Chapter 5
"Hey, Donald, maybe King Mickey's down there?" Goofy asked, or thought aloud from his seat in the cockpit. After a night of multiple card games, and laughs alike, sleep wasn't something everyone had caught up on. The trip to their current unknown world was a shorter one than usual, and, as usual, Donald was a bit on edge.
"In a backwater place like that? No way. We've wasted too much time dilly dallying around. We need to focus and find the King already!" Donald replied angrily. Sora, however, wasn't the type to leave any stone unturned. Anywhere could very well be the somewhere he was looking for.
"Hold on. Riku and Kairi might be down there, Donald. Can't we at least check it out? Just to be sure?" Sora asked, sincerity in his tone. Donald however, wasn't in a charitable mood.
"Forget it! We're on an important mission!" Sora was appalled. He really thought he'd made it through to the stubborn old duck.
"C'mon man. Just land!" He almost begged.
"No!" Donald wouldn't budge. An uncomfortable and awkward silence fell over the cockpit. Goofy was about to try and convince Donald, but was cut off by Sora,
"We're landing." He said firmly, as he simply began pressing every button as his station, over and over. Donald's eyes were like pinwheels.
"No, no, no, no, don't touch that, ya big palooka! NO!" He quacked, loudly. It was too late though. Sora had overridden the ship's systems, and she was now in a free fall, toward the surface of this dinky little planet. The cockpit's glass domed ceiling began to pop open, and just as they entered a breathable atmosphere, all three occupants were ejected with a gush of wind, all screaming wildly.
Sora had crashed through a wooden house in the trees of sorts, and when he came to, he felt the impact all over.
"Oh..." He groaned, grabbing at his ribs. He had taken a beating already, and all they'd done was got here! This was panning out perfectly. With another groan, he managed to get to his feet, and looked around.
It was warm here. Like, even warmer than on his islands, because there didn't seem to be any breeze. He was definitely in a house, and it definitely wasn't on the ground. This tree house was enormous then, if that was the case. It looked like it had seen better days to say the least. Broken windows, and holes in the walls were signs that it had been here for some time.
Twenty, twenty-five years even. He gave himself the once over, before brushing some sweat from his brow.
"Donald? Goofy?" He asked, looking around the dilapidated tree house. Then, he heard something. Something that made his blood run cold. A low growl, from something that sounded mean, and clawed. With a roll out of the way, he saw the beast come flying forward where he'd just been. The Keyblade already summoned, it was a nasty spotted cat.
And it was big.
Circling him slowly, the beast's fangs were long, white, and sharp, while its claws were black as night. Its piercing green eyes were intimidating, and, as they bore into Sora's own, he felt real fear. The kind of fear when you can taste metal in your mouth. His knees a bit shaky, he held onto the Keyblade tightly and waited for the brazen cat's next move. It leapt forward, and Sora managed to dodge the strike, but not entirely.
The big cat had slashed with its claws and managed to leave Sora with a deep cut in his left arm. Bleeding from his wound, Sora went on the offensive, and swung down at it, but it was too fast, simply side stepping the swing, and heading for Sora's midsection.
Sora recovered from his swing and brought the Keyblade down upon its head, but that only made it stop for a moment. Now with a new found sense of anger, it leapt above him, into the rafters of this old house, and forced Sora to scan the ceiling for it.
He'd lost track of it, and, just as panic set in, he heard it thud down behind him. With a turn and swing, he only managed to parry the cat's blow, but it was coming from a position of power and recovered, to then lunge at Sora, knocking him off of his feet, as he tried to block the attack.
Sora's back hitting an already busted window frame, he landed on his rear end, and watched on as the big cat, seemingly victorious licked its chops. Lowering itself for a final lunge at Sora's neck, he only managed to raise the Keyblade in a weak defense, his other hand gripping the silver part of the blade. His eyes closed tightly, he grimaced, readying himself for immense pain, when suddenly, he heard the beast's back claws scratching at the wood underneath it.
It had been stopped in its tracks.
Its mouth wrapped firmly around that of a spear held by Sora's savior, it was flung backward, and angrily growled. It let out one frustrated roar, before plunging out of the nearby window in a rage. Sora watched, as the tall, well muscled man, wearing nothing but a loincloth, turned to face him. He had deep, yet kind eyes, and a hardened face, with brown dreadlocks. He'd just saved Sora's life, but he was still naturally cautious about him. He stared into Sora's eyes, "Sabor. Danger."
He grunted. Sora wasn't sure what that meant, but he still owed this guy his thanks.
"Umm... Thank you." Sora said, standing and holding his hurt arm.
"Thank. You." The man grunted the words, rather than spoke them, and lowered his upper body down, so that now his weight was all in his knuckles and feet. Sora scratched his head in confusion, wincing as he did. He still had a decent sized hole in his arm afterall.
"Uh, so, what is this place?" He asked.
"This place, this place." The man answered rapidly. Sora was starting to get the gist of this conversation. This man meant him no harm, in fact, he was good hearted, he'd saved Sora from that Sabor, even though he didn't know him. But, he couldn't understand Sora, for some reason. Not entirely anyway.
"Okaaay..." Sora said slowly.
"Look, I got separated from my friends. Have you seen them?" The stranger cocked his head in confusion.
"Friends..." Sora drew the word out, placing his hands close on his chest. The stranger mimicked Sora's movements, "Friends..?"
"Right, my friends! There's two of 'em! The loud one is Don--" Sora stopped himself short, surprised that those very words were leaving his mouth. He was going to describe Donald and Goofy. Those were the first two he'd thought to mention. No, not his real friends. His childhood friends. But the two who weren't even his friends. Not really, anyway. They just played along, because he had the Keyblade.
They were just using him.
He was just the Keyblade Master to them. Nothing more. Sora's mystery savior looked on at him, even more puzzled now. Sora sighed, frowning.
"You know what? Nevermind. I'm looking for my friends Riku, and Kairi." The man smiled, slightly, "Look for Riku, friends?" Sora smiled back, "Right!"
"Kairi, friends?" Sora began to respond, but just as he did, he thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye. No, someone. Her.
"Huh?" He asked, looking past the stranger. There she was.
Kairi.
Almost angelic in appearance. She smiled at him, and flicked her hair in that way that gave him goosebumps. Time seemed to freeze for him, as she walked away, seemingly disappearing behind the dreadlocks man.
"Wha...?" Sora mumbled.
"Friends. Here." The man said, patting his chest firmly.
"What? Really? I thought I saw her, but... You're sure!?" Sora asked, excitedly. The man nodded, and proceeded to make a series of grunts. Sora didn't know what that meant, but he didn't care. If his friends were here, that was all he needed to know. He grunted again, keeping eye contact with Sora.
"Not sure I understand, but show me! Take me to Riku, and Kairi." He smiled wide. The stranger smiled.
"Tarzan." He said motioning to himself. "Tarzan. Go." Sora patted his own chest, "And I'm Sora! Tarzan go," He motioned to his new friend, then back to himself, "Sora, go go!"
They exchanged smiles again, before Tarzan walked on all fours over to the large wooden doors of the broken down tree house, and shoved them open with gusto. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, and Sora could hear a massive assortment of different birds, and monkeys, and all sorts of animals vocalizing throughout this Deep Jungle. The green trees went on and on, after Sora stepped out to survey the area on the tree house's patio of sorts.
"Whoa..." Sora mumbled. A row boat hung from a rope, just in front of Sora, and some sort of net hung below this structure. Sora watched as Tarzan leapt from the porch, and down, amongst the trees. He chuckled, shrugging his shoulders, and followed suit.
Donald and Goofy sat back to back on a boulder, that was surrounded by a bamboo forest. Little sounds, and small movements amongst the bamboo were clear indicators that this place was teeming with life.
Goofy sighed, looking down, "Gawrsh, where are we?" He asked. He couldn't help but think about his friend. He'd grown to really like him, over the past month or so. He was a good kid, he didn't care what Donald said, or thought.
"I sure hope Sora's okay." He said looking up.
Donald wasn't having this kind of talk, "Aw, who needs him? We can find the King on our own, Goofy. What's the matter with you?" Donald quacked, grabbing at his staff. It seemed furrier than usual.
