by Sam Puma
He considered his options and it looked like if he grabbed the vine he had prepared and swung forward to the next platform, he would be in range to shoot at them with his blowgun and throw some of the stones he had piled there. He had the vine in his hand and was preparing to swing when he heard a loud crashing sound from the cave. All the monkeys squawked and Juitao’s men turned to look.
Some of the trees above the cave had fallen over. The ground above the cave - the whole mountaintop - was moving up and down. An enormous black paw thrust out from the top of the mountain, then another. Gondaro’s head emerged from a pile of dust and he sucked in air. Juitao’s men gasped as he pulled more of his body from the mountainside, sending boulders and debris tumbling down. Jugon Drogon’s skull tumbled down towards Fayaya. Gondaro had grown to five times the size they had last seen him. He was already the largest creature Jorobai had ever seen. Now he was gargantuan.
He pressed himself up and out of the cave. Juitao’s men took off running in the opposite direction. One of them took an unfortunate path, tripped one of Jorobai’s traps and impaled himself through the chest with a sharpened stick that lurched up out of the ground. Gondaro freed the rest of his body from the rubble and revealed his newly darkened fur that featured stripes of dark brown and black. The blue stripe on his back had turned crimson and his eyes had taken on the red glow that had once belonged to the eyes of Jugon Drogon. He made a hissing, gagging sound as he coughed the dust from his throat. He reached up with his paw, swatted a palika flying above, pushed it into his mouth and swallowed it whole. He stood on all fours and shook himself from side to side, sending dust and small objects flying in all directions. A brown cloud formed all around him.
When Gondaro leaned his head back and roared, it was so loud that Jorobai nearly fell off his platform. The vibration rattled the platform and his blowgun and darts fell to the ground. The monkeys squawked and hustled away through the trees. Palikas and other birds came fluttering up into the sky and flew the other way when they saw Gondaro. He squinted through the dust and looked down at Fayaya. Jorobai thought he might charge down and trample them all. He looked down for a while, but turned his head up and looked all around the island. Jorobai thought he might be looking for him. Gondaro squinted in his direction with his glowing red eyes and seemed to notice him. Jorobai didn’t think he could be seen up in the tree. He figured Gondaro saw the smoke from what was now a modest fire. He felt vulnerable on his platform. As Gondaro started down the mountain in his direction, he climbed down the tree.
When Jorobai’s feet touched the ground, he paused for a moment. He rested his hands on the tree and felt the island vibrate with each of Gondaro’s footsteps. He knew Gondaro was looking for him. He felt himself being pulled in opposite directions. He was elated to see the return of his ally, but he was terrified by what Gondaro had become. He figured he had two options. One was to stay hidden from Gondaro, build another raft, and sail away from the island in the night. The other was to reveal himself to Gondaro. His glowing eyes, darkened fur and extreme growth suggested he had, through eating Jugon Drogon’s flesh, taken on some of his traits. But he was still Gondaro…
The footsteps drew closer. Jorobai closed his eyes and breathed deep with his hands on the tree. He calmed himself and listened. He felt his brother’s hands pressing on his hands from within the tree. He felt his brother’s courage fill his heart. He knew what he had to do.
Jorobai opened his eyes and dropped his hands to his sides. He walked out to the beach and stood by the fire. He looked up to see Gondaro taking his final steps toward the beach. His head was above the treeline as he crushed the tree that held Jorobai’s platform. He stopped at the edge of the forest and looked down at Jorobai. He exhaled and Jorobai could smell his breath. Jorobai was made dizzy by the putrid smell of Jugon Drogon, but he smelled familiar too.
“Gondaro!” He called out to him.
Gondaro stepped forward, directly over Jorobai, and walked out into the water. He waded out past the breakers, calmly gazing into the distance. It took a minute to get in up to his shoulders. He left a brown trail in the water behind him. He started to swim, and he was far off in the distance when he dove beneath the surface.
