"Don't be afraid. I won't kill you," the man said flatly. His right hand opened the cap that covered his face.
The light of the thirteenth moon revealed the face of a man about 60 years old. His long gray hair and sideburns. His eyes were sharp but friendly. A small smile played on his lips.
"Do you see the criminal look on my face?" he asked, looking at Nyai Dhira and Nalini in turn.
"Thank you for helping us. Who are you?"
Nyai Dhira dared to ask. Her body trembled with the fear that still surrounded her. She would have almost lost her life if she hadn't been saved by the man.
The man put his hat back on with a smooth motion. Half of his face was covered again.
"I have no name. Whatever you want to call me," he said with a chuckle. His hands were clasped together, as if he didn't care what people thought of him.
Nalini, who was starting to regain her courage, asked. "How can someone be nameless? I'm sure Master is deliberately hiding his identity."
The man was intrigued by the statement of the young girl in front of him. "You are intelligent, child. Therefore, I'll let you call me anything," said the old man. He still did not want to mention his real name.
"Eyang Guru. I'll call you by that name," Nalini said firmly. I don't know where she got the idea, but suddenly Nalini was eager to learn from the man.
"'Girl!" scolded Nyai Dhirah as she nudged Nalini's arm. She didn't want her daughter to be careless in trusting someone they just met. Her eyebrows furrowed in warning.
"Take it easy, Mom. I think he's a good person. If he was bad, he wouldn't have saved us from that mob," Nalini whispered in her mother's ear. Nyai Dhira paused, it was true what her daughter said.
"Hmm, but I am not a teacher. I'm just a traveler who happened to be passing through here," said the mysterious man. He turned around and signaled Nyai Dhira and Nalini to follow him once more.
"There is a secret cave in the forest, if you believe me. It is unknown to the villagers, not even the warriors," he explained as he walked away.
Nyai Dhira shook Nalini's arm. She was still hesitant but seemed to have no choice but to follow him.
"Already, ma'am. Let's just follow him. If we go alone, we might not survive. Look at those people who fainted, soon they will wake up and chase us again." Nalini persuaded her mother at length.
The girl limped to her feet. The pain came from her injured left leg and now seemed to crawl all over her body. She winced, but did not want to complain.
Nyai Dhira got up and supported Nalini. "Be careful, Nduk. Your leg is quite deeply injured," she said.
Nalini tried to walk even though she was hobbling. She endured a great deal of pain.
They walked slowly following the old man.
Apparently the helper knew the place by heart. He made a shortcut. Before long they had entered the dense and dark forest.
"Eyang Guru, don't hurry. It's so dark, we can't see anything," said Nalini. Her hair stood on end at the sight of the large trees that stood vaguely. If she wasn't careful, she could have crashed into them.
Without saying much, the man Nalini called Eyang Guru took something out from under his shirt. I don't know what it was, but it seemed to reflect light in the dark.
Although it was dim, it helped them not to lose track.
As they went deeper into the forest, the atmosphere became more sinister. Occasionally there were sounds of birds or wild animals passing by. Nalini held Nyai Dhira's hand tightly.
No one spoke between them. Each of them kept their eyes and ears open.
Under a row of large tamarind trees, Nalini's footsteps suddenly stopped. Her knee joints seemed stiff and immovable. Only her outstretched hands pointed to their left and right. She saw several pairs of lights glowing from the darkness.
"Ma'am... what is it?" Nalini's voice whispered in the midst of the fear that ran through her body.
Nyai Dhira also stopped her steps. She felt cold sweat the size of corn falling down her back.
"I-it's a tiger. Tiger!" she whispered almost inaudibly. Her throat felt dry. It hurt to even swallow saliva.
"Gu-guruuu!" Nalini let out a stifled cry for Eyang Guru.
Three pairs of blazing eyes drew closer to them. Now the sound of his distinctive roar could be heard.
ROARR... ROARRRHHH
Eyang Guru stopped his steps and acted cautiously. Even so, his calmness was commendable. He seemed to be waiting for the tigers to arrive.
"Come closer my friend, we are your friends, I am not afraid," said Eyang Guru. He opened his hand that carried the luminous stone to make it brighter. Sure enough, he saw two tigers and a black tiger surrounding them.
Growling sounds grew louder, their tails wagging ready to attack.
Eyang Guru leaned back and closed his eyes. He repeatedly breathed in and began to chant. The old man tried to make mental contact with the tigers that surrounded him.
"We were just passing through, we meant no harm. We entered this forest because we wanted to save ourselves from the enemy's pursuit." Eyang Guru spoke as if he was answering the tigers' questions.
