by Krutant Iyer
They couldn’t see the top-end of the jungle island beyond the hazy cloud it pierced through. The rays of the Sun broke through the mask of the misty cloud and lit the expanse of the jungle island. On each level of the jungle, the canopy of the thick branches and leaves kept the sunlight from hitting the jungle’s floor. From where they stood, they could see the entire expanse of the cylindrical jungle that ran all the way to the top.
“This is going to be the site for your test. I want you to bring back the Ashwagandha herb that grows up there,” Vajra said, pointing towards the top of the jungle with his lathi.
“It may look like any other shrub growing in this jungle, but can be identified by its small pale green flowers, and red berries. It has a distinct smell that’s similar to a freshly cut grass.”
This seemed like a fairly simple task. Ballu, Raaka, and Mitra smiled at each other, wondering what was so difficult about this test.
Seeing the twinkle of overconfidence in their eyes, Vajra continued, “If you can get the plant before sundown tomorrow, I will begin your training. If not, you will be provided with a canoe from the ship to leave this island and head back to the village.”
“Oh, I forgot to mention,” Vajra added, almost as an afterthought. “Be sure, you don’t disturb the guardian beast of the jungle. It would be difficult for you to come out of the jungle alive if it happens to notice your presence.”
Vajra’s revelation wiped the smile off their faces. Of course, it couldn’t have been so simple, they wondered.
“But Teacher, how can we face the beast?” Ballu was at a loss for words.
“Well, you all seem to be holding a weapon of your choosing. Why do you still hesitate? Or, are you telling me you wish to quit already?” Vajra goaded them.
“But we haven’t even learned how to wield the weapons yet, and –” Ballu responded timidly.
“We will do it.” Mitra cut in.
“Are you mad? You think you can take on a wild beast if you come across one?” Ballu yelled at his younger brother, bewildered by his confidence.
“Oi – what’s the point of coming all this way, if you can’t even bring back a damn plant?” Murari glared at Ballu.
That seemed to do the trick. He couldn’t let his resolve be weaker than Murari’s. The boys made up their mind to accomplish the task.
“I will do it,” Ballu said firmly.
“Very well. Bring back an Ashwagandha herb before the darkness of the night descends on the jungle tomorrow, and meet me back at the beach.” Vajra said.
The four boys held their weapons firmly as they entered the thickets, towards the first level of the jungle.
The jungle’s floor was covered in layers of fallen barks, stems, and wild grass everywhere. Manoeuvring through the dense, claustrophobic undergrowth of the jungle proved even more difficult than they had imagined. They couldn’t see the ground they were stepping on, the thorny wild shrubs scratched their faces and arms, but they kept moving forward. Occasionally, they would hear the birds chirping and the monkeys screeching, but the vast canopy of leaves overhead made it difficult for them to see these inhabitants of the jungle.
Soon they reached the edge of the ground level of the jungle. They wondered how to make their way to the upper level, seeing no way to make the climb.
“Look over there,” Mitra pointed towards a stair-like path that ran along the edge of the rocky wall. The stairway did not have enough foothold for them to simply walk to the next level. They had to hug the wall and sidestep on their toes on the narrow ledge as they made the climb. The thick creepers growing along the wall provided a solid grip for them to make the climb.
Soon, they got off the ledge and back to the safety of the jungle ground again. They looked back and saw the first level of the jungle running in a circle, all the way to the other side of the wall. Looking up, they saw the second level rising above it. The canopy of leaves and branches on the ground level made it impossible for them to see the path they had treaded through. There was no looking back now.
On this level, the jungle was not as dense as the level below. There were lesser bushes, and the trees were much thicker, but of average height. They carefully watched their steps as they progressed through the jungle, making sure they moved as silently as humanly possible.
“Wait. Are we moving in the right direction?” Mitra voiced his concern.
“What do you mean?” Murari asked.
