"Guruji, umm... I... I am sorry I am late... Can I join the exams?" Vijay asked in a worried tone.
"Vijay!!! Where were you? I have already told you not to be late today... sigh... Now there is nothing I can do. Please go home and try next year," Guruji said.
"Um...I.. I... Gra..Grandma... Doctor..." Vijay stuttered, while his whole body was shaking.
"Please, Guruji, one last chance... I... I... please..." Vijay knelt down in front of them.
"Sigh... Wait, let me talk to the counselors," Guruji murmured something to the counselors and said, "Okay, hurry up. You have to
pick up these buckets, fill them with water from the forest. The first one to reach here will win the race. The others have already started, so you have to hurry up now."
Listening to Guruji's words, Vijay's heart was refilled, and a bright smile radiated from his pale lips. He picked up the two buckets and a wooden flexible pole, venturing into the forest.
Dodging and sliding past obstacles, Vijay's heart pounded in his chest, palms slick with sweat, and body trembling with adrenaline. Still, his grip on the buckets remained unwavering.
"I must be vigilant, avoiding any unnecessary noise that might attract unwanted attention," Vijay whispered, his breaths heavy and labored.
"As taught in the Grukul, I have to keep a keen eye and observe every single detail. But just to be sure of the path, I must mark some trees to find my way back."
As he maneuvered through the forest, Vijay passed by a group of students who had finished filling their buckets and were returning to the Grukul.
"Oh, isn't it Vijay, the late one," one kid taunted, a sneer in his voice. "Hahaha, we're going to be the first, you loser," the other chimed in.
"Judging from their crude way of running and the buckets still filled, it indicates that the river must be right in front. I must hurry," Vijay thought, ignoring their criticism.
Soon, the singing of birds and larks was overlapped by a gentle breeze and the chorus of the flowing river.
"Seems like I'm not far from the river," Vijay thought.
Upon reaching the river, Vijay beheld the blue-silver milky water flowing. A sense of satisfaction flowed through his mind, and his heart calmed down a little.
"Clang... swish... clang... clang... swish... clang..."
"Hmm, here we go. Now, the buckets are filled. Let's make some arrangements so that the water inside them won't spill," Vijay said with a smile as the drops tickled his face.
"Tear... clang..."
"First, I should wrap the center of the pole... mmm... hmm... Now, let's bind the handles of these buckets from an equal distance from the center... mmmm... hmm... This should be sufficient."
"Now, let's move before my scent attracts any beasts... ummmm... hmmm... It's pretty heavy... huff, huff... Let's hurry," Vijay said, placing the pole bound with buckets on his shoulder.
With heavy steps, Vijay followed the path back to the Grukul, listening carefully to every sound. Slowly, as the sound of the river faded, the surroundings became silent.
"kyaaak.....What... is... this? Hey, stay back... Don't you come any closer..." someone's voice echoed through the forest.
"What is that? It sounds familiar. What could it be?!" Vijay paused his movements, contemplating.
"Should I check it first? Let's check it out. Someone might be in danger."
Vijay slowly approached the direction of the voice. The grass on the ground was destroyed in some places, and the bushes were broken.
"What happened here? It looks like..." As Vijay was thinking, a voice interrupted.
"Ergh...stay... back..." the same familiar voice cautioned.
"What was that?" Vijay removed the tall grass in front of him.
As he took a peek through the grass, he saw an eerie creature standing in front of a timid boy lying on the ground, shouting, trembling, and pointing a wooden stick towards the beast.
"It's a corcotta!" Vijay exclaimed as the image became clear.
"Why does this kid have such bad luck... Oh, it's not a good situation," Vijay thought, feeling desperate.
"I remember Guruji telling us about these," Vijay recalled, flashing through his memories.
Guruji: "Everyone, listen carefully. These are creatures you should never confront unless it's a dire situation."
Kids: "What are those, Guruji?"
Guruji: "Well, you might not remember them all, so let me tell you. These creatures are sometimes spotted in the forest near the village. They're called corcottas."
Kids, listening carefully, widened their eyes in astonishment.
Guruji: "Yes, corcottas. They're eerie creatures, resembling a mix of a dog and a wolf. They have a disgusting appearance and possess abilities far greater than that."
Kids, with a disgusted and astonished expression, absorbed the information.
Guruji: "They are very agile, strong, and flexible, and can even speak the human language to some extent."
One of the kids: "But Guruji, what should we do if we ever find ourselves in a situation where we have to confront them?"
Guruji: "Hmm... there are ways to defeat them. You should target their vulnerable points, such as their necks and abdomen. However, if you encounter an adult corcotta, it's best to run away or hide, as they can easily overpower you."
Kids: "Okay, Guruji."
