Yes, it's been a while since I updated this, on account I'm just working on other projects and I only do this to improve my editing skills.
I couldn't recall much about the journey through the portal. It was a mix of sound and color that traveled by so fast nothing stood still enough for me to remember it. Though once another portal opened up, I distinctly remember my landing as not being very smooth. Inexperienced with traveling via portal, I lost my footing coming out and stumbled, landing awkwardly on my side. I groaned and sat up, feeling around my ribs to see if anything had broke. Thankfully nothing was hurt. However, if anything was hurt, I would have forsook any attention towards it to take in the majesty of my surroundings.
The portal had brought us to the crest of a hill overlooking a sweeping expanse of shoreline. Golden sand met gentle lapping waves branching out to an endless blue ocean. A massive, lush jungle was off to our left, its soggy terrain dissolving into the sandy grains of the beach. Sea birds called above our heads where wisps of white cloud sailed through the pale blue sky. Small white flowers similar to daisies carpeted the hillside, sbeartered among the many long blades of grass. In the distance, a powerful volcano churned out clouds of white smoke and a little beyond that a towering, snow-capped mountain range.
I could not contain a huge smile from creeping across my face at this magnificent sight. A slight breeze played across the landscape and I took in a lungful of fresh air, falling back into the hillside with my arms and legs spread out on either side of me. If people thought that Hawaii was paradise on earth, then they certainly have never been to Mata Nui.
A dark shadow loomed over me and I opened my eyes to stare up at Kopaka. He no longer wore the Olmak and his icy eyes gazed down at me with something along the lines of amusement. "Enjoying yourself?" he asked in a light tone. I was surprised when I realized he actually seemed relaxed.
"You have no idea," I replied, keeping my smile. I knotted my hands in the carpet of daises and grass. "Everything's so green, so beautiful." I sat up and pulled up a couple daisies, gingerly tearing away the white petals until there was a small pile of them in my palm. "It's unlike anything I would have ever imagined." Another sweeping breeze passed us by and stole the petals from my hand, carrying them away in its strong current towards the ocean. I sighed contentedly as I watched the white things disappear from sight. "As harsh as it sounds, I don't think I ever want to go back home."
It was a troubling statement that caught me off-guard, but in all aspects the place I came from had too many problems and too many things to worry about. A day didn't go by when I didn't think about an overdue homework assignment or getting in trouble at home. However on this seemingly peaceful and placid island, there was no way any worries could ever exist. It truly was a paradise.
A cold chill blew down my spine as Kopaka chuckled once in his throat. "We'll see how long that statement will last," he uttered. The Ice Toa took in a deep breath before nudging me with the blunt part of his ice blade. I flinched away from the weapon as if it were some snake that might bite. "Come. We have much to do." He was already starting to descend the hill.
"Like what?" I asked, standing up. I tightened the strap on my soccer duffle bag. It had wedged loose in the portal.
"Many things," Kopaka replied and said nothing more.
I frowned. His vagueness didn't help any and I was beginning to wonder if communibearion between us would be a very big issue. If that was the case, then my time here had just gotten harder. However, I was a stranger in a strange land and had no other option but to do my best to get along with him and so I followed.
We picked our way down the hill, passing along a sandy path littered on either side with tall grass and bramble bushes. I was unfortunate enough to get some brambles stuck in my socks and had to pause to pick them out. At the end of the trail, we began walking towards the jungle, which Kopaka had said was the border between Le-Wahi and Ga-Wahi, the lands in which Toa Lewa and Toa Gali governed. I asked him some more questions about the island, but he insisted that he wouldn't be willing to give them to me all at once.
"Learning is a process, not a cram session. If a one-time story is what you seek," he lectured, "then feel free to converse with the Turaga. I am certain they would be more than happy to answer all questions and concerns you may have in one go."
I didn't talk to Kopaka after that, but took in the surroundings. I had seen a lot of nature in my day, especially whenever my parents would take me on a camping trip or a hike to the mountains, but the scenery around me stole my breath away. Large trees the brightest of green loomed over our heads like towering skyscrapers and the air smelled sweet with the perfumes of all the flowers. The ground sopped and squished beneath out feet, the many patches of mosses acting like a velvety carpet. Birds of every shape, size and color flitted with lightning speed from tree to tree, passing on their songs and erupting the jungle with sound. It was almost as if I had been transported to the Garden of Eden itself.