"Huh?" He looked down, and discovered he had a hand full of something's fur. "Wak!" He cried, as the gorilla he'd fondled the head of cried back at him. Like a bullet from a gun, the gorilla shot away from the pair, and dropped what it had in its hand, as it did. Donald and Goofy couldn't help but notice what it was, the former hopping down to snatch it up, off of the dirt.
As he did though, they both heard a rustling coming from somewhere inside the bamboo. A bigger rustling. Goofy gulped, and Donald froze, as a tall, well dressed, and gun wielding man approached.
After a thrilling slide down the various tree branches amongst this jungle, and a quick stop for Tarzan to apply some kind of jungle agent on Sora's wound, helping to disinfect, and ultimately heal it, Sora and Tarzan landed in what seemed to Sora like a camp of sorts.
A black stove sat against a cliff wall to his right, and some sort of quick setup lab with different beakers was to his left. Behind that laid a pile of suitcases, and a large flag pole, that was waving a flag that had some sort of 'X', on it. Tarzan led him to the big central tent which had another branch that seemed to house furniture, for some reason. On the other side of the luggage pile, was a grandfather clock, that was behind a somewhat small, circular table with a teapot and teacups atop it.
Walking through the fabric 'door' of the tent, Sora and his new friend were greeted by a woman, who seemed to know the ape man.
"Tarzan!" She said excitedly, turning to face him, "Oh, and who's this?" She was tall, as well, but markedly cleaner, as her long brown hair was straight and flowing. Her voice was lyrical, and it was clear she'd been in the jungle for some time now, due to her clothing choice. A simple brown skirt, and beige sleeveless top. It was hot here, afterall.
"Uh, hi." Sora said, sheepishly. "My name's--" he was cut off.
"Oh, you speak English!?" She was shocked.
"You must not be related to Tarzan, then." Sora rubbed the back of his neck. Here it comes, "Are you here to study the gorillas?" She asked. Before Sora could answer, however, another voice entered the conversation. A voice that dripped with condescension, yet, an air of sophistication.
"Highly doubtful."
Sora turned to find the source, and discovered a tall man, with grey edges to his otherwise brown hair, and a highly manicured mustache. His eyes seemed cold, and distant, as he himself emanated a sense of disdain for this place. A double barrel rifle gripped tightly in his hands, he stepped forward fully into the tent, and Sora couldn't believe who followed him in.
"Sora!" Goofy cried.
"Donald! Goofy!" Sora yelled back, as he and Donald embraced in a hug.
Realization set in, not a moment later, and the very thing Goofy feared about this reunion occurred, as Donald and Sora ripped away from one another, arms crossed and looking in opposite directions. They were both still bitter about the Gummi ship's crash and subsequent disappearance. Goofy knew there were some fences to mend, now. The hunter, shrugged his shoulders dismissively.
"A circus of clowns. Not much use for hunting gorillas." The woman from before didn't like his tone.
"Mr. Clayton! We're studying them! Not hunting them!" She shouted as he walked away. She sighed, "Ah well. The more the merrier, no?" She asked with a smile. Sora, eyes still glued to the ceiling of the tent muttered, "Well, anyway..."
"I'm staying to look for the King."
"I'm staying to look for Riku and Kairi."
He and Donald spoke at the same time. That seemed to be the only thing that'd get them to look at one another, both hotter than fire. Goofy had an idea. He knew how to get them both to see reason.
"Sora, look what we found." He said smiling, as he opened his hands to the Keyblade master, Donald looking on incredulously. Sora didn't recognize it instantly.
"Wow. What is it?" He asked, looking at the strange block in Goofy's hands. Goofy smirked, "It's a Gummi block. The same stuff used to build our ship. Which means..." Donald finished the thought, "The King could be here, somewhere." Donald crossed his arms again, "Which means we need to work together. For now!" He quacked.
Sora frowned. He liked Goofy. He really did. He was kind, and always seemed to care about others, but this duck was a real pain in the--
"Fine, I'll let you tag along. For now!" Sora reciprocated. An awkward silence fell over the tent, before Donald noticed that Tarzan appeared to be picking bugs from his feathers.
"Say! What's the big idea!?" Donald swatted at his hands. Goofy laughed, as Sora offered his hand to the woman, "I'm Sora. The loud one is Donald, and that's Goofy." She shook his hand and offered a pretty smile of her own.
"Jane, a pleasure to meet you. So, how do you know Tarzan?" She asked, running a hand through her hair. Sora paused, thinking hard, before answering.
"Uh, we're--"
Donald interrupted, "From far away."
"Right." Sora glared over at the duck. He could handle this. "We sort of got shipwrecked, see. Crazy storm." Sora chuckled, nervously.
"Anyway, we ended up separated, and Tarzan saved me from some crazy looking cat." Sora finished.
"Oh, I see. What part of the world are you from then?" She asked. Tarzan luckily grunted that same familiar phrase, at just the right time. Sora looked over at him, still confused as to what it meant.
"Ah, well, as I'm sure you know by now, Tarzan was raised by the gorillas in this very jungle." She clarified. Sora raised an eyebrow. "Communicating with him still isn't easy, but, he's learning." Jane smirked.
"So, he was speaking 'gorilla' back there?" Sora asked.
"Yes, apparently. Fascinating case study, really. Man unleashed, and all that." Jane chuckled.
"Right. But, I'm looking for my friends. He said they were here. Is that..?" Sora trailed off, as Goofy and Donald approached as well.
"We're looking for someone too." Donald said firmly. Jane glanced down at her projector.
"Why don't we try this? If we show Tarzan some slides, perhaps an image will trigger that word in him?" She theorized. She reached to insert one, then frowned, "Oh, what's happened to the slides?" Sora smirked.
"Don't worry, I'll find 'em." He pointed a thumb at himself.
"Sure! And we'll help!" Goofy volunteered. Donald glared up at his old friend, before following behind Sora. If he knew the King, which he did, he knew he couldn't just leave two snot nosed brats to fend for themselves in this place. He'd be with them, more than likely. That's just who he was. To a point, anyway.
Sora exited the tent, and began to meticulously search the camp, alongside Goofy, and to a small extent Donald. Sora first looked through the lab he saw earlier, spotting one almost immediately, and Goofy managed to find one by a chalk drawing of Tarzan.
"Hey, Sora, check it out!" He called.
"Wow, cool. She's really good." Sora smiled.
"Gee, how do ya know it wasn't that Clayton feller?" Goofy asked. Sora frowned. He didn't like the look of that guy.
"I don't know. Something just tells me it wasn't him." They shared a chuckle, before moving on together.
Donald meanwhile was lazily searching through the cabinets of a dresser that was brought along for some reason. He could hear Sora and Goofy laughing, and having fun whilst performing an otherwise boring task, and couldn't help but feel a little left out. He wanted to have fun too! But Sora and his big stubborn head had gotten them stuck in this dump, and he couldn't just forgive and forget about that.
The King needed them, looking for him, not looking for some two bit slides to help some monkey man find the right word for, "Your little buddies are here, in this place, brat."
"Gawrsh, found another one!"
"Way to go, Goofy!" Sora laughed. The two rounded a corner, spotting Donald poking through areas that the slides most likely wouldn't be.
"C'mon, Donald. They won't be in that little jewelry box!" Goofy said with a smile. Donald shrugged his shoulders, without turning to look at the pair.
"C'mon. Let him sulk." Sora said, heading for the grandfather clock at the opposite side of camp.
"Ohh..." Goofy groaned. He hated to see the duck mage like this. Sora on the other hand had managed to find another slide inside the clock, strangley enough, and even spotted another one atop the luggage pile, after pulling his head out of the time keeper.
"Goofy!" He said pointing up at it. Goofy nodded, and began the somewhat tricky climb up. Careful step after careful step, he reached the top and gently picked the slide up. With a triumphant smile and turn he gave Sora a thumbs up. Sora gave him one of his own right back, but couldn't help but laugh, when Goofy began his less cautious descent, and perhaps inevitably, tumbled, along with the suitcases all the way down, landing flat on his rear end.
"Oops." He said chuckling.
"Nice goin'." Sora teased, smiling down at him, before helping the Knight to his feet. Still, Donald listened on. "I don't see anymore. Maybe we should see if this is it?" Sora asked.
"Sure. C'mon Donald!" Goofy called. Donald followed behind slowly as the trio re-entered the camp tent, only to discover Tarzan being taught a lesson in English. Jane was smiling, and ever so patient with him, whilst he did his best to grasp a tough concept for any man, let alone a jungle man.
