Shaw stayed low behind a bush as he waited for Milo to appear again. Milo had decided to distract Cuzkaal in such a way that would make him leave Homer for some time. Shaw had no idea what Milo had planned, but he hoped that Milo would do it correctly so he could get Homer out in time. He knew that this situation was vital and any slipup could cause disaster. For many tense moments he sat there quietly, hoping for something to happen, until finally he heard something break. Shaw stood up and soon saw Milo running into the jungle, what he had done Shaw had no idea, but it wasn't long before he saw Cuzkaal appear.
"Milo get back here, you'll pay for what you just did!" Cuzkaal yelled out before he disappeared into the trees.
Shaw waited for a few moments, making sure that the coast was clear and that Milo had lead Cuzkaal out of the hut long enough to rescue Homer and get him as far away from Cuzkaal's territory as possible.
Finally he knew that the time was right and made his way forward. He quickly found the entrance and very cautiously made his way forward into the run down hut. He knew that Jagul was there and that she would stand between him and Homer at all costs so he had to be careful. He did know how to put a spell on her but he also had to be quick with it because Jagul would most likely move out of the way fast enough if she saw it coming, and Cuzkaal would return to undo it. He looked around for signs of both of them, but it was Jagul who found him first.
"Ah if it isn't the humble shaman," Jagul said coldly as she appeared out of the shadows.
"Where's Homer?" Shaw asked while he made sure he gave Jagul a wide berth.
"He is still alive and kicking, though once Cuzkaal returns it won't be for long. If I were you I would give up now and leave, you will never save him, he is ours now," Jagul said as she circled Shaw.
"I am not leaving him, he has a daughter waiting for him," said Shaw.
Jagul stood there and let out a purr of amusement. Shaw was not leaving until he had Homer and she had promised Cuzkaal that she would stay with him at all costs. She knew Shaw could not kill her so she was confident that she would adhere to Cuzkaal's wish.
"Remember if you want him, you have to get past me first," Jagul said as she made her way over to a figure lying in a corner.
Shaw moved forward to get a better look, there he saw Homer's silhouette, his back toward him, but he could already tell that Cuzkaal had done a number on him. He was barely even moving when Jagul nudged him slightly to get his attention; he only made a soft moan.
"What are you trying to take from him?" asked Shaw.
"Only his life force," Jagul said calmly.
"Life force!" Shaw gasped worriedly. Before Cuzkaal abandoned him for Bahzuul, he had been taught how to remove the heart and soul with care so as not to ruin it in any way. Sure you could get it out quickly but that way was harder and slipups were common. He remembered what Cuzkaal had used to remove the soul. First it was the headache, followed by the cold, then an asthma attack, the flu, a heart attack, and the last two could be anything from malaria to dengue fever, to pneumonia, cancer and even rabies. Shaw was worried now, how many of those had Cuzkaal done and was it too late to save Homer.
Jagul growled at Shaw and moved away from Homer padding lightly around Shaw as if she was tempting him to even try to rescue him. Shaw knew better though, he had faced normal jaguars before, and they were never easy to defeat. Now staring face to face with Jagul the jaguar god, he knew that this was going to be much more difficult. What made it harder was that he had no idea how sick Homer was.
"What sickness does he have now?" he finally asked.
"We have just given him the flu, next one planned will be the heart attack, but you know that will not be the last, there are two more to go after that one," said Jagul.
Shaw let out a sigh, glad he got to Homer in time but still very nervous about the situation, Homer could have been worse off, but at the moment he was probably very dehydrated because of the flu. He had to figure something out; he stared back at Homer who still had his back turned while Jagul gave him an icy stare as she stayed beside her captor.
"Homer, if you can hear me I will do my best to get you out of this soon," Shaw called worriedly as he tried to think of something to do.
Homer let out a low moan as he slowly turned over to see if someone was really there to help. For a few seconds he stared at Shaw as if he had never seen the young shaman before in his life. Even though he felt miserable, he sat up and rubbed his eyes for a moment before staring back at Shaw once more.
"Cuzkaal is making me hallucinate isn't he?" asked Homer.
"No Homer it's really me," Shaw replied as he took a step forward making Jagul growl as she moved closer to Homer and began to unsheathe her claws.
"Stay back Shaw for I have weapons that I have been born with," growled Jagul while she showed off her pearly whites.
"Now now Jagul lets be reasonable here, you like making bargains don't you?" asked Shaw.
"Only when I am not following another shaman so don't trying bargaining it will not work," said Jagul.
