Toki and Luna were captured, hanging upside down, bound and carried between the claws of a massive bear and a colossal bird, in the middle of a majestic animal procession heading toward the ruler of the forest.
Toki said in a sarcastic tone, despite the awkward situation:
"Oh… we've been caught."
Luna sneezed lightly and replied without emotion:
"A perfectly set trap… I didn't expect it to be so precise."
The bear growled in their faces. Toki gazed into the distance thoughtfully and said:
"The question now… how do we get out of this animal swarm?"
Both drifted into memories, recalling what had happened two hours earlier.
---
Two hours ago...
At that time, they were chasing a giant bird and a bear with the intention of hunting them, unaware that the battle was merely a decoy.
They stopped, expressions full of challenge. Toki stretched while Luna prepared to spring.
"Let's see who catches first… winner takes all," Toki said, clapping his hands.
Luna tilted her head and smiled, taking a runner's stance: "Go… let's move!"
They clasped hands briefly and shot forward like arrows toward the bear and the bird, dodging roots and rocks, leaping upward.
Suddenly, creatures of all sizes sprang from between the trees:
Parrots and seagulls of unnatural size.
Muscular tigers.
Armored crocodiles emerging from the ground, circling in wait for prey.
A flying squirrel darting between branches at lightning speed.
Toki, thrilled, thought to himself:
"Amazing!!… incredible to see all these creatures."
Now he needed a survival plan. This was completely insane.
Luna looked left and right, thinking:
"The place is crowded with creatures, but it's nothing.
We must find a way to bring them down without spilling blood…"
Both laughed as they realized the hunters had become prey themselves. They ran, dodging relentless attacks and scattered obstacles.
Luna said, analyzing while evading the squirrels' claws and scorpion bites, transforming into ash:
"All exits are blocked… no way out."
Toki replied calmly as he leapt onto a striking snake:
"How did they plan all of this?"
He ran along the snake's back toward its head, flexing his shoulders and arms, then… boom.
He struck it with a punch generating an air pressure blast, disrupting their surroundings.
Toki said with seriousness:
"No matter how… the important thing is, what do we do now?"
At that moment, he sensed someone behind this innovative ambush.
Luna, dodging the attacks and turning into a whirlwind of ash, thought cautiously:
"I don't want to hurt them… but if I find another way…"
Suddenly, Toki ambushed the parrot about to attack her from behind while she pondered a solution.
He said loudly, as if reading her mind, gripping the parrot's beak:
"We render them unconscious… without killing."
He grabbed her hand, spun her through the air, then shouted confidently:
"Throw me!"
Luna released a powerful gray ash blast; Toki shot forward like a rocket, his grip charged with hidden aura, sparks flying from his eyes.
Before he could strike, a figure emerged from the trees, standing balanced, with fur resembling a sleek black suit.
He blocked Toki's grip with one hand, aura radiating similarly.
Everyone froze.
His aura was so overwhelming that some animals collapsed, leaves scattering from the sheer force.
It was Caron — the majestic buffalo.
He stood on two legs like a human, with a long peacock-like neck, exuding an aura of mystery and awe.
His long horns gleamed, like weapons of light.
He stood firmly, staring silently at Toki.
Toki kept his calm despite the tension:
"You're behind all this… aren't you?"
Caron's only response was a silent gaze.
Luna tried to approach them.
Caron spoke in a deep, heavy voice:
"Silence…"
Toki felt something restrain him; his mind resisted, but his body obeyed, as if the air itself commanded him to freeze.
Caron slowly turned:
"Bring them… and follow me."
The bear subdued them both, and they lost consciousness, carried alongside a gorilla.
---
Two hours later…
Toki and Luna woke to find themselves hanging upside down, carried by a tree trunk.
Toki, relaxed, spoke in his usual cold tone:
"Oi! … Where are you taking us? We've been lost from the start anyway…"
No one answered. The procession continued in a solemn silence.
Everyone stopped as Caron brushed aside dangling leaves.
A gentle breeze entered, carrying a strange calm from the depths of the forest.
They entered a spacious clearing, grass meticulously cut, with a massive tree trunk in the center, cut in a circle like a throne.
Everyone bowed suddenly.
Toki raised an eyebrow as his restraints were removed, feeling his heart slow—not from fear, but anticipation of something beyond understanding.
Luna whispered cautiously, seeing a shadow move in the green mist:
"Toki… get ready."
Toki adjusted his coat, low-voiced and slightly uneasy:
"I have a strange feeling about this place…"
Caron led the way, with Toki and Luna following, along with the procession.
Caron placed his hand on his chest respectfully:
"We have brought them as you commanded, Your Majesty."
From the mist came a calm, feminine voice radiating power:
"Thank you for your effort, Lord Caron."
The voice then addressed them:
"May I know your names? Please, have a seat."
----
To be continued...