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There was no time to stop and take a breather. There lives depended on how fast their feet could take them. They had entered a new, different world from their beloved home.
Explorers, scientists and vacationers would stop and take the time to observe their surroundings and truly appreciate the opportunity given to go to another world.
But for them, they had to run like they had never run before, taking no time to look back to see if they were still being followed, for a beast, a cheetah was literally after them.
They finally reached the point to where they had to stop from fear of collapsing and being at the mercy of who knows what else which lingered in the forest.
They came to a clearing where several elevated and diminutive trees formed somewhat of a safety zone which they desperately needed in order to catch their breaths.
Troy and Shark sat back-to-back. They were too exhausted to open their mouths and ask how the other was feeling or what they were thinking but they could imagine.
They took the time to finally observe their environment. The smell of maple was in the air, but the two could not see any maple trees but Amazonian looking ones.
The tall ones formed a canopy over the forest while the others, small, almost half the size of their kinfolk brought up the rear.
The tall trees had green foliage while the smaller had beautiful multicoloured autumn leaves which seemed peculiar to the two, but their miniature adventure so far was also uncharacteristic and bloodcurdling.
To a mesmerized Shark, the trees almost appeared as if they were dancing or waving their branches at him to say hello or maybe it was all in his imagination; however, it could be real?
Everything seemed bona fide especially the battle with Panthora and the wolves and the sudden force of water which came from his hands.
Would it work again if he needed it? He was keen to the fact he had to be brave for it to sustain, but it was hard with characters like Panthora lurking around.
But the truly important question was, how was he able to do such? Humans were not capable of manipulating the elements yet he and Troy were able to do such.
His mind finally fell on the cheetah man and his obsession with them.
"He probably wanted the same thing like the wolves. Food, that being us or what Panthora wanted. The glory which came from her master, whatever that meant," answered Troy still out of breath.
"You're probably right. If we had stopped, he would've probably gouged out our insides," replied Shark.
Did he ask that question out loud? He was sure he said it all in his mind, but he was too worn out to remember.
All he wanted to do was sleep for at least a week to wash off all he and Troy had been through, but if he fell asleep, he might wake up in a pot on fire with who knows what surrounding it.
Both of their heads slowly fell to their knees and they hurdled off to slumber, not caring they would be defenceless if someone or something happened upon them.
An hour passed and the two were still in a deep sleep when Shark's face began to throb from some form of battering which made him scream out and at the same time awaken Troy.
"Are we under attack again?" shouted Troy in a panic. "Who is it? Where are they? I can't see them?"
He was standing and no longer in severe pain, but it was strange. He had not eaten or received any medical attention. How was he able to move after all the perils he had faced?
"What happened? What caused that?" asked a mystified Troy, pointing to the small cut on Shark's right cheek. It was as if he was sliced by a sharp knife.
"I don't know," replied Shark a bit harshly. "I was sleeping and then all of a sudden something physically hit me and then I opened my eyes and of course screamed out in pain."
"I tried to locate my attacker but there's no one here except for you, me and the trees. I know they couldn't have done it."
Troy stood back up. Was Shark's assailant hiding in the branches? He was not able to spot a single soul except for the swaying trees which was bizarre since there was no hint of a passing wind.
"You're walking," said a shocked Shark. "You don't look exhausted at all, come to think of it, neither do I?"
"Yeah, I was thinking it earlier. It's crazy to think I could walk so undisturbed after all we've been through," replied Troy to the rising Shark.
"I feel like I have the strength to go through our little adventure again, how strange is that?" said Shark, knowing he would never really want to.
"Maybe it has something to do with this land or forest," replied Troy and he headed over to one of the trees.
"Come again?" shouted Shark as if Troy had spoken in gibberish.
"Think of it," replied Troy while stroking the trunk of a tree. "Whatever this place is, it seems to enable us with unique abilities beyond our wildest imagination like your water power and my wind power so why not some form of healing?"
"Because it's preposterous," retorted Shark.
There was no way the eccentric land had a mind of its own and was controlling their every move like marionets on a string. He was the one in control not some parallel universe.
Troy was about to reply when a large multicoloured branch soared over his head. He quickly gazed up to follow its movement, which was towards Shark's face.
Shark barley lurched out of its way to watch it collided with the ground. It then lifted back up into its original position.
"I knew there was something strange about those trees," shouted Troy as he raced back to Shark. "They are swaying as if they are capable of moving on their own."
"Then it must have been the one to give me my cut. It's trying to injure us, just like all the other creatures in this world," said a frustrated Shark.
"But it doesn't make any sense for it to try and hurt us now," replied Troy.
"What are you talking about?" asked Shark.