"Uh, sorry to interrupt, but we found those slides. We think." Sora said through a chuckle.
"Ah, excellent! Tarzan, are you ready to see some images?" Jane asked. Tarzan cocked his head to the side, quizzically. "The tent wall. There, look there." She pointed, Tarzan's gaze following her finger's direction. Jane then slid behind the projector, and inserted the first one handed to her by Sora.
The first was that of a man offering up some sort of bouquet to an uninterested woman. Tarzan stared blankly. Sora chuckled at the image, 'Poor guy', he thought.
The second image was one of an older woman, holding up a child, possibly her grandchild.
'I miss my grandma', he thought, 'she used to tell me stories, all the time.'
Wait a minute...
'No she didn't. I never knew my grandma. Either one of them. Why did I think that..?' He thought to himself. His mind was all jumbled now. He'd just had a thought that, seemingly, wasn't his own. Tarzan still, blankly stared at the image.
The next was of a beautiful gorilla. Tarzan smiled at that, but that was obvious.
The next was of a trade ship, of some kind. It reminded Sora of the ships that would sometime visit his island. The same type of ship he last saw his father board.
The next was of two men fencing. Sora smiled, thinking of the duels he and Riku would always parcipate in. Tarzan however, stared on blankly again.
The final image flashed by, and didn't interest Tarzan at all. Sora, on the other hand couldn't take his eyes away. It depicted a castle, seemingly in the clouds. Elegant, and regal, it was a beautiful image, but nothing special. Sora stared on, all the same, mouth slightly agape.
"Sora, you okay?" Goofy asked.
"Huh?" Sora replied, being snapped out of his trance. "Yeah, sorry. Just, this place seems so familiar. But, how could it? I've never seen anything like it..." He mumbled. The slides had finished, and Jane sighed. Her focus now back on Tarzan, "Well, Tarzan?" She asked.
Sora also turned to face him, "Yeah. Where are my friends, Riku and Kairi?" He asked. Tarzan appeared to sympathize with him, but he simply couldn't tell him, what he couldn't express properly. He lowered his head, and shook it. Sora was a bit shocked, and even hurt, a little. It wasn't nice to get someone's hopes up like that, then just dash them like it was a joke.
"Hey, I thought..." Sora frowned.
"That just leaves one place." The smooth, and commanding voice of the hunter, Clayton was both at once musical, and menacing, as he stepped into the tent, past Sora. "Young man we've been in this jungle for some time now, as you can tell." He gestured to Jane, rudely. She scowled at him. "And, we've yet to run into these friends of yours. I'd wager," Goofy didn't like the look in his eyes, "they're with the gorillas. But, Tarzan here refuses to take us to them."
Jane wasn't about to listen to this again, "Please, Mr. Clayton. Surely Tarzan wouldn't--"
"Then take us to them! The gorillas! Go-ri-llas!" He annunciated every syllable of the last word, almost with a hate in his voice. Tarzan only had to look at one person, to be totally sure about this. He saw the pain, and the want in Sora's eyes. He wanted more than anything to see his friends again, and if there was any chance that they might be with the gorillas, then Tarzan had to take that chance, for the boy's sake. He nodded, his eyes glued to Sora's.
Jane was taken aback, "Tarzan, you're sure?"
"Tarzan go. See Kerchak." Tarzan said. Jane was puzzled, "Kerchak?"
"Must be their leader. Excellent. I shall join you, as an escort. After all, the jungle is a horribly dangerous place..." The hunter smiled, and the sight made Sora, Donald, and Goofy all a little sick.
No, this guy was definitely bad news.
Tarzan exited the tent, on all fours, and the trio, plus Clayton followed behind. The group headed to the left, and through a rocky tunnel. They exited into what appeared to be a lagoon of sorts, where an entire bloat of hippos resided.
"Whoa!" They're huge!" Sora said with a smile. Donald dismissed the creatures, he'd seen them dance afterall, so this wasn't all that exciting. Goofy was pleased to see the beast's in they're natural environment, and Tarzan meanwhile, had begun climbing a nearby vine.
"Oh, c'mon. More climbing?" Donald quacked.
"Let's go." Sora said firmly, climbing behind the man amongst apes. Goofy followed suit, then Donald, but Clayton simply hollered up at them, "Quite right. I'll be right there!"
Sora noticed he didn't appear to be making any efforts to follow along. What was he up to?
After a lengthy climb, and subsequent swing with some vines along the canopy of the jungle, Tarzan had led them to a meeting spot, of sorts. He held his hand out to Sora, Donald, and Goofy, as if asking them to stand back. Meanwhile, a troop of gorillas approached along a higher branch, and, once all were present, sat down facing Tarzan. Sora watched, as Tarzan began speaking in those familiar grunts from before...
"Kerchak, please! Listen to me!" Tarzan pleaded, with the massive Silverback. Of course, being raised by the apes Tarzan was considered one of them, amongst the population, but their leader, Kerchak feared this day would come.
The day that he'd meet his own, and within a short amount of time, he'd realize what and who he was. In that instant he had anticipated a betrayl from the human. So, for him to be coming to him like this now was better than he thought, but this still wasn't good.
"I-- I know the breeding grounds are secret." Tarzan said softly, "But, I want to help them because..." Tarzan was a little lost for words, "Well, because they need us." He looked deeply into the hulking leader's eyes. He knew the answer, when the gorilla turned his head, and stood slowly walking away. The rest followed behind, giving Tarzan a sad, and disappointed look. They were surprised at him.
"Kerchak..." Tarzan mumbled, lowering his head. He was crestfallen.
"Uh, did ya get any of that?" Goofy asked Donald, after leaning down.
"No." Donald answered, short and sweet. He was sick and tired of all this running around, and ultimately going nowhere. Goofy scratched his head slightly, whilst Sora just watched on.
"Kerchak..." they all heard Tarzan mumble. Goofy didn't like the look on that big guy's face, though.
"Ya know, he seemed sorta distracted, wouldn't ya say?" Donald had noticed it as well, "Was he looking toward the treehouse?" Tarzan suddenly seemed to be distressed. His grunts were still foreign to Sora, but he could still read body language. Tarzan took off in the direction that one could only assume would be that of the treehouse, swinging wildly from vine to vine.
"Wait! What's going on?" Sora asked. Then, it became clear. The gorilla leader was perhaps missing a gorilla, and figured it was playing at the treehouse, a local favorite. Tarzan knew who it was, and they were shy someone who's idea this trip even was.
Clayton.
Sora, Donald, and Goofy all came to the same conclusion, before shouting in unison, "C'mon!", each gesturing to the other to follow along as they made a mad dash for the treehouse. Semi careful swing, after semi careful swing later, the gang did their best to follow along the path that Tarzan had been on, whilst simultaneously trying not to fall to their death. The jungle was thick with vegetation that made travel hard for someone less skilled than Tarzan, and, to top it all off, it was oppressively hot. The bird calls, and occasional monkey howl were a pleasant enough soundtrack, that was, until Sora heard a holler that sounded human, followed by an all too familiar roar.
Tarzan had gotten into a tangle with that Sabor, somewhere. Sora didn't have time to stop, and he knew Tarzan could handle himself. Besides, Tarzan would have wanted them to head to the treehouse, and fast. Sora thought.
The trip was tough, and filled with a few close calls, but they made it to the enormous branch that led to the treehouse, and began to follow it up, running as fast as they could. Sora led, whilst Goofy trailed, but Donald was running fast. So fast that he'd made it past Sora as they wrapped around to the front of the treehouse, along the porch.
Donald Duck was a lot of things, but cruel, and though it may seem it sometimes, unfeeling, were not among those things. An innocent gorilla could very well be about to meet its maker, and at the hands of that smug hunter no less.
That thought fueled Donald.
Lo and behold, a sweet little oddly colored, blue, gorilla sat in the middle of the treehouse, playing with a globe. Spinning it back and forth, it was enjoying toying with the spherical map, and was entirely oblivious to Clayton's rifle, which it was entirely in the site of. Donald's feet pitter pattered along the old rotten wood. Clayton's finger was touching the trigger. Donald ran harder. Clayton began to depress the trigger.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAK!"
