Lost in the Wilderness - The Forest of Evergreen Book 1 (27 page)

It was Abanir. He heard her screaming during his wandering, and he immediately came to her rescue.

The cops and Philippe endured searching the wild forest while Grandma Lucy and Elizabeth stayed at the lake house.

“Mom,” Elizabeth immensely cried to her mother-in-law.

Heartfelt, Grandma Lucy hushed her.

“I’m sorry that this is happening.”

“It’s not your fault, Eliz.”

“I can’t believe Sophia would do such thing.”

“Don’t blame Sophia, Eliz. Blame Jericho.” Grandma Lucy persevered to face Elizabeth. “Jericho’s the one who keeps on chasing her. If only he did not enter her life again, Sophia could have been just fine.”

“Oh, that Jericho!”

“Yes, Eliz. That boy keeps on ruining my granddaughter’s life!”

“What should we do now?” Elizabeth stifled another sob.

“I have a plan. You’ll see.”

Overwhelmed by the presence of the unconscious Sophia in his arms, Abanir decided to temporarily land her at the forest. At first, he did not know what to do but he was distracted to see her right foot bleeding. He carefully laid her under the acacia tree and shadowed his eyes upon her. Then, he left, for the meantime, to pick some guava leaves nearby; the kind of leaves that Vangkekans ordinarily used for wounds to prevent infection.

About ten minutes passed, he went back to her, milled the leaves, and placed them over her wounds, accompanying it with a gentle palming. Then, he drew closer to examine her face—peaceful and magnificent.
 

He lingered observing her but it was cut when Rabel suddenly landed and went directly to him.

It was such a bolt from the blue for Rabel to see a human with his raha. He staggered, unknowing how to react next.

“Raha, what have you done?” Rabel asked when he finally recovered from his shock.
 

“Rabel, this is the strange creature that I was telling you about!”

“How? How did you…?” Rabel faltered.

“She was falling from a high cliff when I came to her rescue.”

Rabel further pulsated. His conscience was killing him, deciding if he had to reveal anything he knew about the humans.
 

“My Raha…” Rabel spoke more when something in him pulled him back to continue his sentence. He remembered Datu Ilak’s order: that his raha must not know anything about the humans. But soon, he finally admitted, “Raha, that strange creature is a human.”

“Human?” Abanir wondered. “What is a human?”

“My Raha, humans are...” Rabel stiffened to finish his revelation.

“What, Rabel? Tell me!” Abanir’s eyes dilated.

“My Raha, they are like us but they are one of our enemies.” Rabel, in a weak-willed voice, avoided Abanir’s eager eyes.

“Enemies?” Abanir pondered heavily.

“Yes, my Raha. They are enemies,” Rabel repeated, bowing down his head to the limit.

“But why?”

“Humans once tried to invade us.” Now, Rabel procured a long gape at Sophia, and examined her carefully.

Abanir also landed her a stare, a blend of fondness and curiosity.
 

Innocent face! Dead to the world as her wounds persisted to outflow more blood.

“Rabel, this human needs me,” Abanir carried on, narrowing his eyes to study her wounds further.

“But Raha, the tribe will be in trouble if you take her to the palasyon,” Rabel opposed greatly.

“But her wounds are bleeding heavily and she needs further treatment,” Abanir asserted. “I’ll take her to Shamante.” At speed, Abanir carried her.

“But Raha, you’re making a big mistake!” Rabel contradicted again but Abanir finally flew her in the air.

Datu Ilak and Reyna Kaya were in shock to see Abanir carrying, in his hands, a human.

Rabel hid at Abanir’s back, afraid of Datu Ilak’s reaction. Hiding was the better choice, he thought, for he was not able to warn his sepe to put some distance, from the human.

“My son, why are you with...?” Datu Ilak asked, his eyes dilating, and his body suddenly shaking, badly.

“Ilo, I saw her falling from a high cliff and I…” Abanir was temporarily put to a halt by his parents’ deepening, intense look. “She needs our help. She is wounded.”

Datu Ilak and Reyna Kaya were still surprised by their son’s actions but they decided to help the human. But, they warned Abanir and Rabel that it should be a serious secret.

Datu Ilak ordered Rabel to call for Shamante, the tribe’s healer. Rabel obeyed him and flew off quickly.
 

While they were waiting, Datu Ilak asked his son to return the human, very early, the next morning, for her prolonged disappearance from her kin would surely cause a menace to their tribe.

Abanir was silent and hesitant. He felt torn into two.
 

In a short while, Rabel and Shamante arrived.
 

Datu Ilak suddenly asked Shamante to keep what he was about to see, a top-secret.
 

Shamante concurred then he was startled to see a strange creature, in strange clothes, lying down on the bamboo bed.
 

A human
, he presumed, for she had no pair of wings. He reacted with uncertainty, but Abanir begged him, again and again.

In due course, Shamante was convinced to help.
 

Chapter 25

The Miracle Plants

Shamante cleaned up Sophia’s wounds with the extracts of guava leaves, which were believed by their tribe, to possess antiseptic properties, and dried them with the tiny leaves of ogbo tree, presumed to relieve the pain. Next, he pulverized the magical ula-ula and hala-hala shrubs (found exclusively in Kravena), using clay mortar and pestle, and applied them directly on Sophia’s wounds. Then, he used the hard and wide stalks of the two magical shrubs to hold up the poultice. Right after that, Shamante asked Rabel to ignite a candlestick made of hayan (a mixture of different aromatic herbs), which could send a comforting effect to Sophia’s nostrils.

Everyone watched and waited for the results.

