Thud! Thud! Thud!
Each time Arin struck the coconut's peak with a large piece of rock, a loud thudding sound was heard, which continued till the coconut cracked open.
After taking a sip of the coconut water that slithered down his gullet, cooling his throat and guts, Arin yelled out loud, "Freshwater, finally, after such a long and gruelling journey!"
"The way you're exclaiming relief and jubilation after drinking the coconut water makes me a little green with envy that I don't need to eat food on a daily basis, which you humans find heavenly to survive," Raiju said enviously.
"Don't be, It's excruciating to be parched for water till you locate some," said Arin, wiping sweat from his brow.
"So, now that you've slaked your thirst, what do you plan on doing later on?" Raiju casually inquired.
"Hmm... let's see... It's probably been a few hours since we washed ashore on this island, and all I can see are crabs the size of a gigantic watermelon with pincers bigger than a grown man's hand, so I'm going to explore the island for a change and look for any potential people who might be living here on this island."
"First and foremost, for your information, this poor soul crab resembling a massive watermelon with pincers larger than a grown man's hand is one of the many offspring of the ferocious Karkinos crab, from whom you've snatched the coconut for yourself. You couldn't have done it if the mother was present with all of her offspring, so consider yourself stupendously lucky, and lastly, looking for individuals who might be living on this island is a fantastic start," Raiju said, his voice filled with wisdom.
Arin scrambled to his feet and proceeded to walk closer towards the island's forest entrance, saying, "Karkinos crab?...ok, I'll remember that."
"You're not going to ask me how I can tell that they are the offspring of Karkinos crab, are you? I guess I'll do the deed by telling you about it myself. As you already know, I'm a mythological divine beast as old as dinosaurs; therefore, I know a lot about every creature," Raiju boasted about his knowledge.
With a smug look on his face, Arin replied, "I don't have any idea what a dinosaur is but I already knew that you were going to brag like that, so I skipped the part about asking you about it."
"Dinosaurs are..forget it..its gonna take forever if I try to explain it to you right now, but I must admit one thing: you're getting a better understanding of me with each passing day, which is phenomenal," Raiju said triumphantly.
"OK, Raiju, enough with the chatting. Let's walk inside the forest and explore it, shall we?" Arin proposed.
"All right, then, let's enter the forest, mate," Raiju stated in a bossy way, approving the proposal.
"Aye! Aye! Captain!" replied Arin as he dove into the forest, with a matey grin spreading across his visage.
While Arin strolled through the forest, he was irritated by the numerous erratic spider webs that debilitated several of his paths. So he picked up a fallen dry branch from a nearby tree and began clearing the webs that were obstructing his way with it.
"There are a lot of tattered spider webs in this jungle," Raiju observed, adding, "I wonder if people are actually living on this island, or if it's unfettered."
"The webs are sticky and bothersome, but I'm walking in the hopes that people live on this island, and I'd hate it if they didn't," Arin said sounding exhausted.
As Arin continued walking, he came across a chasm and was about to fall, but Raiju alerted him, so he swiftly darted back a few steps, trying to gain his equilibrium, but ultimately slumped on the ground. In the ensuing silence, he heard some of the small rocks beneath his feet hit the ground below the chasm with a flump.
"Woah! Thanks, Raiju, that was a close call," said Arin, letting out a whistle of relief as his eyes trailed down to take a glimpse of what was below.
"If you had fallen down, you'd have died for sure."
"Yeah, there's no doubt about that. Anyway, to be truthful, I didn't anticipate the island forest being this huge," Arin said, thinking that getting out of this forest seemed as hellish as searching for a lost grain in the paddy field during harvesting.
"Be careful, this island has a peculiar aura, and I'm not sure if it's good or harmful, so be on the lookout," Raiju sternly warned, his voice contemplative.
"Don't worry, buddy, I'll be on the lookout," replied Arin as he dusted the dust from his clothes and started to walk again on the steep pathway with determined steps, keeping his head high.
The particles of dust lingered briefly in the air before gradually dispersing into nothingness.
"I hope you will," Raiju said solemnly, "and remember that I am always here to warn you."
"I know, buddy, which is why I'm not bothered because you've got my back," Arin said, sounding relieved to have Raiju on his side.
Arin stood to gauge how deep he had gone into the forest after trekking for several hours and as he searched he found no trace of animals let alone humans.
"I don't think we're anywhere near the exit because the jungle is so broad," Raiju remarked.
"I agree, but my feet are giving up and I don't suppose I'll be able to walk much further," responded Arin with a weary voice.
"Then let's take a break here for a while and pick up the pace before dusk," Raiju proposed.
"Okay, let's do that," said Arin as he flopped down on the ground and gazed up at the sky, hoping to spot some birds nearby to follow for a way out, but all he saw was a perfectly normal, plain blue sky.
"Can I ask you something Arin?", Raiju hesitantly inquired.
Arin encouraged and insisted Raiju to ask freely, saying, "Of course, go ahead and ask me whatever you want."
"I don't suppose you were able to crack the riddle by any chance after all these days of travel, did you?" Raiju inquired.
"No, I was expecting to find something linked to the riddle during our journey, but all I got was a selfless sacrifice and my ass being saved from the dragon turtle for which I'll never be able to repay back."
"Her sacrifice still grieves my heart as a poignant reminder, but we must continue our journey for her sake as well as for the sake of avenging the people of the Thunder realm by killing the cold-hearted bastard responsible for the massacre," Raiju pleaded.
"I'm aware of that, but for some reason, the thought of failing to complete the task crosses my mind, and I wonder: Will I be able to do it?" Arin stated sheepishly, as he felt like his determination was ebbing away due to an existential crisis he was facing.