Donald quacked loudly as he turned the corner and spotted the crouched Englishman. The jump scare forced Clayton's finger to pull at the trigger hard, but it also caused his shot to jump, significantly. The little gorilla also heard the loud quack, and jumped as fast and high as it could to the elevated portion of the treehouse, as Clayton's shot harmlessly struck the floor.
"What's the big idea!?"
Donald demanded. Sora was proud to see how upset Donald was. Confused, but proud, and Goofy had only just shown up. Tarzan climbed up from below, having just arrived himself, and, besides sporting a new scratch, and being winded, appeared okay.
Okay, but irritated. Meanwhile, the massive Silverback from before, Kerchak, approached the little gorilla, placing a hand on its shoulder. Tarzan grunted through some gorilla words, apparently, name dropping the big gorilla, and Sora could tell it sounded like he was pleading. The gorilla leader simply turned away, followed by the little one that almost ended up on the black market. Tarzan's fists balled up tightly, as he turned to face the hunter, who'd ended up on his rear end.
His face was hard, and it was obvious how he felt. He was furious. Donald too glared down at the man, while Sora crossed his arms and began tapping his foot lightly. Goofy just watched on. He was still a bit confused.
"Yo-- You don't understand, I-- I was just trying to..." Clayton struggled for words, "You see, a snake slithered by! Yes, quite! I saved that poor gorilla's life!"
He said through a smile. Tarzan looked back. He saw no snake corpse. His head dropped, and he shook it slowly. Sora knew that look all too well. He'd seen it from countless teachers. It was disappointment.
The trip back to camp was quiet, and marred by much less danger, as Tarzan helped everyone find the much gentler, and safer path down. Sure it took longer, but at least Sora's heart wasn't quite pounding out of his chest, either. Donald certainly appreciated the calmer descent, and Goofy wasn't much one for running, jumping, or swinging, anyway. Once they'd returned, it was left to Sora to explain what had happened, and Jane was livid, to say the least.
"How could you do such a thing!?" She shouted, demanding an answer from this thug who tried to pass as a gentleman. Clayton raised his hands, in defense, "Now, Miss Porter, as I already explained, I was aiming f--" he was cut off, "You are not to go near the gorillas again! Do you understand!?" Jane wasn't leaving any room for misinterpretation.
"For one mishap? Come now..." the hunter tried his best to smooth this over with his far too calm, and dapper demeanor. It wasn't working, however. Sora, Donald, Jane, Goofy, and Tarzan all gave that same, disapproving glare. They weren't buying his sloppily constructed fib, and all wanted him out of the tent.
Now.
Backing away, hands still raised Clayton chuckled, nonchalantly, as if everyone was overreacting. He turned, walking forward the rest of the way out, and grabbed at his rifle as he did. A menacing, and maniacal scowl adorned his face. The rage and hate for this jungle were beginning to overpower his every thought.
"What am I doing with these imbeciles?" He asked himself, marching toward his tea table, gun gripped tightly.
"Blasted gorillas! I'll hunt down every last one of them..." He growled. "I'll track them down somehow. I'd stake my life on it." The sun was beginning to set, and naturally, as it did, certain parts of the jungle began to awaken, and stir. A rustle here. A rustle there. Gripping his gun tightly, Clayton's skin crawled. He hated the imminent sound of life and nature. Beings that were savage, and beneath him. And that Tarzan. He walked amongst them, denying his own power over them, as man. These filthy beasts wanted to be lead, and lead them Tarzan would. Perhaps, straight to the walls, floors, and hallways of a beautiful English manor, Clayton mused.
Just perhaps.
It was then that he noticed the rustling had grown louder from the bamboo thicket. There was something nearby, and something rather large. Clayton began to follow the sound, rifle in hand. He followed it, until it lead him to the now much darker bamboo thicket, and there discovered a helpless gorilla, being encircled by some kind of creatures.
They appeared monkey like, with sharp claws and jumping, twitchy movements. Their most discerning feature, however, were their dead, bright yellow eyes. They bored a hole into you, when they looked at you, as one had turned to do, to Clayton. Then, they all began to turn, looking at Clayton. They seemed to separate for him, allowing him full view of the hurt, and scared gorilla. With a devilish smile, he raised his gun upward, and, as the sun was just leaving the sky, a single shot fired loudly out over the jungle.
Blood sprayed across the bamboo.
Sora and the gang had been busy discussing the days events, and, ultimately, what to do. Jane had decided. This was the last straw. She'd find a way to get a message back home, and have Clayton removed. He was becoming a danger to everyone, man and beast.
"But, uh, how're ya gonna get the news back home there, Miss Jane?" Goofy asked.
"Well, I was thinkin--" She was cut off, as a single loud shot rang from somewhere nearby, outside the tent. Sora and Tarzan exchanged a look, and both shot out, followed by an armed Donald and Goofy. Much to their surprise, there was nothing there, at first. Tarzan could tell it had come from the bamboo thicket, and had begun to head in that direction, but was stopped in his tracks, as out of nowhere several monkey like monsters simply appeared out of thin air, in front of him.
He grunted in confusion, and was shocked when Sora slashed forward with his trademark weapon, destroying it instantly. He looked back at Tarzan, "No time to explain! Head for the bamboo! We'll handle these."
"Fire!" Tarzan heard, from Donald, watching as a fireball whizzed by and destroyed one of the monsters. Tarzan couldn't understand everything Sora was saying, but he got the gist. With a dash, he headed for the bamboo thicket.
"C'mon!" Goofy shouted, before rushing one of the Heartless, and pummeling it into the ground with his shield. Sora sliced at another to his left, and lowered to one knee to block another's claws. "Blizzard!" Donald quacked, shooting an icicle through its forehead. Sora turned with a swing and managed to vanquish another, while Goofy finished off the last with a toss of his shield.
"Where the heck did the Heartless come from?" Sora asked, a bit winded.
"Good question!" Donald replied. Suddenly, a signature shout came from the grove of bamboo. Sora, Donald, and Goofy all took off in that direction, weapons at the ready. Jane had watched the entire exchange from the tent opening, and cupped her hands at her mouth, "Wait! What's going on? What were those creatures!?" She asked, to no avail. They couldn't hear her. They were too busy focusing on finding Tarzan. She turned back into the tent, to fetch her boots, and, after having laced them up, turned to see a familiar blue gorilla running toward her, tackling her as it did. It was shaking hard, and held onto her tightly.
"Oh!" She exclaimed, as they hit the ground. Grabbing it by the fur, she began to calm it, before the monkey monsters from earlier began to creep into the tent. They didn't immediately go on the offensive though, curiously. They were simply making the way for their new leader.
Or victim.
For it was Clayton who walked through, and, smiling, looked down at Jane and the gorilla.
Tarzan was locked in a fight for his life with his leopard nemesis. Sabor biting down on his spear as hard as the cat could, it was pushing Tarzan back, further away from its current meal, the fatally shot gorilla. Tarzan had been attacked by the large cat, as he caught it feasting on the killed ape.
Filled with rage, and the need for justice, Tarzan fought back hard. He'd been at odds with the leopard for years, but this was the climax. Sora, Donald, and Goofy finally arrived, Sora shouting, "Tarzan!"
The jungle man couldn't acknowledge his new friend's call, and threw the leopard off of him. It rolled, due to Tarzan's extreme strength, and made it back to its feet, circling Tarzan.
"Back. Back." Tarzan warned the trio, as they helplessly watched on. Sora nodded, somewhat reluctantly. He wanted to help, but he knew Tarzan knew best, especially with this big nasty cat. With a roar, Sabor leapt at Tarzan, but he quickly side stepped it, and dug with his spear down at the leopard's midsection. Sabor was still fast, however, avoiding the stab, and swiping at Tarzan's leg.
Tarzan lifted his leg, but he wasn't quite fast enough, as Sabor's claws did connect somewhat, causing a gash. Tarzan grimaced, but managed to bash the leopard over the head with the blunt end of his spear. That seemed to daze the cat, but certainly not enough as it sprung upward toward Tarzan's throat. Its jaws clamped down on the wooden spear again, as it angrily tried to rip Tarzan's weapon from his hands.
Tarzan wouldn't budge though, as he dug his feet in and did his best to shove Sabor back. He began to feel his leg tingle slightly, however and even felt the bleeding stop. He was stunned, but still had to finish his rival off.
