Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter ten of "Dark Desire." I'm glad it took only two days to get out. I am on a roll here. This chapter features Tommy's exploring the uninhabited world he just discovered. I modeled it after South America. I feel it would be best to have familiar animals. Stay tuned for chapter twelve.
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Chapter 11: Exploring/Animal Attacks/Discovery
A mother cougar lay on her stomach in a slightly denser part of the rainforest eight minutes later. She watched her two cubs play around. The first cub leapt at its sibling, missing when it moved off to the side. It landed softly on its feet and shook its head. It turned around, letting out a playful growl. The second cub swiped its paw at it, hitting it in the face. Their mother started to lick her paw, her whiskers twitching.
The first cub took another leap at its sibling, pinning it to the ground. It playfully bit its ear. The second cub squealed and got out from underneath it very quickly. It stood up and took off running, its sibling very close behind. The other cub caught up and flung out its paw, tripping it. It got on its back and gripped its teeth into the scruff of its neck.
The cub's sibling wiggled itself free and raced toward its mother, the other one following very close. They pounced on her head as she looked up. They grabbed her ears and tugged on them. Their mother shook herself out of their grasp. She swiped her paw at them, and they jumped back with playful squeaks. She repeated her action when they tried to approach her.
The mother cougar rolled on her back while purring playfully. The cubs leapt at her, biting at her face. They stopped as she rolled back on his stomach. They purred softly as she nuzzled them with much affection. They licked her face, and she responded with licks to theirs. They heard approaching footsteps and headed off into the undergrowth.
Tommy came out from behind a tree. He looked around while listening to the distant screeches of monkeys. He focused his attention on the path in front of him. Suddenly, a peccary raced out in front of him. This forced him to come to a halt. He observed it running into the undergrowth. He listened to its oinking until it faded into nothing. He shook his head in disbelief.
"Talk about being forced to come to a halt because of a peccary," Tommy grumbled in some annoyance. He ran his fingers through his hair. "What's next, a three-toed sloth?"
Tommy heard rustling. He looked up to see a three-toed sloth climbing up a tree branch at a very slow pace. He showed some surprise. He wondered if the sloth heard him and decided to climb higher up the branch. He decided to watch it. It stopped next to a branch of leaves. It moved its head toward one and proceeded to nibble on it.
He couldn't help but smile. He thought sloths were very interesting creatures. He understood they were so slow due to being surrounded by food all the time. He felt he would enjoy being one or any other herbivore because their food never moved. At the same time, he knew herbivores had a harder time surviving during droughts and that carnivores had the advantage over them since they could revert to scavenging for mealtime. He took a deep breath.
"I better get going before that sloth sees me and decides to move off," Tommy whispered and licked his lips. "I hope I see another one."
Tommy resumed walking. He came to a mud wallow and found tracks. He got on his knees to touch them. He leaned closer to them, seeing they were two-toed. He realized they were deer tracks. He recalled reading about marsh deer at the Moore High School library. He learned they were quite common in South America and were a source of food for jaguars and cougars. He had a feeling some were close by.
He stood up and moved through the undergrowth at a slow pace. His eyes scanned his surroundings, but he didn't see any marsh deer. However, he could hear faint bleating. It got louder as he spotted a clearing coming into view. He went toward a tree and placed his back against it. He pressed his lips together. The bleating quieted down.
Tommy peered out from behind the tree carefully. He moved toward a large boulder on the clearing's edge in a squatting position. His breathing was soft and steady, and he took great care not to step on anything. He stopped at the boulder and ducked. He listened to some more bleating. He heard snorting as well. Both sounds faded to nothing a minute later.
He stood up to look over the top of the boulder. He saw a herd of eight marsh deer grazing together. The herd included two mothers with their fawns. The fawns raised their heads and let out a series of small bleats. A juvenile wandered too close to an adult and got a ram in the side from it. The adult snorted warningly at it and grabbed a mouthful of grass to eat. The juvenile walked away, shaking its head.
Tommy tried to hold back a chuckle, but he couldn't help himself. He thought the adult did a decent job of showing the juvenile who was boss. He knew deer were normally gentle with each other. At the same time, he understood they didn't hesitate to make others keep their distance from them when they wanted to be by themselves. It didn't matter if they were in nature or captivity. Animals didn't tolerate others being in their personal space.
The fawns wandered around together. The first one butted the second in the hindquarter gently. It repeated its action, getting a soft ram from its companion in retaliation. They faced each other and lowered their heads. They bumped them so lightly that it seemed they weren't even touching. They proceeded to run everywhere.
