1043 26: And Then There Were Three.
Jason De ViL Miller ran through the Jungle, with Mickey and Max in his camo backpack.
Jason wasn't sure how long he had been running for after the Dholes had attacked, but he could hear them snarling to one another as they followed him and the puppies. Jason knew he could never outrun them. He needed to do something or he and the pups would die, just like Rex.
"Faster! They're gaining on us!" Said Max as he and Max had their heads stuck out of Jason's backpack, looking at Athaliah and the six other Dholes as they chased after them and the 13 year old boy.
"I'm going as fast as i can!" Said Jason.
"Well, go faster!" Said Max.
"I am going faster!" Said Jason.
"You're achieving nothing! We need to find a place to hide! Fast!" Said Mickey.
"Yeah, but where?" Max added.
As if on cue, Jason saw a tree large enough, about 15 feet, ahead of him. The branches were out of his reach, but wasn't a problem. The teenager kicked off the truck and shot up his hands to grab the lowest the lowest branch. Moving quickly, he swung up his legs and started to climb. Just in the nick of time too. The Dholes arrived just as he began to climb, and Jason felt the breeze of their snapping jaws as they tried to bite him.
Jason didn't look down. He didn't stop climbing. He just kept moving until the branches got so thin that they risked snapping. Finally, he stopped, leaning against the trunk as he caught his breath, he and the puppies looked down at the ground below.
The Dholes were still there.
They were snarling and pacing below the tree. Then, the alpha Dhole, Athaliah, lept toward the tree. Her claws dug into the bark and held.
She was climbing the tree.
Jason pressed against the tree in fear. He had to tightly cover his mouth with his hands to keep from screaming. He had been wrong. The tree wouldn't save him and the puppies. It just made it harder for the wild dogs to get to them. But he had trapped himself, and the puppies, in the process. He couldn't climb anymore, the branches would snap if he went up and he'd pass right by the alpha Dhole if he went down. He couldn't jump to the ground, it was too high and there were still six Dholes at the bottom. The kid and the two Dalmatian pups closed their eyes tight, preparing for the worst. But something happened at the last minute...
A crashing sound was heard.
Jason, Mickey and Max opened their eyes and looked down and saw that Athaliah was back on the ground again, even angrier than she had been before. She was limping slightly on one foot, snarling and snapping at her companions. The deep gouges answered Jason's, and the puppies, unspoken question. The brown, white Dhole had fallen.
The Dholes stayed for several more minutes before leaving. Jason waited with bated breath for any sign of them before beginning to trip back down the tree. Carefully, he placed his foot on a branch.
It snapped under his weight, and the branch fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Athaliah and the other six Dholes swormed out of their hidding place.
Scrambling to pull himself back up, Jason beat a hasty retreat up the tree.
"They set a trap. They actually set a trap." Said Mickey.
"Cool...i think." Max added.
As he looked down at the wild dogs, Jason realized that Mickey was right. They had set a trap. Dholes could set traps.
They were so much smarter than Jason had thought. Than anyone had thought. And that scared him more than anything else that had happened that day.
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It had rained that night.
Tropical storms tended to come out of nowhere, and leave just as quickly as they came. But while they were there, they were fierce, howling things that battered you with rain and wind until all you could do was cling, shivering to yourself as you waited for it to pass.
It was in that manner that Jason, Mickey and Max spent the night.
The only good outcome of the storm was that it drove the Dholes away. He and the pups had seen them disappear into the trees, illuminated by flashes of lightning.
"So where do you think the Dholes went?" Mickey asked.
"They must be returnning to their den." Said Max.
"Or they could just be setting another trap." Jason thought to himself. He didn't say it out loud because the puppies were scared enough as it was, and he didn't wanna frighten them anymore than they already were.
Before leaving the tree, Jason broke off branches and threw them to the ground in hopes of causing any waiting Dholes to reveal themselves. None came, but Jason feared that was because they had learned to wait before pouncing.
Still, he and the pups couldn't spend the rest of their lives in a tree. Cautiously, he moved down the branches and hopped the remainning distance to the ground.
A bush rattled.
His heart stopped. And so did the puppies'.
Jason reached into his back pocket and pulled out a large, sharp Bowie Hunting knife, armed and ready to fight.
A small snake slithered out of the foliage, and Jason sighed in relief. "(Sighs) It's just a snake, you guys." He said before putting his knife back in his back pants pocket.
"Thank goodness." Said Mickey.
"Oh, what a relief." Max added.
(Scene fades)
Later, when it had stopped raining, Jason had set up his tent and he and Mickey and Max were gathered around a campfire, sitting on the jungle floor.
"And then, out of the darkness, came a bone chilling noise." Said Jason.
"What was it?" Max asked.
"Are young ones like you ready? It is a story that will make your ears and fur stand up straight." Said Jason.
"We are, we are! Tell us the story, Jason! Please. We wanna hear it." Said Mickey with excitment.
"We both wanna hear the story, Jason." Said Max.
"Is that so? And are you sure you're not too frightened?" Jason said.
