by Unknown
Mini-Chapter 106
When he saw his hesitation, Johnny Dash shouted: “Come on, Captain! You're the only one left!” Despite his initial doubts, the Captain Ernest decided he had to move forward. He held tight of the liana. For a second, he looked down, he was afraid of falling. But he perfectly knew that fear could not stop his will to fight. He looked forward and jumped. When he reached the other side, his friends received him with great happiness. “It is too early to celebrate! We still have much ahead of us, soldiers!” When they saw the other branches, they realized that Captain Ernest was right. Very carefully, they jumped again from one branch to the other, always following the difficult procedure from the previous day. It took them almost the whole afternoon to reach the end of the vine path, but they managed to do it. However, it was already night, so they rested.
The next day, they advanced, after removing a curtain made of branches, they contemplated the new and completely devoid of vegetation path, which opened before them like a dream full of illusion. Simply put, they could not believe what their eyes were seeing.
Mini-Chapter 107
A great bridge made from small stones finely put together welcomed them. That was something new, even for the Captain; since, hitherto, he did not know the existence of any civilization in that remote place. The crew members looked around, but they did not find anybody. Because of the stones’ shades, they realized it was very old; however, it was still firm enough to withstand their weight. Since they did not see any danger, they crossed it. While they walked on the stones, they realized they were completely smooth, they had been patiently polished by the old citizens, which remained unidentified. Johnny Dash thought for a moment that that road must have been the work of the first settlers of Happy Town who, a hundred years ago, had obtained the ancient Doral Flower; nonetheless, Freeman Wise had never mentioned anything to him. Besides, if they had been the authors of such architectonic beauty, how had they managed to keep it free of vegetation? Who could have built that majestic stone bridge?
Mini-Chapter 108
Since they could not come up with a logic answer, they kept on walking. They had almost crossed it completely, when they heard a noise that shook them.
They ducked on instinct. From that uncomfortable position, they saw how an immense feline jumped flawlessly in front of them: it was a jaguar; it had brown eyes and black spots on its golden fur. The crew trembled, because they had never seen an animal with such features. When it saw them, the jaguar exclaimed: “Why have you come, strangers?” Captain Ernest replied, trying to hide his fear. “We are searching for the Doral Flower.” The feline replied: “I thought so. My name is Austin and I am its guardian. If you want the flower, you will have to defeat me.” The Captain felt even more scared, he did not want to fight against such an opponent. He tried reasoning and started talking about the noble reasons he had to obtain the Doral Flower, when the Jaguar attacked with a swipe that almost knocks his head off. When they saw this, the other members were alerted: the Jaguar did not want to reason. The Olympic Warrior and Rock came forward to protect the Captain and took out their stone swords. Meanwhile, Johnny Dash took his beloved Taylor to a safe place. “Do not fight it!” “I have to do it, my love!” The others backed down and hid behind some rocks, since they could do nothing to help in that moment, only watch the battle.
Mini-Chapter 109
Austin roared: “Leave this place! I warn you!” Johnny Dash shouted: “We will not leave without the Doral Flower!” Then, he took a shield and ran as fast as his nimble legs allowed him. When he was close to Austin Jaguar, he ducked to help Captain Ernest, who had not been able to get on his feet yet. While helping him, the Jaguar lashed again; however, the shield held the blow. Not content with that, Austin hit it again, and his claws pierced the wood of the shield. Johnny Dash panicked when he saw how sharp they were. Besides, they were centimeters away from his face. Taking advantage of the fact that the Jaguar had his leg stuck in the shield, the young man left his fears aside, jumped and kicked it in the face. The hit was so hard that the feline leaned to one side: it had let its guard down. The crew members knew that this was the opportunity they had been looking for and attacked. Rock was the first one, then Olympus. After that, they backed down. The Jaguar had fallen. But when it rose again, the warriors were already out of its reach. Austin Jaguar roared: “Why are you so stubborn? My patience is wearing thin!” The Captain, who had completely recovered and thought better than ever, knew that they would not be able to defeat such an opponent, but neither could they run away, they had no other option. He tried to be optimistic; however, the little hopes he had vanished when he saw that the attacks of the warriors had only caused a few scratches on the feline.
When he saw that the Jaguar was running towards them like an arrow and jumped on them, the Captain ordered: “Attack, warriors!”
Mini-Chapter 110
They obeyed; nevertheless, the sticks that held the stones of their swords broke when they clashed against the powerful claws of Austin Jaguar. As a result of the clash, Rock and Olympus went flying and crashed against the walls of the bridge. When it saw them unprotected, it wanted to attack; however, Johnny Dash threw a rock, which hit it in the head; although he did not manage to take it down, for, compared to the size of the splendid feline, the rock was minuscule. The only thing he managed was to enrage it even more. Despite the fact that, at the beginning, the young man thought he had achieved his objective, he was wrong. The jaguar stopped and told him: “Do not think I don't know what you are trying to do.” The young man heard it in complete shock, since that tactic had always worked with his previous opponents. The Jaguar continued: “You want to save your friends! Don't worry, I'll leave them for later, but I will not forget them.” Disappointed, Johnny Dash realized that his old strategy would not work this time. Austin Jaguar was not only strong, but smarted than he had imagined. Could he defeat it?
