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Chapter 1:

His breath reeked. Like month-old roadkill you found on a lonely Nevada road in the hot summer. His roar was like gravel. His eyes - I mean - eye was bloodshot and cloudy. They called him Scar. I assume it was because that deep cavern running along the left side of his face. I never asked. I didn't care.

What I did care about was that he had me pinned in the dirt with his gaping maw inches from my face as he roared, "I'll be shitting out your flesh within a week, you hairless ape!"

If it weren't for the spear gripped between us, I think it would have been sooner.

Scar was a lion. Well, a person. Eh...both? My experience with this fusion of man and animal was a bit new. He was also the alpha male of the Pride. They were all humanoid in shape and size . I heard a heart-wrenching roar of fury twenty feet to my left. It was the mistress of the hunt. A lioness named, Nala. She was being held back by a group of humanoid hyenas, trying to break free.

Wait...I'm getting ahead of myself. How did I get to this point?

I'll have to think back to my first journal entry when the Wildlife Network Corporation sent me on my latest assignment.

_WNC data entry: D23-001.

Employee# P64-81F

Name: Lochlann Fitzpatrick

Assignment: Job Order#R7812

Location: Between 15° North and 30 degrees S and longitude 15 degrees W and 40° West (African Savanna)_

_ --Day 1:

I've reached the local village after the twenty-one hour flight, including layovers. Luckily, I am fluent in the local dialect here, so I was able to hire a local guide to drive me to the northern district. Imagery from our own WNC satellite provided us with a new migration pattern for the herd of elephants my department had been tracking.

The updated camera that the purchasing department provided me has been working with absolute wonder. The resolution has been the best I've seen.

The guide has brought me to the desired location. He brought me within a mile of the herd. Petty cash for the expense report today: $475. The sun is going down. I'll be pitching my camp here and beginning photography tomorrow morning._

_ --Day 2:

Snake in my tent this morning. Ugh. I have been to the Savanna many times before, long enough to know that this particular breed is harmless.

The herd hasn't moved very far. They found a small watering hole and seemed to utilize the spot as their temporary habitat.

I have logged in 623 photos today. The herd doesn't know I'm here. They seem to be showing the young ones how to continue breathing in the water.

I have 6 more days before the guide will be returning. Satellite phone is working perfectly and I have a great signal.

Sun is down. I have moved the campsite further north. Logging off for now._

_ --Day 3:

The herd has moved further north. I lost track of them in the morning. Had to call into Aerospace department to give me new satellite updates. Also, please report to HR that Susan Lockport has shown her lack of teamwork. She refused to send the data to me unless I agreed to take her out to dinner when I get back. Need I remind the department that my wife has only been dead for three months. This is unacceptable.

Located the herd. Too dark for photos. Logging off._

_ --Day 6:

Apologies. My laptop ran out of battery, so I had to use the portable solar assembly. It took 36 hours to charge and reconnect to the satellite. I have logged in an additional 1478 photos of the herd. Sending them in the data packet now.

I also need to apologize once more. I have lost the herd, and Ms. Lockport is not at her desk anymore. Was she fired? I cannot get satellite data. A storm is coming. Please provide me with satellite data before the morning.

Logging off._

_ --Day 8:

I haven't taken any photos in the past 48 hours. I have lost the herd and most of my camp. The storm was too much. Luckily, there was a rocky cliff embankment not too far. I kept my phone, camera, laptop, and solar array dry. I found a cave to stay in for the time being. My data signal is getting weak. If this log entry doesn't go through, I'll save it on the local drive to send later when I get the signal.

Something to note: outside in the rain, I heard what sounded like a woman singing. I don't remember a village this close to the northern district.

Logging off. I'll check on the anomaly._

I powered down the laptop. The storm let up a little bit. But I was soaked, and the night was getting cold. I used my phone's flashlight to check behind me. I'd seen enough horror films. This is also why I was smart enough to look up. Luckily, there hadn't been some carnivorous creature waiting to pounce me.

