by Dan Thomas
“Keep going,” Chopsticks encouraged.
“Easy for you to say.” Max’s teeth chattered along with Murf’s. “This could be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done on Primeva.”
“Nearly there, Max.” Sam directed him into the deepest part of the river, and he focused on her voice, not on the pain in Murf’s shoulder.
“You know, I’m kind of getting to like Murf,” Chopsticks said. “The guy’s got balls as big as the biggest Kukunut.”
“Cheers, Chopsticks,” Max replied.
He took a minute to take a look around him at the beauty of the watercourse. It was a huge river, which had widened out now that he was exiting the canyon. The banks were still steep but weren’t as rocky, and the jungle was coming level with him, but thinning out. He was close to the Tannika Plains, and home.
Max felt the movement of the raft beneath him change as he hit the main current close to the middle of the river, no longer dragging him around in jarred movement, but now drifting along a smooth current.
Max pulled the pole out of the water and set it down on the raft. He still needed to get back to shore, but not until he was close to the rendezvous point with Pez.
Max sat down and groaned as he placed his good hand out in front of him. The uneven array of branches underneath him was uncomfortable, but it was nice taking a breather, listening to the sound of the water moving around him, feeling it pushing the raft along.
His heart began to slow as his stamina recovered, and he closed his eyes for a second, just enjoying the moment.
“Okay, no sleeping.” Sam clapped her hands. “Stay alert.”
“Why?” Max asked as he lifted his head and looked around. “There’s nothing out here except me.”
“Nothing out here that you can see,” Sam said. “It’s the things you can’t see that you need to watch out for.”
Max shifted and crossed his legs under him, his left arm cradled in his right arm as he alleviated the pull on his injured shoulder. If he stayed still and didn’t make a sound, maybe whatever was out there would think that the raft was just a pile of flotsam. Or jetsam. Exactly what the raft was classed as Max wasn’t sure.
“There’s something in the water,” Chopsticks said excitedly.
“Where?” Max asked. From his sitting position on the raft, he didn’t have a good view of the river around him and he wasn’t about to stand up to take in the view. Most likely, Chopsticks had seen another piece of flotsam or jetsam at the edge of Murf’s vision.
“To your right. Along the riverbank,” Chopsticks spoke slowly as if he were studying the bank carefully. Watching what he could see on the big screen, Chopsticks and Sam could clearly see movement that would be just on the edge of Max’s peripheral.
“Just keep still and you might not attract their attention,” Sam said.
“Their attention? How many are there?” Max asked, turning his head slowly to the right.
“Half a dozen maybe,” Chopsticks spoke in hushed tones as if afraid something might hear him.
Max squinted against the glare on the water as he looked to his right. He could see a few dark shapes in the water ahead of him that looked like a collection of tree trunks that had washed up by the bank. That was until one of them opened its jaw that Max realized what the other two were talking about, and even over the distance, Max caught a glimpse of huge teeth.
“Crocodiles?” Max asked as the yawning reptile pushed off from the bank with its large feet and disappeared under the water.
“Yep,” Chopsticks confirmed. “Those things have been around for so long because they are the perfect death machine.”
“Helpful,” Sam snapped. “Don’t worry, Max. Just because the crocodile is in the water it doesn’t mean he’s coming for you.”
“Another one just joined his friend.” Chopsticks just couldn’t keep the excitement from his voice as he added, “And another.”
“Great.” Max’s heart raced and his arm throbbed in anticipation of movement. “How much longer, Sam?”
“Another quarter mile along the river,” her voice grew worried. “I’ll go ask Pez if he can move any faster.”
“So close and yet so far,” Chopsticks said dramatically.
“You’re stressing me out, dude. I haven’t come this far to die within reach of Pez.” Max, however, was out of ideas.
Max got back to his feet and grabbed the long pole he had cut from the Kuku tree. It wasn’t going to do any real damage, but if they were close enough for him to reach them with his spear, it was likely game over anyway.
Grasping it, Max jabbed down into the water a couple of times. “Just can’t catch a break,” he muttered.
Max planted his feet wide, turning his head from side to side as he watched the water, holding the long pole out, the tip just breaking the surface of the river.
He saw a shape move just beneath the surface and swung the pole around to face it. He jabbed down three times, feeling the first two hit something solid. He could just see the shape dart away from the blow.
“Buggers can swim fast.”
“Just don’t fall off,” Chopsticks advised. “And don’t let them eat the raft.”
“Any other obvious advice?” Max braced himself for the first impact. It didn’t come.
Tension in his damaged shoulder radiated through his body. His heart raced and he breathed rapidly as adrenaline filled his veins. He was ready. Why didn’t the croc attack?
“There are a couple more,” Chopsticks answered his question.
Max could see several more shapes in the water moving in toward him, circling around the raft instead of heading straight for him.
Despite the cooler air skimming across the water, sweat dripped down into Murf’s eyes. His leg muscles ached from maintaining a fighting stance after everything else he had been doing, and he lifted his feet to ease the tension in his hamstrings.
Flexing his fingers, he aimed the pole at the nearest crocodile that swam alongside the raft about ten feet away. Too far to risk poking with his pole but near enough to keep the threat of imminent danger fresh in Max’s mind.