Mini-Chapter 111
Johnny did not have weapons. He thought about running away, but he realized that it would endanger the other crew members, his beloved Taylor among them. Meanwhile, Austin took an impressive leap and attacked him with both legs. This move was so fast that the brave one had no time to react. The hit shook him. However, he did not feel the pain of the claws. Surprised, he looked desperately: Captain Ernest was standing and, helped by his magnificent katana, was holding the two heavy claws of the feline with all his strength. Despite all this, the Captain knew that his strength would not last long. Then, in a nimble move, he turned right and jumped, leaving the Jaguar disoriented. Then, he shouted: “Now, Johnny! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?” The young man reacted and gave a barrage of kicks and punched on what seemed to be the only weak point of that fierce feline.
Mini-Chapter 112
He hit it as many times as he could on its abdomen, with all his strength and speed. He did not have time to come up with a better plan. The Jaguar moaned painfully. It backed down. It was sweaty and agitated. For a moment, everything was silent.
The Jaguar and the brave ones looked at each other, studied theirs possibilities. Apparently, the fight had been more of a match than Austin had imagined. On his part, Captain Ernest added: “We do not have to continue this stupid fight! If you allow us to reach the Doral Flower, we will leave in peace, so no one gets hurt.” “NEVER! Why are you so insistent? Don't you understand? I will not let you go through! I have been soft with you, now I will attack with all my power!”
Mini-Chapter 113
The brave ones regrouped. Johnny Dash and the Captain where in the center, while the warriors, Rock and Olympus, were to the sides. They did not know exactly what to do, the only thing they had in mind was that if they fought together, they would lose, they had to split up, it was the only possible way of, at least, managing to distract the Jaguar.
Austin ran as fast as it could. It was a lot faster than they had thought; however, they now had a strategy, and they only had one chance, so they could not miss.
M
ini-Chapter 114
The brave ones waited patiently. The seconds seemed to be hours. When they realized, the Jaguar had jumped again; this time, it was truly furious and had managed to elevate itself a lot. It prepared its teeth and claws in a fraction of a second. It planned to finish them all at the same time, since they were causing it many problems. Nonetheless, it failed to do it, the members scattered in the last instant. The Jaguar fell heavily on the rocks; it hit its face, which stunned it. Without wasting time, its opponents attacked it all together. The four crew members hit it as they could, taking advantage of the fact that it was down. The Captain was about to cut it with his katana, but stopped, believing his foe was defeated. However, he was wrong, and he regretted his error, since the Jaguar got up again. They would not be able to use that technique again, since their enemy was too intelligent.
“You are a lot more annoying than I had thought!” The feline said. It was much calmer now. It continued: “I think I have been too hasty. I am not using reason. I must not get desperate.” Captain Ernest was shaken, since he knew that the Jaguar had found out about their main strategy, so the situation had become more complicated. This time, Austin used his intelligence and detected the weakest ones: Rock and Olympus, who were limping because of the hit they had taken at the beginning. If it attacked them, they would not be able to defend themselves. Johnny Dash discovered the feline's intentions and, when he saw that the jaguar was running again —this time, to attack the warriors directly— he threw a rock again, but the Jaguar already knew his strategy, so it received the hit and did not give it great importance. It kept advancing towards Rock and Olympus as if nothing had happened. The Captain ran as well, ready to defend them. Although they were hurt, the warriors would fight until the end. They did not think of running away, because they had not been raised for that. Even when they did not have weapons, they jumped. Austin Jaguar imitated them. The Captain jumped as well, above everyone. They clashed midair, in a thousandth of a second. Then, they fell down.
Mini-Chapter 115
The Captain was the first one to get up: he was unharmed; however, Austin Jaguar had managed to get its claws on the warriors, who bled profusely. They wanted to get up, but they were exhausted. When it saw them, Austin said: “Is this all you've got? You are not as tough as I thought!” Captain Ernest replied: “That's what you think? Why don't you take a look at your shoulder, kitty?” The Jaguar was surprised: it had a great wound. The Captain had managed to cut it with his Katana in a hundredth of a second with an extraordinary move, without the feline realizing it. When they saw this, the crew members were surprised, since the Captain had managed to move at a never-before-seen super human speed. They realized that, finally, his special abilities were appearing. Furious because of this, Austin Jaguar wanted to attack him, but it limped. Its leg hurt every time it walked. Despite all this, it continued being a formidable opponent. It stood again proudly, and said: “Why do you fight like this? I do not understand. Why is the Doral Flower so important for you?” Johnny Dash replied: “We need it so save the life of our people! We would fight a thousand times if it were necessary!” The Jaguar said: “You are the most honorable opponents I have encountered! You have shown me your worth.” Then, to everyone's surprise, it added: “You have passed the test!” The brave ones simply could not believe it, it was all part of a strategy by Austin. The Jaguar added: “Forgive for attacking you like that, but it is my duty to avoid that the Flower falls in the wrong hands, since its power is incomparable. Now I understand your cause, and how strong you are.” Captain Ernest was about to reply something, when a noise scared him. Due to the fighting, the stones were falling: the bridge was falling apart little by little.
