ᴛʜᴇ ᴇssᴇɴᴛɪᴀʟ ʙᴏᴛᴀɴɪsᴛ ɢᴜɪᴅᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴊᴜɴɢʟᴇ sᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴀʟ│ᴛᴋ [complete]

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"As with any habitat, the key to survival in a hostile environment lies foremost in the knowledge that it is only hostile to those who do not bind by its laws. Taking a step into the luxurious jungles of the equator implies you are willing to bow down to its stunningly superior flora.

And by 'bow down' I literally mean 'keep your eyes on the ground' for you might just tramp on some of the wonders of the rainforest which, despite their size, will succumb to the mistreatment of your ignorant boots."

Taehyung raised his head to stare at the two men sitting across from him by the fire, grumbling about the day's discoveries — or lack thereof — and sighed at the thought of all the damage they had probably done to the surrounding vegetation in their quest for the lost city of Aez, or whatever it was called. Botanist Professor Kim Namjoon and himself were the only ones here in the name of science, and Taehyung did not like to feel outnumbered. But he did well to refrain from complaining about it and looked forward to each new day with excitement as the jungle had so many secrets yet to be found.

Peering down at his notebook, Taehyung allowed his mind to reflect upon their recent discoveries. They'd only arrived two days ago but had already collected dozens of botanic samples ranging from a variety of orchids to carnivorous plants that preyed on insects.

Lost in thoughts of unknown plant life, he didn't notice the professor who had sat down next to him. "What do you have here?"

The young man jumped a little. "Oh, professor! It's nothing of importance, really. Just some notes for this survival guide I had in mind. And my sketchbook."

Namjoon was a fan of his assistant's drawings. "Let me see some of your sketches."

Taehyung did not need to be asked twice, finding it amazing that such a renowned specialist in the field of Botany would show interest in his amateur drawings, going as far as to praise him for his skills and accuracy. "With the exception of the purple ant," the professor added, pointing at the mauve animal on the page.

Taehyung looked up, confused. "But, professor, they really were purple!"

"Well, if that's the case, then it's a shame you didn't bring one back. I would have loved to make its acquaintance."

At this point, Taehyung wasn't sure if the man was pulling his leg or not. "I couldn't bring myself to kidnap one of them, so I settled for a sketch. Do you not believe me?" he asked, a little hurt at the thought.

"As a zoologist yourself, you must be aware of the fact that there are over ten thousand classified species of the Formicidae family. But not a single one of them comes in such colourful hues."

Taehyung was at loss for words. "Perhaps it is a new specie then, one that has yet to be classified."

The professor adjusted the pair of reading glasses sitting on his nose and took a closer look at the page. "Oh. You even drew one to scale!"

Huh?

"You are a true artist. I can almost see it running across the page!"

Taehyung couldn't help but giggle at Professor Kim's candid surprise. "That's because it's an actual ant, professor!"

As the insect reached the middle of the page, the man realized his mistake. "Quick! Catch it!"

Taehyung placed a gentle hand over the little runaway. "Will you promise to return it to its family once you're done observing?"

Namjoon didn't need to meet his assistant's gaze to know there was no refusing his genuinely compassionate request. "I will," he uttered, defeated but smiling nonetheless, before standing up to find a pod of sorts to keep the ant alive.

He didn't get very far though, as a chilling scream tore through the night. The two men who had been talking by the fire shared a concerned look.

"What is happening?" Taehyung asked, voice slightly fraught.

They scowled. "A spider bite knocked Freddie unconscious in that precious forest of yours. We had to drag him back. Never thought he'd make it. Guess he's finally awake now but by the sound of it, he might be better off dead."

"A spider? Did you see it? What did it look like?"

Taehyung didn't think he had seemed particularly excited about the arthropod, which was why he didn't understand the frowns his enquiries had incited. "What kinda question is that? Freddie might not make through the night and all you care to know is if the spider was pretty?!"

"That's not what I asked," Taehyung responded defensively before Namjoon nudged his elbow. "Drop it. You don't want to get on their bad side."

Except it was a little too late for that. "Look at you, all proper with your white wrinkle-free shirt and not a stain on your cuffs! Not to mention that unscarred pretty face of yours! What kinda deal did you make with the jungle beasts for them to treat you so well?"

The implications of that statement were quite unsettling. True. Compared to the lost city hunters and their dangerous encounters in the wild, Taehyung's adventures in the jungle sounded like walks in the park and he couldn't shake the feeling that the forest had seemed rather welcoming. There was no logical explanation as to why that was, except perhaps for the possibility that Taehyung had simply been more careful, or lucky. Or both.

But judging from the death glares he was getting, his good fortune was about to come to an end. "I was only trying to help."

"Does it look we need help from someone who only knows how to pluck flowers and hold a pencil?"

Before Taehyung could find the right words to counter the aggressive attack, which had visibly shaken him, Namjoon spoke. "My assistant has a degree in zoology. You would know that had you listened to our formal introductions when we arrived on board on the day of our departure. But it doesn't matter now. The point here is that if you describe the spider accurately, Taehyung could perhaps tell you whether or not the bite was lethal."

Oh.

The men, a little ashamed of their harsh judgement, proceeded to depict the slender beast, recalling details such as the colour of its body (neon green) and the fact that it had jumped into a bush after planting its fangs in the leg of the unfortunate Freddie.

"He'll live." The confidence in Taehyung's voice left no room for second-guesses.

Noticing the hunters' stunned faces, he decided to justify his diagnosis. "You've described a Bagheera kiplingi, a herbivorous jumping spider that only bites to guard its food source, not to kill. His fever won't come down for another twelve hours but he'll survive."

They both got up and mumbled a few barely audible thank yous before rushing at Freddie's bedside.

"You did well," complimented Namjoon who felt rather proud of his young assistant.

Thank you was all Taehyung could manage at this point, still flustered by the verbal confrontation which left him wishing for their trip to remain uneventful.

Wishful thinking.

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