CHAPTER 14- HANAKO

S P I K E ••P●V••

I woke up and assisted myself and sat down while lying helplessly on the cold floor and rapidly massage my head. I think it's about to split into two, groaning because of the pain. Gravity isn't nice to me today. Good thing I've got good bones.There's a cut on my knees and my left arm too, but its not that deep. I stand on my knees and tore up my clothes and covered my wound just to prevent it from bleeding.

I glanced upward on a the high grounds, after being so careless. I was to stupid for being obstinate and disobey Naea for playing with the sleeping fly trap man eating beast. And now its slowly swallowed me deep to its throat. Naea might have save me from it from digesting me whole. Hinila niya ako pataas at sakto naman akong nasalo niya pero bumigay ang lupa at may ahas na dumaan sa tabi ko.

We both fell and slide down by those roots. I stretch my body and heard a loud sound cracks on my back. The place was dim the only light was the caves opening. How can I even climb up there?

Am I the only one in here? I heard Naea's voice from afar. Thanks to the close space of the cave creates an echo. Impeccable, its her. I rushed to find her at nakita ko siya nang nakaupo at inalalayan siyang tumayo. Pareho rin kaming nakatinghala sa itaas at napakalalim ng aming nahulugan mabuti di kame agad bumagsak dahil malasuglasog talaga ang lamang loob namin. I was so careless of trampling on the ground without checking it first.

May mga dry leave at mga baling sanga sa paligid. Pareho naman kami ng iniisip ni naea at pumunit ng tela saming damit at nakita na ang puson ko. At Binalot ang mga tela sa sanga tsaka kami gumawa ng apoy. Napakaimposibleng maakyat namin pataas at muntikan rin ako matuklaw ng ahaw kanina mabuting nakailag ako bago bumagsak ng tuluyan.

I didn't bring any rope to climb up. Nang mabuhay na ang apoy naglakad lang kami ni naea to find a way out of the cave. I had raise my torch and see a lot of cave fauna. An animals lives in a caves such as centipedes, spider, millipedes, bats and etc..Caves are specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. There's a grottos. It is made up of limestone where acidity of standing water has dissolve the carbonates in the rock matrix.

But the caves wasn't that scary at all. Neon Mushroom was glowing in the dark. I had been explored a cave as long as I could remember, but its just a good old days. A pirate rome the enter sea and buried their treasures in so many caves others are located in different island of Etheria

Which had me eagerly wants to be a hunter its a waste if someone will find those hidden treasure. Hopefully this cave has treasures and I could trade them. Picturing out in this cave and have a lots of treasures on the bag.

All I heard was our burning torches and are every step. I had idea that this amazon has an underground caves. I step on limestone and fall eventually. And rolled down at fall through the water. Agad akong umahon and suffocate with fears of what lies in the water. Naea ran towards me and bump my fist "Great! You found the sea caves. This will leads us out of here"

Naea put down the torches and about to swam. She was about a minutes down in there until she rose up to catch her breath. "T--there an openin---"

"NAEA!"

Something drag her down and immediately jump to save her without hesitation or thinking if there's any beast on the water. I can't leave her there. I swam and I see her reaching her hands and went deeper and deeper until she looses air. I almost looses my oxygen but I had to save her. I grab my sword and chopped the thing that wrapped around her foot. I lift her up and my air is decreasing and it's hard for my feet to paddle because of her weight and the dense of the water, slow us down.

We successfully reached the surface and pushed her but I ended up on the same fate; dragged down and my sword has slip onto my hands and it's pitch black at the bottom. I strive to pull out the weeds but its entangled up and didn't let me go and i'm loosing air. I tried to swim but my arms are not to strong. Its wouldn't loose and pull me to the depth.

Huminto ito at nakita ko ang mga matang nakatitig sakin. Dun napagtanto ko na nawalan na ako ng hangin at sumabay narin sa takot. Nakita ko ang malaki nitong bibig na bumuka at patuloy akong nahuhulog wala na akong makita kundi kadiliman nalang.

N A E A ••P●V••

"Spike, spike wake up! come on breath!"-I press her chest nonstop and gave her air. Doing CPR but she still not breathing. "SPIKE WAKE UP! SPIKE!" Hindi parin ako tumigil. I press again and still she didn't even move a muscle not even a few twitch on her fingers. Napaiyak nalang ako pero pinatuloy ko parin.. Hanggang sa napaubo siya at nasuya ang mga dagat na nainom niya at napasigaw ako sa tuwa sabay ng paghagulgol ko " Puta ka! I thought your dead!"

"What happen?"

"Spike your alive! You shit don't scare me like that!"-niyakap ko siya ng mahigpit kahit tulala lang siya sa ginawa ko.

As spike dragged I didn't qualm and feared it and had a thought of turning my back, because I seen it once at nakakasalalay ang buhay ng aking kaibigan. I swam down and swallowed the fear and glide through the dense water and I saw her falling through the mouth of the monster. I have an ability to see through the dark and I saw its blind spot and take advantages of it-- I use all of my energy and draw the sword to its eyes and others on its throat.

