CHAPTER 17 - OVERCOMING FEAR

"So would you accept my offer?" The panther spoke in my head again. I didn't want to stay with it; I was still scared of it. I could get angry or hungry and decide to eat me one day. And whatever it wants to teach me, I could also learn it in the tribe.

I thought of countless ways to reject its offer without getting killed by it. Then I had a good idea. "Can't I have a little time to think about it?" I asked. I was secretly happy since it didn't have the intention to kill me at this moment. I could just keep delaying it till I get to the tribe and tell one of the elders about it. Then the problem would be solved.

"Hmmm, I suppose I can give you a little time to think about an answer. But just know if you reject me, I would end you. Even if you stay locked up in your tribe, I would also end you for saying no. And if you try to flee the tribe and hide somewhere, I would find you and I will kill you. I can't allow anyone to unearth your potential except me so think wisely."

Although I was scared by his words, I didn't totally believe him. I believed my tribe's elders were stronger because if not, how had we been able to survive when staying this close to the forest all this time?

"So can I go now?" I asked the panther. "You can go already but just know I'll be following you. I don't want you to die early except In my hands, and from the way the apes were behaving it looks like they won't just simply leave you alone."

Phewww. My heart was finally clear. Even though it was following me, it didn't want to kill me.

As I continued my journey towards the tree, it felt like I was missing something. I touched all around my body; nothing seemed wrong until I touched my neck.

Arghhhhhhh! The adrenaline I had made me forget the panther had wounded my neck. It had stopped bleeding but the wound was still freshly opened.

I looked up, and I could see the tree clearly rather than the cloudy view. It seemed that I was close; there was an herbalist there who could treat my wounds.

The miracle wasn't the only one who was dealing with wounds. Somewhere else in the forest moving toward the tree was Fejiro, our bald head warrior, limping as he walked.

His body was filled with wounds and gashes which he bandaged with his herbal knowledge as he walked to his goal.

"Won't this journey end already? Why aren't I at the tree yet?" Fejiro spoke angrily.

Although Fejiro broke through the threshold of endurance, the aspect of endurance hasn't totally fused with him.

"Ah! I'm thirsty and I'm hungry. I can't even eat those rats because their bodies are disgusting. I'd rather eat the grass on the floor than eat the rats' bodies. But I still won't eat the grass; what if an animal had dumped there and I just put it in my mouth to eat it? I'm just angry! Though I wanted to cross through a threshold, I didn't want to be full of scars like this. Now when the girls or young people of the tribe look at me, they'll think I'm scary. First of all, hair didn't grow on my head ever since I was young, making me bald since young. I looked different from the rest of my mates that they started to avoid me sometimes. And now if this wound heals, I would forever look like those evil tyrants we were told about in stories."

Tchh tchh. I heard something moving towards me. I turned around and saw a monkey swinging at me with dangerous speed. I quickly rolled on the floor, dodging its swing. But it turned around, grabbing another vine with a stick in its hand. It swung at me again, this time trying to hit me. I got up with my knife and attacked the stick it was trying to use to hit me. In the process, I cut the stick in half and almost fully cut its elbow. It screamed at me, running towards me with a rock in its other hand. I kicked the stone out of its hand and kicked it in the chest. I performed a double kick taught in the tribe.

It was then I realized that it wasn't that strong. I was just paranoid because I was angry and the incident I had in the past made me always keep my guard up cause I didn't want to die.

I looked at the monkey and let it run away. I knew I could pursue it, and end it but that wasn't my problem right now. I just wanted to rest in a place where I could keep my guard down and properly rest.

With the time to throw a stone at a tree walk to it and slowly pick it back, I heard a large commotion coming at me. I turned around, and it was a group of monkeys with the one I injured at the front leading them.

My face turned ugly. "I would have just killed that monkey the first time!" My head was brimming with angry thoughts towards the monkeys. They were not strong, but they were many. They were just like the rat, but luckily this time I could fight.

I readied my hunting knife, adjusted my posture, and got ready for a long fight.

The first one to get to me was quickly cut in the neck cleanly. Two immediately joined in the fight, not caring about their dead companion. One threw a punch at my face, which I quickly dodged, while the other tried to kick me. I used my legs to block the kick and turned, landing a spinning heel on its head while I cut the other in half.

Around this time, most of the monkeys had already reached me. I wasn't worried at this point. All I had to handle was to avoid getting injured by them. I had enough stamina that I could fight with them till it turned dark.

This time, none of the monkeys came to me bare-handed after seeing what happened to their companions. They came with sticks, started throwing rocks at me, and I got hit multiple times trying to avoid the sticks, their claws, and the stone. But while I was getting hit, their numbers were also reduced. For every three who tried to hit me, at least two would fall, and this happened till the other monkeys saw their dead companions and started running away till they all ran or died.

I sighed deeply. Due to what the rats did to me, I had developed a fear of large groups with malicious intent. But now I had overcome that fear, and I had become stronger.