Chapter 86: The Journey Home
Selka sat perched upon the back of an eight-foot-tall, eight-thousand-pound colossal giant. Beside her, the second grey tank walked with an unhurried, rhythmic stride as they pushed deeper into the dense jungle.
While Selka was profoundly relieved to have secured the life-saving help and a true beacon of hope for Nuan, one glaring problem weighed heavily on her mind: this rescue mission was moving painfully slow.
Out on the open plains, Zuri and Amara maintained a steady, casual walking speed of about 3 kilometers per hour.
But here in the dense, claustrophobic jungle, the two sisters had to navigate a tight labyrinth of ancient trees, low-hanging vines, and uneven terrain, slowing their progress even further.
Selka let out a long, awkward sigh internally. Well, I obviously can’t expect an elephant to sprint through a thick forest, but at this pace, it’ll still take several exhausting days.
The only saving grace was their sheer endurance. Unlike wolves, who required frequent bursts of rest after high-speed chases, these giants were professional walkers. They could march almost the entire day, needing only microscopic breaks to sustain themselves.
"There are so many green leaves here, sister!!!" Zuri communicated to Amara, her trunk twisting with excitement as she walked.
"Yeah... the vegetation here is incredibly thick," Amara agreed. Without even breaking her stride, her powerful trunk snaked upward, effortlessly ripping a massive, leafy branch from an overhanging tree and stuffing it into her mouth to chew.
"Say..." Zuri began, pausing her telepathic voice for a brief moment as she tilted her head slightly toward her back.
"My name is Selka," the wolf reminded her gently.
"Yes, say, Selka... is the entire jungle always like this in every season, just like the legends say?" Zuri asked, her large ears flapping against the humid air.
"Yes. Even in the dead of summer, the jungle doesn’t look much different from this," Selka answered smoothly. "There are always green trees and lush plants available for everyone."
"And what about the place where your pack lives?" Amara chimed in, stepping over a thick fallen log.
"It’s the same there as well... everything is vibrant, green, and bursting with all kinds of different life!" Selka said, a genuine, happy smile warming her face.
"I see... but it’s remarkably loud here, isn’t it?" Zuri noted, her massive ears twitching as the constant, chaotic chorus of birds chirping and squawking filled the canopy.
Selka chuckled. "Haha, that’s actually because of your massive presence. Many birds build their nests in these lower branches. Your huge strides and the way your bodies brush against the trunks are a bit dangerous for them."
"Oh! Are we genuinely bothering the birds? Do they have fragile eggs in their nests right now?!" Amara asked, her tone suddenly frantic with maternal panic.
"You aren’t bothering them, just scaring them a little," Selka reassured her quickly. "Don’t worry, their nests are built strong enough to endure a shaking tree, a bear’s claw strike, or the most violent tropical storms and heavy rain."
"Ohhh, sister, did you hear that? Bears!!" Zuri said to Amara, her trunk waving. "I have never seen one before! I heard they are some of the strongest creatures in the forest!"
Selka let out a witty chuckle. "They are definitely strong... but they aren’t the absolute strongest in these woods. In the jungle, the big cats like tigers and jaguars sit at the very top of the food chain, alongside massive pythons, Black Caimans in the rivers, and yes—the great eagles, who can snatch a heavy monkey straight into the air with their talons!"
"Ehhh?? From the land, the water, the reptiles, and the air... so many different predators," Zuri murmured, genuinely fascinated. "It is so incredibly different from our plains."
"What’s so different, Zuri? It’s exactly the same," Amara countered, blowing a puff of air through her trunk. "We have ancient crocodiles in the water, big cats like lions and cheetahs on the land, and yes, those massive golden eagles in the sky too."
"SKREEEE! What kind of idiot dog are you?!"
A sudden, violently furious screech shattered their conversation from the brush below. Selka’s eyes widened as a tiny, familiar figure stepped out onto the path. It was the exact same arrogant honey badger guy she had thrown into the briar patch earlier.
"You dare bring elephants into my foraging range?!" he yelled, his tiny fists clenched.
"Ehh, sister," Zuri communicated to Amara, completely unbothered as she kept walking. "Look down there. Isn’t that the little guy from the species that occasionally walks onto the plains just to toy with the lion prides?"
"Yeah, they are incredibly annoying animals. Just ignore him," Amara said, not even glancing down at the furious dwarf man.
"Ahhhh! You are shaking my dirt! How dare you!" the honey badger screamed, sprinting ahead to plant himself directly in front of Zuri’s massive front foot. He glared up at Selka. "Hey, you rogue on top! I told you to spend the night with me! I already picked baby names! How dare you throw me away, and now you bring two giants here to stomp on my land?!"
"Did he bother you earlier, Selka?" Zuri asked calmly.
"Yeah... kind of," Selka admitted, rubbing the back of her neck.
Without a single millisecond of hesitation, Zuri’s massive trunk snaked downward like a striking python. Before the honey badger could even process the movement, her trunk wrapped securely around his waist, lifted him into the air, and sent him flying gracefully over the high canopy with a dramatic WHOOSH.
Selka gulped, watching the tiny dot disappear over the trees. "That... that was a bit too harsh, wasn’t it?" she murmured.
"Was it?" Zuri replied nonchalantly, her tail swishing. "I’ll make sure to throw him a bit slower next time."
By the time the trio finally reached the borders of the Gray Langurs’ territory, the jungle had completely plunged into the dark of night.
The heavy, ground-shaking footsteps of the two eight-thousand-pound giants abruptly woke the entire primate colony. In an instant, hundreds of frantic hooting, screeching, and warning cries filled the midnight canopy as angry monkeys scrambled through the branches.
But before a single rock could be thrown, both Zuri and Amara threw their trunks high into the air and unleashed a synchronized, thunderous, deafening "PRRRAAAAHHHH!!!"
The sonic boom of the elephant trumpets vibrated through the trees, violently shaking the leaves. Realizing exactly who was walking through their territory, the aggressive hooting from the monkeys toned down instantly into terrified, silent whimpers.
Selka let out a breath, looking down at the immense fatigue pulling at her own muscles. "You two... you can take a rest now if you need to," she suggested gently.
"How far away is your pack’s den?" Amara asked, her heavy eyelids drooping slightly.
"Well... to be completely honest, it’s still pretty far away."
"Very well then..." Zuri communicated. She simply stopped walking right in the middle of the trail and closed her large eyes.
"Ah?" Selka blinked, looking down from her back in sheer confusion as the giant’s breathing instantly synchronized into a deep, rhythmic sleep.
Selka looked over at Amara, who was also coming to a complete halt.
"We elephants can sleep perfectly fine while standing up," Amara explained softly through the link. "Don’t worry about us. You can rest your body as well." With those final words, she closed her eyes and drifted off.
Within seconds, two creatures weighing several tons were asleep as casually as trees.
Selka sighed with a deep wave of relief, glancing back at the now-silent Langur territory. The jungle was calm.
Leaning her upper torso flat against the coarse, warm skin of Zuri’s massive back, she finally closed her eyes, letting the steady, powerful heartbeat of the giant lull her into a much-needed sleep.