บท 25: Uh, Oh
A few minutes later, Connor was submitted to the same wake up treatment, leaving him just as irritated. Cyrus had a good kick out of it but knew that there were more important things to accomplish. Drenched from head to toe, squelching sounds rang out as they resumed their travel.
.....
"This is way bigger than you guys described.....", a surprised exclamation disturbed the silent group.
What could be referred to as a miniature mountain; situated itself in the middle of this crowded woodland. Towering 250 meters high in the sky with gently rolling slopes and a few sharp inclines, it was a fresh sight in this vast forest. But the conspicuous holes, with a metallic shine decorating the entire mountain, left pedestrian onlookers with an ominous feeling.
"You guys sure that nothing lives here?" Just one glance and that familiar tingling sensation in the back of Cyrus's mind sent out warning signals.
"Its fine man. We came here earlier and nothing happened. But since you're so afraid, I don't mind leading the way for you." That smug smile James made left Cyrus confused. This place was clearly suspect, and voicing a valid concern had nothing to do with being scared.
"Its funny now that I think about it. A certain somebody seemed to mention something similar before an enormous snake almost ate us. I wonder who that could be...." Peering at him with squinted eyes, James' face flushed severely from the embarrassment. Shaking his head, he continued forward without bothering to chastise him about a past event that was already over.
For James, having to eat his previous sentence left him feeling stifled. Regardless, he could only resign himself to the current circumstances and stare at Cyrus with a blazing hatred. 'Just another debt added to a long list he will have to repay ten times over!'
The obvious malice left Cyrus's skin with a vague prickling sensation. 'Could he make it any more obvious?' Turning his head, he easily spotted the anger James failed to conceal. Cyrus's disdain only grew greater behind that neutral facade.
His sense of danger had constantly sharpened itself throughout this entire experience. He even felt confidant that few dangers could take him by surprise in this forest. So this fake pretense between him and Jared was nothing he truly worried about.
'Thinking back, we could consider our original relationship something closer than acquaintances. But the way things soured recently, I should still keep a certain level of precaution.' His eyes concealed a hidden sharpness as he recalled that previous betrayal. Even without knowing someone, they might still stab you in the back.
Connor picked up on the awkward atmosphere and let out a dry cough. "We are already taking too long, lets go."
Within 30 minutes, they arrived at the foot of this grassy hill. Observing carefully, a small 100 ft long grove, about halfway up, decorated with eye-catching flowers of all shapes, colors, and sizes, grabbed Cyrus's attention. Only a sparse amount of those delicious, low hanging fruit trees shared in this intoxicating scenery.
An obvious flaw marred this hidden paradise's beauty. Splitting the land right down the middle was a dark, abyss like cave with no visible method of crossing. Only the loose and rocky outcrop was available. But just glancing at that bottomless chasm below would leave anyone terrified.
Cyrus had already spotted the trees picked earlier by the twins; and, as expected, the ones across that gaping hole were still around. There attractive blue shine fanned the greed in any normal hungry passerby. "How in the world do you expect me to do any better than you guys?"
"You see that ledge over there?" Connor pointed to a small ridge on the right that was less than 3 feet wide at its thickest segment. A few protrusions stuck out from the wall and the uneven path did not provide any help. Still, Connor continued as if it was flat ground, simple to walk on. "The short part is not too long, probably around 20 feet. After that, its clear sailing."
Although it was feasible, the danger was evident. Too many things could go wrong, but Cyrus could not shrug off the temptation. Good food was a luxury he never had in the Cranny and his desires slowly controlled his rational. Still, he was not naïve enough to simply agree.
"So what happened when you guys tried?" Considering how swiftly he pointed it out, they must have tried using it.
James took the chance to respond for both him and his brother. "It was too tight of a fit with our size. Now that you are here," he smiled, a peculiar glint flashed in his eyes while looking at Cyrus's back. "it shouldn't be too difficult. Plus, we can harness you to a tree with those vines as an added safety precaution."
A look of hesitation shrouded Cyrus's face. Was that fruit worth the risk? Truthfully, it did not look that dangerous, but who knows what could happen.
Before he could think anymore, James, scared that he would back out, quickly came up with a persuasive reason. "Cyrus, my good friend. What's there to be so worried about? It's not like you haven't taken a risk before! Also, they should last long enough for your parents to get a taste of this divine fruit."
Parents. Closing his eyes, a vivid memory of those tired figures gazing at him with an endearing expression eradicated all hesitation. Cyrus's eyes snapped open with a new and firm determination.
"No need to keep convincing me. Hurry and secure those vines so we can get this over with. Also, they better be tight or I won't bother." He glanced back at that ominous pit one last time before thinking about his goal since childhood.
'They don't have the guts to do anything drastic, but it doesn't matter. For my parents, let this be the first thing I bring back as evidence of a brighter future.' The shine in his eyes seemed to eclipse the stars in the night sky.
"Hehehe, don't worry about it. Only the best for our good friend." James, without delay, grabbed Connor before finding several thick green vines on the nearby rocks. Immediately, the twins worked on intertwining these vines into a sturdy rope that could hold Cyrus's weight.
10 minutes later, a harness that wraps around the waist and chest while hooking both shoulders was handed to Cyrus.
Grasping the tightly knotted rope, he gave a few forceful tugs to check its strength. Satisfied with the result, he slipped into the straps without wasting anymore time. It was already late at night, and they needed to wake up early before heading back.
Walking forward with steady steps, he gingerly placed his foot on the entrance of the ledge. A tinge of nervousness slowly sprouted in his chest. That bottomless pit, like a maw of a prehistoric beast waiting to swallow him whole, threw his emotions in turmoil. However, he tamped down these unnecessary thoughts with a deep breath to relax his nerves.
Cyrus could only focus his attention on the cliff face to not distract himself.
At first it was calm. Each movement was nimble and cautious, with no unexpected situations cropping up. He had successfully passed the first 10 feet without a hitch. The earlier trepidation was nowhere to be found now as he continued ahead.
Striding forward with another step full of confidence, a cracking noise broke the silent atmosphere.
Rumble!
With no warning, the ground beneath his feet shook while chipped rocks clattered down the rocky preface. It was so fast he had no time to react and could only brace himself.
Just as it came, it stopped while Cyrus, frozen in place, felt his whole body pumping with adrenaline. "Phew, " he released the breath that was a caught in his throat from that tense moment.
"This place isn't stable. It's all or nothing now."
Throwing all reservations to the back of his mind, Cyrus sprinted across the last bit of distance. He estimated around 10 seconds was needed to make it to the end. Pushing off with every ounce of strength, he bolted across the last stretch.
Yelling in his head over and over like a mantra, '10 seconds, 10 seconds, 10 seconds', he pushed himself to the very limit!
The seconds ticked past, and the noisy clattering resumed. Each passing moment saw his speed increasing and the path shaking. A 2 foot span separated him from that grove. Making a swift decision, he jumped in the air, arms flailing, to cross that last bit of space.
James and Connor, clenching their fists from the anxiety, watched Cyrus land on the wider path safely. "Hahahaha, he really did it!"
James may not like the kid, but he did not want to be responsible for someone's death. So seeing Cyrus safe and sound released that rock weighing on his chest.
After knowing he was fine, they looked back at the path that now had a few missing pieces. James looked at Connor, and they both broke out into a gleeful smile. 'He can take a nice long break here until the instructor comes to find him, ' they thought simultaneously.
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