Not that I couldn't hold my own. I spent a good amount of time (and money) training in kickboxing at the local fitness center in Chicago. I took pride in keeping in shape. Outside of work, I didn't have much of a hobby. Some painted. Some did gardening or even woodworking. I guess my hobby was sculpting my body. I wasn't vain by any stretch of the imagination, but I had a family history of bad diet habits and lifestyles. I decided to break the mold and focus on keeping my body healthy.

In fact, that is how I met my wife. She was my trainer. I won't get into it much. It pains me to talk about it right now. The wound is too deep.

"CRACK!!!!"

Another lightning bolt cut the night, and quickly brought my attention to the mouth of the cave that opened up to the outside. I swore I saw a figure standing there, highlighted by a strobe of lightning. I pointed my light outside, but there was too much rain to see.

I waited....

"CRACK!!!"

Now there was definitely a figure standing inside the cave. Cloaked. It was only standing about four feet tall. I shot up, and tried to take a step back but fell into a wet heap. The phone was jostled out of my hand and fell away, pointing down into the cave floor and snuffing out what light I had.

It spoke. The dialect was local. I could understand it easily.

"For one who travels alone," it stepped further into the cave, its hood concealing any features, "seems easily afraid of such a small creature like myself."

They must be a local traveler. Traveling alone in the rain must have been risky as well. The glow of my laptop screen must have attracted the figure.

I stood up as casually as I could muster.

I spoke back in the same dialect, "I lost my campsite in the storm. I didn't know this cave was tak- "

"This cave belongs to those who need it," it spoke. Their voice was frail, and small, "And by the looks of it, you are needing this cave."

It was so dark. I couldn't see anything except a few flickers of light from the storm outside. But I did hear it say, "and I'm sure some warmth wouldn't hurt."

A flame shot up from cave floor to my left, and I noticed there had been a bundle of sticks and logs placed there previously. I never noticed it. I didn't know how the fire was started for nobody was near it. From the corner of my eye, I did happen to see it pull its hand back into the cloak. Wait... was that dark gray fur covering the hand?

It hobbled over to the fire and beckoned me to join.

I sat crosslegged across from the figure, warming my hands. The light allowed me to see a few more details. The cloak was aged, but well crafted. It carried a walking stick that was taller than figure, decorated by a few bobbles clanking about.

In the firelight, I caught something that made the hairs on my neck standup. The eyes seemed to be spaced differently. And the nose was not as concealed with the glow of the flame. Trick of the firelight? Lack of sleep? The nose was a dull red, equipped with flanks of faded blue hidden in the shadow.

I didn't want to be rude by staring, so I broke the silence, "I'd offer you food, but I left it behind. Thanks for the fire. I really-" I ceased speaking.

The arm holding the walking stick was revealed a bit more. Yes. It was, in fact, dark gray fur. Covering the hands and forearms.

The figure spoke, "I see you are not used to company like mine. No worries. Nobody else is either."

Now exposed, both furred hands clasped the sides of the hood and pulled back, revealing the head of a mandrill. Yeah. You know, the ones you see at the local zoo or the wildlife channel (sponsored by the company I work for). I have taken several photos of them in the past. I was very familiar with this species. But never one that wore cloaks or spoke the local dialect. The markings on this one showed it was a female. The colors are more subdued than the males.

"You can call me Ok'wana. And I am not here to scare you off. I came here to help you," she pulled out a satchel from within the cloak and began to open it.

I cleared my throat, trying to get the lump out, "Ahem....ah. Yes. I really appreciate it. But I don't think I really need any help."

"The warming of your hands and the drying of your clothes tell me otherwise," Ok'wana chuckled.

Even though she had a face of a mandrill, the eyes held a surprising amount of emotion.

She pulled out fresh fruit and bread from the satchel. I could smell the bread wafting within the cave. My stomach gurgled involuntarily.

"I also see you're hungry, my hairless friend," she stated.

I began to speak in kind objection.

She cut me off, "Don't fret about the food from your camp. The local nocturnals made a feast. But I can keep your belly full tonight."

The mandrill prepped the food on a large, fresh leaf.

Keeping her focus on the food preparation, she spoke up, "Go ahead, human. You may ask." She used her long, furred arm to hand me the aromatic batch of food.

I was always good with words. Very sociable. That is how I got paid handsomely for traveling around Africa. I could approach almost anybody with an outpouring of natural charisma.

