Jungle Witch

Naveen was stalking outside the city wall with nothing but anger for company. He couldn’t figure out what he was doing wrong. How was he supposed to see Ebony any differently than what she was - a monster? But the commander was being insistent that he do just that.

“What am I supposed to do? She killed her own father,” he growled as he neared the edge of the wetlands. His steps slowed as he admitted, “Her father was a monster and Abhay is revered as a hero for killing him.”

Stubbornly, he insisted, “But she’s still a monster.”

He heard a small splash. Looking over, he saw a small, brown furry head poke out of the water. The creature’s dark eyes blinked at him, his small ears laid back against his head. It’s nostrils were slits that they could be closed when under water. A webbed hand came up as if in greeting.

“A swoomi,” Naveen whispered, stepping back instinctively without taking his eyes off the creature.

Swoomi were known for dragging men into the murky water very similarly to what alligators did. He’d heard so many horror stories about these creatures that he half expected the one in front of him to sprout fangs.

Behind him, someone asked, “What are you doing?”

Naveen glanced back long enough to see Jay carrying a tool box, then turned his attention back to the terrifying creature.

Jay moved so that he could see what Naveen was staring at and smiled. “A swoomi.”

“How can you be so cheerful about seeing them?” Naveen demanded a little aghast.

“Why not? They’re harmless.”

Naveen gave the handyman a very incredulous look. “Harmless?”

“Yeah.”

Jay walked over to the edge of the water, pulling an orange fruit from his bag. The swoomi’s small ears perked up, and it swam forward eagerly.

“What are you doing?” Naveen shouted, jumping back.

“Shhh,” Jay ordered quietly, careful to keep his voice calm and gentle. “You’ll scare him.”

“Scare it? I’ll scare it? Those things are killers.”

The handyman laughed. “Swoomi are the gentlest creatures you’ll ever meet.”

The swoomi took the fruit, sniffed it, then took a bite with a purring sound.

There was a rustling in the trees, and the two men looked up to see another creature that had several features in common with the swoomi. The biggest differences were that this one had claws instead of webbing and bat-like ears instead of the small nubs. The creature in the tree twitched its nose, watching Jay eagerly.

“A klonji,” Jay said with a smile. He pulled out another fruit and held it up for the klonji, who eagerly took it.

“They’re vegetarians,” Jay explained to Naveen as he stood back up.

“But they attack the farmers and the caravans,” Naveen objected, sidling away from the two creatures. “Why would they do that unless they were man eaters?”

“Many of the farmers think it has something to do with the spices, because those that don’t work with the spices never get attacked,” Jay replied with a shrug. “Besides, we’re standing right here next to them and they haven’t even looked mean at us.”

The swoomi took Jay’s hand and examined it curiously, making the handyman smile. “See. These guys are as sweet as chocolate.”

Naveen watched as the Klonji took Jay’s other hand, being very careful not to cut Jay with it’s clawed fingers. Both of the strange animals were purring as they rubbed their faces against Jay’s hands in gratitude for the orange fruit.

It occurred to Naveen that he might have been wrong about these two creatures, because neither one of them was showing even an ounce of aggression. In fact, they were being more gentle than any domesticated animal he’d ever met, as they nuzzled Jay’s hands.

Jay stood saying to both the creatures and Naveen, “I have to go now.”

As if understanding his words, the creatures gave a final purr then vanished back into the wetlands. Naveen watched them go, his mind trying to process all the new information. He looked up and saw Jay walking towards Basilisk Jungle, Ebony’s home.

“What is he doing?” Naveen wondered.

He would have followed Jay, but he knew he didn’t have the time. Commander Abhay had given him an order, so he had to have the problem figured out by tonight. It would be so much easier if he understood just what the problem was.

Naveen made his way slowly back towards the city. Once inside the walls, he roamed aimlessly. His eyes stayed on the ground, and his feet felt like he had bricks tied to them. As the day came to an end, he slumped his shoulders and went to find Commander Abhay.

What was he going to do? In just a few moments, he’d have to face his commander. He knew this confrontation would determine his entire future, but didn’t know what he was supposed to do.

He turned onto the Northeast Road where the military was housed. Soldiers were strolling towards their homes or going out to a tavern with their buddies. A few were already a little drunk and stumbling down the road singing.

Considering it wasn’t sundown yet, Naveen knew those already drunk wouldn’t stay soldiers for long. Sooner or later, their bad drinking habits would affect their work, and the commander had very little patience for those that didn’t do their work properly.

Commander Abhay’s house was just five buildings away. He could see light in the top window, which meant the commander was home.

