A stocky black-furred monkey stepped right in front of her, its long, sinewy arms dragging it forward with surprising speed. Its wide, expressive face twisted into an unsettling snarl. Its mouth opened, revealing sharp, yellowed teeth as it loomed over Nova, its eyes fixed with an unblinking intensity.
Nova and the monkey stared at each other, time seeming to freeze as a chill crawled down her spine like a spider's creepy legs. Then, without warning, it unleashed a deafening roar directly in her face. The sound rumbled through the forest, lifting up the sounds of the other monkeys roaring and screeching angrily like a chorus. The very ground beneath her shook, and her bones rattled.
That scream Nova had held onto ripped from her lungs, startling the howler monkey to freeze. She took advantage of its startled appearance and pushed herself to her feet, screaming again and trying to make herself look bigger. She had no idea if what she saw on social media videos would really work, but the monkey's head tilted to the side, its lips opening and closing like a dying fish, its chest expanding and contracting in confusion.
"Nova!" Nova froze at Yoa's voice. His voice was hoarse, like he'd been roughed up. "Don't move!"
He lived from falling in the waterfall?!
Where the hell was he?!
"Where are you?" Nova spoke calmly even as her heart pounded against her chest, staring at this monkey that could just leap at her and rip her face off.
There was no answer, but the monkeys above her started to howl out more like something was provoking them. Nova's eyes slowly roamed up where she'd fallen from, but there were only thick branches the size of pathways and… Yoa?
He swung around the branch with one hand, gripping it. He looked roughed up.
"Stay," he ordered and let go.
Nova gaped then stumbled back as his body transformed mid-air. Those splodges that were barely seen on his glistening skin darkened, erupting along his entire body before black fur sprouted from his skin, bones cracked, and his body twisted and expanded until he was the large black jaguar.
The howler monkey recovered and roared, jumping up and down aggressively and leapt for Nova.
That was all Nova needed before she sprinted like her life was on the line. The monkey clutched at the tree that had been behind her, then raced up the tree, roaring, setting the others off.
These monkeys didn't play around. Rocks and their food were tossed at Nova as she fled away from them. Even spears zipped past her, narrowly missing. The men hopped down from where they hung and chased her.
She could hear them shouting, but unlike before, when they wanted her gone from their territory, they were now raging, screaming about the Sacred Lands. They were closing in on Nova, one of them reaching out, about to grab her when the jaguar tackled him down and ripped his throat out in a single, brutal strike of its jaw.
The other men abandoned their pursuit instantly, but others still shouted from high up in the trees, calling out about the Sacred lands, pointing ahead. Nova recognised the area ahead now but didn't slow her pace as she felt the jaguar close behind her. Her mind was empty, consumed only by the need to survive.
That jaguar had ripped that man's throat out, and she was next.
Nova stumbled into the Sacred land where the statues loomed once more. Gone was the blanket and picnic, the champagne bottle and ice bucket, and fairy lights. None of that mattered though with the jaguar hot on her heels.
The jaguar roared, its animalistic cry warping into Yoa's familiar voice. "Nova!"
Nova yelped, startled at the strange roar and Yoa's voice. "Stop running," he growls aggressively, deep within his chest.
The statues blur beside her as she sprints and hides behind one, using it as a shield, keeping it between her and her pursuer. He's going to rip my throat out. Survival is at the forefront of her mind, and she is running out of options. There was no way she was surviving this.
In her peripheral, Nova saw the wild man with his dishevelled hair and large body. He was lethal and his strides ate up the distance between them. His one to her five. In the blurred movement, she saw the look in his eyes.
Those intense eyes glowed like melting lava, feral—like a predator intent on catching its prey. Her instincts screamed fight or flight. He was dangerous.
Nova scrambled backwards, panting hard, her short locks clinging to her damp forehead as she watched this predator stalk towards her. The vibrant and lively forest hushed, almost holding its breath to watch the scene unfold. Great, she had an audience for what would surely be a gruesome death.
Death looked... a little... rugged and in nothing but a loin cloth, defined by slabs of muscle, a trail of hair leading down to such a small piece of cloth to hide a large-
A spine-chilling growl snapped her gaze back up to meet his golden-red eyes, fiery and intense, glaring at Nova as he slammed his hands either side of her head. Pieces of bark crumbled down from the impact.
"I told you not to run..." He threatened, his eyes piercing hers, his voice more guttural than she'd heard from any male. His eyes clenched shut as his body trembled. "My instinct is to always stalk, always chase... until I get what I want.."
Their faces were inches apart. She could feel his hot breath fanning her face. The forest was humid and hot, and his body was so close to hers that it was almost unbearable. The gruff voice, those words and the intensity of those eyes that reminded her of sunsets caused goosebumps to flourish across her arms.
"What do you want?" Nova swallowed, not recognising her voice. She was so out of her depth. His chest rumbled, and more bark crumbled down from behind her head.
"You..."
Her breath hitched.
"To. Do. As. You're. Told."