Max Adventures: Elemental Guardians Episode 4: Protector Of The Wilds

Chapter 8: Another vision

Max, Timber and Tazer caught up to their friends who were waiting at the Great Tree. Max took the chance to look at the tree.

It had grown and healed years after Shadow Master had attacked it when they first met. When that happened, it greatly hurted Max. He loved watching the stars, and the sunset from that tree. Playing around it with his friends as a cub. Now, it had flourished, and grown back. Better, and stronger than before. He looked forward to celebrating the festival with the renewed tree this year.

"Wow. I've never seen a tree that big" Adira commented amazed as she stared at the humongous tree with fascination. Living in the snowy mountains, she didn't see a tree like that. The snow leopard noticed white animal symbols on it, and gently ran her hand across them. "What are these symbols?" She asked curiously.

"These symbols are a way of accepting a new animal in the jungle. It is marked once that animal has completed their Jungle Rite" Timber explained, as he approached the leopard.

As Adira's eyes roamed across the tree, she spotted a lion symbol. A realization came to her when she remembered that Max use to live in the jungle. As she thought of this, her eyes spotted a wolf howling symbol. Her curiosity grew more at seeing them. She turned around, looking at Timber, and Max specifically.

"Hey, there's a wolf, and lion symbol on it. Does that mean you two did the Jungle Rite too?" She asked them curious, and intrigued.

"Yep. Timber did his Jungle Rite before me. You guys should've seen him that day" Max told them, Timber walked up to the tree, and ran his hand across his symbol. "I didn't do much. I just know how to trust nature to aid me in my Jungle Rite" Timber explained calmly.

His green eyes spotted a deer symbol. "Alghazal did his Jungle Rite too" he mentioned as Leena walked up to the tree where the symbol was. "Yeah! And soon, my symbol will be on the Great Tree!" Koda said excited, putting his hands on his hips.

"That is, if I win" he added, his excitement going down, and getting worried. He was still young. The required age for this rite was eighteen. He was just a kit. He wasn't sure if he could pass this jungle rite. What if he wasn't ready for this?

A hand went on his shoulder, and he turned around. Max smiled warmly at him, kneeling down his height. "Hey. You'll be ok. I'll be helping you remember?" He assured him. Max remembered how nervous he was when his time for the Jungle Rite grew close. But he had his family, and friends supporting him along the way. He and his friends would do the same for Koda.

The young otter smiled at his brother, glad that Max would be at helping him with his rite. The lion turned to his friends "Ok. So we should start seeing who might need help with preparations for the festival" Max told  everyone as they paid attention.

However, Leena was the only one with her mind somewhere else. Her brown eyes were on the deer symbol, curious about it. The lioness reached her hand to the marking, her fingers gently ran on the wood texture. "Gasp!"

Flashback

"Wow. I've never seen such a humongous tree such as this" a young, and excited voice said, his brown eyes marveling at this majestic life. In front of the Great Tree, was a young male lion. His dark brown mane wasn't fully grown so it was above his shoulders. He wore a simple golden crown, and a purple outfit.

The lion wasn't alone. A deer was with him. Alghazal. He had his arms crossed, staring at the lion with a smirk. "What are these symbols for?" The lion asked curious, walking to one marking which was a bird, and running his hand on it with wonder in his orange eyes.

"There are times when a new animal arrives in the jungle. When they come of age, they participate in a challenge called the Jungle Rite. Once they succeed, a symbol of what animal they are is painted on this tree" Alghazal explained, turning to the tree.