Mini-Chapter 116
The old soldier shouted as loud as he could: “C'mon, move fast! It will all fall down! RUN!” The crew members who had remained hidden up to that moment came out quickly and ran for their lives. Johnny Dash and Captain Ernest moved back and helped Rock and Olympus respectively. However, the bridge was crumbling really fast. They knew they would not make it, they were too slow. The rest of the crew were already on the other side, and encouraged them to continue. Nonetheless, Johnny Dash, the Captain and the warriors could not do it, and fell to the void.
Mini-Chapter 117
Johnny grew desperate as he waited for the crash against the bottom of the pit, which never came. When he opened his eyes, he thought he was flying again. He looked down and discovered a golden color. Then he realized he was on top of Austin Jaguar, the feline had jumped and taken them on its back. They all managed to get across. There was no trace of the bridge, only a great abyss. After that, it felt heavily on the grass, on the other side of the rest of the crew. It was tired, and due to the great feat, the wound on its shoulder had notably worsened. Captain Ernest told it: “Easy, friend, we will help you!” The physicians patiently stitched the jaguar's wounds and those of the two brave ones. Then, they bandaged Rock and Olympus. On the other hand, all the crew members had to help to manage to bandage the Jaguar's shoulder and leg who, visibly excited, said: “Thank you very much!” Johnny Dash added: “Easy! You just rest. Tomorrow you'll be as good as new, I promise!”
Day Thirty arrived and the brave ones had greatly improved, but they were still too weak to continue forward. Despite they knew they could not stop, Captain Ernest came to the conclusion that they needed the warriors to be in top shape, so he let them rest. On its part, the Jaguar had completely recovered. The physicians checked it and its wound looked better, but there was still risk of infection, so they washed it and changed the bandages. Austin Jaguar contemplated everyone with tears in its eyes: “Truly, I am sorry! You helped me even though I attacked you! You are very good!” Johnny Dash replied: “We were always taught to help other living beings! Besides, we are friends now, aren't we?” The Jaguar was very happy; he had not heard that word in a long time.
Nevertheless, the Captain was worried about his Homeland, he thought about it frequently. Then, he looked at the Jaguar and said: “How long before we reach the Doral Flower?” The feline replied: “You are almost there! After the fallen bridge, you just have to go a bit further. There’s a very beautiful area hidden by vegetation, in which a crystalline river flows. Near the river, there are flowers in every color; the flower you are looking for is the one in the middle, it is shinier than tons of gold, and more beautiful than all nature together; that is the Doral Flower.” When he heard this, the Captain gave a hint of a satisfactory smile. He finally was about to accomplish the objective for which he had fought for so long, they were almost there, and they all had managed to arrive, alive. Nevertheless, his smile vanished when he heard what Austin Jaguar said next.
Mini-Chapter 118
“It won't be easy! The second guardian is there. It is evil, and it won't have mercy on you!” Said the Jaguar. “What? Are there more?” Commented Johnny Dash, who had no more strengths for more fights. “Yes, it is a panther called Misery, she is much stronger than me and merciless. I have seen her put an end to many living beings just for having fun. She has no feelings, it is a true monster. If you know what you are doing, do not fight with her.” Troubled, the Captain exclaimed: “No, my friend, we have come too far to give up now. We can't; even when our body is exhausted, we will fight with the strength of our heart. I promised we would bring that Flower, and I always keep my promises.” Austin replied: “I learn more from you each time, my small noble humans! Your courage is truly admirable! I will help you!” All the crew members were happy, with someone as strong as Austin on their side, they had a great advantage to face their last enemy; however, their happiness lasted little, since the Jaguar added: “But I don't want to give you hopes, I can't do much. In fact, I am afraid of facing that wild panther. It’s faster and stronger than I am. There is no living being who can face her, she’s the queen of the jungle. She does what she pleases, like a tyrant. We all live tormented by her. She destroys the weakest ones without mercy because that pleases her, I don
't know why. Although I am on your side, friends, I am certain it will not be enough. You are fast; besides, you are smart, but, my friends, all of that won't be enough, Misery Panther is almost unbeatable.”
During the afternoon, Captain Ernest preoccupied himself to make sure everyone was on top condition: the next day, they would have to fight their most difficult battle. Could they do it? While most of them regained strengths, he checked and repaired the warriors’ weapons patiently. He spent hours doing it. Then, he contemplated them: they were just sharp stones tied to sticks; nevertheless, they were the best they had. How could they face a jungle’s wild panther with such simple weapons?
Mini-Chapter 119
The night fell and almost no one could sleep: the crew members were anxious about the fight they would have the next day. Most of them were afraid. Johnny Dash came closer to the Captain, who watched the fire in deep reflection, and told him: “What will happen tomorrow? What if we don't win?” Captain Ernest replied: “Sincerely, I don't know… Johnny. I don't know… this situation is one of the most complicated I have had to face.” When he was done saying this, he looked at Austin Jaguar, whom was resting. “It is our only hope to be able to win this difficult fight.” However, he knew it was not enough.