But here...I...didn't have any words.

"Well, let me pull some words from your head, and speech may come easier," Ok'wana chuckled, "what, may I ask, is your name? Since you already know mine."

I found my guard was lowering, and found some comfort while I took a bite of bread, "My name is Lochlann. I'm sorry I was staring, but-"

"But what?" she spoke up, "But, I don't look like the hairless apes that roam around this realm?" she bit into a green leaf and chewed.

"I don't come from here. I belong to-" she paused, looking past me into infinity, "there isn't a word for it. But I dream of it every night, so I always call it the Umbra."

"The Umbra?" I repeated, trying to comprehend.

"Yes. The Umbra is where I came from, and it is where I belong. It is where my brother lives, along with all of Umbra's circle."

I saw the sorrow in her eyes. She was old, but there was yearning when she spoke of this Umbra.

I swallowed the mouthful I had and spoke up, "Listen, if we wait till morning, the storm should pass. I can make a few phone calls, and provide you with some transportation to Umbra. Is this village south of-"

"It is no village," Ok'wana interrupted with a tinge of frustration, "Didn't you hear me? Umbra isn't just a place, it is an existence, a world. Life."

She spoke with arms gesturing around her as if we had been standing in it.

"Please. Eat," she gestured at my food, "you'll listen better with a full stomach."

I won't get into the details, but she spoke with me about Umbra for the next few hours while I ate the sweet fruit she offered me earlier. I traveled the world, and ate various fruits, but I couldn't put my finger on what this delicious fruit was. After finishing mine, I saw a few more within her satchel. Bright purple and a sky blue one. She wouldn't offer me more fruit.

It was strange. She explained it to me like this: This world - or my world - is a reflection of Umbra, or... was it the other way around? She used an analogy like watching a herd of animals drink from a lake of still water. The reflection of the animals drinking is almost the same, but the ripples in the water create slight variations of one another.

Ok'wana suggested that she was now existing on the reflection side - my side - and that Umbra was the real world. I begged to differ.

She explained to me that Umbra's land was very similar to ours, but the variations were in the animal kingdom itself. The herbivores were very similar to ours, but some had the gift of speech. The omnivores however, had a few more differences compared to ours. Most had been feral like our own, but some within each species had features and traits like the humans here. Above all else, the largest difference had been the carnivores. The predators. Almost all species had humanoid traits like humans. Some of them had created cultures, complex societies, and even established trade agreements.

I do remember asking about humans. She stated that apes were the closest species that Umbra had. Hairless ones like me did not exist is how she explained it.

She recalled all this with yearning and sadness. I could tell she really missed this place. If it weren't for a mandrill speaking to me like my grandmother for the past few hours, I might not have believed her.

I looked at my satellite phone. It was almost dawn. The rain gave way to a light purple sky, slowly turning a deep red. I gestured with my phone, "I assume a call to get you a ride isn't going to get you home?"

She closed her eyes, squeezing a tear to roll off her blue cheek, "No, that will not help."

She slowly opened her eyes again, and a small grin began to curl from her mandrill lips to stare straight into my own eyes, "But you can help."

She emphasized this point by pointing at my chest.

"The Tree of Life has chosen you."

"Wait, the tree of what?"

"You have passed her test."

"Uh, I don't understand, what test, and how does this tree choose?"

She slowly stood up, and began packing her satchel with the leaves, crumbs of bread and what was left of the fruit.

She beckoned me to come, "Come, Lochlann. Our time grows short, and we need you to cross."

I stood up, "Whoa, I didn't agree to anything. I have to send my reports back to the WNC and catch my flight back to Chicago."

I looked at my watch, "In fact, I need to head back right now!"

I started to pack up my backpack with my phone, laptop, the portable solar assembly, and the camera.

Ok'wana turned to me with pain in her eyes. I witnessed raw despair.

Ugh.... With closed eyes, I gritted my teeth and balled up my fists.

I exhaled to let out all the tense air in my lungs, "What do you need me to do, and how long is this going to take?"

Her shoulders sank with some relief, "You see that grove of trees on the horizon?" she used her walking stick to point, "just passed them lies the Crossing Lake. We need to get you to Umbra through there."