The weeds are loose and I immediately grabbed spike quickly to the surface. I didn't even think about it in the first place which we have failed impromptu with the monsters lures in depth. We both have loose our weapons in the sea caves but atleast we came out alive. That monster well cost enough gold bars if we take it to the banks. But our mission is not on those. Its for the Deities and regain our title back again.

Seeing her safe is what's makes me reassuring and glad. We never thought about going back to water but find another way out of the cave. It was traumatizing back there. I just got thalasophobia, a fear of water. I didn't say I'm afraid of water but I'm afraid of what's in it. I swallowed the exclamation that trying to get out of my throat and breath in and out.

"Thank you naea"-said spike and I glance her nonchalantly. We are both soaking wet. I wrap my arms on her neck and kiss her forehead as sign of being happy and love for my sister.

We have just seen a small light for a meters away and we rush through it and looked up. This part of a cave is slope down at mababa lang ito at madaling maakyat. There's a lot roots and we have climb up and got ourselves out. I pulled her up and move away from the hole to prevent us from falling again. The cold breeze blew over my freckled face and I shivered but with excite.

"WERE ALIVE!!"- her shout makes the flocks scattered away from their nest and poop on her face. Pinagtawanan ko lang siya. She's disgustingly wipe her face and even smell it.

"Ang baho"

"Hahaha gago inamoy pa"

Naglakad na kame and We have lost our maps which a big frustration. We had nothing but our own clothes. Piniga kolang ang buhok ko at damit ko habang naglalakad. The woods have its crooked trees which makes Its was so unique. But the silence keep me wonder. I look around in confusion, there's no animals. Silence is indeed loud. "spike--"

"I know"

She even notices it. We have plan to walked back and keep on a look out. I looked up and reach my hands on a branch and spike some sticks. Slowly until I steeped a branch and makes it echoes. To gets its attention. From a distance I saw the bushes move.

We've got our beast! Both of us knew it's a predator. A low growl was heard, only a few miles and I can even see it's eyes. Narinig naman ni spike kung saan nanggagaling ang tunog at tinuro ito sakto naman itong lumabas at kumaripas kami ng takbo. I didn't look back but keep on running faster than the wind. And we climbed up. We have no energy to ran away from it our knees are weak. But we seems to be in trouble. We have been spotted by a jaguar.

And jaguars are actually excellent climbers, And they're good at it. and have been known to climb trees in search of food or shelter. This is a unique ability among big cats, as most other species are not able to climb trees.

We nodded, she knews what's on my mind. We have separated and I jump to the brances and the jaguar has it's eyes on me. My body is not that heavy to lift and easily for me to outrun.

I just grab on a vines and jump on a next vines and again "Naea! Here!"-dinig kong boses ni Ram. I saw a branch moves and I saw him from afar and his holding an arrow and it's aiming to my direction. The jaguar had no idea his about to be shot. I lure him to Ram and my calculation is complete. I jump down and the jaguar is perfectly shot down behind me.

Napahawak ako saking tuhod at hinahabol ang aking hininga. Bumaba na si Ram at si spike naman tumatakbo papapunta samin. "Where have you been?!" Ram exclaimed

"W--we"-i catch my breath first "we fell on an underground cave and spike is almost been eaten alive back there. I just witnessed a colossal depth weeds"

"Gee. Thankfully nothing bad has happen to you. Well too bad that beast is a feast but whatever"

"So you've been here all this time?" Tanong naman ni spike na pinipiga ang buhok

"Yes. I can't outrun him and I have no ability like you, Who can see through dark and even far away like a binocular. Which I only do is to wait for the perfect timing.."

"Where did you get those bruised and wound?"

I sighed and simply chuckles "Its a long story Ram. I'm a bit traumatized on depths right now--"

"GUYS!" Sigaw bigla ni Spike

"WHAT?"

I was flabbergasted. The jaguar slowly turning into a cab and may lumabas na parang kumikisap at naglalaho hanggang sa lahat kami kinabigla ang nangyari sa pagbago ng anyo nito at naging isang munting bata. Napasigaw kame at nataranta. Isang dyosa ang natamaan napaslang namin.

"We have to fine Aewa this instants!"

"But where?!"

"We must find him now!! Hurry we have no time to loose!"

Di namin inalis ang palasong para hindi lalabas ang kanyang dugo. Nakatarak sa kanyang balikat ang natamo niyang palaso ang isa sa sikmura.

I use my ability to see pero si nyne lang ang nakita ko na tumatakbo at maghahanap rin samin. "NYNE!!!" tawag ko at bilis niya rin akong nakita at dumiretso na samin.

Umiiyak ang dyosa at namimilipit sa sakit at kailangan namin si aewa agad.

Tumakbo papunta samin si nyne pero diko pinansin ang kanyang itsura na putikan. "SI AEWA KAILANGAN NATIN SI AEWA!!"

Nabigla siya sa kanyang nakita at may binulong siya sa ere. May lumapit na isang ibon at lumipad ito sinundan lang namin siya hanggang sa nagtagpo kaming lahat. "HANAKO!!!"-tarantang sigaw ng dalawang bata na umiiyak. Dahan dahan kong binaba si Hanako at ginamot siya agad ni Aewa. Mapasigaw ito sa pag alis ng palaso na sa'kanyang balikat.

"Aewa! Be gentle with her!"