Zircon leaded the way, she knows how to avoid the dangerous parts of the jungle, it wasn't easy though, with all the spikecones falling down on them. Luckily Azalea grew a huge thick leaf called a succulent, big and thick enough to use as a umbrella to protect themselves from the spikecones. And to avoid the meadow of itchy ivy plants, they're going to need to protect their skins with Paloma's special cream she took out from her bag. They lathered it all over their bodies, and it worked. When they walk pass the field of itchy ivy, the plant didn't itch their skins like crazy.
"This cream works brilliant Doctor" Sapphire congratulated on Paloma's special cream.
"Yeah, I could definitely use this stuff whenever I'm having polkapox" said Zircon, who find this cream useful.
"Thank you" Paloma thanked them. "It was thanks to Azi's special unique plants that made the cream pure."
The sun was setting, it's getting darker, they need to set camp for the night.
They settled in a nice camping spot. Azalea was in charge of setting up camping tents made of strong sticks and soft long mullein leaves.
Red was building up the campfire, he made a small circle of pebbles, stacked some wood together, now all he needed to do was add a little spark with some two rocks. He rubbed the stones together, striking them repeatedly to start a fire... well he did his best. It's gonna take a while though.
Sapphire and Lo were sitting at the picnic table, though its not a real picnic table, just something they made out of stones and a wooden plank. They were studying their maps, researching the jungle's whereabouts, and planning their next trip.
And as for Zircon and Terra, they were foraging high and low in the jungle for food. Zircon, in the form of a Sciurimus, an animal mixture of squirrel and mouse, that is also great at climbing trees, chipped the spur of the fruits sending them falling down for Terra to catch them with a woven basket made of actual soft thin sticks. But the most important meal for a campfire is the Gossymallow, like some kind of white cotton candy marshmallow, from the thickest bushes. They gathered all the food and returned to the camping place, but when they arrived they saw Red hasn't started the fire yet. It looked like he's having a hard time with the flint stones. Sapphire noticed him too, and couldn't watch anymore. "Need some help little brother?" she offered him her assistance.
"No, I got this" he replied, dishonest. Typical man hormone.
Sapphire knew how to play his feeble mind. She just turned away and said "Alright" returning to her studies with Paloma. If her calculations are correct, in about few seconds Red will call back in three, two... one.
"Wait... actually yes, I do need help" said Red, who gave up on trying to strike the rocks for fire.
Sapphire smiled cunningly, she knew reverse psychology would work on him. She explained to Red how it works. "Okay, first you can't just pick any rock you find on the ground, these rocks you got are muddy and wet. You need dry steel flint quartz rocks, steel is struck against the sharp edge of a hard stone, and sparks form as the rock peels away tiny pieces of heated steel. Struck the pyrite hard together then comes out tiny sparks that lands on the wood and look here we have fire."
"Not that I don't appreciate the lecture, but why don't you use your powers to start the fire?"
Sapphire looked at him with a cross look and answered. "You know very well why."
Red had to change the subject quick. "Right. Never mind. Forget I asked. Thanks for showing me how it's done. Say has food arrived yet?"
"Foods right here!" exclaimed Zircon, bringing the food. "Let's heat them up!"
"Are we gonna cook them?" asked Terra.
"We're gonna roast the Gossymallow on a stick" answered Zircon. "And trust me, they are safe for you to eat, and delicious for your human taste buds."
Terra was relieved to hear that. "Oh, good to know."
And so they roasted them gently till it's golden brown, kind of like roasting marshmallows back on Earth. But it's different, cause once it's roasted it popped big and poofy like a golden cotton candy marshmallow.
Terra took one big bite of the Gossymallow, and it tasted like paradise, with its soft sweet sugary flavor, its like eating a sweet cloud. "Oh, this actually tastes pretty good, like cotton candy mixed with marshmallow but better." She savored every bite.
Zircon was pleased she liked it, actually she knew she would like it because the Gossymallow was another one of natures best candy. "I knew you would like it" She smiled.
"Oh, I love it" Terra finished the whole candy. Suddenly Terra felt a head rush, must be the sugar in her blood, or a flashback. She remembers a campfire, just like this one, and she's roasting marshmallows with her parents and siblings. Her vision was a blur, but it was clear enough to see she was camping with her family, telling scary stories, star gazing, hiking etc. And her relatives were speaking in their native language only she couldn't make out what language they were speaking. Soon she snapped out of it when Red intervened. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked.
Terra woke up. "Yeah, must've zoned there for a moment or lost in thought I guess?" she continued warming herself on the campfire but the blurry flashback will stay etched to her memory.
