When Cleo reached Duk, worry and confusion instantly plastered on his face. Duk’s condition looked pretty severe. His pristine, green skin turned a light green with a tinge of brown, while the plant on his head was almost withered. He looked like someone who had aged for almost 50 years.
How could he help him? Should he even touch him in his condition? He couldn’t even ask Duk what to do as he was in a deep sleep; at least he knew Duk was alive as he could feel his rigid breathing. Was there any clue as to what he must do? He did have a clue; Duk said he belonged to a Plant Kin, so if he treated him like a plant, a withered one would need water to regain energy!
With the idea, he reached for his back, wanting to take the bottle of water from his bag. When he didn’t feel anything behind him, he recalled that he left the bag behind in exchange for maneuverability! He clicked his tongue; his motto was to always be prepared, but he wasn’t prepared at all! And the consequences of his mistake might end up being something he would regret for the rest of his life!
This wouldn’t do; he must do something!
With a lot of hesitation, he lifted Duk’s dried-up body as if it were the most precious thing in the world, worried that he might damage it if he moved suddenly. Upon putting Duk in his embrace, he rushed back to his camp, hoping to give Duk all the water he had.
Even though it seemed like all his focus was on Duk, in the back of his mind, he wondered where the monkey could run. Still, he believed it would stay safe, as this was its home in the first place.
While returning, he realized something, but it was already too late—he didn’t know the exact way back! His previous travel was easy to remember, as it was only a few minutes away from his camp, but this time was different. Although he could recall which direction they came from, there was a high chance he would lose his way, as the trees almost looked the same.
Regardless of his worry, he still had to try; he could only hope his fear wouldn’t come true.
After a few minutes, he completely lost track of where he was going. He had no idea if he was still on the right path or if he was walking away from his destination. Why was this happening to him right now, when Duk’s life was on the line? He thought he was ready, prepared for anything that would block his way. However, reality gave him the harshest slap to wake him up from his delusion.
If something happened to Duk, he would never forgive himself. Therefore, he must give his all. Duk needed him more than ever, and he would not fail! His heart was in chaos due to the different emotions battling inside him. While fear, worry, and regrets occupied most of it, a single emotion was fighting them—his determination to save Duk!
If he couldn’t find his way back, then he would keep going east until he saw the river, or at least any water he could give Duk.
As he continued to traverse the lush forest, he slowly accepted the fact that he was indeed lost, as he couldn’t recognize the path anymore. Nevertheless, he had no intention to go back, since it wouldn’t change a thing. What he needed to do was proceed and pray that he found what he was looking for as soon as possible.
Time remained wasted, as there was no hint of water no matter how much he searched. Although he wanted to stay positive, every tick of a second added weight to his heart, which was steadily building up. His fear started to overwhelm his emotions, and his determination dwindled as time went by.
Still, he kept going. As long as there was an inkling of motivation in his heart, he would not stop. There was nothing to lose if he continued, but on the other end of the balance scale, a life would; thus, it was a no-brainer decision.
A few more minutes had passed, and his whole body was drenched in sweat, despite not running. For him, he would rather run for hours than have the stressful situation he was in right now. It wasn’t only tiring his body but also his mind—especially his mind.
However, not everything was lost. In the middle of his undetermined journey, a sound that lifted his spirit echoed in his ear. Although faint, it was a rope for his crumbling confidence. He could hear the sound of running water! Excitement bubbled inside him, but he held it in, as he didn’t want to make any mistakes. Most mistakes happen at a crucial time, after all.
He rushed towards the sound, holding himself back from running while making sure his focus was on Duk’s condition. His heartbeat became more erratic the stronger the sound, resulting in his face turning red and heavy breathing. Yet, he didn’t care; he must reach it at any cost! When he saw the end of the tree line, his heart beat even faster. And when he was only 10 steps away from it, every step he took enhanced all his emotions. At last, the moment he took the last step out from the tree line, he couldn’t hold it anymore and released a scream, which also freed the pent-up emotions he had been holding inside him.
"Finally!"
Seeing the running water in front of him brought him joy and hope that everything would finally be okay.
By the time he was done screaming, he was already beside the river. His reflection showed the heavy toll he suffered on the way. His hair looked messier than before, his skinny face paled and was oily at the same time, and his eyes were bloodshot in desperation. Even his clothes were filled with rips and holes due to the countless times they got caught on branches.