Shaw grumbled under his breath, there always was a catch with those gods, nothing was ever easy. Of course he didn't really have a bargaining idea; he was just trying to find a way to make it easier to get Homer back. For now though he had to find a way to immobilize her and he had to do it fast or she would sense it every time. What was worse was that she was in front of Homer and if she moved quickly, he might put the spell on Homer which would be much too powerful for him and could kill him.
"Give up you weakling, your plans will not work," Jagul growled.
"No! I won't give up, I made a promise to his daughter and son that I would return with him and I make my promises even if I have to fight for them," said Shaw.
"Fool! I could most likely kill you after your first plan to exterminate me fails, so tell his children that there is no hope their time with him is at an end," said Jagul.
Shaw's eyes suddenly lit up, that was it, tell his children! He knew what he had to do now. "If I have to tell his children then surely he has something to tell them in his last few hours of life."
Jagul stood there, eyes narrowed, thinking about what Shaw had just said. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"You know, final goodbyes for family members, Homer must have something and I think I should have at least a minute with him to know what he would want to tell them," said Shaw.
Jagul stared at Shaw before turning back at Homer who did not even seem to listen, his head was down and he was shaking as if he was cold, a typical symptom during the flu. Would Homer even have anything to say? Would he even be coherent? Did he even care right now for his family? Jagul did not know, nor did she care, Shaw did and she knew that he was desperate to help him, he would beg her until Cuzkaal returned, then there would be an amazing fight. But then again neither would be able to kill each other. It was best to get it all over with.
"Fine then, I will give you two minutes, no more, no less," said Jagul as she stepped aside to let Shaw talk to Homer.
Shaw quickly ran forward before he stopped a few feet from Homer. He stared down at him, who did not look up but still covered his face and shivered. He hated seeing someone like this, it always made him nervous, but he knew he would be okay as long as he stayed hydrated. Shaw had brought a flask of water with him that he had kept hooked to his belt, it was a special kind of water, the kind that would help him bring his strength back once Homer drank it. Shaw grabbed it out of his belt and bent down to Homer's level and nudged Homer's shoulder. Homer moaned before looking up at Shaw and the flask of water in his hand. Homer stared at it curiously before looking up at Shaw.
"You're giving me beer?" he asked.
"No, its only water, you need to stay hydrated after what you have gone through," said Shaw.
"What's the point, I'm only going to die soon any way," Homer said as he pushed the flask away.
"How sure are you of that?" Shaw asked in a low voice.
"Well you can't defeat Jagul there and you even said that shaman cannot kill other shaman," said Homer.
"One more minute," Jagul called from behind them.
"Ah I cannot defeat her, but I do have a way of keeping her out of our way just long enough for all of us to get out of Cuzkaal's territory and home free," said Shaw.
"How?" asked Homer as he lifted an eyebrow.
"Shaw? I thought you were asking for Homer's final words, why are you the one talking?" asked Jagul suspiciously as she moved forward to find out.
"Because…" Homer had no idea what Shaw said after that because it was in native tongue. Jagul barely had any time to react as Shaw pointed his staff at her, a shaft of light burst from the tip of the staff and hit Jagul squarely in the chest. Jagul let out a roar of anger, but it was only a half roar before her entire body became stiff, almost like she had been taxidermied by a hunter. "…apparently gods cannot predict the future."
Homer stared back in awe at what he had just seen. He tried to get up to inspect what Shaw had done but promptly fell back down on the floor, weak from the sicknesses Cuzkaal had given him.
"Don't try to strain yourself, just drink this it will help bring your strength back," said Shaw as he gave Homer the flask.
"How fast will my strength return? I know Cuzkaal will return and see that his prized god is currently lawn ornament…blegh, why do your healing things always taste so bad!" Homer exclaimed as he took a sip.
"Because it's good for you now keep drinking, the faster you do the faster your strength will return, but you can lean on me as I take you back up there, your son and daughter is waiting for you," said Shaw as he helped Homer up.
"So you did find Maggie?" asked Homer as he tried to stand with the help of Shaw.
"Yeah, she is fine too, surprisingly Milo Sanchez found her," said Shaw as he tried to balance himself with Homer's girth, he was still heavy even though he had not eaten much for a few days and had lost most of his lunch a few moments ago.
"You mean the one we never saw again because we thought he took his own life?" asked Homer.
"Yup, he had been living across the river, surprising that I did not know about that," said Shaw as he opened the door and brought Homer back out into the jungle.