They continued warming themselves around the campfire, enjoying the quiet night. But the quiet night was too quiet for Zircon, and it's getting dull, so curiosity got the better of Zircon and she asked her two new unusual guests questions. "Okay, I gotta ask, what are you doing out here?"
"Excuse me?" said Paloma, puzzled.
"I mean what's a city girl, like you, doing out here in the jungle?" Zircon asked again more specific. "Why is this expedition so important that you had to risk your comfort safety to document?"
Paloma was not ready for that question, she just answered poorly, with a shy face. "Well, you know. I like to get out of my comfort zone to get out there, have some experience, adventure, mystery and... stuff like that. To live a little, you know?"
Zircon wasn't convinced at all, she knew right away she was lying, she looked at her with skeptical eyes. "Nice try, what are you doing out here really? Are you one of those power hungry people who only does it for the money?"
"What!?" Paloma was stunned. "No, of course not, I'm not them. I'm a scientist, a discoverer, I study and learn new things. I'm not a treasure hunter who pillages and hurt people for their own selfish needs. I just..." Paloma paused for a moment, thinking what to say next. All eyes and ears were on her, they were paying attention to her speech.
"It's okay, you can tell us" said Terra, comforting the doctor.
"We're just interested" said Sapphire.
"Yeah, we're listening" said Red.
Azalea put her hand on her best friend's shoulder, supporting her to tell them the truth. "It'll be alright" she said. "I think its best you should tell them."
Paloma sighed and gave in. "Alright." She prepared to tell them her plan. "I didn't come here just to catalog, I've come to fulfil an old score. One me and an old friend of mine wanted to chase since childhood."
"So your doing this to complete your unfinished life goal?" said Zircon.
"Well that, and also to study the legendary Malawild, which mystery has an interesting history, that I'm sure you already know of."
Terra was confused and curious. "What history mystery?" she asked them.
Sapphire turned to Zircon and asked. "Zirc would you like to tell Terra another story about your planet?"
Zircon sighed, and smiled in amusement of Terra's simple human brain. "Oh, all right, but let's make this quick. The truth is my Jungle Planet wasn't formed in the hidden galaxy."
"It isn't!?" Terra looked surprised.
"Nope. And like I said the Malawild is the core of this world. It's a fragment of a star, from this galaxy, but like a shooting star it shot out from this galaxy to yours, and it planted into your planet's earth for a million years. Soon it was dug up by Native American Indians, thinking the gem was a gift from the gods. They protected it, but after a decade some Italian navigator named Christopher Columbus, accidentally sailed to America, where he met the Indian people, who possesses a very valuable, beautiful, fascinating, shiny green gem. When he was about to take it with him, the Indians defended. They wouldn't let any stranger touch it, nor come near it. When tension grew into something series, something magical happened to the gem. It began to shine brighter, the humans didn't know what was going on? They were terrified. That's when the princess came in."
"Princess Galexia!?"
"Yes, Princess Galexia. She came to Earth to retrieve the gem, but she had to disguise her alien identity into something miraculous, so she posed herself as an angel, a messenger from god, with the wings, the white dress, and the golden ring hovering above her head, she contained the gem in a hexagon box containment. The humans were in awe to see an angel, they genuflected immediately. Galexia didn't say anything, not to cause too much drama, she just took the gem and disappeared into the portal, in the bright white light. That's definitely gonna leave an awe mark on human history for generations."
"So what did the princess do with the gem?"
"It was not just any gem. It was a core, a planet seed of pure universal nature. Galexia just needed to put it in a nice, safe, private, quiet place where no one can find it and disrupt its power role. Over time the gem core, now called Malawild, grew and formed into a planet, filled with rich vegetation and a strong, healthy ecosystem, it's connected with all the nature in the universe, which makes it very powerful in the universe."
"So this world, the Malawild, is actually born in my planet?" Terra guessed.
"That is accurate" said Zircon.
"And if I could study its power, imagine the lives that could be saved" Paloma said with enthusiasm. "Legend says its power can protect us from Hex, if he ever returns."
"Yeah, well I wouldn't worry much about him" added Sapphire. "He's the least of our problems."
"Still, this gem can change everything" Paloma continued. "It's the beginning of a scientific revolution, it's very exciting Zirc."
"And it can also help stablelise my powers" added Terra, reminding her of their deal.
"Of course, I always keep my word."
"Well I have to say that's very noble of you, didn't think a nervous city scientist could be so brave."
"Why thank you, that's very kind of you."
It seems like Zircon's warming up to them. They continued camping the rest of the night, chatting, getting to know one another. It was a campfire to remember.
But what they didn't know is that Pollux and his gang are on there tail. They're camped far away enough to spy on them, so they won't get noticed. Pollux grinned maliciously "Enjoy yourselves while it lasts, cause it certainly will be your last."