As he stared at the window, Naveen finally admitted the problem to himself. He’d been in denial, but he couldn’t afford that. Not if he wanted to stay Abhay’s trainee. He had to decide whether to go against his family’s beliefs or not.

Maybe he should just stop following his family blindly. Commander Abhay was right. How was he supposed to lead anyone if he was following someone else?

He stopped and spun away from Abhay’s house.

No, he couldn’t do that. It would be turning his back on his family. They’d raised him, and loyalty was very important. Even Commander Abhay said so.

He turned back towards the commander’s house.

He’d just tell Abhay that he couldn’t stop seeing things the same way as his family. It was expected of him. He couldn’t bear to disappoint them.

He only made it five steps before turning to walk away again.

But he didn’t want to disappoint Commander Abhay either. Abhay had given him a chance that no one thought he deserved. He owed the commander too much to back out now.

Naveen turned back towards the house.

So he’d just have to tell the commander that he would start using his own judgement and not someone else’s. It wasn’t like he could be Abhay’s trainee if he wasn’t going to be a leader. That was what Abhay was training him for.

He spun around again.

But what if he told the commander that and couldn’t do it. Could he let go of his family’s views? Was letting go even the right thing to do? They were his family after all. Blood was supposed to be thicker than water.

Turning back towards Abhay’s home, he decided he’d tell his commander he couldn’t let go of his family’s views.

With a frustrated growl, he spun around again and raked his fingers through his hair.

He couldn’t tell Abhay that. The commander had taught him so much. His eyes narrowed as he remembered what Ebony had said about Abhay. The commander wasn’t a hero because he’d killed Lord Bura, but because he stuck to his honor code without fail. Maybe....

“Naveen.”

Naveen spun around and immediately stood at attention. “Commander.”

Abhay’s hands were clasped behind his back, and his eyes were empty of all emotion. “Why are you pacing in front of my home?”

“I was...” Naveen hesitated, trying to figure out just what he should say. “Sir, I was trying to decide what I wanted to do.”

“And did you?”

The boy shuffled his feet a little, then said, “I’ve always wanted to be like you, sir. Even my family doesn’t get the kind of respect you do.”

“Is respect what you want?”

“I don’t think it is anymore,” Naveen said with a slow shake of his head, his eyes narrowed in thought. “I want to be someone who’s earned that respect the same way you did. Whether I actually get the respect or not isn’t important.”

Abhay felt his muscles relax. “And what do you need to do?”

Naveen let out a sigh when he saw Abhay’s approving smile. “Well first....”

The commander listened to his trainee with approval. Naveen was finally becoming a real man. Not the one his family wanted him to be but the one Naveen wanted to be.

The next morning, Ebony was in the kitchen wondering where Jay was. He’d been gone all of yesterday too, and she was starting to worry.

That was a new concept for her. Worrying. She frowned, trying to remember if she’d ever worried about anyone before. The last time she could think of was when Raj had been injured by the leopards. She’d stayed up for an entire day, keeping watch over him while he recovered from his wounds.

And this was all beside the point. Where was Jay?

“Someone’s at the door,” Raj told her.

Ebony looked towards the front of the house, debating on whether she was going to ignore the uninvited guests. It could be Jay, but he usually just came inside. Unless, he had someone with him.

She made her way to the front door and nearly groaned when she saw Naveen and Abhay. Now she wished she had ignored them. Abhay she didn’t mind, but she wanted nothing to do with Naveen after his little outburst at the gathering.

“Hello, Ebony,” Abhay greeted easily while giving Naveen a very stern look.

Naveen shifted uncomfortably. “Yes. Hello.” He cleared his throat. “Umm, do you have a moment?”

“I guess,” she replied, opening the door wider.

Ebony kept her eyes on the obviously nervous Naveen. She didn’t know what was wrong with him, but he was up to something. It couldn’t be anything bad because the commander was encouraging it. Then again, this was Naveen.

Naveen didn’t sit, and he couldn’t meet her eyes. She watched him as he shuffled his feet and tried to decide what to do with his hands.

“What is it?” she asked, tired of waiting for him to get around to telling her.

Naveen shuffled a little. “Well, you see. I owe you an...an apology.”

She stared at him, dumbfounded. Nothing had ever shocked her more than to hear those words coming from Naveen. She was sure his pride would get in his way. It should be choking him right now, come to think of it.

“I’m sorry. I must be hearing things.” Ebony rubbed at her ear. “I thought I heard you apologize.”

Naveen glowered. “I did.”

“Is the world coming to an end or something?” she asked sincerely.