Donald had cast a quiet, and subsequently small cure spell, but it was enough. Or so the trio thought.
Tarzan's spear suddenly snapped in half, and Sabor lunged forward, barreling into Tarzan. Both cat and man crashed into the thick bamboo, and Sora charged forward. He was scared at first, as he only heard a few grunts, and groans, but was shocked to see the leopard come flying out of the bamboo forest, as limp as a rag doll.
"Huh?" He asked, looking down at the big cat at his feet. Donald and Goofy came to his side, and all three watched as Tarzan a little scratched and bruised, walk back out of the thicket, his breathing heavy, and labored.
"Holy crap." Sora muttered, looking down at the defeated Sabor.
"Are-- Are you okay?" He asked, placing a hand on Tarzan's shoulder. Tarzan looked into Sora's eyes, and pain was evident. He motioned toward the dead gorilla, and a tear began to form in his eye. A young female, by the looks of it, and Sora could guess that she was the victim of the gunshot they'd heard earlier.
"I'm sorry..." He said quietly, Donald and Goofy hanging their heads. Tarzan simply shook his head, and slowly walked over to the gorilla corpse. He crossed her arms and closed her eyes, and took a moment of silence for her, the trio following suit. Sora had to break it after a moment, however, "I know this isn't easy, but there may be more in danger, Tarzan. We should split up. You can make it around the treetops a lot faster than we can." Donald and Goofy nodded.
Sora continued, "So we'll handle things down here, and you can go make sure the rest are safe." Tarzan still couldn't entirely comprehend, but looking back and into Sora's eyes, he followed enough of what the young Keyblade Master was saying.
With that, Tarzan, now weaponless headed for a nearby branch, looking back and giving Sora one last affirming nod. Sora reciprocated. Tarzan climbed out of sight, Goofy gripping his shield tightly, "We should head that way fellers. See if the Heartless have cornered any."
"Good idea." Donald replied. They took off toward an area where the bamboo thinned, and gradually became cliff face. Within a few moments, Sora, Donald, and Goofy found themselves in a canyon of sorts. There, they found two young gorillas being stalked by these nasty monkey Heartless, on a higher ridge. Sora, without a word swung at the nearest Heartless, and missed as it jumped backward.
Readying itself, it slid toward him with its sharp claws, but Goofy was quick to destroy it with a well timed shield toss. Donald cast a thunder spell near the gorillas, and thankfully missed them, only striking the nearby Heartless in a flash of light, dismissing them.
Goofy bashed another over the head, and Sora began a climb up a small vine to help finish off the Heartless that were cornering the sweet gorillas. He slashed diagonally at one, and horizontally at the other eradicating both, quickly.
"Heads up, Sora! We've got reinforcements!" Donald quacked, firing off a fire spell. Goofy began that silly spin move he'd tried on the other world, and Donald had to duck as he spun and spun and spun, wiping out Heartless left and right. Sora smiled, looking down at them, "Hey, way to go guys!" Donald smiled up at him, whilst Goofy tried to steady himself after he'd stopped. Far off in the distance however, they heard a signature holler. It was Tarzan.
"He's on his own, out there!" Goofy yelled. Sora nodded, Donald hopping down off of a ledge he'd scurried to.
"Let's go!" Sora ordered, as they all took off for the campsite. It was a surprisingly short run, and once they arrived they noticed the campsite was eerily quiet.
"Stay alert." Donald said, as they cautiously walked back to the tent, and slowly pulled the entrance back. They walked through, and were shocked to see no one there.
"Where'd Jane go?" Goofy asked. Sora didn't like the look of this, "Oh, man. With all these Heartless around?" He asked.
Donald nodded his head, "Sounds like trouble. As much as I hate to say it, maybe we should check the treehouse?" Sora and Goofy nodded.
The group headed back out of the tent and back to the hippo's lagoon, however this time, it was the dead of night. The moon hung high in the sky, full and bright, providing some light, but not nearly enough to swing from vine to vine safely. It wasn't even that safe during the day. The hippos were more heard than seen, as Sora gripped the sturdy vine that led to the treetops.
"This is gonna be really dicy, guys. You ready?" Sora asked, looking down at the two.
"You betcha! We gotta save Tarzan, and Jane, and the gorillas!" Goofy smiled. Donald meanwhile muttered something about world order, before quacking, "Yeah, yeah, let's just get it over with."
Vine by vine, slowly, they made their way to the large central tree root that they had remembered led upward, toward the treehouse. Sora wanted to move faster, but he also knew he'd be no help to them dead. A gunshot sounded, from relatively far away, causing everyone to jump slightly.
"Gawrsh, we better hurry!" Goofy hollered.
"Yeah!" Donald began, "But, you know, none of this would have happened if you hadn't been so stubborn about wanting to land, Sora! We wouldn't be here, risking our necks!" Sora landed on one branch, safely and turned, "Wait a minute! Are you seriously blaming me for all of this!?"
Donald swung to his next vine, "You bet I am! You and your interfering have cau-- WAK!"
Donald had misjudged his swing distance in the moonlight, and began a free fall, after not being able to successfully grab the following vine.
"Donald!" Goofy hollered. Sora leapt at another vine and began a wild slide down, "I've got him, Goofy! Head to the treehouse!"
Goofy swung to the large branch that Sora had been standing on. "Fellers! Hello!?" He shouted, looking up at the final vine that would lead him to the treehouse. "Oh..." He groaned. He trusted Sora, but he really wanted to make sure everything was alright.
"Sora!? Donald!?" His shouts were met with silence. Goofy sighed. He didn't like this. He grabbed the vine and began a slow and labored climb up toward another familiar holler.
Sora slid and swung as fast, as he could to reach a falling Donald.
"Help, help, help me! Help!" Donald squawked, his arms and legs flailing for anything to grab.
"I'm coming, Donald!" Sora shouted. Donald, thankfully, found some purchase, but noticed it happened to be a slick branch. He couldn't hang on for long.
"Hurry, Sora! Please!"
"Don't worry! I won't let you down!" Sora hollered. He was so close. Sora landed on the slippery branch, but Donald's grip couldn't hold any longer. He slipped, and re-entered into a free fall, but only for a moment, as he felt Sora's hand wrap around his wrist, tightly.
"Gotcha!" He said through a grunt and a smile.
"Quick, pull me up!" Donald shouted in response. Sora complied, and, after a bit of climbing and collapsing down on a much dryer, and sturdier branch sighed. A chuckle escaped Sora's lips, "Hey..." He said through a breath.
"Yeah?" Donald asked, just as hoarse.
"I, uh..." Sora couldn't stifle a laugh, "I thought ducks could fly."
"Can it!" Donald shouted, giving Sora's arm a slap. He laughed too, though. It was funny, afterall. Donald's chuckles began to subside, and, after a moment of just sitting, the duck mage spoke, "Look, about the landing and everything, I'm--", he was interrupted, as another loud gunshot rang out over the jungle, causing them both to stand.
"Crap. C'mon let's get moving. Goofy's helping Tarzan. I hope." Sora said, grabbing ahold of a vine. Donald nodded, following behind.
"He didn't follow after you?" Donald asked.
"He wanted to, but I told him I could get to you."
"Thanks, Sora. You know, for, saving my life and--" Donald was interrupted again, this time by a roll of thunder. A storm was coming in, apparently.
"No problem. All for one, right?" Sora looked back and down, smiling.
"And one for all. Right." Donald smiled back.
The rest of the climb to reunite with Goofy and Tarzan was quiet, for the most part, but it was clear. Fences were on the mend. By the time they made it to the farthest canopy, just under the treehouse, it was raining, and raining pretty hard. Much to Sora and Donald's surprise, this canopy was in fact where Tarzan and Goofy were in the midst of a fight for their lives.
"Goofy!" Donald hollered, casting a fire spell at a nearby attacking Heartless.
"Hey, fellers! Glad ya could make it!" He chuckled, bashing through another Heartless to his left. Sora, Keyblade in hand leapt into the air and vertically sliced through an airborne Heartless, destroying it as he did. The landing was smooth, and he quickly took care of two more with well timed and well placed swings.
"Where's Tarzan?" Sora asked.
