Chapter 26

The carriage galloped through a bump startling Wilson out of his thoughts. He unconsciously reached for the small knives he kept hidden in his jacket sleeves. It was custom- made for him. A sort of reward for getting all the things on the list before the old man Jenkins arrived. The jacket had several tiny holes that were somehow capable of hiding something as large as a broadsword. The old man had explained to him that it had to do with spatial magic but he did not bother to listen. It was not like he knew enough about abilities to even attempt to understand what the old man was telling him. After all, where he came from was more or less primitive and nobody there knew about abilities or half-humans or nobility. He only just left for the city not quite long ago.

Back to the requirements, he still did not know what they were required for. Old man Jenkins refused to say anything and the granddaughter was just as clueless.

"Hey, what was that all about?" He reached for the curtain with the purpose of peeping out through it.

"Keep your head inside the carriage and your hands to yourself!" Old man Jenkins barked at him.

"Why?" Wilson asked. The old man said nothing and continued reading the map.

Wilson sat back and closed his eyes to continue with his unfinished reminiscence.

*******************

He got to the tree a week later.

"I did not think this tree was this far away!" He muttered to himself. The tree was so tall, he had thought it was closer. Like a lot closer. But it too him a week to get to it.

The good news in that was that he could move around in the forest more stealthily than before and he had already gotten about a quarter of the list which was stored in a small pouch the girl had hung round his waist. When? He did not know. How it worked? He tried to figure it out but remained as ignorant about it as he was before he knew something like that existed.

The tree was very large. It would take about fifty tall adults to circle around the tree and it was so tall, Wilson could not even see its peak from a kilometer away. Wilson wondered how old the tree must have been.

He looked at his list.

"Rainbow feathers from the rainbow peacock? Could he not just say the feathers of a rainbow peacock?" He shook his head at the old man's use of words.

"A whole Raven! Should a Raven even be in the jungle?" He asked himself.

"Where am I supposed to find all these things? Are the rainbow animals like a large extended family or something? Why are there so many of them?" He was perplexed. He looked through the long list again and slowly walked around the tree.

He heard rustling among the tree branches and looked up. Something heavy was falling straight at him at an incredible speed. He quickly jumped out of the way and rolled. He spun on his heel while crouching and raised his knife. His senses perked up, ready for any attack that might come his way.

"Owwwww!" Somebody yelled. That was when Wilson realised that the object that nearly dropped on him was a person. Kind of. He had a long, furry tail similar to monkeys. He was very lean and very short. He looked thirty but his height seemed more like a seven year old's. He groaned as he stood up. His bones made creaking sounds as he stretched.to loosen his muscles.

"Who are you?" Wilson barked at him, making him jump in fright.

"Oh hey! Uh...I am Mow. I uh.....how are you?" He greeted in an attempt to appear friendly.

"What are you doing here?" He questioned.

"This is a forest! What do you think people come here for?"

"I don't know! Do you mind telling me?" Wilson asked and stood up, knife still in hand.

"Hunting. I am hunting! Whoever has the heart to get this far into the forest is most likely hunting." Mow explained.

"Then what were you doing on the tree?"

"Hunting!"

"For what?"

"Rainbow snake! Very rare, very expensive and very, very dangerous. It can only be found on incredibly large and tall trees. Generally, rainbow animals live close to areas one is most likely to easily see a rainbow from; Majorly trees and large expanse of land with lots of rainfall." Mow explained.

"If the snake is so dangerous, then why did you climb the tree to meet it?" Wilson looked at the tree again in marvel.

"It would never come down from the treetop. It is its home; a refuge and deterrent to most hunters." Mow said with a longing look.

Wilson did not understand so he explained further.

"It lives on the peak of this tree. They say it feeds on weather and receives its energy from rainbows. So, the more exposed it is to rainbows, the more powerful it gets. The tree is a good place to live. It provides camouflage, and it is a good place to hide while it feeds."

"How did you get to the top of the tree?" He asked, curious about how he got all the way up there.

"I climbed!"

"What?"

"I climbed non-stop for five days straight to get to the top." He said with a shrug, looked up at the tree again and sighed. He saw the look on Wilson's face and chuckled awkwardly.

"It is not that hard! For me, that is! For you, it will be incredibly hard! I am part monkey, so climbing trees is very instinctive and I also have a tail for easier and faster movement." He said and wiggled his tail.

"Did you drop from the top of the tree?"

"Yes!" Mow answered like it was not a big deal, making Wilson speechless. What kind of person drops from so far away and doesn't die.

As if he could hear his thoughts, Mow chuckled and told him the branches broke his fall.

"Well, it has been nice speaking with you but I have a snake to catch!" Mow said and waved his hands before jumping to the lowest branch, about five metres high. Wilson was amazed at the sight. How could someone so short manage to jump so high?

"Wait! Is there not a simpler way to get up there?" He shouted at the human monkey.

"Well, you could just fly up if you have the gadgets, flying abilities or can use levitation magic."

"I need a rainbow snake's fangs. How do I get them?" Wilson asked.

"If I can kill it, then I would be able to sell them to you!"

"But I don't have money!" Wilson said to him.

Mow sat down on a branch and said;

"How about this! If you can help me kill or better still capture the snake, I will give you its fangs." He offered.

Wilson did not even think about it before he agreed and climbed the tree to join him. Mow laughed at his enthusiasm and gave him some climbing tips to preserve his energy without reducing efficiency.

It took them six days to get to the top of the tree. There, they saw the snake coiled around several branches like a large rope, visibly absorbing rays from the rainbow. It made its scales glitter. All seven colors shone brightly, separately and yet together, smoothly transitioning from one color to another so naturally, it felt relaxing.

The second Wilson drew his knife, the snake's body tensed up and turned to face them.

"Oh no!" Mow shouted and pushed Wilson to another branch two feet away. He tried to jump after but the snake hit him in the chest with its tail, pushing him towards its head.