1. Stranded
Who would have thought they ended up in this godforsaken place? It was somewhere in the middle of nowhere. It could not have existed on any map.
"We should have gone in the direction of the sunset, Ran. Now we're stuck in God knows where," Rabat wiped the sweat off his forehead. It was a very hot day. Especially since they might have walked more than 10 kilometers from the plane's crash site.
Ran, a tall and stout man, looked at Rabat with a confused look. The decision was made way back. There was no point of arguing now. The most important thing was to immediately find a way out. They were in the middle of a dense tropical forest. No one had a map or a compass. They could only rely on their memories and intuitions.
"Let's just follow the river. First, we've got to find the river," a reasonable suggestion from Cindy. The only woman who survived the plane crash.
The five survivors nodded simultaneously.
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They took a short break to prepare some supplies. Navigating the wilderness to look for a river wouldn't be easy. Especially since they had just escaped death. They were on a small plane that experienced engine failure. The pilot had to perform an emergency landing in a small field in the middle of a vast forest. Both pilot and technician didn't make it. Miraculously, all members of the expedition team survived with only minor injuries.
Once they buried the dead, the team started moving to find their way to the nearest village or town. They needed to inform the university about the incident and ask for an evacuation.
Ran was the head of the expedition team searching for a country called the Land of Bones. A land that was said to be hidden somewhere in the African tropical jungles, or in a savanna, or in a peninsula. No one knew for certain. The directions they got only mentioned that it was in a tropical forest bordering a savanna on an African peninsula. Very informative.
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The team consisted of five people. Cindy was an anthropologist. Rabat was a geologist. Tet was a biologist, as well as tracker. A paleontologist named Ben. And Ran, the team leader and a bone specialist.
After gathering what little they had, the team was back on the move. This time they followed a small stream with no water.
The small stream would lead to a larger river, and the water flow would eventually merge with the main river leading to the sea.
Tet was first. He was the most experienced and reliable tracker in finding trails. Followed by Ben, Cindy, Rabat, and finally Ran. Besides being a doctor, Ran was also an excellent shooter. So, he got to hold the only rifle available.
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Just a few steps from where they started, Tet raised his hand signaling to stop. He heard something. Tet crouched down and asked his friends to do the same. Everyone followed.
Not far in front of them was a terrible sight. An animal like a lion but larger than normal was fighting an animal like a tiger of the same size. They both were not common species. The lion's body was colorful. The tiger was furless, with a body like a hippo.
The entire expedition team was stunned. Amazed by the exciting scene in front of them. Tet frowned at the strange sight. It felt like it was out of this earth. He had never seen any references mentioning those strange looking animals.
The fight ended without a winner. The two predatory beasts turned around and ran away from each other. The battleground in the form of a thicket of bushes was a complete disarray. Proof of a great fight.
"Wh...what were those, Tet?" Cindy stammered.
"Where the hell are we?" Ben muttered to himself.
Tet looked at his friends with a slight grin;
"Team, it seems we are stranded in an unknown place. On the bright side, it looks like we're the first to set foot on this place. I believe we are still on earth."
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The journey continued. The terrain was getting steeper. The trail of the small river ended at the edge of a steep canyon. Roughly over 100 feet. Below, there was a larger river with a waterfall which dropped water into a deep gorge. They could not even see where the huge waterfall landed as the gorge was covered by thick fog.
The expedition team members looked at each other. It was impossible for them to descend this vertical cliff. It was just too dangerous. Turning back was the only option. This time Ran took the lead.
The stranded survivors hobbled along. Looking for other streams to explore. They agreed to spend the afternoon walking. They would look for a place to rest in the evening.
By the end of the day, Ran found a flat ground suitable for setting up a tent. They shared tasks. Someone was looking for water. Collecting dry twigs. Cooking. And, of course, keeping an eye out.
That night everyone gathered around the bonfire. Ran made the fire big enough to protect them from dangerous beasts. No one talked during supper. They were overwhelmed. Today they had gone through physical and emotional stress. Airplane crash, wild journey in the forest. On top of all, watching the fight of two strange beasts that were not recorded in any science books.
Not to mention the fact that they had no clue about where they were.
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Although they were exhausted, no one fell asleep easily. Everyone gathered around the bonfire. Busy in their own thoughts. What else would they face tomorrow?
Aaaaaawwwww....Aaaaaaawwww....Swooooooooosh
The sound of high-pitched shriek and loud flapping wings filled the air around the expedition team. Alerted and scared, they stood up immediately. The sound was blood-curdling!
Ran cocked his gun. Ready to fire toward anything threatening.
Aaaaaawwwww....Aaaaaaawwww....Swooooooooosh....whaaamm….
The horrible sound was back and sounded very close. Followed by the sound of heavy objects falling right in front of them.
The five people jumped back. Staring at the objects in front of them. They didn't fall. They were dropped!
Those were animal heads! Two heads along with large ribs.
Cindy was screaming. She recognized those were the heads of the lion and tiger that fought this afternoon!
Ran and Tet furrowed their brows at the same time. Seemed like they were indeed in a mysterious unknown site. They had to bring their game from now on.
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