"Takin' care of these weird black fruits! There were a bunch of 'em! Now just the one! It seems to be holdin' Miss Jane and the little gorilla hostage over there!" Sora looked up, and, thankfully, an icicle from Donald's well timed blizzard spell pierced through an attacking Heartless, allowing Sora not only to not sustain bodily harm, but also notice Tarzan simply bare handedly ripping away at an enormous, seemingly poisonous black fruit of some kind.
A Heartless construct, no doubt.
Sora noticed he'd almost had it destroyed, but a few nearby Heartless were ready to pounce. Sora knew he couldn't get there fast enough, and Donald and Goofy were fending off a few of their own in this hard rain. He needed to wipe them all out, but, he couldn't move that fast in a split second. He wasn't a bolt of lightning.
'Wait a minute...' he thought, looking down at the Keyblade and gripping it tightly.
He'd remembered Donald casting some sort of, 'thunder' spell, before. Sora took a deep breath, and angled the Keyblade toward the sky. Then, he focused...
A younger Sora walked along the shores of his favorite island. Riku was busy building away at the little treehouse higher up, and Kairi was picking seashells off of the shore, smiling as she did.
He watched her, giving a smile of his own, before noticing what appeared to be a black cloud over the horizon. He knew what that meant. Storms were common place, living an island life style, but still, they were no fun.
"Hey!" Sora called out to his red headed little friend. She perked up, looking at him, but noticed he was pointing toward the sky. She now too noticed the blackening sky.
"Oh!" She frowned. She headed up shore, toward where Sora was standing, before they both took off for higher ground.
"Riku! Storm!" Sora hollered. Riku wasn't all that concerned, poking his head out of the basically complete treehouse.
"What? So? C'mon! Just get in here, you two!" He shouted down from his perch. Sora and Kairi walked up the little wooden steps and along the sandy soil, hooking to the right to grab at the ladder. They climbed rung after rung, until reaching the little porch. Sora turned, hands on the railing and watched as the storm rolled in over the ocean. It was beautiful, in its own way. He followed behind Kairi inside the now finished treehouse, and smiled.
"Wow! Way to go, Riku!" Sora laughed. Kairi nodded, "Yeah, it's nice in here!" Riku rubbed the back of his neck, smirking.
"Well, thanks. I'm glad you two like it." He chuckled. "Though, it would have been nice to get a little help!" He said, playfully shoving Sora.
"Hey! I brought some wood!" Sora defended, with a sly smile. Moments later the rain came, and within a few minutes, it was storming, pretty fiercely. The three were still dry as if it was a sunshine day, however.
"Nice job with the roof." Sora remarked. Riku, sat against the left wall smirking.
"Yeah, that was tough." Sora and Kairi sat against the right wall, when, suddenly a bolt of lightning hit a bit too close, causing them all to jump. Kairi especially, finding her arms wrapped around Sora's midsection.
"Whoa!" Sora said, as he suddenly had a shaking Kairi in his lap practically. She was really shook up, "Sorry, Sora. I just..." She paused, "I hate storms." Sora gently, and cautiously patted her back, "It's okay. I get it. They're loud and windy, and--"
He was cut off, "No, they just remind me of a bad time, for some reason. I don't know..." She trailed off. Sora was curious, but he didn't want to pry, Riku thinking the same thing. They just sat for a while, in silence, Riku's eyes rolling at the sight of Kairi tucked under Sora's arms, as they looked out the door, watching the pouring rain together. Sora went to adjust, but as he did, his finger tip brushed by her hair, and shocked them both.
"Ow!" They cried in unison.
Riku laughed, "A lot of static energy, you two. Be careful. Sparks can develop." Sora and she were both confused. "Static shock?" Kairi asked.
"Yeah, remember that lightning bolt? That created a ton of energy. Makes things all charged up. I learned about it in science last week. I think..." Riku placed a hand on his chin, mocking thought.
"Yeah. Right." Sora snickered, rolling his eyes. They all laughed again. Still, Sora couldn't say he hated the idea that when he and Kairi touched, it made sparks. Not one bit, actually.
Sora took a deep breath. The air tonight was wet, and even heavy. A lot like that day. The day she held onto him, whilst scared. When she needed him to protect her, like Tarzan was trying to protect Jane.
"Thunder!"
Sora shouted, and in a flash of light, bolts of electricy shot from the sky and zapped each and every Heartless from existence, their hearts floating toward the sky slowly. Donald was taken aback, but also, mightily impressed.
"Sora! Way to go!" He smiled in response. He was still a bit winded. Casting magic was quite the strain, mentally, but he had a moment to catch his breath. The Heartless were gone, afterall.
"Yeah, nice job, buddy!" Goofy congratulated. Tarzan meanwhile, had headed straight for the small cave of branches that had been holding Jane, and her new gorilla friend, captive. Jane was on the verge of tears, "Tarzan! Thank goodness you came!" The two embraced in a hug.
Tarzan was muddy, wet, and even a little bloody, but she didn't care. She was so happy he was safe, and he she. Pulling away, Jane spoke through deep ragged breaths, "Clayton, he-- he came to the tent, and..." she paused, "And that's the last thing I remember!" Sora looked back at Donald and Goofy, all exchanging nods.
They'd figured as much, but still, what did the Heartless have to do with anything? The little gorilla that had also been trapped was hugging onto Tarzan's leg tightly, his hand gently stroking its fur.
"Gorillas trapped. Terk ran." He mumbled. Jane didn't like the sound of that, "We must save them, Tarzan!" It was well after midnight at this point, and everyone was exhausted, but they knew what they had to do. Tarzan looked into Sora's eyes, both exchanging a silent affirmation of what needed to be done, before Tarzan motioned for the trio to follow him.
He knew where Clayton could have rounded up and cornered the gorillas. The canyon.
Tarzan picked up Jane and began his descent to the campsite, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and, apparently, Turk, following along.
"Where are we going?" Sora asked. Tarzan didn't even look back. He probably couldn't understand him anyway, but regardless, there just wasn't any time. Vine after vine, yet again, and finally, they'd made it back to the camp. Tarzan set Jane down, and began a full on sprint, into the bamboo thicket. Sora still wasn't sure where everyone was headed, but he followed right along, anyway. Along the way, Goofy couldn't help but wonder, "Gee, Miss Jane, don'tcha figure you should stay back at ca--"
"Absolutely not! It's my fault that vile man is here, in the first place. I'll help in any way I can."
She cut Goofy off.
Sora smiled. He liked her attitude. Finally arriving in the canyon from before the first thing Sora and Tarzan noticed were more than a few bright yellow eyes. It was hard to see, since it was so dark, but a streak of lightning lit the canyon for a brief moment, allowing Sora to see Clayton, gun in hand, aiming directly at a terrified female gorilla. Kerchak was fending off a large group of the monkey Heartless, and appeared to have suffered some bad wounds of his own. The mighty Silverback was getting weaker, it seemed. The moonlight was helping, but Sora didn't need much to notice a difference in Clayton.
He wasn't a good man, but he seemed even worse than usual. His eyes seemed dead, and empty, like that of a Heartless, almost. The hunter's finger nearly ready to pull the trigger, Sora shouted, "No!" causing him to look in the boy's direction.
Tarzan right beside him, Goofy, Donald, and Jane behind him, Sora asked, with disgust, and even a hint of sadness, "Clayton. How could you do something like this..." Clayton didn't even respond.
Gun lowered, he just looked at Sora, as if he wasn't even there. Tarzan had noticed the difference too, "Not Clayton!" He shouted, then muttered something in gorilla. It was that same phrase he'd said the first time he and Sora met.
"Not Clayton!" He hollered again. The hunter stood still, the same blank expression in his face, before he simply screamed.
It was an animalistic scream at that, loud and uncontrolled, nothing like the typically calm and cool Clayton. He quickly angled his gun in their direction, the five splitting off in different ways. The bullet grazed Tarzan's shoulder, causing him to grimace. Jane tried to go to him, but was held back by Goofy. He couldn't let her run out there so recklessly.
Donald meanwhile began casting blizzard spells at the Heartless that Kerchak was fighting off, and Sora had begun to intercept an insane Clayton from firing again, directly at Tarzan's head. With a well placed swing, Sora connected with the gun's barrel, causing the shot to simply hit the dirt. Clayton turned, and yelled again, bashing the gun into Sora's midsection, swinging it as if it were a sword.