Jorobai sat down on the beach and watched. He wondered if Gondaro was leaving and never coming back. A calm came over him as he sat and watched the sea. He was not afraid of Juitao or his men. He knew they would not come near him any more. To them, there was something mysterious about him, and he was happy about it as he sat and wondered if he would see Gondaro again. Part of him wished that he could be Gondaro, a huge beast that could swim far from the island in a heartbeat. He imagined diving beneath the waves and discovering the world under the water. He imagined killing the shark that killed his brother, taking it between his giant jaws and squeezing it in half. He imagined stalking the entire world, covering territory like a bird in flight. He would find his son and kill anyone who got in his way.
He felt a fire burning in his gut when he saw Gondaro’s head breach the surface with an enormous fish clenched between his jaws. He swam back to the beach. Jorobai stood to greet him. Gondaro towered above him as salty water poured down from his chin onto Jorobai’s head. He opened his jaws and the fish dropped. It landed next to Jorobai, nearly crushing him.
It was a tremendous fish, twice the size of Jorobai. It had a rich smell, a large gaping mouth and decorative triangular shapes that protruded from its fins. Gondaro bent his head down and bit off the side of its torso. He straightened up, chewed and swallowed. He nudged it with his paw and grunted at Jorobai. He seemed to be offering it to him. Jorobai felt nervous around Gondaro but he was enticed by the smell and wanted to try the flavor. So he pulled his knife and sliced himself a fatty steak. He took it to the fire and grilled it on a stick while Gondaro finished the rest of it. While the meat cooked, Jorobai watched as Gondaro swam out again and brought back another fish. This one was long and thin with a large spike protruding from the front of its face. It looked like it could defend itself against a shark. Jorobai finished cooking his piece of meat and they ate together.
With his red eyes, darkened fur and gargantuan size, Gondaro was a fearsome sight. But Jorobai was staring to feel comfortable around him. He couldn’t help but continue to feel the same paternal love for the creature from his gut that he had raised from an infant. He didn’t know why Gondaro ate Jugon Drogon, and he was still unsettled by the idea that he may have taken on some of his traits. But he figured if Gondaro wanted to eat him, he would have done it already. Instead he fed him a fish, making an offering of friendship.
“My dear friend Gondaro,” he said as Gondaro lay down on the sand and faced him. He grunted and sent the smell of fish all over Jorobai. “I am glad we are together again!”
Gondaro’s eyes focused on Jorobai and he nodded his head as if to beckon him closer. Jorobai stood and took two steps closer, but hesitated at the sight of Gondaro’s enormous mouth and the fangs the size of his thighs. Gondaro reached out with his paw and drew Jorobai over to the side of his head. Jorobai reached up and put his hand on his face and felt his brittle wet fur. “Hello, friend…”
He started to speak but when he touched Gondaro’s face, his vision blurred and faded to black. He saw images in his mind’s eye. He looked up at himself, standing on the beach. He chased a palika and got tangled in a net. He soon realized he was seeing through Gondaro’s eyes. Gondaro was sending images into his mind using the energetic connection of his hand placed on his face. Jorobai felt the vines wrapping around him down in the canyon, as if he were Gondaro. He felt the bees stinging him and saw himself collapse in a vain effort at rescue.
Jorobai watched as Gondaro showed him the images of what happened after they were separated. While Jorobai was tied up awaiting his fate, Gondaro was fighting the vines. He fought them for a month straight. He got free a few times, recovered his strength at the beach for a while, then tried to reach Jorobai aga
in. But every time he ventured into the jungle, the vines were there in full force, ready to reach out and grab him. Jorobai felt the pain of it all, and sent acknowledgment through his hand to thank Gondaro for his mighty efforts. When Jugon Drogon emerged from the cave to descend to Fayaya and claim his gifts, Gondaro broke free to rescue Jorobai.
When the images showed the darkness of the cave and the feasting on Jugon Drogon’s flesh, Jorobai was overcome with nausea and pulled his hand back from Gondaro. He fell backwards and landed on his back in the sand. He stood back up and looked into the glowing red eyes of his giant friend. “Why did you eat him?”
Gondaro simply grunted, seemingly irritated by the question. He stood up and swam out into the water again, splashing around and diving underneath the waves. He swam back to the shore, dripped water all over Jorobai, and laid down on the sand again. He grunted and gestured with his eyes. He leaned his neck down towards Jorobai and the communication was received. He wanted Jorobai to get on his back and ride him out on the water.