I made a point to describe the scenery through a hand-held tape-recorded I had brought along with me. Most others would have simply brought a journal and a writing pen, but growing up in around parents who worked in the technological part of society, I forsook old-fashioned pencil and paper for the new "notepad" of the twenty-first century. I made a point to bring all of the recording tapes in my room so that if I ran out of room on one tape, I could move on to the next one.
After finishing a long description of a multi-colored bio-mechanical frog perched upon a bi-colored leaf, I hit the "stop" button on the recorder and tucked the device safely away in my bag. I shook my head and looked up at the towering treetops above me, still trying to comprehend the feeling of being so small compared to such a mighty thing.
"I have to hand it to you, Kopaka," I said without breaking my gaze, "this sure is an amazing world you live - Kopaka?" As soon as I brought my eyes to ground level again, the Ice Toa was nowhere to be found. I trotted further down the path to see if he had gone ahead of me, but when I looked, he was nowhere to be found.
"Uh, Kopaka?" I called out, glancing to both sides of me. "Kopaka. Hey, Kopaka if this is some kind of test then it's not cool." I chuckled to myself. "No pun intended."
There was no answer to any of my calls.
I blanched and swallowed, the warmth seeping away through my toes. "Uh oh."
This was not good.
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. It hadn't been twenty minutes and already I had lost my only guide to this wilderness paradise. And with no knowledge of this place I was in deep water. Suddenly being a Toa's apprentice didn't sound so appealing - especially if I lost my master. Disappointed, lost and confused, I sat down heavily on a large tree root, cradling my head in my hands.
Just then, I heard a ruffle off to my left; the sound of ferns trembling in a stiff wind. At first, I thought it was Kopaka, but debunked it as being him due to the fact that I didn't see a flash of white where the noise was coming from. Nonetheless, whatever was making the noise was large and that alone caused me alarm. I hadn't forgotten that this was a wild land, and in wild lands lurked wild animals. I stood slowly and began to take wary steps towards the back of the tree, every sense on high alert.
"Hello?" I called cautiously, making a point to keep behind the tree. "Who's there?"
The rustling intensified and the color drained from my face. Whoever or whatever it was didn't sound too friendly.
Without warning, whatever was lurking in the brush leaped out and I screamed, darting quickly behind the thick trunk of the tree. A squeaking came from the opposite side of the tree in the direction of the rustling bush. I frowned. Normally bloodthirsty predators didn't squeak. Working up the nerve, I turned back around and peered over at the supposed bloodthirsty killer.
It was nothing of the sort.
Sitting in a stream of warm sunlight was a small squirrel clad in gray armor, sniffing away at the ground for anything edible. I relaxed at the sight of this creature and emerged from my hiding place and bent down on one knee to examine the creature from a safe distance. In all aspects, it was very much like the common gray squirrels that would plague the trees in my neighborhood. I helped it in its search for food and glanced around me, finding a small nut the size of my thumbnail by my foot. I held it in my palm and reached it out to the squirrel, waiting to see if it would take it.
The small animal, Rahi in the Matoran language, was wary of me as I was of it, but decided that I posed no harm. It cautiously approached my hand, sniffing my skin and examining my scent. It inched a tiny bit closer and smelled the nut. For a moment, I believed it would through caution to the wind and take the nut, but in an instant it scampered away and into the brush, the nut forgotten.
I frowned and looked in its direction, confused as to why it didn't take it. Perhaps it was unused to humans, I reasoned, and didn't see me in a nice light. Sighing, I tossed the nut away and moved to stand, but hit my head on something hard – rock hard.
I cried out and dropped to my knees, clutching the forming welt on my skull. The bump pulsed with its own heartbeat against my fingers and a terrible headache plagued my mind. It was unlike any pain I had ever experienced.
"Ow, what did I hit?" No sooner had I asked did a glob of transparent fluid drip onto my shoulder. I blanched and looked over to it, recoiling at the sight of it. A deep growl emanated from above me and my face fell further. I reached behind me and felt a well-muscled chest as well as a powerful shoulder blade and neck – and just a little above that a powerful head with a razor-tooth lined maw.
I swallowed hard, trembling violently. Very slowly, I turned around to see the beast lurking behind me and my eyes bulged out of my skull. A giant bear clad in bright orange armor growled down at me with hungry eyes. And since the squirrel was smart enough to run and since it had – I was next on the menu.
The giant bear made the first move, lunging out at me, his giant jaws aimed for my neck.