The fawns came to a halt. The first fawn nibbled on the neck of the second. Its companion seemed to be enjoying it. Their mothers bleated, and they ran to them. They nuzzled them with much affection and gentleness. They licked the areas between their eyes. The fawns bleated in much pleasure. Their tails spun in circles while their ears swiveled. Tommy breathed deeply.
Suddenly, a deer jerked its head up and scanned its surroundings. It sniffed the air while its companions looked at it. It walked around, moving its head back and forth. It stopped near a patch of grass and dug its hoof through the soil. Two deer started to sniff at the air while walking in different directions. They came to a halt, as did their companion. They swiveled their ears.
Tommy became a bit worried. He wondered if the deer had detected him. He observed them sniffing at the air once more. He began to realize they weren't concerned about and that it was something else. He narrowed his eyes at them. His heart began to pound against his chest. In fact, it got to the point that it seemed it would leap out and land next to his feet any second.
The three deer looked to their right and broke into a run. The rest of the herd followed them. All of a sudden, a jaguar jumped out from the undergrowth on the other side of the clearing. It charged toward the deer, roaring loudly. The herd scattered in every direction. The jaguar attempted to grab one, but it moved a zigzag formation. This caused much confusion. The deer disappeared behind a tree.
The jaguar raced toward another deer. The deer leapt into the air and jerked its legs outward to gain more height. It repeated its action twice and managed to escape behind overhanging vines. The jaguar made another charge, focusing its attention on both mothers and their fawns. Its targets increased their stride and went in different directions.
The mothers and their fawns reached the undergrowth, followed by the rest of their companions. The jaguar skidded to a halt and growled angrily. It let out a frustrated roar. It dug its front paw through the soil. It turned around and headed back into the undergrowth on the other side of the clearing. It emitted a series of growls while moving its tail from side to side.
"Talk about failing to catch anything," Tommy whispered while rising to his full height. "Yep, yep, yep."
Tommy headed through the clearing into the rainforest. He noticed crystals sticking out of the ground in various places. He rose to his full height. He approached a cluster and got on his knees. He slid his hand over a short one at such a slow pace that it seemed he wasn't even doing that. He moved it to a long one. He proceeded to run his hand up and down it. He mumbled inaudible words.
He blinked three times. He began to wonder if some space explorers had visited this world and used these crystals to power their electrical equipment. He wished he had something to test this hypothesis. He could teleport home to get something such as a CD player for this purpose. However, he decided not to because he wanted to continue exploring. He had a feeling he would encounter something very soon.
Tommy stood up with a loud grunt. He headed west while snapping his fingers. He looked toward a squirrel monkey standing on a branch near the middle of a tree a short distance away. He could see it was reaching for a berry on a branch above it. He stopped to watch it. It moved closer to the berry. It stuck its tail out fully, balancing itself. It managed to grab the berry. It pulled its prize off. It sat down with a quiet squeak. It licked its lips as it grabbed its meal with its other hand. It proceeded to eat.
He began walking once more. He spotted a marsh deer chewing on a bush leaf not far from him. It finished eating and swallowed. It sniffed the leaves at the top. It grabbed a leaf and chewed it up, swallowing it. It proceeded to eat another leaf. Another deer came to the bush, getting a leaf from the middle. It ate it up quickly, licking its lips in satisfaction.
Suddenly, rustling caused Tommy to stop in his tracks. He scanned his surroundings, but he didn't see anything peculiar. He turned toward the deer, seeing them look around. They sniffed the air. They walked in different directions. They bleated in alarm and took off running while raising their tails high. They disappeared into the undergrowth. He listened to their bleats until they faded into silence.
Without warning, a cougar charged in from the side and leapt at the boy, knocking him on his back. It pinned him down with its weight and snapped its jaws at him, but he grabbed them and slammed them shut. He nearly lost his grip, but he regained it. He gritted his teeth while narrowing his eyes at it. It flared its nostrils.
"If you think you will have me for lunch, you've got another thing coming," Tommy hissed determinedly. He tightened his grip on the cougar. He smirked at its struggling to get away from him. "Keep struggling. I am not letting go."
Snarling loudly, the cougar shook itself free from the boy's grasp. It regained its bearings. It attempted to bite him again, but it ended up biting a stick he had grabbed and put in front of him. He pushed it away with a loud grunt. It placed its paws on the stick and used its weight to push back down. It growled fiercely before snorting.