"Just as Guruji told us, it is definitely a corcotta, although its size differs from what he described. It seems to be in adolescence," Vijay thought, bringing himself back to reality.
"I have to save the boy, but what should I do... ummm..." Vijay pondered, his gaze scanning the surroundings.
"Yes, that's it... first, I should secure my buckets," Vijay decided, carefully placing the buckets in a safe spot and unbinding them from the wooden pole.
"Hmm... this should do," Vijay muttered, picking up a sharp-edged stone from the ground.
"Scratch... scratch... this much should be enough," he thought, using the stone to sharpen one side of the wooden pole into a pointed weapon.
"Let's first... distract its attention... umm... mmm." Vijay threw a pebble into the bushes.
As the corcotta's attention was distracted, Vijay jumped out and stood in front of the child lying on the ground.
"Hey... where is your group?" Vijay asked the child.
"Um... they pushed me here to save themselves from the corcotta," the child replied, crying.
"Please save me... I... I don't want to die," the child pleaded to Vijay.
"Hey... shut it... can't you see I am in front of you? If I'm not saving you, what does it seem like to you? That I want to play to death with this beast," Vijay said, trying to soothe the child in a funny way.
"Anyway, when I signal you, run as fast as you can. Do you understand me?"
"Okay," the child replied softly.
In the midst of their conversation, the corcotta had already detected Vijay's presence.
"Grrr... growl... hmm... two food," the corcotta snarled.
"What... this one can speak? I thought only adult ones can," Vijay said, shocked.
The corcotta growled and took a stance as if it was ready to tear their necks at any instant they blinked.
Seeing the corcotta take the stance, Vijay's body trembled and chills ran down both of their bodies.
"Hey, are you ready?" Vijay murmured.
"Yeah," the child replied with a soft voice.
"Okay, when I count three, run towards Grukul," Vijay said, setting his gaze upon the corcotta.
"Hmm," the child responded softly.
"One..." Vijay whispered, flipping back to look at the child.
As he realized he was the only one standing there...
"What... shit, man..." Vijay whined.
"Grrl... your comrade left... ha... ha ha... you think you can face me with a little branch?" the corcotta laughed.
"Well... I kinda anticipated it, and to begin with, I know I had to face you alone, so it's not that bad."
"You... little brat... then... let's see... how... should I enjoy you?" The corcotta launched itself at Vijay, not giving him time.
"Mmmm... thud..."
Vijay blocks the attack with the wooden pole while falling to the ground with the corcotta above him.
"Kick... argh... thud." Vijay kicks its abdomen, pushing it away.
"This is too much... How can a corcotta who has yet to become an adult have this much strength?" Vijay mumbles, glancing at his trembling hand as he gets up.
The corcotta gets a grip with its claws, restraining Vijay from sliding back.
"You've got some tricks... Well, let's see if you can endure this." The corcotta snarls, lunging its claw towards Vijay's neck.
"Hup... hup... clash... clash..." Vijay blocks the attacks with his wooden pole.
"Swish... swish... scratch..." Slashing through the air, the corcotta launches another attack. It is agile and fast, leaving Vijay unable to react. It scratches Vijay's arm, and crimson blood starts to flow.
"Argh..aahh.." Vijay screams in pain.
"Haa... haa... haa... Does it make you fear me now?" The corcotta snarls sinisterly.
"Shit... It's too much. If this goes on, the next time it will be my neck... I have to think of something." Vijay thinks, breathing heavily.
The corcotta launches another attack, stretching its body forward, enlarging its mouth to reveal its ferocious sharp canines dripping with sticky saliva.
"Rwaarl... tung... thud..." Vijay blocks the attack directed towards his neck by using the pole to block its mouth. But once again, the corcotta has the upper hand as Vijay is lying on the ground with the corcotta above him.
" 'Break... break'... Shit... I think the pole is about to break... What should I do? What should I do?" Vijay thinks nervously.
"Thump... struck... argh...." A stone flies and strikes the corcotta's head.
"He... hey... do... do something now." A trembling and familiar voice speaks.
"You came back..." Vijay says as the corcotta's grasp weakens after being struck by the stone.
"Kick... thud..."
Vijay kicked the corcotta's abdomen, causing it to fall onto its back. He then stood up, jumped onto its abdomen.
"Yeeaaaahh... swish... stab!"....
.
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....✦Chapter end "you" weebs... wait for the next chapter...✦
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Meanings and words
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1. Corcotta :- A corcotta is a mysterious and eerie creature native to the ancient Indian subcontinent, possessing remarkable agility, formidable strength, and the uncanny ability to produce human-like language.
2. Guru G - A term used to address a respected teacher or spiritual mentor in Indian culture, combining the word "guru" (teacher) with the suffix "ji" (a respectful term of address).
3. Grukul - A Hindi term for a traditional school or educational institution.
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