Colt Emerson was not a happy camper.

  He had been walking in the direction of the pendulum for a whole hour with his heavy backpack on, and overall just felt incredibly miserable. With all his textbooks and paper, the bag weighed close to thirty pounds, and as he shuffled through the underbrush he had to make sure he didn't trip and hurt himself. Panting and sweaty, he took one last look at the direction the pendulum was floating, slung off his backpack, and sat down against a tree.

  As he huffed and puffed, trying to get his breath back, he grabbed a bottle of Apple juice and began drinking it. He let out a relieved gasp of air upon taking a gulp, a smile on his face as he tasted the nectar of the gods.

  "Truly, apple juice is the greatest of all beverages!" He exclaimed to himself before taking another sip. He closed the lid, leaving about half the contents inside, and started looking for something to eat. He gave the fruit a glare as he grabbed one of the king sized candy bars before closing his bag back up. "I have no idea how apples can feel so bad to eat, but Apple juice is so delicious," he grumbled. Opening the candy bar, he set it on his crossed legs, and then clasped his hands in prayer.

  "Oh Lord and Lady, I thank all the gods and spirits for allowing me this food, and I thank the Earth for the ingredients used to make this candy bar. Amen," he muttered, before taking a big bite.

  As he ate, he looked around and quietly observed his surroundings. The forest wasn't quiet, there was a cacophony of birds he could hear all around him. He saw a trail of ants gathering food, and broke off a tiny piece of chocolate to place next to them. He watched the ants divert course to the chocolate, and 4 of them picked it up and began their journey.

  "Bye bye, little ants," Colt waved as they moved around a rock, blocking his view. He looked around some more, taking in the sounds and feel of nature around him, and he sighed. "I miss my mom," he spoke quietly, hugging his knees to his chest. Tears came to his eyes and he cried again, this time because he was truly alone in this world, without his family or the few friends he liked hanging out with.

  His crying was interrupted by a thump, as if something had fallen from the trees. He looked up, and saw a small monkey looking at him. He recognized it from his life science class, it was a juvenile Macaque, but a very young one. Wiping his eyes and nose, he sniffed once and smiled at the monkey.

  "Hey there little buddy, my name's Colt," he told it, patting a spot on the ground right next to him. "You look lonely too, huh? Where's your family?."

 The macaque whimpered and slowly moved closer to him, sniffing at the last of his candy bar. Colt's first instinct was to take the candy away, but he sighed.

 "Well, we're both alone out here, and you must be hungry too. got something for you little buddy, and it's a lot better for you than a candy bar," he sniffed one more time before reaching into the back and pulling out the fig. He wasn't going to eat it, and it looked about the right size for the little guy. Colt handed the simian the fruit, and it smelled it before eating the whole thing at once. For a second, Colt thought it had almost choked, but then it looked up at him, a sparkle in its eyes that looked nearly human. It chirped happily and climbed up him, before it sat down on his shoulder and hugged Colt's head.

 "What, you wanna stick with me, little guy?" He asked, surprised. Colt knew that macaques were very social creatures, and that juveniles would leave the group they were born in and join another group. But this guy was alone, and looked too young to have gone off on his own.

 That settled it for Colt.

 "Well if you're gonna come with me, you gotta have a name," Colt said, gently pulling the monkey off of him and looking at his big eyes. "How about Kong, after the king of all primates? A gorilla so large that he dwarfed all that would oppose him!"

 The newly dubbed Kong gazed at him with knowledge in his eyes, as if he was comprehending Colt's words, though secretly Colt thought that was silly. A moment passed, and he started to get worried, only for Kong to jump and start dancing around, hooting with joy. Colt almost smiled, but then he remembered that showing teeth is a threat to most primates, so he just ate the last of his candy bar and stuck the wrapper in his pocket.

 Colt finally stood up and stretched his legs before putting his backpack on, and Kong started climbing his body until he sat on top of his shoulder. He looked in the direction that the pendulum had been pointing at, and he looked at the little monkey next to him.

 "We're heading that way," he said, pointing to the east. The afternoon sun was streaming through the trees, and now that he knew which way was west, he could actually start making real progress without having to divine for it. Kong booted in agreement and started to pick through Colt's hair as they walked.

 Unbeknownst to Colt, though, Kong was glaring out into the trees, watching for any potential threat. In his heart, no, his SOUL, Kong knew that the gift Colt gave him was invaluable. In that one instant of having eaten the fig, he could comprehend the world around him. He was merely the last of his group, a lonely child that had escaped the death of his tribe at the mouth of a Hungry Ghost, a slavering beast that was never sated. He had run away and survived, but he was simple and still young.

 Now though, Kong had glimpsed infinity. The great wheel of life had presented itself to him, and the world itself gave him the knowledge of good and evil. He knew that to abandon the boy, Colt, after he had shared an immortal treasure with a lowly creature like him, would be wrong. So he pledged himself, body and soul, to his new Master. Not a hair on his head would be disturbed, nor shall any foe touch him. So says Kong, his Master's first Disciple.