The cougar pulled the stick out of Tommy's hands. It threw the stick aside and growled at him. He swallowed hard, his heart pounding against his chest. It opened its jaws and rushed them downward. He reached for a stone, grabbing it. He smashed it against the cougar's skull. The cougar growled in pain, letting its weight off him. He sat up with a snarl and hit it multiple times before it recoiled even further.
The cougar regained its bearings as the boy stood up. It looked at him angrily and charged toward him. He charged his hand with lightning and threw it at the ground in front of the cougar. The lightning exploded on impact. The cougar was knocked down, but it stood right back up. It resumed its charge toward its prey. He tossed more lightning, this time striking it. The lightning surged through the cougar's body. This caused it to come to a halt. It fell down, going into unconsciousness.
He panted very hard as its opponent returned to consciousness. It gazed at him in fear and ran away. He stared after it until it was gone. He took off his backpack and laid it on the ground. He was about to grab his water bottle when another cougar jumped out of an overhanging branch. It landed on him. It snarled at him and tried to bite him, only to have him catch its jaws in his hands. He closed them tight, grunting with effort. It let out a snarl, pulling them out of his grasp.
The cougar opened its jaws and rushed them downward. Tommy caught its head in his hands. He found its eyes and jammed his thumbs into them. It roared painfully and pulled away. It shook its head. He placed his foot on its stomach in which he flipped it over his head. It did a forward flip, landing on its stomach not far from him. He jumped to his feet. It stood up. They turned around and faced each other. He gritted his teeth.
"If you want me, come and get me," Tommy snarled in ferocity. "I dare you."
The cougar growled and began running toward the boy. He stared at a stone and narrowed his eyes at it. It didn't move at all. He put in a little more concentration, but it still didn't budge. He concentrated even more, and it started shaking. It lifted off the ground, and he jerked his hand to the side. It hit the cougar in the head, stopping it in its tracks.
The cougar shook its head, regaining its bearings. Growling fiercely, it resumed charging at its target. Tommy stared at another stone, putting in much concentration. It wouldn't move at first, but it shook and floated off the ground. He made it fly at the cougar, striking it in the head again. He put in even more concentration, and various objects began hitting the cougar from all sides. The cougar couldn't take it anymore and ran for its life. It vanished into the undergrowth, fearful whimpers leaving its mouth.
Tommy clenched his teeth while panting heavily. He went to his backpack and grabbed his water bottle. He took a long sip of water. He believed the first cougar had been on the prowl for food and found him to be the perfect prey. He had a hunch the second cougar heard the snarling and came to him in hopes of easy pickings. He felt fortunate he had these powers due to Rita's magic. He knew he would've been injured or killed if he didn't have them.
He slipped his water bottle back in its post and grabbed his backpack. He placed it over his shoulders. He was determined to keep exploring the rainforest. He wasn't about to let any animals that saw him as a potential food source keep him from doing that. Of course, he still needed to keep an eye out for trouble. After all, he didn't know what could be lurking around the next tree or bush.
"All right then," Tommy said and snorted softly. He rubbed his hands together. "Come on, feet."
Tommy began walking in the same direction he had been going. He placed his hands on the straps of his backpack. He picked up his pace a little bit while taking deep breaths.
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A margay wandered through a less dense part of the rainforest an hour later. It came upon a clearing. It stopped in its tracks when it saw a tapeti grazing on a patch of grass near the other side. It licked its lips hungrily and crept toward its target on its stomach. It tried not to make any noise. It came close to the tapeti and set itself up for the pounce. It kept its breathing soft and steady. The tapeti moved a little bit in its direction.
The margay sprung out of its hiding place with a growl. It charged toward its target. The tapeti saw it and hopped for its life. The margay increased its stride and caught up to it. It flung out its paw to trip the tapeti. It grabbed it by the back of its neck. This severed its spine. The tapeti became still almost instantly. The margay put it down and panted heavily.
The margay caught its breath and turned its attention toward its kill. It was about to start feeding when it heard approaching footsteps. It grabbed the tapeti and headed into the undergrowth. Just then, Tommy came out from behind a tree. He made his way through the clearing. He spotted more crystals sticking out of the ground. He increased his stride some.
"I've seen so many clusters of crystals," Tommy said and made a funny noise. He clicked his tongue three times. "What's going to happen next, a crystal falling on my head?"
Without warning, a berry hit the boy in the forehead as he reached the edge of the clearing. He halted himself and grabbed a white handkerchief from his pocket as he thought berry juice was on it. He wiped it gingerly. He gazed at the handkerchief, finding none. He slipped it back into his pocket. He looked toward a spider monkey pulling another berry off an overhanging tree branch. It threw the berry at him, striking him in the shoulder. It squeaked amusingly. He narrowed his eyes at it.