Now done and feeling confident, Shamante stood up and approached Datu Ilak, but he was quickly reminded by the datu not to reveal anything to anyone, otherwise, grave punishment would be bestowed upon him. Shamante heartedly agreed, and left.

Before long, Sophia gained consciousness. Bit by bit, she opened her weary eyes. Then, she was enormously shocked to see how different her new world had become.

Such strange environment! Bamboo walls designed with woven coconut leaves!
 

She looked up and saw a roof made up of huge dried leaves that she was unfamiliar with! Furthermore, she was dazed to find herself lying on a bed that looked like nests. She tried to look around once more, and was repeatedly shocked at everything. It was all so... so alien!

Now, a pair of huge, white wings appeared before her eyes!
 

Terrified, she screamed, but Abanir, in a flash, covered her mouth to stop her. Her eyes grew wider and wider—from second to second—as he tried to hush her.
 

A masculine man with a pair of gigantic white wings at his back! Sophia was about to collapse. But for a heart-stopping moment, there was this eye-to-eye that they shared—ocean-blue eyes and sky-blue eyes—both dilated, unblinking.

With bedazzled eyes, now Abanir gently put his hand away from her mouth. He looked down and noticed that her hands were shivering. He tried to speak, but Sophia could not understand him.
 

Abanir realized that she could not understand him and so, he started communicating, using signs.

Sophia looked at him, for the moment.

Moment by moment, he tried to read her mind.
 

Sophia returned his look; her face displayed boundless fright. She was still traumatized by his very different appearance. Suddenly it hit her. Her sketch! The memory of her sketch reminded her of those gargantuan pair of wings! It was exactly the same!

At some point, she risked touching those beautiful white feathers. Then, she suddenly felt the pain on her foot. She looked down and was surprised to see some odd leaves wrapped around her foot. (She didn’t know they were—leaves.)

Abanir explained by using signs, but Sophia found it really hard to understand him.
 

Abruptly, they were distracted when Datu Ilak, Reyna Kaya, and Rabel opened the door.
 

Sophia’s heart pounded faster and louder. Her massive shock intensified, but Abanir was attentive enough to try to pacify her.
 

Like a bolt out of the blue, Sophia’s world was thrown upside-down.

“Human, do not be afraid!” Datu Ilak said, but his tone put Sophia into further panic, because she could not understand his words.

Reyna Kaya witnessed her boundless fright, and attempted to ease her, by patting her hair.

Sophia trembled to the extreme, but eventually, she realized that she wasn’t going to be harmed, after all.

They all ended up ogling Sophia who, then, did not know what to do next.
 

Chapter 26

Struck With His Eyes

It was, by now, early dawn.

Still, Philippe and the cops could not find any traces of human beings in the forest. In need of reinforcement, they temporarily stopped, knowing that Grandma Lucy and Elizabeth might have a dispute.

Submerged into feelings of frustration and sorrow, Grandma Lucy and Elizabeth, encouraged themselves not to lose hope, upon hearing the preliminary news from the cops.

“Don’t worry, I’ll call for more back-up,” Sheriff Murry said, making sure that the family would not feel so neglected.
 

Philippe thanked everyone and continued planning for the next search. For this, he called some of his friends, back in high school, and pleaded for their help.

“We will find her, Eliz.” Grandma Lucy allowed Elizabeth to sink into her arms. “We will find her,” she repeated, sniveling.

In Kravena, Abanir noticed how Sophia pressed her stomach, in hunger. So at once, he went to offer her water and sinapoy.
 

Sophia looked at the strange food. She was reluctant to eat it but she was extremely hungry, so she forced herself to chomp it all down.

Abanir enjoyed watching her but Sophia didn’t mind him. To fill her empty stomach was all that mattered to her, at that time.
 

A minute passed and then Sophia unintentionally looked at him; she was astonished to see his blue eyes turn green.
 

“Your eyes!” she voiced out, awestruck, but Abanir could not understand her.

Sophia incessantly stared at his eyes, silently asking herself why he had the capability to do such a thing.
 

Is my sense of sight deceiving me now?
she asked herself.
I’m probably hallucinating now….

Feeling bashful, Abanir ended up blinking.

Sophia stopped eating sinapoy, and instead, looked for some water to wash her hands with.
 

Abanir determined her needs and carefully led her outside the palasyon, where water was abundant.

Tilting her head to follow the light, Sophia was amazed to see the Kravena houses. They were all made up of bamboos, and large, dried grasses served as rooftops.
 

What an extraordinary world!

In a flash, the wind blew mightily, sending some coldness down her spine.

Abanir easily noticed her chill, and straight away flew to his dulsabang for the fabric he got from the lake house. He did not know that it actually belonged to the human he was with. Then, he returned to Sophia, in a tick.
 

Sophia looked startled, upon seeing the familiar shawl, and wondered why it looked so different from the clothes Abanir was wearing.

At once, Abanir wrapped it around her shoulders, a gesture so intimate, that it caused Sophia a flare of uncertain bewilderment. In spite of it, she coped. Breathing in, she realized that the scent coming from the textile was quite familiar. It was hers!

The moment he was done covering her shoulders, Abanir stepped back and waited for her next move.

She, too, waited for his succeeding moves, but then other things began to jumble her thoughts. Looking up to clutch for more air, in hopes of mollifying her muddled thoughts, the brightening sky caught Sophia’s unsteady eyes. It was heavenly, filled with beautiful flocks of small birds that never lost their assemble. In time, she could see those green grasses and blooming flowers all around. The scent coming from them was exceptional. She looked farther on and saw the wide field of sinapoy, its grasses dancing along with the early zephyr.