Chapter 3

--

Bluster walked through the jungle. The sky was now a dark blue color, and a blanket of stars covered the sky. He could hear the crickets chirping their midnight song. The air smelled fresh, like the leaves and flowers around him. Bluster felt the soft, cool grass under his feet and the gentle breeze on his face. He saw the shadows of tall trees and the glow of fireflies lighting up the night. When he breathed in deeply, he could even taste the sweet, fruity scent of ripe bananas hanging from the trees.

He wasn't nervous one bit (even though he should be), as he thought he could totally do this. I'm just as capable as they are. Bluster thought, smiling to himself. They'll see!

As Bluster went on he realised that he had no idea where he was going. Quickly he recapped his directions.

"If I remember correctly, all I have to do is go through the jungle, through the Gnawty's territory, past the Zinger's hives and into the mines, where K Rool's lair is." Bluster said to himself. "Should be easy enough."

After minutes of walking (which felt like hours to Bluster) he realised he was entering the Gnawty's territory. "I should be fine." Bluster reassured himself. "It's not time and all the Gnawty's are probably asleep. I shouldn't run into any."

Feeling a new sense of confidence, he strolled into the Gnawty's territory. Little did he know there were hundreds of little eyes on him.

Bluster walked quietly, trying not to make any noise. The forest was dark, and the only sounds were the rustling of leaves and the hooting of an owl. He looked around and saw big, tall trees with thick branches. "Wow, these trees are so big," he whispered to himself.

As Bluster kept walking, he saw a big log lying on the ground. "I can rest here for a bit," he thought. He sat down and took a deep breath. "This place is kind of spooky," he admitted. "But I'm brave. I can do this."

Suddenly, Bluster heard a tiny giggle. "Who's there?" he asked, his heart beating faster. He looked around but didn't see anyone. "Maybe it was just the wind," he said, trying to calm himself.

Bluster stood up and started walking again. As he walked, he noticed some glowing eyes peeking at him from behind the trees. "Hello?" he called out softly. No one answered. The glowing eyes disappeared quickly.

"Maybe it's just my imagination," Bluster said, shaking his head. But he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was being watched. He walked a little faster, hoping to get out of the Gnawty's territory soon.

Just then, he heard a rustling sound coming from the bushes. "Oh no," Bluster thought, "I hope it's not a Gnawty." He peeked into the bushes and saw... a tiny bunny! The bunny hopped out and looked at Bluster with big, curious eyes.

Bluster laughed. "You scared me, little bunny," he said, feeling relieved. The bunny wiggled its nose and hopped a bit closer to him, looking as if it wanted to smell the ape. "I guess not all eyes are scary," Bluster said with a smile.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the bunny lunged at Bluster. It landed on his face and bit him hard. "AHHHHH THIS BUNNY IS POSSESSED!" Bluster screamed as he desperately tried to get the bunny off of his face.

"GET OFF MY FACE YOU STUPID ANIMAL!" Bluster yelled. The bunny stopped biting him and looked at him with a hurt face. Then it jumped off his face and hoped away, crying its eyes out. "That's right, you better go cry." Bluster grumbled.

He turned around and almost pooped when he saw what was behind him. There was hundreds of Gnawty's. All staring right at him.

Bluster let out a loud shriek of terror. Without a warning he ran as if his life depended on it, which it did. Every single Gnawty chased him. "I'M TOO RICH TO DIE!" Bluster yelled.

Bluster's heart pounded as he raced through the forest, dodging trees and jumping over rocks. He could hear the Gnawties right behind him, their little feet pattering on the ground. "Gotta keep running, gotta keep running," he told himself.

He spotted a big tree with a hole in it up ahead. "Maybe I can hide there!" Bluster thought. He dashed towards the tree and squeezed into the hole, hoping the Gnawties wouldn't find him.

Inside the tree, it was dark and a little bit cozy. Bluster tried to catch his breath and listened carefully. He could hear the Gnawties outside, looking for him. "Where did he go?" one of them squeaked.

Bluster held his breath, trying to stay as quiet as possible. After a while, the sounds of the Gnawties began to fade away. "Maybe they gave up," he whispered to himself.

Bluster peeked out of the hole and saw that the coast was clear. Then he felt a feathery wing touch his back. He turned around to see that he was squishing a large Necky.

"Ahem. You're in my nest." The Necky said, trying to push Bluster out of the way and looking at him with tired and angry eyes. Bluster let out another scream and ran out of the tree trunk. The Necky just rolled his eyes.

After a short while of running and screaming his head off, Bluster realised that he was exiting the Gnawty's territory. "Oh thank god." He sighed. "I am so done running."

Bluster decided to sleep through the night, instead of walking in the dark. He found it very hard to see in the darkness of the night. So he found a small cave and laid down on the floor. He hated it but he didn't really have another choice at the moment.

So he closed his eyes and fell asleep, knowing he would be ready to keep going in the morning...

--