Jorobai pondered for a moment, but inside he knew this was the chance he had to take. He gathered his weapons, his gourd water jugs, and some branches for a makeshift shade structure. Gondaro knelt and waited patiently while he loaded it all onto his back. He figured everything would fall off, so he ran back and harvested some vines, using them to tie his supplies to the long strands of fur on the dark red stripe that ran down Gondaro’s back.
When Jorobai signaled he was ready, Gondaro slowly rose to his feet. The bottom dropped out of Jorobai’s stomach as he was elevated high into the air. The wind was strong and Jorobai clung to Gondaro’s fur, terrified he might lose his balance and fall to his death.
Gondaro wasted no time looking back as he slowly waded out into the water. Jorobai was glad to leave, but felt a tremendous fear. He was about to embark on a journey out into the dangers of the sea on the back of a gargantuan Ashtari. He reminded himself that all he had to lose was his life and all he had to gain was a reunion with his son. After so many close calls, the thought of death didn’t bother him. But the instincts in his body still cried out for safety as his knuckles turned white and his teeth clenched.
Gondaro was submerged past his knees when Jorobai noticed the palika flying by. “Wait.” He realized that his bottle of amoza was still back in the village, and he couldn’t leave it with Juitao. “We need to go back to Fayaya. Just for a minute.” Gondaro emitted a low roar of disapproval as Jorobai pulled on him to turn around. He wasn’t afraid of Juitao any more. He was going back to claim what was his. If Juitao or his men resisted, it would be their own fatal mistake.
Gondaro walked slowly, allowing Jorobai the chance to adjust to the challenge of riding an enormous beast. Jorobai was jostled around between his shoulder blades and neck before he dragged himself up and found a more stable position on the top of his head between his ears. He clung to the thick fur of Gondaro’s deep crimson stripe and tried to keep his legs from sliding back and forth as he absorbed the bounces and anticipated the changes in the landscape. His feet had nothing to hold onto and he had to hang on tight with his hands to keep from falling to his death. Even the highest treetops were below him and all the creatures of the forest fled as Gondaro trampled the vegetation beneath his feet.
In a few minutes they covered a day’s journey and crested the top of the mountain that had once held Jugon Drogon’s cave. Gondaro paused and they both looked down to survey Fayaya as the villagers screamed and ran to hide. Gondaro walked slowly down to the edge of the quiet village and lowered himself to the ground for Jorobai to dismount.
The entire island was eerily silent. Jorobai felt the warm air of Gondaro’s exhalation as he stepped forward into the clearing of the village. He had to take a moment to catch his breath and rest his aching arm muscles. Simply being back in Fayaya brought up the familiar feeling of disgust and repulsion; he had no intentions of lingering. He looked over at the darkened doorway of Juitao’s hut.
“Juitao,” he called out with an air of menace in his voice. “You have something that belongs to me. Amoza. Bring it here, now.”
He waited for a few breaths, but all was silent. Gondaro emitted a low, rumbling growl, just loud enough to be heard throughout the village.
“Wait here,” Jorobai held up his hand to Gondaro and slowly walked over to Juitao’s hut.
“I know you’re in there, Juitao. Do you want Gondaro to destroy the whole village? Or would you rather return what you have stolen?”
Liana’s face peered out from the doorway, her eyes wide with terror. “Please don’t hurt us! You can have the bottle. He is too weak to stand. Come inside and take it. Don’t hurt our family!” She whimpered and backed away into the darkness.
Jorobai was angry that his demand had not been met. He felt more powerful than ever before with Gondaro at his back. He thought about burning Juitao’s hut to the ground, or simply having Gondaro stomp on it. He restrained himself as he remembered that Juitao’s children were likely sheltering inside, trembling with mortal fear.
He tried to contain his anger and stay calm, but it boiled within him as his breath shortened and the hot air hissed through his nostrils. “Curse you, Juitao,” he spat as he strode up to the doorway and entered the hut. Liana crouched with her arms around the children who cried and huddled up against her.
“Jorobai, don’t hurt us!” She wailed as she pleaded with him. Jorobai looked past her and saw Juitao lying on his back on the bed.