“All the levels of the jungle run in a circular path, but we do not know where exactly is the access to the next level. If we continue to move through the jungle blindly, we will only end up wasting time looking for access. We need to think of a way to find access quickly.” Mitra said.
“If I remember correctly, Teacher was pointing in that direction when he mentioned the Ashwagandha herb,” Ballu said, pointing towards the top of the jungle on his left.
“But, how are we to find out whether that is the right path?” Mitra asked.
Ballu looked around to see the tallest tree in the immediate vicinity.
“Look at that tree over there. Let’s climb it and see if we can find the right way,” Ballu said, pointing towards the tallest tree around.
Mitra volunteered to make the climb. Placing his gourd canteen, the quiver of arrows and bow near the tree’s base, Mitra swiftly made the climb and reached the top branch of the tree without any difficulty. Standing atop the branch, he tried to look over the blanket of leaves and branches. He looked all over but the density of the jungle made it difficult for him to find the stairway. But something caught his attention.
At the far end of the jungle’s trail towards his left, he could see the trees breaking the uniformity of their pattern. A small patch of land did not seem to have any trees. Taking a mental note of the direction of the trail, he came down and shared his finding with the boys.
As they made their way through the trail, Murari couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if the guardian beast decided to show up. Somehow, he couldn’t shake off a feeling of uneasiness that was nibbling at his mind ever since they had entered the jungle. He decided to not voice his concern, as he knew it would only give Ballu more leverage to mock him. Nonetheless, he tapped his sword, secured loosely around his waist.
The boys hadn’t failed to notice that the trees on this level were strangely equidistant from each other. But as nothing untoward had happened, they did not think much of it.
They could now see the rocky wall up ahead, which meant that they had almost reached the edge on the left side of the jungle. But to their surprise, the access to the wall was cut off by a small water body that ran up to its edge. The boys stood there scratching their head, wondering how a freshwater pond could exist a level above the ground.
The light-greenish blue colour of the pond, surrounded by moss rocks mesmerised the boys.
They noticed a mammoth rubber tree growing on the edge of the level above. The branches of the huge tree bowed over the pond, providing it with a natural cover from non-existent sunlight. Its thick roots descended along the wall, which ran down into the pond.
The pond was shallow enough for the boys to walk across it, with the water only rising to their knees.
One by one they made the climb, holding onto the grip provided by the thick roots. Soon, they were standing on the third level of the jungle.
The atmosphere on this level felt strangely different. The air seemed dustier, and somehow their bodies felt much lighter than usual. The jungle was shrouded behind the screen of fog that surrounded its entrance.
Reckoning it was due to the high altitude of the third level, the boys did not think much of it. But they were concerned about walking blindly into the misty jungle.
Murari’s head suddenly throbbed unbearably. It hadn’t hurt so much before. He sat down on the ground, holding his head in his hands, as he struggled to keep his eyes open.
“What’s happening with you? Quit playing around now,” Ballu snapped at him.
B
ut the words were dulled by the sharp pain and Murari could not even muster enough strength to respond.
“Murari – What’s wrong with you?” Mitra asked.
Murari shut his eyes even tighter as the pain refused to ebb. While the pain made it impossible for him to open his eyes, he felt a strange white light rush down from within his head to cover his vision behind closed eyes, and then the pain was instantaneously gone.
He opened his eyes slowly, rubbing his forehead as he did. He could see the silhouette of three people standing near him. Behind them, he saw the jungle. Only this time, he could through the misty cloud within the jungle. He stood up, looking all around him. Even though his vision was robbed of its ability to distinguish between colours, he somehow felt he could see clearer.
“What’s the matter with you? Why were you acting weird just now?” Ballu questioned him.
“It’s nothing. Let’s get going,” Murari murmured, his head still reeling from the advent of the strange vision.
“What do you mean ‘Let’s go’? Don’t you see the blanket of mist ahead? How are we supposed to make our way through the jungle, without knowing where we are moving?” Ballu snapped.
