thank you would be nice!) I thought while I dusted the dirt off me and got up. If Mog could see me now, she'd surely lose her mind. I was covered from head to toe with dirt and dry blood. I didn't look like a princess at all. Thinking of Mog made me miss my morning baths. More than that, I missed the breakfast prepared by chefs in the palace.
" I'd kill someone for some bacon and eggs right now." I said as I pulled out the last bit of meat I had left. The deer meat did little to satisfy my hunger, so I had to eat a few nuts and berries. With all my Ki being drained to heal me. My appetite had come back with a vengeance.
After eating my impromptu breakfast, I began to move out. Again I headed in the way I saw the monkey go. I spent half the day walking but still didn't run into the monkey. I made camp again that night and was woken up by the tiny monkey. The pattern went on like this for another day in a half before I finally found the monkey's hideout.
On the last day of my trek, I made it to a small pond under a large boulder. A small stream poured over the large rock and into the pound. I followed the monkey as it ran around the large rock and disappeared from my sight. I slowly went around the boulder to look for it but saw no sign of the beast.
"Where you run off to?" I said as I searched the area. I noticed some vines on the side of the rock. I got closer to the vines and saw there was a hole behind them. I pushed back the vines and found a small cave just big enough for me to fit in. ( I guess I found the monkey's home.) I thought, debating whether or not to enter the cave. I decided to go in. If the monkey wanted to hurt me, he would have done it earlier. I was also sure that I could bribe the animal with food if I needed to.
I crawled into the small cave and was shocked by what I found. The monkey I followed was there, but there were also two more monkeys. There was a baby monkey that was almost smaller than the apple it was chewing on. Next to the baby was an older monkey. The older one seemed to be on its last leg as it lay in the corner of the cave. The monkey I followed here was busy trying to feed the older one when it noticed me.
AY AY AY!
The monkey shrieked at me. I held my hand up. The cave was so small I could barely sit up so, my hand didn't go up to far. I tried to show the monkeys I meant no harm. I even summoned some berries. The fruit got the little one's attention. The baby chimp's eyes went wide when it saw the food.
"So you are the one that's been helping my children." I heard a voice enter my head. I looked around, trying to find the speaker. My eyes finally settled on the older monkey. She slowly sat up and looked at me. I noticed the monkey was missing limbs and one of its eyes. I felt sorry for the animal. In the forest, losing a limb was the same as getting a death sentence. Fortunately for the monkey, it still had two arms. (What the hell.) I thought as I examined the beast. It was a mythical creature meaning it had evolved. Instead of two arms, the monkey had four. Well, two now. Its two left arms were now nubs.
" Sorry for enetering your home." I said apologetically. Even wounded, the monkey was still a layer five beast. I needed to be careful when speaking to the powerful animal. I wasn't in any shape to fight myself.
"It is alright, I should be thanking you for taking care of my daughters. getting food has been hard since my injury." The monkey said as it sat back against the cave wall. The beast didn't seem hostile, so I decided to continue our talk.
"It was nothing I only offered some food. I would like to use your shelter to recover from my own injuries. I promise to repay you with food." I said, offering the berries I had to the baby monkey. The beast took the fruit with glee and ran back to its sister. The older monkey rubbed its head in thought.
"If you promise not to harm my daughters. I will permit your stay. But only untill your injuries have healed. Then you must move on." The older monkey said. I wanted to jump for joy after hearing the beast's words. If the cave wasn't so small, I might have. I quickly promised the beast not to harm his children. I had no desire to harm them anyway, so it was an easy promise to make. I felt good knowing I'd have a safe place to sleep for the night.
"Thank you! Thank you! My name is Gora what is yours?" I asked the monkey. I didn't know if the beast had names, well, not those who live in the wild.
" I am called Leaf. My daughters are also named Leaf." She said, pointing at her children. ( Three Leafs, that's easy to remember, I guess.) I thought as I laid back and relaxed. I felt a huge weight being lifted off my shoulders. Now that I have a shelter, I can focus on healing myself.
"Nice to meet you Leaf!" I exclaimed. (Canis, Canem, just wait for me a little longer.) I thought about my hounds.
AHHHHHHHHH!
A roar shook the forest. It was the same roar I heard the first day I woke up at the bottom of the cliff. I felt my blood run cold as this time the roar seemed closer.
"What the hell was that!?" I asked Leaf, who seemed unfazed by the sound. The beast looked at me for a moment before answering.
"That was the new leader of the monkeys and the reason I look like this now. Leaf said, holding up one of its nubs. (What the hell could have caused such a thing.) I thought.