Chapter 6

Why am I overthinking this?Tenaro groaned as he scratched the back of his head. Deciding to leave it to fate, he began trudging in a random direction. His stomach continued to growl as loud as ever, and a sharp burn flared in his shoulder with every step he took.

He stepped out of the clearing and glanced back at the tiger's hide resting beside the pitiful campfire.

What a waste.

He turned away and began pushing his way through the dense undergrowth, then looked up. The stars glittered brilliantly against the night sky, now entirely free of clouds. Tenaro's gaze lingered on the massive cluster of specks stretching across the heavens.

Slowly, the canopy thickened. The leaves pressed closer together, forming a dark ceiling that blotted out the sky until it vanished completely. Luckily, his eyes had already adjusted to the pitch black, allowing him to see the heavy shapes looming ahead.

“Woah.”

His eyes snapped down just in time to see a massive tree trunk blocking his path. He quickly sidestepped to the left. His injured shoulder brushed against the wet bark, barely avoiding a direct smack to the nose.

Pushing onward, Tenaro glanced around while pushing away a thick curtain of leaves and woody vines. They let out a series of sharp crackles and snaps as he forced his body through. As the trees clustered tighter, the undergrowth thinned, making his path a little easier to navigate.

Damp air blew around him, carrying the sweet, earthy scent of wet bark. The biting wind forced another shudder from his body.

Crickets trilled in chaotic patterns, their songs mixing with the soft hoot of an owl. Beneath his boots, the mud squished, leaving a trail of deep footprints behind him. Loose leaves clung to the leather, where patches of brown soil peeked through a tangle of roots and grass.

Suddenly, a large log blocked his path, covered in a thick blanket of moss.

He squinted through the gloom, realizing that a bunch of fungi were growing out of the rotting bark. Whole families of mushrooms had populated the wood.

He walked over to one of the largest clusters, his swords clanging against his hip as he crouched. The fungi had blue-grey caps with edges that curved inward, supported by short white stems. Ants crawled frantically all over them. Tenaro drooled.

Oyster mushrooms...

He eyed them with hungry intent. His stomach growled so fiercely it felt as though it might try to reach out and grab them itself. Without a second thought, he stretched out an arm and yanked a massive handful. The firm stems resisted, forcing him to pull even harder until they snapped free.

When the clump ripped away, he shook off the scattering ants and shoved the food into his mouth, losing a few pieces in his haste.

He closed his eyes in pure satisfaction. A mild, salty taste of licorice flooded his mouth. He completely ignored the metallic tang of dirt and blood that came with it.

Worth it.

He chewed loudly, chunks of mushroom spilling from his lips, but he could already feel a spark of energy returning to his limbs.

***

He strutted through the undergrowth, shoving aside the stubborn leaves that crossed his path.

“Huff, huff.”

He panted—not from exhaustion, but from the sheer speed at which he had inhaled the meal. He had finally remembered what it felt like to be full, and the corners of his mouth stretched into a genuine smile. A pocket of air moved up his throat, escaping his mouth in an echoing burp.

Back behind him, that log no longer had any mushrooms left on it.

Never knew mushrooms could taste that good.

Suddenly, a sharp shriek shattered the silence. Monkeys. They were howling, arguing, and aggressively scolding one another in the canopy above. These were the chaotic sounds of diurnal animals waking up. Tenaro paused, looking toward the racket.

As he did, he caught the very first, faint glows of sunrise seeping through the dense leaves overhead. Nearby, a lone lizard crawled lazily across a dew-slicked leaf.

A heavy tangle of vines, enormous leaves, and thick bushes barred his remaining path. He pushed through the obstacle carefully. Deliberately leaving his twin swords sheathed, he used his hands and forearms to do the work.

Crickets leapt away to avoid his steps and tiny bugs scuttled frantically across the foliage. A long brown snake slithered beneath a nearby bush. Tenaro's eyes flicked across the creatures uneasily. He was determined not to let the insects out of his sight, in case they tried to sneak up and scare him.

There are so many...

He brushed past the crawling insects and the shifting shadows of the leaves.

Up ahead, a pool of bright sunlight spilled onto the forest floor. He shoved through the last barrier of leaves and stopped, his boots digging deep into the soil of the cliff.

His breath caught in his chest. His eyes widened as a soft gasp slipped past his lips.

"Wow."

Stretching out below the cliff lay a massive expanse of ruins. Ancient buildings were cloaked in moss, with small trees pushing their way through the crumbling roofs and stone walls.

On top of a small house, a band of monkeys tumbled and leaped. They squealed and fought wildly over a single, bright yellow fruit.

Massive trees surrounded the ruins, while younger ones forced their way upward through the fractures of the architecture. The sun rose slowly, casting a warm, golden light across the rooftops, wet leaves, and tangled vines. The light illuminated every curve of weathered stone.

The wind blew harder here, sending a massive rustle through the leaves. He was too mesmerised by the sight to care about the cold air biting into him again.

Tenaro's chest tightened. Woah...

His shoulders shifted as he leaned forward, wincing as his left shoulder complained. The deep scratch marks from the tiger were finally beginning to form scabs. He casually wiped the dirt out of the wounds, trying his best to ignore the sharp sting of pain. Then, he looked back up.

The terrifying height of the trees. The immense thickness of the trunks. The heavy vines crawling like veins along the wall.

They all spoke of extreme age.

Tenaro stared at the remnants of a civilization long forgotten, claimed by the jungle.