It looked like Juitao, but his appearance had changed dramatically. His chest wounds were covered with poultices that oozed a black slime. He smelled like rotting flesh. Jorobai grimaced and tried not to breathe as he stepped closer.
“Jorobai…” Juitao croaked as his eyes opened halfway and his head turned to look at him. His face was a grisly sight. He clutched the bottle of Amoza at his side with his bony hand, and it dawned on Jorobai that he must have been drinking it, because it was eerily apparent that Juitao had permanently taken on more of the physical features of the palika. The blue feathers that he had once worn as part of his lavish garb now grew right out of his skin. His legs were bony and scaly and his toenails had become hardened claws. His nose had grown larger and looked more like a beak. His tongue was short and pointed. “Have pity on me. Have pity on my people.”
Jorobai stepped forward as Liana and the children cowered and stayed out of his way. As he neared Juitao’s bedside, he noticed a fear rising up inside himself. He had learned to fear Juitao, and somewhere deep inside he held onto the suspicion that he still had one more trick he could use to steal power back. He looked down at Juitao and saw a pathetic creature on the brink of death. Half man, half palika. Transformed by the power of the Amoza. Jorobai felt it was a fitting end for his enemy, and decided not to kill him.
“You can keep your village and your people. But this is mine.” He reached down and plucked the bottle out of Juitao’s hand. To his dismay, it felt light, empty. He jiggled it side to side and guessed there was only one swallow of it left. It was undoubtedly composed primarily of Juitao’s backwashed saliva.
“You cursed maggot!” Jorobai roared and lifted the bottle above his head as if to smash it down on Juitao’s face. Liana screamed and Jorobai restrained himself for the sake of the children. Had they been alone together, he would have brought it down with all his fury.
“Have pity on me,” Juitao croaked. “The Amoza is the only thing that helps me with the pain.”
Juitao turned his palms up and pleaded with his eyes. Jorobai’s anger surged, but he felt something inside him shift as he slowly lowered the bottle down to Juitao’s bed. He felt a calm begin to rush over him as he looked into and past Juitao. He took a deep breath. It was over. The time had come to leave Juitao, Fayaya, and the island of Jugon Drogon, never to return. Juitao’s family watched him turn and leave the hut. He didn’t need to kill anyone. It was enough for him to know that he could leave, a
nd there was nothing anyone could do about it.
“You were right, my friend,” he said as he climbed back up on top of Gondaro’s head. “We are done here.”
Jorobai still struggled to maintain his place on Gondaro’s head as he waded out into the water. In spite of the aching pain he felt in his arms, he felt a surge of soaring elation all through his being. He had finally escaped the island and left Juitao behind for good.
“O my sweet Sagaya, you have delivered me. Gondaro, we are free!”
Gondaro roared his approval as his feet left the solid ground and he swam away from the island. The water splashed up around Jorobai’s legs and he noticed something wrong. Gondaro was swimming to the west, back to Olaya. Jorobai wanted to cross to the other side of the sea and search there. “Gondaro, wrong way. We need to go the other way.” He pulled on Gondaro’s fur, trying to steer him in the right direction, to no avail. “Gondaro!” He scolded. “We need to go the other way!” He pulled on the fur of Gondaro’s crimson stripe, pressing in with his feet and leaning to his right as hard as he could. Gondaro growled with irritation. He obviously felt he was going in the right direction.
“You idiot! You’re going the wrong way!” He continued screaming at Gondaro and failed to notice that his waterlogged poison darts came free from their tie and drifted off into the water behind them.
The Face
of the Enemy
Jankaro reached down to his left hip and felt the stitches. He reached around to his buttock and felt the stitches of his exit wound. He felt the stitches on both sides of his shoulder. At first he felt no pain, but as he came to his senses the pain returned. He knew something bad happened but he didn’t want to think about it. He got out of bed and put on the fresh blue uniform that sat folded neatly on the bedside table. It was a struggle to put it on through the increasing pain and stiffness of his injuries. His suit of armor hung on the wall. It had been scrubbed clean of all the blood and patched with fresh yanigo where it had been broken. He took a drink from the jug of water on the table. His hip screamed in pain as he reached down to lace up his sandals. His leg didn’t want to move as he dragged himself to the door of his apartment and pulled it open.