Kingdom Hearts

Ch. 38

Deep Jungle

Predator and Prey

London 28 Years Ago

The great forest began to enter the realm of night. The sun began to set brightening the sky with orange lights. Clayton slowly began to stir. Sitting in the tree all alone for a couple hours coming to terms with what happened. His fingers clenched the black bark of the tree. His brown pants rustled across the bark. He slowly opened his eyes to see the world a blur. After a moment, his eyes adjusted. He tilted his head slowly towards the tree laying his head on the trunk like his school bus window. He remained silent his eyes rarely blinked. His body shivered, on occasions he kicked the tree in frustration. He'd whimper for a few moments then stop. Then repeating the process. He finally lifted his head up. Clayton witnessed the setting sun brighten the sky. Fear came over his body. He began to shiver once more. The thought of being alone at night scared him more than facing the realities of what happened. He tried to deny what happened by telling himself it was an accident or that his Mother is still alive.

He slowly made his way down the trunk of the tree. Inching closer and closer to the ground. He finally touched the dirt that stored the roots of the tree. His feet quietly thumped the ground. Clayton remined silent as he treaded back the way he came. He raised his right arm rubbing his left shoulder. He looked at the sun to see how long he had left. Probably a half an hour he thought. He looked around trying to see if anything looked familiar. But it was too dark to tell. He walked slowly to afraid to make a noise.

After a few minutes, he finally recognized something. The log he sat on before this whole ordeal happened. Clayton began to whimper silently again trying to deal with what comes next. He had to see. He had to be sure. He walked near the log looking over it. He saw the gun that he held before lying in the same spot he dropped it. He climbed over the log before walking past the hunting rifle.

Clayton began to feel sick. His stomach ached; his eyes felt like they were burning. He was almost about to throw up. He stared face first at the body. His own Mother lying dead on the dirt with a shot gun in her hand and a hole in her back. Clayton began to cry some more. He turned back around bent over. He grabbed the gun he used to kill his Mother. He picked it up shaming himself for doing so. He thought of his sister and what will become of the two of them.

He clenched the gun while more tears streamed down his face. He banged his head on the back of the gun. After a moment or two he felt something breathe down his neck. Other memories from earlier began to rush back. He heard growling and panting out of nowhere. Without even turning to see if it was what he thought it was. He ran forward with his Mothers rifle in his hand. He heard a nasty growl as something began to follow.

He knew what it was. The black hound. It ran after little Clayton running as fast as it could. The sun finally set eloping the forest in darkness. Clayton pressed on not being able to see anything. But he didn't stop to check where he was going. His heart raced while carrying that gun. He could feel the black dog catching up to him. He kept running till his feet lost ground. Running in the dark he was unable to see a ditch in front of him. He fell about ten feet slamming on the soggy dirt at the bottom of the ditch. His rifle slid a few feet in front of him. Behind something big came tumbling after.

The dog fell behind Clayton to focused on the kill to notice its own surroundings. Clayton out of fear crawled desperately forward. He grabbed his Mother's rifle and turned it toward the black hound. The creature quickly recovered from the fall shaking off the dirt on its charcoal like fur.

Clayton desperately aimed the gun at the horror beast shooting at it. The bullet penetrated its hide causing the monster to scream in pain. It roared aloud before setting its eyes on the young boy.

"Ten bullets," he thought reminding himself of his ammo supply. He fired another shot hitting the dog in the shoulder. The beast shrugged it off and leap toward Clayton it raised its giant paw with sharp claws thrusting it's at Claytons body. The young boy moved back quickly but wasn't fast enough. The beast sliced right through the boy's shirt scratching his chest.

The dog's teeth glistened in the moonlight preparing to chomp Claytons head off. Clayton too frightened to think rationally lifted his rifle aiming it at the beast's head. He pulled the trigger firing another shot at it. The rifle was in just the right spot. Launching the bullet into the dogs left eye. The hound stalled its advance thrown off balance after losing 20 percent of its vision. It lost focus of Clayton as now its two yellow eyes have been to reduced to one. Blood ran down the beast's retina. Clayton got back up running to the end of the ditch. Holding the gun in one arm he felt around for something to climb on. He felt a long root hanging down from the top of the wall of dirt. He grabbed a hold of it and began to climb up the root. The hound managed to regain its focus. It turned towards Clayton with only one eye. It saw him climbing out of the pit grabbing a hold of the ledge pulling himself up. The hound charged forward trying to snatch the boys leg. It was to slow as he climbed up before the monster could gobble him up.

Clayton huffed while holding onto his gun tightly. He got up and looked back in the ditch to see black smoke rise above him. The monster sank its claws in the dirt trying to follow him. The young boy lifted his rifle aiming it at monster's head. His grief warped into determination. His fear turned to resentment. As the beast claws held onto the ledge pulling itself up. Clayton positioned his gun perfectly into the monsters one good eye. Till it was a point-blank range he pulled firing the shot into the monsters' eye blinding it.

