Finding Hope

Character: Ja'far

Rating: K+

Summary: A day in life where Ja'far got lost and tries to make his way back home. Experimental fic with a new topic.

Ja'far blinked bleary eyes as he beheld the foreign scenery around him. Large boulders stretched in every direction, shaping a jagged, uneven terrain. Farther off the periodic sound of ocean waves meeting solid surface was amplified several times through the ground on which Ja'far laid upon. In the other direction stood a sheer cliff face, so tall that its top disappeared from sight just a few meters upward. And on its right side, the cliff slowly dwindled into forest as vines and lianas replace rock material.

Ja'far moved his forelimb gingerly, wincing as soreness and pain shot through the frontal right one. The swollen joint hinted at a sprained ankle. Other than that, most of his other body parts were fine, minus a few bruises here and there and bedraggled fur. A part of him was surprise that he was still alive after having tumbled down from such a precipitous slope.

But as luck would have it, his fall was broken by vegetation and the blanket of moss growing between the granites.

Casting a glance back up the cliff face, Ja'far realized that it would be impossible to scale the perpendicular walls, regardless of how apt he was at climbing. There were simply not enough footholds for him to hang on to. In other words, he was effectively trapped here unless outside help came or unless he took a longer route through the forest and somehow cut back up.

The first option seemed out-of-the-question, given the rising sun and increasingly hot rocks. Besides, Sinbad might not have noticed his disappearance yet. Their leader was quite…clueless in some matters. That left him with the second choice: to attempt and fight his way back up.

Powered by a new determination, Ja'far gritted his fangs and balanced himself on three legs before moving slowly across the rocks.

~oOo~

By the time Ja'far made it to the forest edge, it was already high noon. But unlike the blistering heat outside, broad-leaved trees sheltered the forest ground, providing a cool haven for any flora and faunas living underneath. It was at this time that the Orami faced another problem: while temporarily saved from the temperature, the forest presented a whole new danger for the young Orami. There were many creatures in the area that could easily hunt a wounded pup. Even Oramis from other communities were hostile to outsiders, much less a loner.

But it was not like there was much choice for Ja'far. He skirted around fallen logs and suspicious-looking holes, sticking as close as possible to foliage. If worst come to worst, he could still try to climb up the trees using his leftover paws.

Suddenly, a flock of tropical birds scattered from the treetops, alerting Ja'far to an unwanted newcomer. He didn't have to wait long. A large predator soon came into view. It was one of the island's top carnivores, resembling a hybrid between a wolf and a hare. It was a creature clearly built for speed and deadly kills: two rows of hooked fangs lined the inner muzzle backed by a thick neck and strong jaws designed for a solid grip and swift kill. Sturdy chest muscles and a larger lung allowed more oxygen intake and a faster circulation when running. Finally, powerful hind legs and a long tail gave balance and speed.

Ja'far froze in his tracks, deliberating whether to bolt for a hiding place or continue to stay there. He didn't trust his luck enough to avoid the predator if he stayed in the same spot though. Slowly, Ja'far retreated, backing towards a palm tree a few meters back.

However, just short of three meters from the tree, Ja'far stumbled on his wounded paw.

Immediately, the creature set its sight on the little Orami. Throwing all cautions to the wind, Ja'far fled. He darted between nooks and crevices, ignoring the growing pain inside his limb. Just behind, crashes and snarls followed him, alerting him to the presence of his pursuer. Inferring from the sound, it was not far behind at all.

Gradually, Ja'far could feel his muscles giving out. He even snagged his fur on a few stumps and scattered branches. But his pursuer was not in the least deterred. It continued to chase him tiredlessly, gaining ground at a rapid pace. Already Ja'far could hear its heavy panting, could feel the sharp claws just falling short of his body.

So close…

"Miii!" Ja'far uttered a cry as he stumbled, falling into a crevice created by the buttress roots of an ancient tree. For awhile his tail was caught, pulling his body backwards. But Ja'far scrambled desperately forward, pulling his large tail into the hole as well.

The predator flew over the hole before executing a sharp turn back and clawing at the entrance of the crevice. Ja'far retreated to the back, hunching his body to make himself as small as possible. Though his heart was still pounding furiously and his fur standing on ends, he hissed nonetheless at his pursuer, showing that he would not fall without a good struggle.

Finally tired of the small prey, the beast left, deeming that it was not worth the effort for such a small creature. Still, Ja'far did not move, waiting until the birds began chirping again to be sure that everything was safe. Only then did he peek his head out of the hole, carefully sniffing the air to make sure the coast was clear.

The young Orami continued on his path, sticking close to the river this time. If there was a predator around, the lush cattails and sedges around the river side would give him ample warning beforehand. That, and he could just follow the waters upstream to know that he was moving in the right direction.