"I believe in you, so have more faith in yourself and keep going, leaving your dubiety behind, because this is the only way you will get the answers you need. Besides, now that you've brought it up, promise me one thing: no matter how desperately powerless you feel, you won't let that weakness take over your soul, and you will show stick-to-itiveness to the cause and fight back like a man till the end to emerge as victorious," replied Raiju, trying to boost Arin's morale and confidence.
"Very well, I'm making a vow right now that no matter what, I'll never let my powerlessness overwhelm me as long as I'm breathing, and I suppose you're right that I should act more like a man instead of acting like a downhearted boy and get to know who I am as well as punish the man who is culpable for the massacre of the people who lived on the thunder realm," replied Arin candidly, his bucked-up expression matching his high-held chest.
"That's the spirit! After all this time, you finally sound like a man, and I'm impressed by your courageous growth," Raiju exclaimed enthusiastically.
"Thank you, Raiju. I'm done resting, so let's find a way out before sundown," responded Arin with a nod.
"You barely rested, will you be okay?" Raiju asked sounding concerned.
"I'm alright, Raiju. I sincerely appreciate your concern for me," Arin responded, before he stood up and began to run persistently on the double with a racing heart, skimping on energy for more than a few hours or so, until he fortuitously descried an exit from within the forest.
Exhilaration coursed through Arin's veins as he stepped out of the forest. To his sheer elation, a fantabulous vista of enormous, verdant fields greeted him, stretching as far as the eye could behold, which left him spellbound beyond the realm of words.
"The island turned out to be much more ample than I expected; is this actually an island?" Raiju wondered.
After taking a deep breath while having his hands on his hips, Arin said, "We can't tell till we see it with our own eyes."
With no obstacles in his way, Arin sprinted into the huge, verdant fields frenetically, his naked feet squishing the mushy grasses as he went on. His heart was pounding like a drum and was swollen with unbridled excitement.
While Arin was zipping through the wind-kissed grassy fields joyously, a sudden barrage of arrows descended from the sky and whizzed onto the ground, but he was safe because the bijou he had glowed with an ethereal light and instantly formed a protective barrier encircling him in the middle.
The barrier shimmered and pulsed, deflecting every arrow that approached, leaving Arin completely unscathed amid the chaos. However, the newly incoming volley of arrows, upon impact with the barrier, ricocheted in different directions, contributing to a mesmerizing display of glinting projectiles, underscoring the chancy essence of the scene.
Even though Arin was unharmed, he peered at the sky, feeling slightly muddled, as he was unable to determine who was behind the unexpected pincer onslaught of the arrows raining down on him because no one was visible except the beautiful blue sky and drifting white fluffy clouds.
"Who the hell is doing this to me?" Arin squeaked after coming to a halt owing to overthinking and a lack of logical reasoning because no one could be spotted.
"I think I know who's behind this, but I didn't imagine we'd end up on this island of all places," Raiju said in a deep voice after some quick thinking.
"Now what? Am I being attacked by high-intellect mythological bird-type monsters with long rod-like noses who are capable of soaring high in the sky and are currently raining down arrows to kill me because I trespassed on their domain?" asked Arin, barely standing upright like a man.
"You're half right and half wrong at the same time," Raiju said confidently, adding, "If I'm right about their identities, they won't lay a finger on you after seeing me, which I can guarantee you by staking my life with every bone in my body."
"So, what the blooming hell are you waiting for? Goddamn show yourself and tell them to halt whoever you deem to be responsible for the attack because the force field is shrinking by the second owing to the damage it's taking with each round of arrows being fired simultaneously."
"Ok! Ok! I'll show myself, so don't say any bad words; I hate it when kids do that," Raiju replied, and inside the force field, a dazzling blue light flared, revealing his fox body.
"A kid! I'm an adult because I'm over the age of eighteen. I know it doesn't matter right now, but let me reiterate: I'm not a kid!" retorted Arin, puerilely casting a sidelong glance with a tinge of miff.
"It's difficult to get kids to comprehend the true reasoning, so I'll skip debating and get on with my work, which is saving your butt from getting pierced by arrows," Raiju replied, his head lowered in disenchantment.
"Again! I'll pretend I didn't hear that statement. I hoped we could be excellent friends, but it appears I was mistaken," said Arin, who was slightly angered.
"See, Kids!! I think it's time for me to prove my value to you, kiddo," Raiju said as he stretched his body.
"I'm not a kid! I'll say it as many times as needed, and you're welcome to show my naive self what you're worth," Arin responded, his voice quavering with rage.
"I was hoping you'd step up like a man instead of throwing a fit, as you stated previously while we were inside the forest, and prove me wrong by saving yourself, but what a letdown, kiddo!" Raiju stated, looking at Arin with disappointment.
To save his face, Arin said aloud intemperately, "Don't bring up the past," adding, "I can also do that should I remind you that you were a loner until I met you and became friends with you."
"Shesh!, I was just kidding with you. I didn't expect that you'd get huffy and say something like that, but I guess I was wrong about judging you," Raiju responded with a saddened voice and shrieked an unknown word to stop the ongoing attack on Arin.
Later, upon learning Raiju was just jesting with him, Arin figured that he stepped out of line by snapping at Raiju for a puerile reason and ended up telling him something he shouldn't have said, not even in his wildest dream, as Raiju's the only one who's got his back in this whole wide world at the moment.
Once everything was sorted out and his life was back in the green, Arin decided to ask Raiju for forgiveness because that's what a man would do knowing that he's in the wrong, and even his mother would have advised him to do the same if she were still alive.