POWER: A Tale of Greatness

Chapter 27: Doubtful

In the middle of the Estuarian Rainforest...

The quiet breeze of wind and rustling leaves, paired with the chirp and harmonious songs of the birds, masks the fact of the situation the rainforests of Estuaria are facing due to human activities such as deforestation caused by logging, illegal mining, over exploitation of natural resources from plants to animals. Irresponsible human actions lead Estuaria to the brink of death and extinction-the situation the Atlantians are facing.

James swam through the murky waters of the Estuarian River, hidden from human detection. He left their new village for the mission of saving his people from humans bg ghe means of violence. As a tribute, he decided to pass by their former village.

"Hey, Herbs! How are you? You look great!" James hugged his colossal, aquatic friend and spun under the water.

Herbs later then swam around him, showing gratitude for what James did to him

"That was nothing, I did that because you're my friend. Don't worry, I'm on my way to defeat every single human so that they will never bother us again here in our forests."

Herbs touched James' head with his, closing his eyes.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of myself."

James hugged his friend before they began to part ways.

"Oh, Herbs. By the way, please tell my father that I will be alright."

Herbs waved his tail as a way of saying yes and swam away.

James held onto his shell necklace, rubbing it with his thumb, "I was in great luck, Herbs, and my tribe was saved by the Heart. I am deeply honored." He kicks his legs and continues his strides.

After moments of swim, he swam over a local crocodile, thrice as long as him, the crocodile swiftly swam away after sensing James' presence, "We fear them but we are lucky because our ancestor who saved the forests is respected by them—they normally ignore us in our swim—but why did you swam frantically away from me?" As he swam opposite the crocodile, his thoughts swam deeper as well. "Are humans the sole reason why my great ancestor offered the Heart into the ocean?"

Before his answers were answered by his thoughts, James reached their old village. At his first step, he felt the fear, anxiety, and discomfort in his heart, "After all these years. After all the runs, the chase, and my escape attempts from my grandfather, the festivals, and the wonderful events that happened in this village, it just ended in the hands of man." James explores the surroundings with his eyes, carefully sneaking in and observing the surroundings. The whole village was ruined. The only thing James could do was reminisce and remember the times when his tribe still lived safely in here.

James looks down, seeing a red-streaked headdress, muddied and left behind by its owner. He folds one of his knees and picks it up wipes the mud off its woven markings, "One day, I promise, we will reclaim not just Tiago but also our ancestral lands." He is about to leave when he hears footsteps. He quickly crouched and took cover behind a tree.

Walking over the, center of the village path, James saw two armed humans, curious about what the two of them are doing there, one of them carries a wooden box while the other carries a basket made of clothes, holding their weapons. James sneaks closer to hear what they are saying.

"You know I felt sad about Bruno, the one who led the raid in this village." Says the one carrying the wooden box on his shoulder.

"Yeah, me, too. What happened to him was very brutal. He got killed by those monstrous Atlantians." The other one carries a bag of guns on his left arm. "You can never know when your last day on Earth can be."