The collision was hard, and caused Sora to become airborne for a moment, landing hard against the rock wall of the canyon. Tarzan took the opportunity to lunge at the crazed Clayton, knocking him to the ground. The gun was dislodged from his hands, and Sora noticed, trying to pounce on it, hoping to discard it from the fight, but he was thrown aside by a Heartless.
"Sora!" Goofy shouted, finally letting go of Jane and throwing his shield at the attacking Heartless. With the Heartless taken care of, Sora reached for the rifle, but his hand was stepped on firmly by the hunter. His hair a mess, teeth gnashing, and his eyes unrecognizable, Sora couldn't help but feel some fear, looking up at Clayton.
Donald was busy helping the gorillas, Goofy was fighting off Heartless of his own, and he had no idea where Tarzan had made it off to.
Clayton kicked Sora away, shoe to chin, causing the Keyblade Master's face to begin bleeding. Clayton reached down, and armed himself. He aimed the rifle at Sora's head, and cocked the hammer. Sora closed his eyes, throwing his hand up in what would be a pointless defense, before hearing a simple click.
It wasn't loaded.
Sora opened his eyes, looking up at the angered Clayton. With a primal shout, he turned to gun around and now looked as if he was going to bash Sora's brains in with the butt of his gun, but much to Sora's amazement, the hunter suddenly had an attacker on his back.
It was Jane!
Kicking and biting him fiercely, he screamed, throwing her off of him. Jane's back collided with the ground, and she groaned, before realizing that Clayton's ire was now directed at her. She flinched, but Sora was now on his feet, and connected a swift swing of the Keyblade with Clayton's midsection. The maniacal hunter turned, and slapped Sora away for a moment, with a strength that didn't seem human. Suddenly however, Clayton was wrapped in a swath of wet vines, and lifted, airborne.
Dropping the gun, and now several feet off of the ground, he hollered and flailed wildly, as Tarzan dropped from the trees landing next to an exhausted Sora, and a dazed Jane. They looked up at the now immobilized hunter, in victory, but Sora didn't have time to relish.
Goofy and Donald needed help. Sora ran with a swing, slicing through several Heartless that had Goofy cornered, easily dispensing with them, as Goofy bashed a few over the head as well. Finally freeing the Knight Sora and he shared a look, smiling.
"Thunder..." Donald weakly quacked, as only a single lightning bolt came down barely finishing off a Heartless that was headed right for the injured Kerchak.
"Donald!" Sora screamed, as he now charged the cliff Donald was perched on. With a wild and uncontrolled spin, an exhausted Goofy began to dash through the Heartless managing to deal with a few, before his spin became too erratic, and he fell, into the mud completely spent.
Tarzan meanwhile, was busy hurling rocks at Heartless, and doing his best to defend his adoptive ape father. Jane was keeping an eye on the increasingly wild and animalistic Clayton, and Sora found strength he didn't know he had, as he leapt to Donald's side and swung through two Heartless.
"Sora..." Donald said softly. He'd been casting too much. He was on the verge of blacking out.
"I know, buddy. I got this. Hang on." Sora said calmly patting the mage's shoulder. With a deep breath, and a determined look in his eye, Sora dropped down amongst the chaos of the Heartless and began slicing and swinging the Keyblade with surgical precision. Heartless after Heartless vanished, and, with one final, admittedly tired swing, Sora, with the help of Tarzan had cleared the wet, and bloody canyon of the foul monsters.
Clayton meanwhile was still hollering wildly, but, had managed to free his machete from its sheath, and began swinging. Tarzan and Jane were busy tending to Kerchak, while Donald and Goofy were seated, trying to rest for a moment.
Sora watched as Clayton sliced through the vines and noticed that he was working on freeing himself. Sora gripped the Keyblade tightly, readying for another fight, but he began to see something through the rain, and moonlight.
A shadow, almost.
He also saw that while Clayton was swinging, the hunter had failed to realize that he had a vine wrapped tightly around his neck. One more swing would free his arm, and he'd enter into a freefall.
Of sorts.
Sora's stomach dropped, "Clayton! No! Stop!" The crazed hunter couldn't even hear him, and with one more powerful swing, his body was no longer being held up, and he fell. The vine that was around his neck however, was still there.
A sickening snap echoed throughout the rainy canyon, and that same vine was now taught. Lightning struck far off, but brightly illuminated the area, leaving a haunting shadow swaying back and forth in front of Sora. Sora again thought he saw something more though.
Movement that seemingly, somehow wasn't there. A low growl, or coo filled the canyon, causing Sora to hold his Keyblade with both hands.
What was going on?
Then, from out of nowhere, Clayton's corpse disappeared from the vines, as if something had devoured it. That same low, almost alien growl echoed near Sora's ear.
With a swing, and leap backwards, Sora's Keyblade connected with something.
Something horrible.
Revealing itself was a massive chameleon like Heartless, towering over the Keyblade master. Sora could barely handle any more, dropping down on his rear end, breathing hard. As the large beast rose on its hind legs, Sora could just see what appeared to be Clayton's shirt dangling from its mouth.
The implication was terrifying. Suddenly, a sharp spear was driven into the beast's back, causing it to cry out with a loud shriek. Tarzan swung in from a vine, his signature holler giving away his location.
Sora stood, and watched as a familiar shield was flung at the Heartless' head, forcing it off balance. With a turn and scurry, it burst through the back wall of the canyon, revealing the dawn was coming.
They'd been fighting all night.
Donald rose to his own flippers, and with all his might, shouted, "Heal!" Sora felt a small boost of energy and smiled up at Donald. He rushed the dazed and wounded chameleon monster, with a flurry of swings. Its horrible green skin was turning a shade of black, as blow after blow landed from the Keyblade, but it wouldn't go down so easy. With a hiss, and growl, its eyes began to bore down on an attacking Sora, casting some kind of headache inducing spell upon him.
He clutched at his skull, and just as the Heartless appeared ready to strike, a large black form appeared in front of him, shielding him from the attack.
"Kerchak!" Tarzan shouted, as he swung in, landing on the Heartless' back. Indeed it was. The gorilla leader's body was badly beaten, but he'd stepped in front of Sora, to save him.
"No!" Sora hollered, as the massive ape gave out one more effort of defiance, swinging his giant paw at the monster's head, knocking it off balance. Tarzan jumped off, making a safe landing, and rushed to the dying gorilla's side. Sora meanwhile, stood from his one knee, and ran over to the big Heartless' head. He raised the Keyblade high, and made some eye contact with it, before driving his Keyblade into it's skull.
The look it gave him would haunt him, forever. That horrible, dead, feeling less look.
With a twist of his wrist, Sora vanquished the beast, and watched as its body faded away, into the sky. Sora noted that not one, but two black hearts floated ever upward. He turned, and ran back to be beside his gorilla savior. He was already gone. He'd died in the arms of his weeping son.
"Tarzan..." Sora said softly, as Donald and Goofy limped over to stand beside him. Tarzan looked up into his eyes, and the two shared a moment of pain, and remorse, without a single word. A tear fell down Sora's cheek, as Goofy placed a hand on his shoulder.
Apparently, Kerchak's last wish, was that Tarzan take over as the leader of the troop. He'd believed in and loved his human son, even if he didn't always show it. It was day now, and Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jane had all been escorted back to their camp, in an attempt to get some rest. Sleep didn't come easy to anyone.
The events of the night were disturbing to say the least, but, they were all exhausted, so they did manage to catch a couple of hours of snoozing. Tarzan meanwhile, had to mourn with the gorillas, and spent some time with his family, also letting everyone know that he was now their leader. Kerchak also knew more than he'd ever let on, out of caution, apparently. He'd let Tarzan in on a few secrets. Primarily that, as the new leader, there was something inside of the waterfall, at the breeding grounds. Something very important, that their visitors needed to see. The boy with the Key, specifically. Sora was shaken awake, gently, by Jane.
"Sora. Sora, wake up. Tarzan is here, he'd like to see you." Sora rubbed his eyes glancing over at a snoozing Goofy, and a sleeping Donald. He nodded, standing and stretching. Man was he sore. Almost as sore as when they were back at that Coliseum.
They stepped out of the tent, and Sora was surprised to see Tarzan standing directly in front of it, with a few gorillas at his back. He stood from all fours, and embraced Sora in a hug. Sora thought it a bit odd, but reciprocated. He'd really grown to like the smelly jungle man. They exchanged yet another silent stare down, proof that eyes can say more than the mouth, often times, and Sora knew that he again was going to need to follow him.