Carefully Shaw led Homer through a trail that would bring them back to the group. He could feel Homer's anxious strides as they moved along, he knew Homer wanted to see his daughter again, but he also knew that Homer needed to take it easy, he was still very weak and his body needed to adjust for a few more minutes. Shaw tried to show that he needed to slow down by pulling him back and taking his time as they walked through the jungle. He did not tell Homer how much further they were going but apparently Homer could somehow sense it when they were close.
Finally they reached the clearing where the group was; Shaw parted the trees and stopped at the edge of the clearing. Everyone was silent when they saw them; no one said a word as they stared back at the shaman who returned an important person back with him. Homer looked around at the group. He saw Riley and Celia standing together next to Alex, both very happy that the group was finally together again. Then he saw Jeremy looking just as worried as he had been when he first rescued them. Right next to him stood Bart, a small smile forming on his face, he seemed to be happy that his father was there again, but made no movement to get closer. It was a smaller figure in front of him who did that. Maggie was now moving forward to meet up with her father for the first time in many days.
Homer could not wait any longer and pushed himself off of Shaw. He tried to run forward, but his legs could not keep up with his longing to see his daughter again and after only three steps, he fell forward and into the mud on his knees. For a moment, Homer sat there looking down on the ground, sobbing quietly.
He did not hear Maggie make her way toward him and he did not know that she was right in front of him until she bent down and touched him lightly on the shoulder. Homer looked up to find Maggie staring back at him, eyes filled with warmth that seemed to tell him she was glad to finally see him again after so many days. Homer let out a sigh of satisfaction before tears began to fall from his face, not from because he could not run up and greet her, but because she was there in front of him, alive and well after surviving the scariest moments of their lives. Finally, Maggie leapt forward and hugged her father tightly before letting the tears fall down her face as well. They were finally together again, all of them were, save for Milo who would hopefully join them again later.
"I'm so sorry Dad," Maggie cried through the tears.
"Why are you sorry sweetheart, I'm here with you again, we can finally go home," said Homer as he petted her scraggly hair.
"Because I made you go on this trip and you didn't want it to end up like the one you had with Bart eleven years ago. But it's almost exactly like that, and I put you through so much," said Maggie.
"It's okay Maggie, I went on an adventure with you and it taught me to be a better Dad, I realized how much you guys meant to me, I feel bad for how I've treated you over the years. And besides, that trip was not at all like this one," said Homer.
"How so?" asked Maggie as she wiped her nose.
"Because Flanders is not around to stupid it up," Homer laughed.
Maggie could not help but laugh at that either. Her father really knew how to make light of situations. Of course they were not out of the woods yet, but both could not help but continue to embrace each other for as long as they could. It had felt like months since they had seen each other and both knew how important it was to see each other again alive and well. Homer loved his daughter dearly and he had been so worried, now the worrying was over, they could finally go home.
Both sat there for a moment letting everything seep in and it wasn't long before Bart finally made his way forward. He did not bend down to hug Homer, he only nodded, satisfied that his father was alive and well. Homer smiled warmly at Bart and motioned him to come down and hug his old man. Bart knew there was no way out of this and finally did so for a brief moment, not at all like Maggie had done.
"Well Dad…" he began. But instead of trying to talk, Shaw handed Homer the flask of water that he had dropped when running to greet Maggie.
"Just finish this, I know it's important to talk to each other again but a storm is coming and so is Cuzkaal, we need to be out of here before both of them hit," said Shaw. And at that moment lighting struck and thunder cracked in the distance.
Milo Sanchez was running, he was now nearly a half mile from the hut where Cuzkaal had been, now he was running as quickly as he could to hopefully get the plan that he had in mind into action. He knew Cuzkaal was behind him, a few times he could hear the shaman's steps as he ran into vines and branches. He also knew he was close to where he wanted to be so now he had to be extra careful. He stopped running now and looked around the area for what he was looking for, he remembered he made the trap with Cuzkaal and he remembered how Cuzkaal kept it well hidden so he could easily trap animals in there. They had fixed it about a week ago and apparently it was well hidden enough that no animals had run into it yet.
Suddenly he heard a snap a few feet away, Milo jumped and at the same time saw a spear leaning against a tree, he had to be in the right place now. Quickly he grabbed the spear and held it in front of him waiting for Cuzkaal to come closer.
"I know you're there Cuzkaal, show yourself," said Milo.
Cuzkaal said nothing but continued to make his way forward, Milo had his spear at the ready, listening carefully for any changes in movement that Cuzkaal would make. He knew he was getting close, but he was also taking his time doing so, almost as if he was also planning on attacking him as well. Milo waited though hoping that what he was about to do would work and that very soon he would catch up to the group and head on home.
Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck, it was far away but it was enough to catch Milo off guard and at the same time Cuzkaal finally appeared. Milo had barely any time to react as he backed up a little, a mistake that cost him his plans. What he was searching for had actually found him and it wasn't long before he found himself lying in a deep pit covered in mud. He had missed the spikes that he had put in by inches thankfully but now he was stuck in there with no way out.
Milo lifted himself up and looked around the walls for a good grasping place, he was about to try a spot when Cuzkaal appeared.
"Looks like whatever you planned to do has failed," said Cuzkaal with a snicker.
Milo growled and grabbed the spear he was holding and threw it at Cuzkaal. Cuzkaal was of course ready for this and simply moved aside a little bit letting the spear fly past him where it hit a tree. Cuzkaal snickered and bent down staring at Milo. Milo only glared back at him wondering what the shaman he had trusted for so long was going to do to him.
"I can't believe I trusted you, you told me you were kicked out because the chief no longer wanted you but now I know the truth, the horrible truth. It's disgusting!" said Milo angrily.
"Oh well I didn't want you to see me as some sort of ogre, I knew you had such a troubled past that you needed someone to confine in, I of course was there for you. Nursed you back to health, taught you the skills of the rain forest. Now how would that have been if you would have known about my past?" asked Cuzkaal.
"I would have left you and spent the rest of my time alone, maybe even living with other tribes, but I just can't believe it, you deserve the worst death imaginable," said Milo.
"Oh and I bet you would love to finish me off, too bad you are stuck in that pit, no way out except for when the storm hits," said Cuzkaal just as lighting struck behind him.
Milo looked at the walls nervously, he knew about these pits when it rained heavily. He had found many of his catches lying in the water that had filled up the pit. It was never a pretty sight and he hated getting them out. He knew Cuzkaal was going to leave him in there and now he had no way of escaping and Cuzkaal could reach the group again before they could even leave his territory. For the first time since he had lost Alex, he was very scared and had no idea what to do now.
"I will return soon to take your blood again since you ruined my last vial, for now though I need to return to what I was doing, finishing off Homer for my glorious return to power," said Cuzkaal as he stood up ready to leave Milo.
"Hah! Good luck with that, hopefully Shaw rescued him and now they are far away from your territory now," said Milo.
"You think so huh?" asked Cuzkaal with a smirk.
"I know so, Shaw had an idea to immobilize Jagul long enough to save him so you might as well give up," said Milo.
Cuzkaal stared back at Milo, giving him a look that showed his annoyance with him, almost like a big brother who had spent way too much time with his younger brother and was now tired of his presence. Now that Milo knew about his past, Milo was of no importance to him, only his blood was, and he could get that later, Milo was not getting out any time soon.
"You are forgetting something Milo, I am Cuzkaal great shaman of the Amazon, giving up is a foreign word to me. Nothing can stop me and if they are leaving my territory. I can catch up to them before they can even get out of it, for I have Jagul and she can stop anything in their tracks," said Cuzkaal.
Milo only looked up angrily at Cuzkaal, he wished he could pull out the spikes that he had embedded in the soil but remembered how deep he put them in, it would take a while and Cuzkaal would be ready for them. There was nothing he could do; he could only watch Cuzkaal walk away.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I have some unfinished business to attend to, enjoy the storm," said Cuzkaal.
Milo watched him go, anger rising inside of him every second, he could not believe he trusted that man for three years. Now he was paying for it as he stood in the pit surrounded by spikes and the sound of the thunderstorm making its way closer to him. He wished he could get out soon, then he would run to his own hut, grab his bow and arrow and ambush Cuzkaal before anything bad could happen to the group. He tried to grip the side of the walls, and once he did that, he tried to lift himself by finding a good holding spot with his feet. Unfortunately the sides were too smooth and Milo ended up slipping back down and only standing there frustrated. But like Cuzkaal he would not give up, he knew he could find a way out somehow, he just had to find it. He hoped he could do it before the storm really brought down its vengeance and he knew he did not have much time to do it, because now the rain was falling around him and lightning illuminated the trees.
A/N: Alright show of hands, who's tired of this story? *raises hand* but I am not stopping since I am almost done and because I have some friends who won't let me quit, they are nuts but they are friends. I know this story has lost some steam to it and that it is not as great as it once was but that's what happens when you lose interest and want to do something else. But I have a few more chapters to go and I will be done. So try to enjoy them while I think of a new story to write when this one is over. Also please review, I will hopefully update in one week.