Murari looked in the direction of the jungle in front of them.
Mist? It seems only I can see through the mist due to Eye of Indriya. This power’s quite something.
“Don’t worry, I will lead the way,” Murari said. “Just make sure you stay close.”
Without waiting for them to respond, he entered the jungle. He could hear Ballu cursing under his breath, but knowing there was no turning back now, he had no choice but to trust Murari for now.
Most of the trees extraordinarily tall in this jungle. Some of them seemed to rise beyond the next level of the jungle. The branches of these trees ran into each other, making a natural bridge of sorts. Their roots covered the ground, which reminded him jungle in Vanagochar.
As they made their way into the jungle, in complete darkness, Murari saw specks of light at a distance. Even though it was quite far from where he stood, the specks of light shone brighter than stars, hovering just a little over the jungle’s floor. Murari started walking towards it, but the lights suddenly vanished in thin air. It was as if the source behind the light had sensed his presence and did not wish to show itself yet.
Murari noticed that unlike the previous levels, the ground ahead ran upward in an ascent, rising to the topmost level of the jungle.
Just then the boys heard a low rumble, immediately followed by an earth-shaking roar that reverberated through the jungle. The boys froze in their tracks. Having lived around a jungle all their lives, they could distinctly identify animals by their sound. This loud and threatening roar could only originate from the most ferocious beast in any jungle, a Tiger.
Murari immediately looked in the direction from which the roar had come. He couldn’t see the Tiger, but his instincts told him to get off the ground as soon as possible. He immediately directed the boys to climb the nearest tree as fast as they could. Not having to be told twice, the boys did just that and were soon comfortably perched atop the thick branches of the nearest tree, within a matter of moments. They all sat on a different branch to distribute their weight evenly.
“Do you see it?” Raaka whispered.
“Shhh – Be quiet!” Murari retorted as he peered through the canopy of branches.
For a while, he could not see anything below. He was wondering if they had mistaken some other sound for a Tiger’s roar and was about to ask the boys to descend the tree when he caught the glimpse of a gleaming pair of eyes staring in their direction from behind the bushes nearby.
Looking at the two luminous, oval-shaped eyes hovering behind the bushes, Murari understood the beast had been keeping a tab on their movement since the moment they had entered the misty level of the jungle. Though he couldn’t see its body, he could tell by the unyielding glare of the Tiger’s eyes that it was waiting for them to get down, so the beast could ambush them.
Is it the guardian of the jungle? It certainly looks much bigger and ferocious than the usual Tigers. He wondered.
He warned the boys of the Tiger’s presence and cautioned them not move unnecessarily, or it might give away their exact location to the Tiger. They sat silently, without moving a muscle. This went on for quite some time, neither the beast nor the boys were willing to make the first move. It was getting darker in the jungle. Murari knew they had to get out of this quandary soon and find a secure location to camp before nightfall.
Just then, the Tiger slowly emerged from behind the bushes, and turned its gaze directly at Murari and let out a low, almost inaudible chuff, as if in derision of their efforts to hide from it. It moved towards the tree on which they were sitting.
Murari did not have to tell the boys about the approaching beast. The beast announced its entry with a deafening roar that shook the very tree that sheltered them. Their muscles stiffened.
Murari took a deep breath and made up his mind. He knew the Tiger would attempt to climb the tree and get to them. He had to act quickly. He swiftly made his way towards Ballu, who was sitting with his mace in hand.
“Oi – the Tiger’s soon going to try and come up here. We somehow need to keep that from happening.” Murari whispered.
“What!? How can we do that when we can’t even see the bloody beast?” Ballu responded angrily in a hushed voice.
“Don’t worry, I can see the Tiger. And when I see it making the climb, I will warn you,” Murari assured him. “You just keep an ear out for my signal.”
“But how will I know when to swing my weapon?” Ballu asked.
“Swing your mace as soon as you hear my signal,” Murari said.