I hurled myself to the ground, his teeth missing me by a hair as he bit down into the marshy ground. Taking the opportunity, I dove between his front legs and made a sharp right turn, getting out from under the creature as fast as I could. I immediately took off at a brisk run, my years of soccer training giving me an extra edge. However, the bear had four legs to my two and quickly gained ground, madder than ever.
He was running no less than two feet from my heels and It was amazing I was able to put distance between us at all, however I couldn't focus on my good fortune. My main concern was finding Kopaka and escaping the beast without losing a limb.
I probably shouldn't have screamed the whole way - on account it was a waste of energy - but considering my deadly situation, I let it slide. It was even worse because I had my bag on and that slowed me down. There were a few times where the bear tried to pounce on me and I only managed to escape by forcing another burst of speed. By the third speed burst, my legs were on fire and sweat soaked the collar of my shirt.
I paid little attention to where I was going and didn't care as long as I wasn't headed for any cliffs - I had seen enough movies and cartoons to know that. The road suddenly inclined a bit and then grew to a greater height, much to my annoyance. I absolutely despise running uphill, but I was in no position to complain. My legs burned from maintaining the high speed; my breathing became heavy, and sweat poured down my face and neck in a torrent. The Ash Bear, however, looked anything but. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was actually enjoying the chase!
The bear raced another few inches towards me, gleaming claws extended, and that's when I felt the pain as said claws sunk into my legs. I yelped out loud and went down, the weight of the bear forcing me to the ground. Its claws tore through me jeans, slicing them to individual, bloody strips. It swiped out with its head and knocked me in mine. The force of the blow was enough to put me into unconsciousness and for a few brief seconds I was helpless.
That's when I felt the sensation. It was a burning feeling throughout my whole body that only intensified the more I thought about how much I didn't want to be the Rahi's next meal.
I've had enough of this, I thought.
That's when I did the craziest thing anyone would have ever done to a dangerous Rahi - I flexed my legs and lunged up at. My eyes seemed to grow hazy then, everything a blur of motion and color much like it was in the portal. It was like looking out of a window smeared with rainwater, but my actions were still clear to me - and at the same time not. The force of my lunge sent both Rahi and me tumbling end over end down the hill, scratching at each other: the Ash Bear trying to get free and me trying to defend myself. I specifically remember kicking my legs hard into the Rahi's stomach, forcing it off me and further down the path. Free, I rolled to a halt down the hillside with minor injuries. I looked around briefly as I rose to my feet and saw that our battlefield had changed to the edge of a gushing river. Further down the way, the Ash Bear was regaining its senses and that's when I realized that I wouldn't just have to worry about being torn to pieces, but being drowned as well.
In my mind, I was yelling to go back up the slope and get away from the danger, but my body didn't respond. There was an urge to stand and fight for my survival and that urge was too strong to fight. Instead, I crouched into a defensive position and glared at the Ash Bear as it began to pace around me. It bared its pointed canines and hissed while I regarded it with cool eyes. The beast finally stopped in front of me and for the longest time we both stared each other down, waiting for the right time to attack. I decided I would make the first and final move.
Taking off at a full sprint, I charged towards it, holding out my arms to make myself look bigger in the hopes of scaring it off. The bear responded by making a dash for me as well and at the last possible moment, I banked to the right and moved out of its path, watching as it tumbled headlong into the dust with a whine.
Taking the opportunity, I made for the river and noticed a dam of sorts further down the way. I raced towards it and carefully started across, quickening my pace only when the Ash Bear raced towards me. With quick feet, I made it to the other side of the river and set down my bag, glancing back to the dam and the animal coming across it.
Panicked, I grasped the nearest log to me and pulled it free, using it to dislodge the remaining logs in the hopes of dismembering the dam before the Rahi made it to me. I hoped that whatever animal made the dam would forgive me as one by one the logs drifted away down the river and the structure came down with a mighty crash and a spray of water.
The Ash Bear looked just as surprised as I did as it collapsed into the water and was swept up in the current, disappearing along the horizon. I sincerely wished it would be okay, it was simply trying to survive and I couldn't blame it for that. I said a small prayer for its safety and took a seat on the riverbank, thankful I had a moment's reprieve.
"This place is weird," I concluded. Picking up an idle stick, I tossed it into the water and watched it drift along lazily along the banks before joining the main stream to drift over the waterfall. Scooting further up towards more dry land, I laid down and stared up at the expanse of sky up above me, lost, alone and startled. "So much for paradise."
Yeah, so another chapter down. IDK when the next one will come but don't hold your breath over it. Reviews are welcome as always.