But that topic needed to be dealt with at other times, as he had more concerning things to focus on. At first, he planned to dip Duk’s body in the water, but after seeing the currents, he decided against it. He didn’t know if Duk’s body could endure it in his current situation; thus, he laid his dried body on the rocky ground and scooped the water using his hands.
With a smile of anticipation, he poured the water from his hand into Duk’s mouth, excited for his return. Yet, nothing happened. Duk stayed still, like a corpse; if not for his body moving up and down, he would probably have thought he had passed away.
"It didn’t work, but why?" He mumbled, his smile washed away. "No, it isn’t like the water is magical, so it won’t have an immediate effect. Maybe I’m having too much expectation just because Duk was an extraordinary creature. Yes, that’s right, all things need time to recover!"
Even though he sounded like someone making excuses for his peace of mind, he did, in fact, believe in what he said. Duk was a special entity, and he wouldn’t fall into something like this. Although their time together was short, he knew how strong-willed Duk was. He traveled to an unknown world for the benefit of his Realm and to achieve his goal—if someone asked him if he knew someone who had a strong-willed personality, he would say Duk’s name in a heartbeat.
Now that he had achieved his goal, his body had lost all its strength and slumped to the ground. He must regain his stamina first before continuing his way back to the beach—if he followed the river, he could probably reach the sea, and there he could easily find his camp as long as he stayed on the beach side.
While he lay down beside Duk, his exhaustion was greater than he thought, as his eyes slowly closed, resulting in him falling into a deep slumber…
…Cleo sat abruptly, realizing he had fallen asleep. His eyes were fully awake and darted to Duk. He sighed in relief after seeing Duk beside him, safe and sound. He was still in the same condition, but his breathing seemed to get better even for a little bit.
Although seeing Duk made his heart rate decrease, he didn’t let his guard down and immediately scanned the surrounding area. It was already dark; the moon and the stars were the only sources of light that allowed him to see a few meters in his periphery.
He had no time to blame his mistake; he must return to their camp as soon as possible. After all, forests and darkness weren’t particularly a good combination. Not only was his sight limited, but nighttime was also the time for a dangerous predator to hunt, as they could hide within the shadows and ambush their prey.
Carrying Duk with the utmost carefulness, he began his journey beside the river. The good thing about being near the river was the lack of trees; thus, he could ascertain if there was a danger ahead. However, it was also a double-edged sword; as the chances of meeting something were higher near the water source, he could only rely on his luck and pray his travel back would not bear any more mishaps.
As he crept on the rocky road on the riverside, the occasional sound of croaking and the rustling of leaves made all the hair on his body stand to its end. The forest was very different when it was covered in darkness, as if he were in a different realm where everything sought to harm him. He already felt this scared when he was on the river; what if the night caught him inside the forest?
Thinking about it made his whole body shiver. The anxiousness he would feel surrounded by countless trees, with no knowledge of what kind of monster hid among them, was a nerve-wracking thought.
After 30 or more minutes of nervous travel, he finally reached the beach. But even so, he didn’t release himself from the worry and anxiety. He was still far from being safe, and letting his guard down in an unknown area even for a bit was a mistake that he learned the hard way.
Looking left and right, he didn’t know where to go from there, as he didn’t know the exact location of his camp. But considering he found the river in the east, the possibility that his shelter was in the west was higher; therefore, he continued his journey to the west while repeatedly turning his head from side to side and behind him, making sure nothing was creeping near.
Even though the wind on the beach was freezing, he was still sweating. The only thing he could feel towards it was fear, because every time a gust of wind blew, it was like someone whispering near his ears. He wasn’t usually scared of ghosts—he didn’t believe they existed. However, after meeting Duk, he wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn't anymore.
But even with his overwhelming fear of all kinds of things, he still kept going, not because he was brave but because of Duk.
Every crunch of the sand beneath his shoes signified his effort and progress to go back. And soon, after a grueling time, a familiar boulder welcomed him! Excitement and relief slowly rose within him as the memory of him slamming the coconut against it replayed in his mind. He was in a familiar place. Without further ado, he rushed to where his camp was, wanting to hide within the protection of his shelter.
Finally, his eyes watered at the sight of a structure that he built with his own hands. This made him realize the importance of home. In an instant, it made him feel that everything would be fine and that it was okay to rest now.
