At the entrance of the forest, Son and his daughters were still there. Vexana was worried about Terrmomix, but she knew he would return safe and sound.
—Dad, will Termi and the others be okay? —Roberta asked tenderly.
—Yes, they will be fine. They are very strong, so don't worry —He lifted her carefully in his arms.
He placed his hand on Vexana's head to ease her worry. That helped her relax even more.
Back in the forest, Terrmomix and Cesar were at the top of a tree looking for a place to spend the night.
—Terrmomix, that cave looks perfect to protect us from the night —Cesar said as he pointed to a hidden cave.
Terrmomix nodded his head, and they climbed down from the tree to run toward the cave. The two reached the entrance; the inside was completely dark.
Before going in, they quickly made a torch using wooden sticks, a piece of cloth, and some matches that Cesar had brought with him.
Terrmomix entered the cave holding the torch. Cesar walked in right beside him.
—Do you think it's safe to spend the night here?
—Yes, and anyway, we have no other choice. We just need to make a barrier to cover the entrance.
As they continued exploring, they heard a soft snoring sound. Both of them stopped suddenly.
—You heard that, right? —Cesar asked.
—Yes, I heard it too.
Terrmomix held the torch forward. At the far end of the cave lay a pack of five bears sleeping.
—Damn it.
The light from the torch made the bears start to wake up slowly. When they saw the two, they began to growl and show their teeth.
Terrmomix and Cesar started to back away, their hands quickly gripping the handles of their katanas.
—Let's run outside. It will be easier to fight them in the sunlight —Terrmomix said.
Cesar nodded. Terrmomix threw the torch aside, and both turned to run toward the cave entrance. The bears started chasing them.
Once outside, they turned around again and drew their katanas. The bears came out of the cave too.
—Alright, I'll take these three, you handle the other two —Terrmomix said.
Cesar nodded without taking his eyes off the two bears he would fight.
The bears attacked first, running toward them and leaping to pounce.
In ten minutes, the lifeless bodies of the bears lay on the ground, their blood staining the grass.
Terrmomix wiped the blood off his katana and sheathed it again.
—Good, now the cave is clear —He walked to the entrance to check its dimensions— We just need to make the barrier now.
Cesar came over and crouched down to look more closely at the bears' bodies.
—Do you think we can eat their meat?
Terrmomix turned to look at him.
—We would have to cook it, and that would take too long. Better not.
Cesar looked down, disappointed. Elsewhere in the forest, Brandon and Jhonatan were running through the woods, killing wild animals wherever they went.
Brandon sliced off the head of the last wolf in the pack.
—There are way too many animals in this forest, don't you think?
—It's a pretty big forest, so it was obvious.
Several wolves, bears, and anacondas crept closer, surrounding them. The two noticed it right away.
—But honestly, there are far more than I expected.
Both raised their katanas and got into fighting stances.
—Ready? —Brandon asked.
Jhonatan smiled.
—Of course I am.
The animals attacked at the same time, striking with claws and bites.
Marco and Ben were walking through the forest, their clothes stained with blood. They spotted a small river and went over to clean themselves.
They crouched down and began washing their arms.
—It's very quiet here, don't you think? —Ben asked.
—Yes, it actually gives me a bad feeling —Marco said as he cleaned the blade of his katana.
Ben leaned over the river to see his reflection in the water. At that moment, many bubbles started rising to the surface. Ben realized what was happening immediately.
—MARCO, GET AWAY!
Marco had his back turned, putting his katana away. Hearing the shout, he turned toward the river, but a huge anaconda burst out of the water.
The snake opened its jaws to strike with a bite. Ben leaped toward Marco, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him out of the way. Both fell to the ground.
The anaconda's mouth slammed into the dirt, making the ground shake for a few seconds. Marco snapped out of his shock but was still confused.
—Marco, get ready to fight! —Ben shouted as he drew his katana.
Marco pulled his own katana out again.
—Yes, okay!
The anaconda stared at them intently. It was about five meters long, and its fangs were as sharp as knives.
The snake attacked again with its mouth open wide. Ben ran to its right, while Marco stayed still, waiting to meet the attack.
—White Fire Technique: Blazing Gust.
The blade of Marco's katana was covered in white fire. He swung it through the air, sending a wave of flames forward. It wasn't large, but it was enough to burn the anaconda's head.
The creature twisted in pain, letting out a loud cry. The sound was so sharp it hurt the boys' ears.
—Now, Ben! —Marco yelled, covering his ears.
Ben ran toward a tree, scrambling all the way to the top before jumping down toward the anaconda's head.
The snake opened one eye and turned its jaws toward Ben to swallow him. Marco managed to reach its tail in time and slice off the tip.
The animal writhed in pain again. Ben dodged its movements and landed on his feet. Marco tried to move away, but the thrashing remainder of the tail struck him hard, sending him crashing into a tree and snapping the trunk.
—Marco! —Ben rushed over to him— Are you okay?! —He crouched down to help him sit up.
Marco spat out a little blood.
—Yeah, it's nothing.
The anaconda recovered. Its head was burned, and its tail was now shorter than before.
—How do we kill it? —Ben asked.
—Can you cut it down with one strike?
—Uhh... I think so.
—Good. Then climb the tree again and cut off its head while I distract it.
The anaconda moved toward them to attack once more.
—Got it! —Ben said before running toward another nearby tree.
Marco stood up, still sore from the blow.
—White Fire Technique: Blazing Orbs —Three balls of white fire formed around him.
The snake turned toward Ben and started following him. Marco threw the fire orbs at it to get its attention.
The anaconda turned toward Marco. He smiled and gripped his katana handle with both hands.
—Come on. Come get me.
The snake moved toward him quickly, opening its mouth as wide as it could. Marco stood still, waiting to face it directly.
As the creature lunged, Marco thrust his katana vertically inside its mouth to keep it from closing.
The anaconda pushed forward, trying to clamp its jaws shut to devour Marco, who held it back with all his strength.
—NOW!
Ben jumped down from the tree again. The anaconda tried to pull away, but Marco twisted his katana upward, driving it deep into the creature's skull and pushing forward to keep it from escaping.
Ben held his katana vertically and swung it fast and hard, slicing clean through the neck. The head separated from the body, splashing blood everywhere.
Ben breathed heavily, exhausted and covered in blood. Marco smiled and fell backward onto the ground.
—Well done... —He closed his eyes— We did it.
Ben smiled too and sat down on the ground.
—Yeah. Now... we deserve a rest.
Both stayed lying or sitting on the ground, barely able to move their bodies.