Ebony walked over and looked out the window. Everything seemed okay. No dark clouds or fire falling from the sky.

“No,” he snapped out.

“Naveen,” Abhay warned.

The boy drew in a deep breath then let it out again. More calmly, he repeated, “No.”

“What is this all about, and what are you apologizing for?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest, suddenly suspicious.

“For the way I’ve been treating you,” he replied, still calm. He’d known she would be a little hostile, and she had a right to be. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since that meeting you had here, and I realized that I don’t actually believe that you are a monster.”

She gave him a narrowed eyed stare. “Then why in the world have you been calling me one since we first met?”

“Because I was doing as my family would have wanted me to do.” Admitting all of this to her was harder than he thought it would be. He swallowed around the lump in his throat. “And also, you were right about what makes Abhay a good commander. It’s not because he killed your father, but because he is honorable and people know they can trust him.”

“Well...” Ebony stared at him and tried to force her mind to adjust to his new attitude. “Umm...”

“You don’t have to say anything. I just needed to get this off my chest,” Naveen said quickly. He wasn’t sure how to respond if she suddenly said something nice to him. He shuffled his feet a little and turned towards the door. “I guess I should be going now.”

“You can stay.”

He looked at her in surprise. He thought for sure she’d want him as far away from her as possible after the way he’d been treating her. “What?”

“You can stay,” she repeated, her face carefully neutral.

Without another word, she went into the library. All she could think of was escape. She wasn’t even sure what she was running from. Once the door was closed behind her, she let out a long breath.

“That was interesting,” Venom said, lifting her head to look up at Ebony’s face. Her coils loosened around the girl’s wrist, now that it was safe. “He even seemed sincere.”

Ebony wasn’t so sure she believed Naveen’s change of heart was real. He could just be doing what he thinks Abhay wants him to do. The commander didn’t respond well to the way Naveen had been treating her, and after the meeting, he probably gave Naveen a very final ultimatum.

Raj sat next to her. “What will you do?”

“If he means it, then I might actually use his real name.” She raked fingers through her hair. “He’s probably faking it, but I’ll give him the chance to prove he isn’t.”

She looked around the library and heaved a big sigh. It was time to put Naveen’s change of heart aside and get back to work.

Jay walked up to the edge of Basilisk Jungle and looked around at how little he’d gotten done in the last few days. He was starting to wonder if he’d have it done before Ebony was ready to leave Rivera. To do that he’d need some help. Maybe he could ask Abhay.

Jay set his tool box down and surveyed the materials he had. It wasn’t enough. Finding the stones without going into the jungle was proving to be difficult.

“Well, I could just start using wood,” he said to himself.

That idea didn’t sit well with him though. He never did a job halfway, and using wood for a foundation felt halfway to him.

“But I may not have a choice,” he said as he looked at the meager pile of stones he’d managed to find.

“Choice in what?” someone hissed near the jungle’s edge.

Recognizing the voice, Jay shifted to face Sith the Basilisk.

“The foundation,” Jay said, gesturing towards the construction he was doing. “I need to make it stone, but I don’t think I can get enough.”

The handyman studied the work in progress again and added thoughtfully, “Actually, I should make the entire house out of stone, but I definitely won’t get enough material for that.”

“What is it for?” Sith asked curiously.

“Ebony.” Jay explained her dilemma about where her home should be now that she had ties to Rivera. “And I think this is the solution. Right on the edge of your jungle so both the animals and people can come see her.”

“That is a good idea,” Sith said, looking at the human with a small smile. He was glad someone was looking out for Ebony. “And you need this house made of stone?”

Jay nodded. “That would be ideal. You see, with all the wet we get here, a wood house would rot away within a few years. That’s why the ones who can afford it in the city build their homes out of stone.”

“Build the house out of wood,” Sith told him. “Then I will turn it all to stone for you.”

Jay looked at the basilisk. “You can do that?”

“Of course. My kind can turn anything to stone if we want.” A thought occurred to Sith. “In fact, I’ll get the others in the jungle to bring the materials you’ll need, like wood.”

“That would be great,” Jay said as a grin spread on his face. “While you do that, I’ll run and ask Abhay for help building. With any luck, we’ll have this done before Ebony is finished in the city.”

With a final wave, Jay rushed off to the city to find Abhay.

Meanwhile, Sith went into the jungle to find some of the stronger animals to move the logs. He would make sure that Jay got all the help he needed to get that house finished for Ebony.

It pleased him to hear that Ebony was finally developing ties with her own kind. She was finally on the path to forgiving herself and the humans for what had happened the night her father died.