"Hold up, I thought you needed me to help you get to Umbra," I was growing frustrated.

She began to walk in the direction of the tree grove in the distance, expecting me to follow, "I cannot cross yet. That is why I need you."

I looked up at the sky, just hoping Ms. Susan Lockport wasn't watching me through the satellite on company time. I leveled my gaze, and began to catch up to Ok'wana.

"Wait up. Let's circle back to this Tree-of-the-Living thing."

"Tree of Life," she corrected without breaking a stride.

"Right, the Tree of Life. How did it already choose me? I didn't even know what I was chosen for?"

"I have tracked many before you, and none of them lasted more than a minute after eating the fruit," she spoke matter-of-factly.

I stopped in my tracks and held my stomach. I didn't feel any different. "Now wait just a second. You mean you poisoned and killed several people before with this fruit. And now you've poisoned me?"

She continued walking, making distance between her and I.

She looked over her shoulder, "You're not poisoned if you're not sick. Besides, nobody was killed. They just vomited their last meal, unable to hold the fruit within them. The Tree of Life didn't want them to cross. The fruit remains. Your body didn't reject it. Therefore, you've been chosen by her to cross."

I jogged back up to her and matched her walking speed.

I was becoming even more frustrated, "I'm confused. Explain to me why you can't cross," I challenged, emphasizing the last word with finger quotes.

She rolled her mandrill eyes and looked up at me, "The Tree of Life bears lots of fruit. Many kinds. They all have a different meaning and function to the circle. Birth, growth, experience, wisdom, death, rebirth. Some are honored to partake in the fruit during milestones of life. The Tree grows all eight types of fruit in different parts of the year. Some take decades to grow."

I used my fingers to count, "You only named six. What about the other two?"

"You're quick and smart. You'll do well in Umbra."

She looked at the horizon. The deep red sky was giving way to a brighter orange. It seemed the sunrise would be in about thirty minutes.

"The other two are very rare, and only taken when the Tree of Life sees its time. My brother and I had been fortunate enough to partake in these. One of them is called the Fruit of Life and the other is called…," she seemed to struggle with the name, "and mito, or bridge. The fruit of life had extended our lifespan for several hundred cycles. We carry the stories, wisdom and history to those who reside within our lands. It is a heavy burden to carry, but it is our responsibility."

She was silent for several paces closer to the grove, until she continued, "The mito fruit, or 'bridge' was something I took that brought me here to find a connected home in the soil. The seeds could be planted within the earth here. We could expand our wisdom outside of Umbra. But the seeds couldn't grow tall and strong. They grew weak. I could only harvest these small fruits," she pulled out a small sky blue bulb from the satchel, similar to the yellow one I was eating in the cave.

"While these are similar to the mito fruit, I can only pass back if I consume the fruit from a mature tree. You, however, can cross the bridge. You have been chosen."

I looked up at the horizon. We made it to the tree grove. I could see a small still lake on the other side, "I wasn't chosen, I just wasn't rejected."

She spit on the ground, "You humans cannot see the beauty in anything. It's a wonder you made it this far," she exclaimed while quickening her pace, "hurry, it's almost time."

We finally reached the pond. It wasn't any larger than a gas station parking lot. The water was so still, it could have been a mirror. The bright orange in the sky was reflected perfectly on the glass-like surface.

"I need you to find my brother. Let him know the second tree didn't mature. He needs to get me another fruit of the bridge, and have you bring it back to me," Ok'wana said urgently, now rushing her words.

"Ok, will he be there when I cross?"

I was rushing my words too. I didn't know why. "What if he isn't there? How will I find him? This better not take long."

She began to push me towards the lake, "Get ready, we don't have much time. Don't worry, most of the Umbra kingdom knows who he is."

I turned to meet her gaze, my back to the lake, "Wait, I don't think I'm ready. I need more details. Like...uh, what is his name?"

As I spoke, the first sliver of pure sunlight pierced the horizon behind me, and she pushed me into the lake, yelling four words, "HIS NAME IS RAFIKI!"

[Next Chapter: https://www.sofurry.com/view/1864106]