"You think that's funny, huh?" Tommy said and turned toward the ground. He saw the two berries and picked them up. "How about you try catching one of these berries?"
Tommy tossed the first berry toward the monkey. It caught the berry very easily. It stuck its prize into its mouth and chewed at a slow yet steady pace. It swallowed before licking its lips. He smiled.
"Okay," Tommy said, tossing the second berry into the air. He caught it very easily. "Here comes the other one."
Tommy tossed the berry to the monkey. He laughed when the monkey caught it. The monkey shoved its prize into its mouth. It chewed slowly but surely. It swallowed with a loud gulp. It approached the trunk and headed further up the tree. Its squeaks echoed on the wind. He resumed walking and passed underneath the branch. He pushed overhanging vines out of his way. He mumbled inaudible words.
He rubbed his hands together before clapping three times. He snapped his fingers while singing nonsense. He looked up and ducked as a harpy eagle flew too close to his head. It landed on a branch near the top of a tree. It let out a loud screech and bobbed its head. He rose to his full height and panted hard. He bit his lip.
He looked toward the eagle as it stood on one leg. He couldn't believe how close it came to hitting him. He knew he would've been injured had that happened. He remembered Marty telling him than a raptor's talons were very sharp and were perfect for grabbing prey. He understood that zookeepers wore thick gloves when presenting raptors during shows to protect themselves from injury. He hoped he wouldn't encounter another eagle for a while.
Tommy started walking once more. He scanned his surroundings while listening to the distant squeaking of monkeys and oinking of peccaries. He tripped over a bump in the ground. He stumbled forward, but he caught himself on a tree. He looked over his shoulder at the bump. He snorted in annoyance and shook his head in disbelief.
"Tommy, how could you not see that bump?" Tommy scolded softly and turned back to the tree. He took three steps backward. "You need to watch where you are going, you fool."
Tommy walked around the tree and gritted his teeth. He grabbed the straps of his backpack a little tightly. He saw another bump in the ground. He went around it. He smiled, feeling very proud of himself. He hoped he wouldn't see any more bumps as he went along. At the same time, he was determined to keep an eye out for them.
Tommy heard growling. He turned to see a mother spectacled bear and her cub walking a short distance away. He decided to stop and watch them. She growled softly while sniffing the air. It spotted a southern monarch butterfly fluttering near it. It chased after it, squeaking playfully. It swiped its paw at it, missing by mere inches. The butterfly flew ahead of it and landed on a rock. It twitched its antenna while rubbing its back legs together. It folded its wings against its back very gently.
The cub came to a stop, watching the butterfly on the rock. It let out a small growl and crouched on its stomach. It crept toward the butterfly, stopping once it was close. It set itself up for the pounce and leapt at its target. It missed grabbing the butterfly with its paws when it flew away. It growled in frustration and returned to its mother's side.
The bears stopped at a bush and sniffed it. The mother grabbed a mouthful of leaves and chewed at a steady pace. She swallowed them as her cub placed its paw on a branch at the bottom and pushed it down to the ground. It got some leaves off the edge. It ate them quickly. It and its mother proceeded to eat more of them. Tommy resumed walking.
"Talk about a sweet mother-and-cub duo," Tommy whispered in a warm voice. "I am sure they will be together for a long while."
Tommy came upon a hill and looked up it. He could tell it was steep, but he decided he would climb it. He began climbing it. He took hold of a root and pulled herself upward. He let out a loud grunt. He put his foot on a rock, pushing himself up. He got another root to pull himself upward. He slipped a little bit close to the halfway point. However, he climbed right back up, passing it. He managed to reach the top.
He made his way to the middle of the hilltop. He panted heavily while patting his chest. He caught his breath. He looked toward the hill's other side. He went toward it. He started his descent. He took great care not to step on anything that could make him slip. Unfortunately, he slipped just after passing the halfway point and slid down the hill. He stopped himself by digging his heels into the soil. He stood up very carefully.
Tommy breathed deeply. He felt relieved to have stopped himself from sliding all the way down the hill. He had a feeling he had stains on the back of his blue jean shorts. He was glad he had an identical pair at home. He didn't want Lillian becoming suspicious if she found a stain. Then again, she would probably suspect he fell in the backyard.
Tommy finished his descent and picked up his pace. Suddenly, a tapeti hopped out in front of him. This forced him to come to a halt. He watched it go toward a hole in the ground. It went inside with a small squeak. It popped its head out and looked around. It ducked back inside. He looked away while shaking his head in disbelief.