“Pez is moving as fast as he can,” Sam said. “But there’s nothing he can do to get you from that raft to the bank.”
“Understood.” The water gently lapped at the edge of the raft as it floated lazily along the river in the afternoon sun. Pterosaurs wheeled above Max’s head as they passed by a high cliff set back from the sandy riverbank. Even the crocodiles in the water appeared calm and serene as they swam alongside the raft.
Minutes passed. The river flowed on in perpetual movement as Max’s body stiffened.
“What are they trying to do, bore you to death?” Chopsticks asked.
“You need to start heading toward the bank,” Sam said. “If you leave it much longer, you’ll miss Pez. There’s also a rough patch coming up.”
“A rough patch. So that’s what they’re waiting for.” Max moved, pushing the pole into the water and digging it into the riverbed. The raft jumped out of the slow current.
As if someone had shot a starting pistol, the crocodiles moved. Max pulled the pole out of the water and flinched back when a long set of jaws erupted out of the water. Max caught a glimpse of murky brown scales as it snapped its teeth at the air where the pole had been a second ago.
Max wasted no time. With a thought as he brought the pole over his head, he activated Heavy Attack and slammed it back down on the croc’s head as it ducked back under the water, the splash strong enough to rock the raft.
Max stuck the pole back into the river and pushed the raft farther toward the bank.
Something butted the bottom of the raft. Max stepped to the side and leaned his weight to the right to stop it from flipping over.
“Whatever is under the raft is big,” Max told the others. “If Murf goes in, he’s not getting back out.”
“Then don’t go in,” Sam told him bluntly. “We haven’t gone all this way just for you to get eaten by
a crocodile.”
“Tell me about it.” Max regained his balance and steadied the raft as he steered it toward the left bank. The crocodiles followed, flanking him as they escorted him into the choppier waters. They were in no hurry as they swam silently beside him.
The flawless face of the river was now marred by stronger ripples across its surface, and as Max dug the pole down into the riverbed, he could feel large rocks sitting under the water. He glanced up to look downstream and could see a sharp bend in the watercourse where it narrowed.
Max pushed the pole down into the churning waters as the raft hit the section of the river where the current was strongest. The Kukunut raft sped along, weaving left and right as it gained speed.
The crocodiles followed into the faster current, but they didn’t travel as fast as the raft, which skimmed over the top of the water. Moving his feet farther apart and lowering his center of gravity, he decided to take a chance.
His only chance.
Pulling the pole up, he thrust it into the water and sent the raft flying faster down the river. The raft rocked from side to side, nearly throwing Max into the water as it bounced over the rough current, but he kept his feet firmly in place, only moving his body as he bent his knees like a surfer riding a massive wave.
“Just don’t wipe out,” Chopsticks advised him.
Max didn’t answer as he focused on keeping his balance as one of the crocodiles approached from the side. The creature’s noticeably curved back, covered in tough scaly skin, protruded from the water, while just beneath the surface Max could see its feet paddling fast as it gained speed. Like a battering ram, it hit the raft.
Max felt the sack of Kukunuts shift underneath the raft, lifting one side of the raft off of the water.
He bent his knees in response and rode out the effects of the attack. As the right side of the raft reared up out of the water, he quickly shuffled sideways and slammed down his foot to stop the raft from flipping over. As his foot landed on the raft, the wood cracked and a long splinter stuck up in the air like a knife.
Frustration bloomed in Max’s chest. He was not going down with the ship.
“It’s okay, it will hold,” Chopsticks said, his voice was unusually calm.
“Not if they attack like that again.” Sam sounded distracted. “We just have to get you to shore.”
Max grasped the pole tightly and brought it out of the water before plunging it into the murky depths once more. If he stabbed a crocodile while he punted down the river, he wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. Maybe if he impaled a crocodile, he could skin it and make some new crocodile boots out of its hide.
The pole sliced through the water and sank into the riverbed. Despite his bad shoulder, Max pushed as hard as he could and the damaged raft shot off down the river once more, leaving the crocodiles behind. He lifted the pole and repeated the process over and over again even though it used up more stamina than he could afford.
“The rocks.” Sam didn’t make any sense as he glanced downstream. “If you can get yourself onto the rocks, you can reach the riverbank.”
“You want me to purposefully shipwreck?” Max slowed his rhythm to allow his stamina to recover. Immediately the raft slowed to match the pull of the water. Swinging his head around, he looked over his shoulder. The crocodiles were gaining on him once more. “Okay, the rocks sound good.”
At least they gave him a better chance of survival than staying on the raft while the crocs took bites out of it until there was nothing left to keep him afloat.
Max eyed up the cluster of rocks that were fast approaching, and the shallow bank just behind them. He’d need to aim fairly accurately at a place he could clamber onto. If he slipped back into the water the crocodiles would feast on his flesh and chomp up his bones, leaving him to spawn back in Cerribue Prime and start Murf’s journey again.
“Any time soon, buddy,” Chopsticks said by way of a pep talk.
Max blocked out Sam and Chopsticks and pushed the approaching crocodiles from his mind to focus solely on the rocks. Just the rocks.