Donald and Goofy had apparently been roused by Jane, stepping out of the tent as well. "Let me guess..." Donald quacked.
"Yup. C'mon." Sora said softly, as the whole group began a slow trek back to the canyon. The canyon was a mess, naturally, after the fight the night prior, and the midday sun shone brightly on more than enough bloodstains. The back wall however, had been blown out, as Sora recalled, and had made way to the gorilla's famed breeding grounds, a tranquil lake, that was fed by an enormous waterfall.
After climbing to a higher vantage point, Sora spotted a small cave at the bottom of the waterfall. Evidently, that was where they were headed. The inside of this beautiful place was cool, and peaceful, yet also deafening. The rush of the water was directly to their right as they climbed a few more rocks. The group had thinned at this point, to just Tarzan, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Jane, and Turk, apparently.
Some rocks were slippery, but nothing particularly dangerous or even scary happened, during the uneventful climb to the top. Tarzan motioned for Sora to walk ahead, now that they were atop grass again. Sora complied, Donald and Goofy at his flanks. What they saw next almost rivaled the beauty of the falls. A large tree trunk, sat in the middle of a circular nest of soft moss, and vines. It was covered by large, gorgeous, and even glowing butterflies.
"Wow..." Sora said softly. Donald, Goofy, and Jane were taken aback, as well. Tarzan muttered that same familiar phrase in gorilla, that Sora still hadn't picked up on.
"This is your home?" Sora asked, looking down. "But, that means..." realization set in. Tarzan didn't know what he meant. His friends were never here, were they? Tarzan raised a hand to his ear.
"My God. The waterfalls..." Jane said, breathlessly. "They're echoing all the way here!" Tarzan grunted through that same phrase, yet again. Then, he spoke, "Friends there. See friends." Jane snapped her fingers, causing everyone to turn.
"I've got it!" She mumbled the phrase, much to Tarzan's enjoyment, "It means heart!" She smiled, "Friends, in our hearts..." Tarzan looked into her eyes, "Heart..." He struggled through the word. Sora hung his head. He felt defeated, but most of all, a little disappointed.
"Oh. That's what it means." He was still grateful that Tarzan had allowed him to see this place. He just wanted to see his friends. More than anything.
"Friends. Same heart." Tarzan said.
"Clayton. Lose heart. No heart. No see friends. No friends..." He paused, "No Heart." Tarzan's words resonated in Sora. Sure, he wished he'd gotten to see Riku, and Kairi, but he did have two new companions. They really were his friends, no matter how he felt when he was hurt and angry. He looked down at Donald, and smiled. He knelt, and placed a hand on the duck mage's shoulder.
"Look. I'm sorry about what I said..." Donald looked into his eyes, and sighed, "I'm sorry too. I've been rude, and unfriendly. The truth is, I like you, Sora. Friends?" He asked.
"Friends." They exchanged smiles, and hugged. In that moment, the butterflies began to take flight, glowing brightly, as if to applaud the two friends reconciling. They shone so brightly, and brilliantly that Sora hadn't even noticed that the Keyblade had materialized in his hand. With a tug, he finally looked down, and followed the blade's direction. It was angled at the tree, and the all too familiar shape, of a keyhole that was embedded in the trunk.
With a nod, Sora focused. He still didn't understand, but, in an instant, a white beam of light shot forth from the Keyblade, and into the world's keyhole. A large locking sound echoed throughout this nesting chamber, and Sora, Donald, and Goofy were all as puzzled as ever.
What did that mean?
After the locking, a piece of gummi suddenly flew out, landing at Sora's feet. Donald snatched it up, smiling, "A gummi!" He squawked. Goofy gave it the once over, and frowned, "But it's sure not the King's..." the three hung their head for a moment, before Donald felt something nuzzling up next to him.
It was Turk! Donald shook his head, pushing the gorilla away.
"Looks like someone has an admirer!" Jane teased.
"No, no, no! Daisy would kill me!" Donald protested. The cavern was then filled with laughter.
Sweet, joyous, childlike laughter.
"What drew the Heartless to that world?" The tall man, wearing a black turban asked. The same congregation of miscreants stood around another projection of Sora, Donald, and Goofy. They were watching their every move. The horned witch sighed. Wasn't it obvious, even to these fools?
"The hunter lured them there. It was his lust for power, that was the bait. Evidently, the bait provided too tasty..."
A big and boisterous laugh echoed throughout this dark hall, "Yeah, he got chomped, instead!" The burlap sack laughed again.
The first man spoke, "A weak hearted fool like him could not handle power." He hissed with a smile, "But the boy is a problem. He found one of the keyholes."
The witch waved her hand, dismissively, "Fear not. It will take him ages to find the rest. Besides, he remains blissfully unaware of our plans..." she smiled, devilishly.
The grotesquely fat octopus woman from before chuckled, "Yes, the princesses..."
The witch nodded, "They are falling into our hands, one by one. Speaking of which..." All horrid eyes in the room were now turned to focus on a young girl, wearing blue, that had been shoved into the room by a mystery captor.
She was blonde, short, and young. Her name, was Alice.
Back aboard the Gummi ship, Sora, Donald, and Goofy sat down to a hearty dinner. "Man, I sure am glad that the gorillas found the Gummi ship." Sora commented, taking a bite of his meal.
"And that the damage was so minimal." Donald replied. Goofy nodded, "Mmhhhmmm! Me too!" He spoke with a mouth full of noodles. It was quite the sight, as the gorillas pulled the Gummi ship up from the water.
Evidently, Kerchak had passed all knowledge to Tarzan, and, after ensuring Jane was safe and sound, but also, perhaps more importantly, not present, he ensured that the gang were brought back their rocket. Sora wasn't sure if it was okay that Tarzan and the gorillas knew, but something about the look Tarzan gave him, made him feel like it must've been. Donald felt the same.
Plus, Tarzan slipped something into Sora's pocket during their goodbyes. Something that looked like a keychain. Sora took the hint, and, after hooking it onto his Keyblade was amazed as it changed into some sort of strong wooden blade, that, was still markedly the Keyblade, but also markedly from this Deep Jungle they'd crash landed on.
It's wooden handle had been wrapped in leather, whilst the keychain, which had one of those very same butterflies on it, dangled from a surprisingly silver chain. The joint between the hilt and the blade itself, bore a resemblance to Kerchak, and the actual blade was made from a long, and sturdy piece of wood. The end still made it look like a key, as multiple pieces of sharp wood were bound to the blade's tip, with the same leather. All in all, it looked as if it should be a very flimsy weapon, yet, it was anything but. It felt stronger than Sora's default Keyblade, and with better reach.
"Still, crazy that Kerchak knew what the Keyblade was. How do you think that was?" Sora asked, taking another bite.
"Who knows?" Donald replied. Goofy, gazed at the Gummi in the middle of the table, "Gee, fellers. Seems to me this here Gummi ain't quite like the others we've seen. What do you reckon it does?" Donald was nearly asleep at the table. They were all beat.
"I dunno." He muttered. Sora and Goofy smiled at one another.
"Maybe Leon'll know." Goofy suggested.
"He just might. We'll head back to Traverse Town after we catch some sleep." Donald yawned, standing up. "See you two in a little while." He said softly, heading for his room. Sora yawned as well. He had a lot on his mind, but after the past two days, he thought he might be able to sleep that many in return.
"I'm pretty beat too, Goofy." Sora said.
"Let's hit the hay then, pal. We'll feel like brand new, after a trip to dreamland!" Goofy chuckled, that chuckle that made Sora feel like everything was going to be alright. Back to Traverse Town it was.
Tarzan laid atop the trees, smiling up at the sky. Jane had decided against heading back to England, opting to stay here, and teach Tarzan more of her language. They would often get distracted, just by looking into the other's eyes, or by a simple touch. He knew what he felt in his heart.
He figured Sora felt that way about one of his friends, from the sound of it. Tarzan hoped Sora'd see her again, someday.
'Thank you Sora. You'll always be in my heart.' He thought to himself.
He was a good friend, and he'd never forget him. Tarzan's eyes twinkled, and his face grew into an even bigger grin. Staring up into the night sky, he thought, 'Wow! A shooting star!'
How little he still knew.