The monster fell back down in the ditch squealing in pain. It maneuvered its paws helplessly as it could not see anything. Clayton breathed heavily his heartbeat steadily. He aimed his gun again at the monster. He fired another shot into the hounds hide screaming, "Die, Die, Die!" he repeated every time he pulled the trigger. His fearful attitude changed as he shot bullet after bullet at the monster. The dog helpless took every shot still while its charcoal fur aroused black smoke ascending into the air. After Clayton fired his final shot into the beast it tumbled over lob sided on the ground.

The Black Hound of Baskerville is dead.

Clayton breathed heavily some more. He watched the monster fall by his own hand and the black smoke still appeared around the body. Clayton fell on his knees in disbelief. He heard voices from a distance yet did not make a sound.

Flashlights brightened the forest as men appeared walking through the trees seeing the elven year old stagnant with a gun in his lap. One individual came up to the boy grabbing his shoulder shaking him. "Hey kid you okay?" he asked.

Another came up next to him as well. "Oh my god, Jerry look down there it's a black dog," he said pointing toward the corpse. Others came their way looking on in disbelief at where the body of the evil spirt lay.

"Kid what happened?" asked the concerned man again. Clayton remained silent not saying a word. But his eyes spoke more than words could.

For a boy has killed what was thought unkillable. His eyes were that of a hunter. One who will grow to be the greatest at what he does.

Deep Jungle-Present

The Elite Clayton lured the angry ape to a cliff area near the river. He flew through the leaves landing in the clearing. He quickly did a 180 turning back towards the way he came. He lifted his gun aiming it. Waiting for the target to appear. Light appeared over his gun. The rifle instantly transformed into a sniper gun. He held the gun close peering through the scope. The earth began to rumble more aggressively by the second. The trees rustled while a roar can be heard from a distance. The mad ape rushed forward displaying its massive fangs. Clayton positioned the gun ever so slightly till one of the eyes was in the middle of the scope. The earth shaked harder and harder. The spirit surged around Kerchak's body.

He aimed the sniper just at the right spot. He waited till Kerchak came closer. With no more than 8 feet away from the gorilla about to crush his tiny body under its gigantic fists. Clayton pulled the trigger firing the shot. Kerchak's charge stalled as the ape struggled to stay on course. He slowed down to a crawl trying to see where he's going. Kerchak's right eye lay closed with blood flowing from the eye lid. Kerchak breathed slowly his body was covered in wounds. Blood dripped on the dirt from all sides where he stood. Clayton gave a serious look jumping backwards with his maneuver gear. He launched his grappling hooks into the tall rock lifting him off the ground. His gun morphed again into an automatic gun. He aimed it at the great ape trying to stand.

Clayton fired the automatic launching a barrage of bullets at the ape. The barrage intensified the gorillas pain and for the first time in a long time it began to fall. The great ape flopped over. His large arms fell to the ground. Clayton seized his attack he doesn't want to destroy the hide of the creature.

Kerchak growled slightly. Memories of his life circled in his head. His mate, his family the creatures he swore to protect. He is their leader, their guardian.

Kerchak's eye opened. The Spirit of the Jungle coursed through his veins. It swarmed around his body and with one swoop Kerchak swung his arm creating a larger fist stretching in distance. The fist slammed straight into Clayton smashing the wall he was hooked on. Claytons body was crushed by the sheer force of the hit. The attack made a fist shaped hole in the wall with Clayton pressed inside it. His blood poured down his face. The hunter fell from the cracked hole in the wall. With a loud thump he hit the rocky ground.

*cough *cough

Clayton rolled over coughing up blood. Standing on his hands and knees. He turned his head towards Kerchak who's now standing above him. The sight of the battered ape still standing caused fear to consume Clayton. Frightened he scrambled crawling backwards trying to latch himself to the wall. His gear was destroyed he could not escape. The spirit surged around Kerchak's body like a hurricane. He lifted his arm preparing to crush Clayton once and for all. Clayton summoning his gun transforming it into a hand gun. He pointed at the wounded animal screaming as loudly as he could, "Damnit, Will You Just Die Already!"

He fired the gun towards Kerchak's head. Clayton closed his eyes fearing what the creature will do to him. After firing one shot the beast ceased its attack. It did not scream in pain or fall to the ground. It stopped moving all together.

Clayton opened his eyes seeing the ape has stopped moving. He looked at his face to see both its eyes closed with blood trailing down them. He shot the beasts eyes out. Kerchak could not see anything. His body succumbed to so much damage he could not even moan from the pain. He stood there like a proud statue. Claytons shocked face converted to a wicked smile. He still heard a faint breathing he lifted his pistol gun firing repeatedly shouting, "Die! Die! Die! Diiieee!"

The gorilla did not move nor flinch it took the bullets head on. Yet no matter what the beast would not fall. Clayton stopped firing when he couldn't hear any more breathing. Clayton thrusted forward in shock, "Ugh, I, I don't believe it. The monster it just died standing upright!"

The great ape Kerchak has met his end. The ape bared the Spirit of the Jungle for over 25 years. Over this long period, he never lost to a foe in full strength. With his tremendous strength, he blazed trails and redirected rivers. The wounds he received were numerous yet he kept fighting to protect his family. And even after he passed his body would not collapse. For he was a beast that shall be revered even in death.