"I'm not scared." Said Mickey.
"Tell us, Jason." Max added.
"Very well." Jason began. "(Singing) On a night, such as this, with the full moon up high, a creature comes out in a bright hunging cry. It towers above you, tall as two Giraffes, and as it approaches, oh, how it laughs. So beware, all you young ones, you're in for a fright. Something is lurking, but just out of sight. You won't hear it coming, though try as you might. So beware of the Zimwi. Beware of the Zimwi tonight. Listen closely now. Big spikes has the Zimwi. And yes, it moves fast, with eight legs on it's body, each bigger than the last. It's teeth are sharper than crocs, so i've heard. Yet those who have seen it never speak another word. So beware, all you young ones, you're in for a fright. Something is lurking, but just out of sight. You won't hear it coming, though try as you might. So beware of the Zimwi. Beware of the Zimwi tonight. Beware of the Zimwi tonight."
Max: "(Gasps)!"
"Relax. It's just a story." Said Mickey. "It is just a story...right, Jason?"
"Who's to say?" Said Jason. "Now off to be we go. Go, go, go, go, go."
"Thanks for the story, Jason." Said Mickey.
"Yes, yes, sleep tight. Don't let the Zimwi bite. Hahahahahaha!" Said Jason.
"Boy, what an awesome story. I can't wait until Rex hears it." Said Max. "Say, where is he? I want him to hear it."
"Uh...Max...he's not here anymore." Said Jason.
"What?" Mickey asked.
"Well...where is he?" Max added.
"Uh, guys...don't you remember what happened when we were climbing up the hill?" Said Jason.
"We sure do. Boy, who could forget? That was a scary moment, especially when that flashflood came and took Rex away." Said Mickey.
"Yeah, but...what you don't know is...when that flood took my Dad away...it also took his life. He's gone. He's dead." Said Jason.
"Oh, yeah...i remember. But that's okay, you can tell him the story when he comes back." Said Max.
Jason just looked at Mickey and Max. They still weren't getting it. The two twin Dalmatians, and Dice and Olive, had only been in the world for three years, and up until now, had never even lost a loved one, and there for, didn't understand the concept of life and death. "Mickey...Max...my Dad's not coming back."
"What?" Mickey asked.
"Why not?" Max asked.
"You guys...when people die...they don't come back." Said Jason.
"Ever?" Max asked.
"No...Never." Said Jason.
"Why not?" Mickey asked.
"Well, Mickey...they're dead. They can't come back." Said Jason.
"But he's gotta come back. Who's gonna play with us? And who's gonna buy my favorit dog food and tell us stories?" Max asked.
"My Mom and Molly and i are gonna take care of you guys. And we'll buy you your favorit dog food. We'll all tell you stories...and make sure you're all okay. We'll look after you." Said Jason.
"Well...it won't be the same." Said Mickey.
"You're right, Mick, it...it'll never be the same without him. But you know what? We can all be very happy that we got a chance to be with him,...and to know him...and to love him a lot when he was here." Said Jason.
"Okay." Said Max.
"And you guys, we still have our memories of him." Said Jason.
"Well, yeah. Yeah, our memories. Right. Memories. That's how we know Rex. From memory." Said Mickey.
"Yeah. And we can remember him and remember him and remember him...as much as we want to." Said Max. "What i don't like is...it makes me sad."
"We all feel sad, Max." Said Jason.
"He's...never coming back?" Max asked.
"Never." Said Jason.
"Well, i don't understand! I mean everything was just fine! Why does it have to be this way?! Give me one good reason!" Said Mickey.
"...Mickey...Max...it has to be this way...because." Said Jason.
"Just...because?" Mickey asked.
"Just...because." Said Jason.
Max then looked up at the starry night sky. "You know...i'm gonna miss you, Ric."
"That's Rex, Max. Rex." Said Jason.
"Right." Said Max.
Mickey and Max went to Jason's side and the 13 year old embraced the two nine week old Dalmatians with a hug and held them both in his arms as tears ran down his face. And an image of Rex appeared in the starry night sky as they all moarned the loss...of a father...and a very good friend. Jason had wanted to scream, but he knew he had to be strong and brave for the puppies. If he hadn't agreed to go on this trip, he recognized bitterly, Dice would still be with them and Rex wouldn't even be dead. The kid could have simply said no or polightly turnned down the offer. They would all still be back in Texarkana, Arkansas, together as a family. Jason was no stranger to the outdoors. He knew all of the steps and the boy's camping instincts could help him and the pups survive.
Survive.
Jason knew that would be difficult. The Jungle was declared the most dangerous place on the planet, beating out even the woods. But he also knew he would fight until his last breath. He wasn't exactly a slouch when it came to the wilderness. Jason had always loved camping and knew all the steps on survivel. Between what he knew about camping and that, he and the pups could survive until the rescue teams came.
And that had to be soon, right? He and Rex, and the puppies, had disappeared three days ago. His mother had known where they were going, and she would have called the police the moment they didn't call her like they said they would. Help was probably already on it's way, right?
Right?
(Scene fades to black)
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