Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (Fan Fiction)

12: Why is the Forbidden Jungle Forbidden?

Jak’s P.O.V

Jaklyn came back carrying Daxter, who had a really red face and was groaning.

Suck it up dude! I called. You deserved it!

You, my friend, need to shut up. He sounded simultaneously bored and pissed off.

I can’t technically shut up, remember, doofus?

Yeah, but you know what I mean. Stop thinking to me!

Okay, dude. Whatever. Jak, out.

I grinned in his direction and picked up Daxterette. She struggled at first, but then relented and let me rest her on my shoulder. I pulled out my tablet and tapped one of the Power Cells under the ‘uncollected’ section. It was set in the Forbidden Jungle.

I set off in that direction. Daxterette leaned back and whispered in my ear, “You should go for it, dude. She totally digs you.”

I laughed. No one talks like that!

She, obviously, didn’t hear me. “She told me.”

I already knew! We kissed underwater!

“But you should ask her. I can tell she’s going to ask you, but the guy should ask the girl.”

Glad we had this chat, annoying weasel sister of my crush. But I’m just gonna ignore you now, because this is not a girl-to-guy chat.

I droned Daxterette out as she kept whispering. She was talking about how our first date should be romantic and crap, but I couldn’t make out any more than that.

We entered the jungle. Daxterette’s monologue was drowned out by the sounds of wumpbees and Lurker Piranhas, the calls of giant spinefrogs and cunning pythorns.

What surprised me was the next part, the long, spiky, green feeler poking from the ground.

Jak… Daxter called. Didn’t you say that those tentacles were a myth?

Yep, I called back, not taking my eyes off the thing. But apparently the guy who gave me that myth was not accurate when he said it was a myth. Yay.

Jaklyn frowned. “Didn’t you say those… things… were a myth?” Then, as an afterthought, “Daxter, translate for Jak. I promise not to blow your brains in.”

Daxter heaved a great sigh. “Oh, thank the Precursors. You really know how to pick a punishment, Jaklyn."

“Why thank you.”

“Jak said that he was told that story by a guy… not saying who… and that guy was a big phony. Or something.”

I nodded assent.

Jaklyn chewed her nail, a gesture that was both cute and endearing. “What do we do?”

Nothing to do, I guess. Let’s go around it, to that bridge.

“Jak said… we should turn around, right now, and leave this creepy place alone. Forever.”

Jaklyn scoffed. “Yeah, right. I bet Jak said something like: Let’s just punch it until it dies.”

I shook my head and drew a circle in the air with my finger.

Jaklyn nodded in understanding. “Around.”

Daxter sighed. “Damn it!”

We walked on. Daxter silently swapped shoulders with Daxterette as we crossed the rickety wooden bridge. There, the sounds of running water and chirping birds eluded us as we dodged the sticky, spiky tongue of a giant spinefrog.

“Jaklyn, shoot it!” Daxter shouted as I rolled under the tongue for the fiftieth time. “Use your arrow-morpher thingy and kill it!"