On the way Ja'far rested often. The wound on his foot was exacerbating, a dark purple bruise forming around the injured area. It would probably take him a good two weeks to heal properly. Two weeks, if he found Sinbad and returned to his family safely. Talking about the large Orami, where could he be right now? Surely he have already began lunch and realized that Ja'far was missing?

Perhaps he was retracing his steps right now. If that was the case, Ja'far needed to move faster and reach the spot where they last traversed.

But it was easier said than done. No matter how much Ja'far sniffed the area, he couldn't recognize it. He could smell the faint scent of other Orami populations nearby though. They'd probably made their way around here a few days ago judging from the lightness of the scent. However, if this were their territory, it meant that Ja'far was still in danger. The last thing he needed was being chased by members of the same species.

Suddenly, just a few feet ahead, a few tails popped up, puffy and ringed black-and-brown.

Ja'far froze. They were the Oramis that he had smelled. How had he not noticed their scent?

Belatedly the pup realized that he was standing downwind where the smell did not get carried over.

"Mi?" "Mi!" A few guards spotted the young Orami.

The alert rang throughout the population as more and more tails popped up from the thick undergrowth. This was soon followed by larger members of the tribe standing on their hind legs and assessing the newcomer.

Ja'far tried to seem less intimidating by lowering his tail and flattening his ears, four feet bent and belly almost touching the ground as he crawled forward a few steps, mewling softly. Hopefully they would let a lone pup pass, especially when said lone pup was being submissive.

It was nerve-wrecking as the older Oramis regarded him. Their ears and tails were still perked up, indicating that they were no less wary of the intruder.

After a few moments, the leader of the tribe hissed angrily and then all hell broke loose.

A few large males ran towards Ja'far, snarling and growling. Although Oramis were gentle creatures to other communities, they didn't take kindly to members of the same species in retrospect.

Ja'far felt fangs clamping down on the tuft of fur on his neck as he was bodily hauled and thrown, landing a few feet away. He barely had any time to regain his bearings before another set of fangs bit into his injured leg, causing him to howl with pain.

The adults were merciless in the treatment of the outsider. They tore into the young pup, scratching and biting. All the while Ja'far was tossed and thrown. He could only yowl and yelp for mercy, unable to move his body before he was attacked again.

After what seemed like hours of agonizing torture, Ja'far was finally left alone, battered and bruised. It was a wonder he managed to pull himself to a thicket nearby, all the while whimpering as different parts of his body became alight with pain. The pain prevented him from sleeping.

A splash of water alerted Ja'far to the changing weathers. In his wounded state driven by the craving to return to his family, Ja'far failed to take notice of grey clouds forming above him.

As if on cue, more and more droplets followed thereafter, and soon the whole area was wet, including the poor pup as well.

Ja'far shivered as he felt the icy water trickling into his fur, drenching him thoroughly. The leaf above him hardly acted as a shelter, but he was in too much pain to move and find a better spot. He could only curl in on himself, using his tattered tail as a meager blanket.

By and by, while miserably watching the puddle of water in front of him expand and making plaintive calls now and then, Ja'far fell into unconsciousness.

"-iii!"

One of Ja'far's ears perked as the call was repeated several times in the distance. It was Sinbad! He raised his head immediately and answered the call, sounding so much weaker in comparison. He could only hope that Sinbad had heard him.

There was silence for awhile and Ja'far feared for the worst before Sinbad's call was made again, this time sounding much closer. He sounded desperate and worried.

In return, Ja'far poured all his strength into calling once more, waiting for his leader to come.

There was an excited flurry as Sinbad heard his reply. As they moved closer, Ja'far could also make out the incessant mewling of his other family members.

Above him, the leaf rustled roughly before Sinbad's form appeared, peeking down at him. The older Orami seemed shocked at his state, his eyes widening significantly at the sight of him. He leaped down, carefully cuddling the younger Orami as he licked at Ja'far's wounds. The warm, soothing laps made Ja'far drowsy as he drifted off to sleep.

Satisfied that Ja'far's wounds were presenting no immediate harm, Sinbad carefully placed Ja'far on his tail, where the pup was immediately swarmed by other members. Hinahoho and Drakon continued checking on Ja'far's wounds, whereas Sharrkan and Yamraiha argued over who should keep Ja'far warm (the argument of which Sinbad stopped immediately before it woke said Orami). Spartos and Pisti nuzzled their muzzle against their older sibling, content that he was back and alive.

Sinbad issued a call as he began making his way back to their home. Ja'far smiled in his sleep as he was surrounded by his beloved family members once again.