It took a few hours for Junior and Anguirus to reach the lake. All along the way, Junior couldn't help but admire the beauty that surrounded them. On their left, a vast open plain covered in small plants with the occasional tree dotting the land. On their right, the enormous forest, the interior of which was difficult to see. In both places, the plants were lush, green, and filled with life. Every kaiju they passed gave them a look of awe and lowered their heads. Some even followed them for a short distance.
Junior had to force himself to ignore them, lest he let his conflicting emotions get the better of him. As much as he wanted to explore, he felt that the sooner he and Anguirus were able to talk alone, the better. Of course, at the present time, he couldn't even say that.
When they reached the lake, he pushed these feelings aside. Right away, he could tell it was full of life. Faint silhouettes could be seen in the shallow water near the shore. Junior wanted to take a closer look, but he knew that that may not be the best idea. The darkness of the water alone gave the lake a sense of foreboding. It was certainly enough to make Junior a little nervous.
Suddenly, a strange noise rang out from nearby, surprising him. Turning in the direction the sound came from, Junior laid eyes on a rather odd sight. A short distance away, on a rocky peninsula that jutted out into the water about half a mile, was a swarm of what had to be the strangest kaiju Junior had seen yet.
They looked quite similar to walruses, but much more slender, with four short stocky legs, webbed feet instead of flippers, and no tail. As well as the walrus-like tusks, they also sported a smaller secondary pair on their lower jaws that jutted upwards, the sharp tips almost level with their noses. The noise Junior heard was the sound of two of these creatures engaged in a fight near the tip of the peninsula.
"Oh, a Maguma fight!" Anguirus exclaimed. "I used to love watching these."
"Uh, you did?" Junior asked.
"Hey, you gotta find something to keep you occupied around here. And just watch these things. They are absolutely merciless! But, don't get too close. They're very territorial."
Anguirus was right. The larger of the two combatants had just rammed into its opponent and broke off one of its tusks. The smaller Maguma cried out in pain and snapped at the larger one, clearly not willing to back down. The latter backed away to avoid the attack, bumping into one of other Magumas lounging about on the rocks before letting loose a mighty bellow and charging at his opponent. The smaller one did the same and their heads collided with a loud thump. The larger creature, taking advantage of its superior weight, forced the smaller one back until it fell from the ledge at the end of the peninsula into the water.
"Ooh. Yeah, that's over." Anguirus said. "I think you're about to see what I've been talking about, kid."
As Junior watched on, the loser attempted to climb back onto the rocks, but it was too steep of a climb and every time it looked as if he could make it, the larger Maguma, who kept a close eye on him, thwarted his efforts. Desperate, the loser called out for help, but his cries fell on deaf ears. All the while, he hugged the shoreline, knowing that this was his safest option. Then, suddenly, something slammed into him and pushed him further out. As the force of the impact made him roll over, a large cut could be seen on his belly. He cried out in fright and pain and made a beeline for the shore. He managed to get halfway back before a large fin rose from the water right next to him and a triangular head sporting jaws filled to the brim with sharp teeth shot up out of the water, latched onto the Maguma's neck and forced it under. Such was the speed and force behind the attack that as the predator spun around, its lower half breached the surface, showing off a shark-like tail.
"You know what that was, Junior?" Anguirus asked.
"I think I recognize it from one of your stories. It's called a Zigra, right?"
"Damn straight. Deadliest beast in these waters. Wicked fast, big teeth, and fins so sharp, they can cut your arm clean off and you won't even know it. Worst thing about 'em: they're never alone. That poor Maguma never had a chance without the protection of his brethren. It's sad, really."
"Yeah. We should probably move on."
"Good thinking. Another minute or two and the Zigras are gonna go into a feeding frenzy. Now, that is hard to watch."
"I guess we should hurry, then."
They didn't go far before they heard a splash and something jumped out of the water, ran for the forest, and froze in fear when it saw them. Whatever it was, it had a rat-like body, covered in gray fur, with a long whip-like tail, long forelimbs that almost dragged on the ground, huge ears that seemed to display gills, pupil-less eyes similar to those of a fish, a pair of tusks similar to the Magumas', and a horn on the top of its head that resembled an angler fish's lure. All in all, its appearance was so strange, the Magumas looked plain in comparison.
The creature seemed to relax a little and, sniffing, took one cautious step toward them. It took a quick look at Anguirus, seemingly deeming him not a threat, then turned to Junior, whom it appeared quite confused by. Cocking its head left and right, it continued to stare at him until a loud splash, signaling the start of the Zigra feeding frenzy, sent it running into the forest, loosing a loud, high-pitched shriek as it did so.
"What was that?" Junior asked.
"A Deuterious," Anguirus replied. "I've never seen one so curious before. There must be something about you it liked."
"Probably thinks I'm... You know."
"No. No, I don't think that's it. Deuterios's are driven by instinct. All they care about is food, self-preservation, and the continuation of their own species."
"What? You think it was wondering what I taste like or something? That seems like a bit of a stretch."
"Ha! Yeah, probably. I honestly don't know, Junior. But, I'm sure we'll find out eventually."
