Chapter 10: Hunting a little thief.
"Pass me that rope" Said Kopaka.
"Which one?" Answered Tahu.
"That's the only rope! Which one can be?!" Laughed Kopaka.
"But I really don't see anything!"
"Tahu…"
"I'm not lying! Is real!"
Kopaka frowned, he pushed Tahu aside and he looked for the rope. It wasn't there. He could swear there was a rope right in front of him moments ago.
"Did you burn the rope?" Asked Kopaka as he turned around to look at his brother.
"First of all: We don't have powers in here; And second: WHY WOULD I BURN MY OWN ROPES?"
"Look, if you're lying I swear I'll…"
"Shhh, did you hear that?"
"Oh no… Is that monster again?"
"No, idiot, it's another sound. Do you hear it?"
"Tahu, if you're poking fun of me…"
Tahu punched him on the face and almost took off Kopaka's mask. Kopaka put his mask again on his face and he stared at Tahu with fury. Tahu grabbed him by the head with his two hands and forced him to hear the jungle's sounds.
"DO YOU HEAR IT NOW?"
"Get off me!" Kopaka snapped as he escaped from Tahu's hands.
"But did you hear it?"
"Do you mean of the sound which was like a monkey?"
"Yes! That sound! Haha! I'm not crazy after all"
Kopaka muttered something about stupid fire brothers and he began walking to the jungle.
"Where are you going?"
"My sixth sense tells me that maybe that thing stole our rope."
"I thought only the females had a sixth sense…" Muttered Tahu. Kopaka began walking.
Tahu grabbed him by the shoulder and made him stop walking.
"But why will you go there? I mean, there are another ropes in the whole jungle!"
"Yes, but that was OUR rope, and it didn't has a reason to steal it. I don't want another incident with those huge creatures, so come with me, keep your head down, don't talk and on everything: try to don't fool around."
Tahu tried to argue, but Kopaka grabbed him tightly by the wrist and made him walk.
"I DON'T WANNA GO!" Protested Tahu.
"Shut up. You'll go and that is it."
"BUT I DON'T WANNA…"
"Tahu, look, if you don't shut the fuck up, I'll take off your teeth by myself. So come and don't struggle"
At that moment Tahu felt stupid. They looked like a big brother who was taking his younger brother to the school.
Finally Kopaka could drop Tahu's wrist, and they began walking without argue.
"Do you see something?" Asked Tahu.
"Nothing at all." Answered Kopaka. Suddenly a coconut fell on his head. "HEY! What the…?"
"Look!" Yelled Tahu. He pointed to a tree with a weird monkey on it. "I'm gonna get him!"
"NO, TAHU…"
But Tahu began climbing the tree. Kopaka sighed and began climbing too.
"I almost got him…" Said Tahu as he stretched his hand to grab the creature by the tail. The "monkey" stared at his hand, then he took it and bite it. Tahu yelped and he fell over Kopaka. They fell from the tree and Kopaka fell with his legs opened in a bough.
"Holy shit…" He moaned in pain and he fell to the ground, he landed over Tahu.
"Are you okay?" Tahu asked.
"Go get that stupid thing!"
"This is for my brother!" Tahu yelled as he grabbed a stone and threw it to the monkey. The monkey hit the stone with his hand and sent it back to Tahu's eye.
"OUCH!" Tahu yelled. He stepped back and he stumbled with Kopaka's body, so he landed with his back on the ground. "This cannot keep this way." He helped Kopaka to stand up. "You go to the right; I'll go to the left. Get it?"
"I get it."
They ran to their respective sides and they climbed the intricate trees. They began walking trough it's boughs and they both were like ten meters from the monkey. There were lianas there.
"Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?" Asked Kopaka.
"Oh, yes." He smiled with complicity to his brother, they stepped back, then they ran and grabbed the lianas. They flew in the air, the monkey dodged them and they crashed against each other.
"Great idea." Growled Tahu.
"Shut up and let's catch him!"
They began running through the intricate boughs. The monkey jumped to a leafs and he hid from the brothers.
"We got him" Whispered Kopaka. "At the count of three, I'll separate this leafs and you'll trap him, get it?"
"Get it"
"One, two… three! Now!" Kopaka separated the leafs but Tahu didn't move. They both were stunned. The monkey was using the rope to make a nest to its babies.
"Is it a female?" Asked Tahu.
"I think so." Kopaka sighed. "Let's go, there's nothing to do here"
"But…"
"He… I mean She… She needs it more than us. We can go and get other ones."
…
The night fell, the hut was complete but Tahu and Kopaka were laid on the sand, looking at the starred sky.
"Kopaka…"
"Mmm?"
"Why did you let the monkey keep with the rope?"
"She stole it only for her babies. It's the maternal instinct. That's what Matoro uses to say to keep the Rahi mothers with its cubs"
"Oh."
There was a silence.
"Good night" Said Kopaka as he entered to the hut.
"Good night" Answered Tahu. He sighed. Under all that chill, Kopaka had a really big and warm heart.