The tiger's roar was heard again. The three of them walked slowly around their prey.
Eyang Guru was still calm. He did not pull out a single weapon.
Nyai Dhira and Nalini hugged each other and shivered with fear.
'Oh, is this the end of my life? Escaping the pursuit of the villagers only to end up trapped in a tiger's den,' Nyai Dhira's inner voice lamented her fate.
As if reading her mother's fears, Nalini whispered in her ear.
"I believe Eyang Guru is a great man, ma'am. Look, it looks like he's negotiating with that tiger!"
Nyai Dhira nodded weakly. She did hope the old man would bring another miracle.
Sure enough, a black tiger stepped forward to approach Eyang Guru. The large animal walked with grace and dignity.
"Oh so your name is Mandala. You are the one in charge here? My respects to you." Eyang Guru bowed to the black tiger with reverence.
Strange. The big cat seemed to understand and bowed his head, returning Eyang Guru's greeting.
"Thank you for letting us stay in this forest for a while," said Eyang Guru again while stroking the black tiger's head carefully.
A loud roar came from Mandala. He seemed to be answering Eyang Guru's words.
The tiger slowly walked away and disappeared into the darkness of the night. The sound of his roar was faintly heard as if he was making an announcement. A kind of notice to all forest dwellers not to disturb guests who come to their territory.
Nalini took a deep breath. She wiped away the tears that she didn't realize had been rolling down her cheeks.
"We're safe again, ma'am," she stammered. She was both moved and grateful. Again and again their lives seemed to be on the line.
"Yes, girl. Eyang Guru managed to persuade them," said Nyai Dhira. Since childhood she had often heard stories of the kind of herd that guarded the forest at the edge of their village. Who would have thought that tonight they would actually meet the king of the forest.
"Thank you, Master." Nyai Dhira saluted the man in white.
"Let's walk again. We'll be there soon," Eyang Guru invited. This time he walked more slowly. The two women following him were already tired and one of them was injured.
They kept moving. The road they passed next was quite steep and uphill. Nyai Dhira and Nalini occasionally had to walk on all fours to avoid slipping.
After passing the top of the hill, there was the sound of a waterfall and gurgling water. The cave they were aiming for was still nowhere to be seen.
"Teacher, is it still far?" asked Nalini as she sighed. She was really tired. Her body sat limply on the grass. The hairs were falling on her forehead.
Eyang Guru pointed at the waterfall. "It's up ahead, it's here," he said flatly.
Nyai Dhira squinted her eyes. She did not see the mouth of the cave. All she saw was a sizable waterfall. The sound of its roar was incessant.
"Behind the waterfall, there is a secret cave. We have to swim and break through there," Eyang Guru explained. His hands cut through the knee-high weeds, intending to open a path to the river.
Nalini gasped at Eyang Guru's words. "Huh? Swimming? It's dark at this time of night?"
Nyai Dhira was also confused. She had never practiced swimming in her life. Not to mention the kebaya and cloth wrapped around her body. Just being able to walk fast was good.
"Sorry, Master. We can't swim," said Nyai Dhira. She hoped Eyang Guru had another option.
Eyang Guru looked at the two women in front of him. He took one long breath. He seemed to be trying to be patient. The risk of traveling with a woman is either complaining or nagging.
"I'm not forcing you, if you object to coming, I'll just leave you here," he said in an indifferent tone.
"Mercy, Master. Mercy. We're coming," Nalini interrupted as she quickly got up from her seat. "Come on, Mom. We can definitely swim."
Nyai Dhira nodded weakly. In times of trouble like this, her daughter could always be a lifeline for her.
Limping, the two of them followed in Eyang Guru's footsteps. The road was slippery, covered in grass wet with morning dew. Black stones protruded irregularly adding to the difficulty of the terrain.
"Hold Mom's hand tightly." Nyai Dhira held out her hand as they were about to pass a steep descent.
Nalini reached for her mother's hand.
However, before they could hold hands, Nyai Dhira lost her balance. Her left foot tripped over a rock and sent her tumbling down.
Nalini could not prevent it. It happened so fast. Her eyes widened and she screamed out loud.
"Mom! Mom!"
Nyai Dhira's body continued to roll downward. There were no boulders or shrubs to hold her up. "Help!" she screamed in desperation.
Eyang Guru also seemed to be shocked and realized what had happened. Suddenly the old man jumped up and down, following him down with his body lightening knowledge.
But it was too late... He was too fast. Nalini heard the sound of Nyai Dhira's body being thrown into the river.
The girl no longer cared about the pain in her legs, she hurriedly climbed down the river cliff to catch up with her mother.
"Mom, wait for me!!"