For the next few hours, Anguirus continued to lead Junior through the valley, keeping to the outskirts of the forest. He said that there wasn't much to see in there aside from Gorosaurs and smaller creatures, but that didn't diminish Junior's desire to see for himself. He felt drawn to it, like there was someplace within he needed to go, something that he had to see. He kept this to himself, however, and decided that he would explore the forest on his own later.
They stopped to rest on a hill a short ways away from the lake. Feeling content, they quietly sat and looked out over the water. Every now and then, a creature's back breached the surface. Mostly Zigras. After a while, however the telltale shape of an Ebirah could be seen.
"Sucks that we can't catch any those", Junior said.
"Oh, come on, kid", Anguirus replied. "Surely, you're getting tired of the same meal over and over again."
"Not really."
"Well, trust me when I say that it'll do you good to try something new. There's a lot to choose from down here."
"Like...?"
"Those fruits on the tree behind you."
Junior turned to see dozens of gourd-like fruits hanging from one of the smaller trees on the edge of the forest.
"You mean those little round things that are smaller than the palm of my hand?"
"Hey, as much fun as it is to wrestle down a big old Ebirah that's constantly trying to impale you, I'd take snacking on those little fruits over that any day. Give it a try, ya wuss."
"Hey!"
"Seriously, kid? Are we really going to argue over this?"
"No, you're right."
Upon saying this, Junior plucked a fruit from the tree and gave it a try. "Oh, wow", he said. "That is good."
Anguirus chuckled. "See? I'm not gonna let you starve. Yeah, down here, if you're hungry, the forest is where you look."
"I thought you said not to go in there."
"What I said was there isn't much to see in there. You can go in there anytime you want, but I thought you'd wanna see the sights first."
"I do!"
"Well, good." Anguirus paused and sighed. "It'll take most of the day, but, we should be able to make it the rest of the way around the forest tomorrow. Now, I think we should just get some rest."
"Yeah, I agree. It's been a long day."
And, with that, the two friends settled down for a nice long nap. As is often the case, Junior had some trouble dozing off. His mind was racing from the day's events. Already, he had seen and learned so much, and he knew that it was far from over.
Not far away, a small kaiju watched them from the treeline. He had been following them for some time, now, listening intently and waiting for them to come to a stop so he could slip away. Now, he had his chance.
Quickly making his way through the branches, the creature remained hidden as he made his way to the bridge of land that connected the valley to the wasteland. Using thin membranes of skin between his legs, the lizard-like kaiju glided as far as he could away from the trees and crossed. Shortly afterward, he reached his destination: a large pillar of rock about 600 feet tall and 400 feet wide jutting from the ground. Circling around to other side, he stood before the entrance to a large tunnel.
"A-are you there, sir?" he called out, staring into the darkness.
"I am always here, Varan", another kaiju's voice replied for within the tunnel. Varan could hear the echoing sound of footsteps as his master approached, stopping just beyond the entrance, where all that could be seen was the dim yellow glow of his eyes. "What news?"
"The attack w-was a success, sir. Red Moon is dead."
"Good. Good. The plan is nearly complete. Now, only one thing stands in our way. I must‐"
"There's more, sir."
"Oh? Well, spit it out, then."
"There are... new arrivals in the Hollow, sir. One appears to a Great Protector."
"WHAT?!" The tunnel lit up as blue energy began to surge from the larger kaiju's arms, causing Varan to take a few steps back in fear. "Could you, perhaps, repeat that? I could've sworn I heard you say that one of Gojira's kin had returned. Is that right?"
"I-I-I-I'm... n-not entirely sure, sir."
Varan's master growled in annoyance. "Then, you'd better explain yourself, Varan, and do it quickly."
"O-o-of course, sir. You see, only three Kamacuras survived the battle with Red Moon. After he fell, they chased after his mate and child. Then, these two strangers came and saved them. Two more Kamacuras were killed and the last one escaped. One of the strangers looks very much like a Great Protector. Everyone thinks so. They all bowed to him, sir."
"So, what exactly is it that makes you question his identity?"
"Caesar came and took them up to the Perch. They spoke with him for a few minutes and came back down. I overheard them say that they lied to him about something. The supposed 'Protector' almost seemed ashamed about it. They're hiding something. And, whatever it is, I believe it is very important."
The light within the tunnel dimmed as the larger kaiju calmed down and contemplated this. "Hm. Interesting. Perhaps we could use this to our advantage. Keep a close eye on them. Make sure you hear every word. I want to know what they're hiding."
"Y-yes, sir."
"Oh, and who was he with, by chance?"
"Some old-timer. A friend of Baragon's. Ag-Aug-Ang? Ang-Angilas? Um-"
"Anguirus?"
"Yes! Y-yes, sir. Wait, do you know him, sir?"
"Ha! Know him? Before now, I thought I killed him." He sighed. "And now, it seems my problems have tripled. I will have to alter the plan." Upon saying this, Varan's master exited the tunnel and began to walk further into the wasteland. "I must go speak to my ally about this. She will not be pleased. I should return in about a week. Be sure you do as I said, Varan, and report what you've learned when I return. And don't try anything stupid. We have a deal, after all. Remember what'll happen if you don't keep up your end of the bargain."
"O-of course, sir."
"And enough of this 'sir' business. It wouldn't kill you to use my name." With that, he left.
"Y-yes, G-G-Gabara", Varan replied as he turned to head back toward the valley.
