Chapter 6

Tai expected the bug to finish him off in one go, as the creatures in the forest weren't the type to give hope to their prey.

The creature, surprisingly, stood there, with half of its lengthy body poised upwards. Its numerous, sharp legs began to tremble, and the bug became more and more agitated.

Its tough exoskeleton skin loosened, and before Tai's very eyes, the bug molted.

Layers upon layers of the bug's upper body molted rapidly, and what was revealed underneath was a golden, Thumbling upper body.

It looked exactly like a thumbling except for its mouth, which remained as mandibles, and its eyes. Its eyes were completely black, cold and cruel.

It was also quite ugly.

The weird creature uttered strange noises that Tai assumed to be words. The more it tried, the more coherent it became.

"Niiish bloood," it said to him while checking out its new appearance,"Shhhtrong Blood"

He definitely wasn't waiting on this ugly thing to have its moment.

The molted skin—its molted claws particularly, caught his attention. The potential weapon portruded from the pile of molted skin and was not far from him.

With much effort, he moved off his back with a groan and positioned himself for a suicidal sprint towards the molted skin by the bug. Pain, more intense than ever, coursed through his body and blurred his vision.

The bug at that moment was rambling on and flailing its two new human appendages, unsure what to do with them.

Tai groggily went on all fours and crawled as fast as he could towards the claw. What felt like years in reality was only a few seconds as Tai pushed on with all his might.

"What you doing...little food?" Two powerful adult-sized arms grabbed at him—and completely missed.

The bug screeched in anger, or maybe embarrassment, and once again attacked him. It closed in on him, not leaving any room for mistakes. Tai, however, finally reached the weapon.

He thrusted the claw towards its chest when it was close enough for him to see the crazed twinkle in its eyes.

The claw was extremely sharp, he will give it that much. Tai's impromptu weapon carved a hole through the body of the half-thumbling creature.

It didn't live for long after that. The dead body fell on him and brought him more pain in his injured state. With much struggle, he pushed the creature off him, and creeped to Tziporah, who was worse for wear but, surprisingly, not dead.

...

Tai stared at the tree. It was much, much wider now that he was close, and the rope-like appendages were all at least two times the width of his torso.

His injury was now somewhat stable with his makeshift leaf band-aid wrapped around it. The pain was still strong as ever. He was starting to suspect that he was poisoned.

He pressed forward into the rope-maze, whilst dragging a broad leaf with Tziporah laid on it, unconscious.

A cacophony of noises from insects and animals permeated the forest, serving as a constant reminder that he was at the bottom of the food chain.

He was a wreck, and was numb at that point. He once had a hope to somehow return home. All he wanted now was to survive.

After wading through the rope-maze, he found an appendage which was quite jagged. To climb, it would be his best option.

...

With a desperate grunt, Tai strained to haul himself unto the edge of the expansive branch. He rolled himself away from the edge as his sweat painted the woody surface of the tree.

He finally did it.

He caught his breath for a few seconds before pulling up a rope with Tziporah attached to it. It wasn't the most comfortable method, but it was the best he could do.

Finally, they were safe.

His stomach growled loudly as it begged for attention. He ignored it, though. He was no stranger to this feeling. Oddly enough, it brought comfort, since it was the only thing that remained the same.

He laid beside Tziporah and, with relief, slept soundly.

Three days have passed, and Tai became more and more skilled at traversing the rough terrain and avoiding danger. Tziporah was still unconscious, but thankfully, she seemed stable.

After witnessing more than a few animals being killed by that monster every night, Tai realized that as long as one doesn't move, they would not be harmed. He also observed the uncanny disappearances of the corpses after every night.

It was now the evening of the fifth day since they've been in the forest, and finally Tziporah began to stir.

Her eyes barely cracked open as she recoiled from the light of day. Tai smirked at her.

"About time," He said, "you've been out for three days now."

She stared at him in response. After keeping eye contact with her for a few seconds, Tai began to feel guilty. She wouldn't have been in this if she didn't sacrifice herself for him.

He muttered a thank you to her. He was genuinely grateful after all.

After his apology, her eyes seemed more expressive. He guessed she was happy. Her delicate lips, cracked and dry, barely twitched, which seemed to have taken much energy on her part.

Tai rummaged through his new and improved sack for a sealed jug that he managed to carve from a suitable branch using the claw he kept.

The weapon was no longer a bug's leg with sharp edges, but now a proper weapon with a handle.

After finding his precious jug, he pried open Tziporah's mouth and gently fed her some water.

Not long after, she was able to make audible sounds and could, at least, with much effort, feed herself. She gingerly ate some berries Tai foraged in the past days.

For the rest of the evening, they sat in silence. At that moment, Tai and Tziporah seemed to have come to a tacit understanding.

He huddled closer towards her till they were touching shoulders. Tziporah leaned on him.

Tai took in the fresh forest air. From now on, all they had were each other.