"Rabbits," Tommy grumbled in some annoyance. "You can't live with them. You can't live without them."
Tommy walked on while scanning his surroundings. He noticed some knocked-down trees, most of them being medium-sized. He found that a little strange. He didn't think it came from wind because rainforest trees were well adapted for staying upright in very soaked soils, regardless of their size. He couldn't help but wonder what caused those trees to fall.
He looked ahead, gasping in shock at what he saw. He halted himself as his heart pounded against his chest. A starship sat a short distance away. It resembled Noa Briqualon's from Ewoks: The Battle for Endor. However, the wingspan wasn't as wide. Nor was it as long. The front was a bit more pointed. The wings were triangular-shaped. A ladder led up to an open side door on the right. Vines happened to cover a bit of it.
He tilted his head. He had no doubt that the starship crashed some time ago. He became curious about it, but he wasn't sure if he should explore it as the captain could be inside. He shook his head. He decided he would explore it. He made his way to the ladder. He looked up at the door. He thought it looked high above the ground. He wasn't about to let that deter him.
Tommy went up the ladder and wandered inside. He stopped himself and looked around. The interior looked a lot like that of Noa's starship, except the hallway wasn't as wide. The pilot and co-pilot's seats were to the right of him. A ladder led up to an area where guns could be fired. Another ladder went down to a similar area. In front of him was a table and chair.
He approached the table. He could see tools and three journals sitting on it. The journals had emblems of flying dragons on them. He became curious about them. He took his backpack off his back to lay it on the floor. He grabbed the first journal and sat down. He opened it, seeing the name Parker Matsu written at the top of the first page. He focused his attention on the first entry below it.
"'Clovis's strong energy field disrupted my scanners as I entered its atmosphere. I heard loud beeping. I realized my engine was malfunctioning. I knew I need to make an emergency landing,'" Tommy commented in a quiet voice. "'Unfortunately, I ended up crashing into a rainforest. I knocked down several trees in the process. My starship skidded a short distance before coming to a stop. I examined the damage and found it was extensive. I began making repairs to it.'"
He sighed softly. He was glad to know the name of the Earth-like world he had teleported to by accident. The fact it had an energy field meant space explorers had to use visual flight range in order to make their way around while flying their starships. He wondered if it could shield those who didn't want to be found from scanners. He flipped to the second page.
"'It hasn't been long since I crashed on Clovis. So many space explorers have managed to come here without that happening,'" Tommy whispered gently. "'I am one of the unlucky ones. At least I can take comfort in the fact it has animals from Earth. I love that world, but I wish humans would take better care of it. We inhabitants of Nava may be human like them, but we care for our planet very much. We would never drain it of its resources without abandon. We use them in a responsible way.'"
Tommy raised his eyebrows. He was amazed to know that humans lived on other worlds. He had heard stories of aliens coming to Earth in ancient times and taking a large number of them to place on other worlds as an experiment to see how they would treat them. This journal entry proved they were true. He considered Earth to be an experimental failure because cities and towns had taken over many wilderness areas and were still doing that.
He shook his thoughts out of his head. He moved his neck back and forth twice in which he stretched it. He leaned back in the chair a little bit and turned toward the third page. He looked at the bottom. He could see a drawing of a jaguar and her cubs sitting next to a rock where a cluster of crystals was near them below the entry.
"'I decided to do some exploring this morning,'" Tommy said softly. '"I found a mother jaguar and her cubs sniffing the ground in near a cluster of crystals. I was astounded to find them. I was optimistic that I could use them to power my starship. I cut some of the crystals and took them back to my ship.'"
He licked his lips. He wasn't too surprised to see that Parker wanted to see if the crystals could help power up his starship. He had been hoping to find an entry where the space explorer tried that. He turned to the fourth page and cupped his chin in his hand.
"'Unfortunately, the crystals couldn't power up my ship. They aren't powerful enough for such a task,'" Tommy muttered and frowned. "'However, I found the crystals could power my flashlight and my lantern permanently. That means no need for batteries. Since I am stranded here, I might as well go find a place to build a little house for me.'"
Tommy sighed heavily. He felt bad for Parker being unable to use the crystals to restore his starship to full power. At the same time, he was glad the man could use them for his gadgets. He wondered where his little place was. He closed the journal. He stood up and grabbed his backpack. He unzipped it, placing the journal inside. He did the same to the other two. He zipped the backpack shut before putting it on his back. He headed out of the starship. He went down the ladder. He proceeded to head north.