The pain in his shoulder was now a deep ache that kept growing as he exerted himself more and more while he propelled the raft forward with the pole toward the bank, which was very quickly coming level with him as he moved farther downriver.
Water splashed over the tops of the first few rocky spines that stuck out of the water where a cliff or rocky outcrop had long fallen away.
“A little farther,” he murmured to himself as he came level with the ledge. The raft was out of the main current and was no longer being whisked away so fast. Max was able to pick up some speed as he pushed on toward the looming rocks.
He needed to coordinate this well, otherwise, he’d fall into the water and the jaws of his followers.
“There.” He saw the spot he wanted to aim for, a lower part of the outcropping with a few handholds where he’d be able to climb up away from the water. With new determination, he thrust the pole into the water. The raft leaped to the left and in one swift movement, Max lifted the pole out of the water, jabbed it down on the other side of the raft, and used it to vault across the narrow stretch of water and toward the rocks.
“Nice moves!” Chopsticks yelled as Max reached out and grabbed onto the ledge, letting the pole fall away as he hauled himself up, crying out in pain as he jarred his shoulder again.
Max didn’t stop to enjoy his victory. Slipping and sliding over the smooth rock, he scrambled to his feet and ran toward the bank. A short expanse of water lay between him and safety. Looking right and left as if he were about to cross the street, he then crouched and leaped off of the rock, landing in the shallow water, sinking slightly in the wet mud, which at least cushioned his fall enough to make the shock in his leg bearable.
He waded forward, slowed by the mud and the water. Movement to the right caught his eye. Had he imagined it?
“Crap. Run!” Chopsticks shrieked.
Adrenaline pumped through Murf’s veins as he pushed on. Despite Hotfoot activating, he began to slow down as his feet sank deeper into the mud. Water splashed up around him as he lunged for the bank, nearly there.
A tangle of branches hidden under the water hooked his foot and sent him sprawling forward onto his knees. Max half-crawled, half-ran for dry land as the water around him swirled with life.
Or death if he didn’t get out of the river now.
He landed heavily on the bank and pushed himself forward with his head down. Looking underneath his arm, he saw the large jaws of a couple of dark brown crocodiles snapping at his heels as they launched themselves into the shallow water after him.
Just as the first of the sprawling creatures hit the dry dirt, it froze, and with a menacing growl, it slid back into the water.
He’d done it.
Thud.
The ground beneath his hands shook.
Max slowly pulled his gaze away from the crocodiles. Dirt flicked in his face as the earth shook again. Quickly wiping away the flecks of dirt, he blinked a couple of times before passing his hand over his eyes once more.
“Damn.” His eyes weren’t filled with the gray-green dirt.
Instead, it was filled with three powerful toes, sporting claws bigger than a finger, supporting a thickly muscled leg.
Yep, carnivore.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Droplets of drool fell onto the ground just in front of Max from the dinosaur towering above him.
“Am I never going to catch a break?” Max asked no one in particular as the dinosaur stepped forward, its large foot sinking into the wet mud almost next to his head.
A deafening roar filled Max’s ears. He put his head back down to the dirt, covering his ears.
Max was out of options and out of luck, his haphazard journey ended here.
He felt more than heard as the dinosaur stepped closer again, and then carried on moving...past him?
He turned to look back down to the water where the twenty-foot-long beast stepped toward
the river, its large, rounded jaw angled down toward the water. It flared its nostrils as it slowly lowered its head, before plunging its jaws down, its long, stiff tail anchoring its weight as its huge teeth gripped something in the water which began to thrash about, turning the water white and then red as it went limp.
The carnivore then stepped backward, dragging out the carcass of a crocodile, which flopped onto the mud.
Max screwed his face up and grimaced. Is it my turn next? he thought as it turned its pale orange head toward him.
Max raised an eyebrow, the dino looked familiar, and now that he was actually paying attention, it looked as though it had equipment on. Thick leather straps were tied around its body, large saddlebags suspended at the base of its tail.
“What’s this? A noob, caught off his guard?”
Max spun around at the voice, looking up straight into another set of huge jaws right above him.
“Oh, fuck,” Max breathed. “Pez, you nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“Gotta keep you on your toes, don’t want you getting lazy on me.” Pez chuckled, his head just visible from where he sat behind the wide neck of the dinosaur.
“Lazy? Is that what you call it?” Max pushed himself up into a sitting position.
“Pez!” Chopsticks yelled. “You found him!”
“Chopsticks, he can’t hear us, remember?” Sam said.
“Oh, yeah,” Chopsticks paused. “So why doesn’t he come on Jabber now that he’s with Max?”
“I’m not sure, I spoke to him a minute ago and he just said to leave them to it,” Sam said.
“All right, I’m gonna grab another drink then,” Chopsticks announced.
Max turned his head when the ground vibrated with heavy footsteps as the dinosaur that had been at the river sauntered back toward them, standing just off to the side of Max, watching him.
“Good girl,” Pez said in the dinosaur’s direction before turning back to Max. “Looks as if you’ve had an eventful journey.” Pez hooked his leg over the front of the dinosaur and slid to the ground.