Murari then gave the same instructions to Raaka and Mitra, before returning to his position. The Tiger growled as he sensed movement up on the tree.
They all had their weapons drawn out. Murari followed the Tiger’s movement very closely, as it circled the tree’s foot.
The Tiger stepped away from the tree and backed up to the bushes, from where it had emerged. To anyone who did not know about ways of the jungle, it would seem like the tiger was retreating. But Murari knew better. The Tiger was getting ready to attack. The question was, in whose direction would the tiger direct its attack first?
The Tiger lunged towards the tree. Murari knew then, the Tiger was coming for him. He held his sword firmly in his hand, even as his heart beat faster. But then the Tiger ran past the tree and in one swift motion turned around and propelled itself up the huge tree, in Ballu’s direction.
“Ballu, Now!” Murari yelled.
Ballu sat transfixed to his spot. Fear gripped his heart, rendering him unable to react entirely.
At the same time, the Tiger in one swift motion struck its paws on the branch on which Ballu had taken refuge, before landing back on the ground. Its thwack shook up the branch violently, making Ballu lose his balance and slip from the branch. He instantly let go of his mace and threw his arms around the branch, in a desperate attempt to hang on to it.
Even though Raaka and Mitra couldn’t see, they understood what had happened.
“Don’t let go, Ballu. I am coming over,” Raaka said.
“No, don’t –” Murari deterred him from doing so.
But before he could finish his sentence, Raaka had already stepped on to the branch and mistakenly on Ballu’s fingers. Ballu cried out in agony as he came crashing down on the ground. The Tiger had already backed away to the bushes for its second attack. Ballu’s cries of pain shattered the jungle’s eerie silence. The Tiger growled loudly in response to Ballu’s cries.
It emerged from behind the bushes and took slow, deliberate steps in Ballu’s direction. Seeing the Tiger approach, Ballu tried to get up in a panic, but the impact of the fall had made his legs numb and unresponsive, which only fanned his incongruity and elevated his heartbeat.
Ballu somehow managed to sit up, leaning against the tree. He could hear the low grunts of the
approaching beast.
After observing its fallen prey for some time, the Tiger crouched and bent its head, getting in position to make the kill. It swiftly pounced off the ground, with its claws drawn out.
Ballu closed his eyes, resigning to his fate and hoping for a quick, painless death.
Murari had been observing everything silently from the Treetop. As soon as the Tiger pounced, Murari leapt off the branch. Holding both his hands firmly around the hilt of his sword, he plunged the weapon into the beast’s back, breaking his fall by rolling off the Tiger’s body. A sharp pain shot up in Murari’s feet from the impact of the jump, that pulsed throughout his body.
The Tiger let out a loud, painful roar. Seeing Murari on the ground, the maddened beast charged at him. Unable to get up in time, Murari rolled to his side to avoid the beast’s claws. As soon as the Tiger landed on the ground, Murari leapt on its back, grabbing hold of the handle of his sword, which was still wedged on the Tiger’s back, and drove it further it using all his might. The Tiger tried to shake him off his back, even as it roared in pain, but Murari held on firmly to his sword’s handle. After wriggling for a while, the Tiger finally fell to the ground, succumbing to the injury.
As soon as the beast fell to the ground, Murari let his body slide off its back and lost consciousness.
✽✽✽
Sapta
Hunt for the Rare Herb
Murari woke up with a start, feeling a sharp pain in his legs and his arms. He was lying on the ground. His vision had returned to normal. Even the mist surrounding the jungle had dissipated.
He looked around and saw Ballu lying beside him. He turned the other way to see Raaka and Mitra sitting at a distance, on the other side.
He sat up with an effort. Seeing him up, Raaka and Mitra rushed up to him.
“Be careful now,” Mitra said. “You shouldn’t try to move so soon, or it will delay your recovery”
Murari laid back on the ground and allowed his body to rest.