Gaju - One

Chapter 28 - Elimination

Somewhere.

A boy and a girl ran from a tiger. This tiger has a streak that is a blend of dark green and light green.

The two boys, running with gasps and crashing into the bushes, twigs and everything in front of them.

They really have no other choice. The beast that was chasing them was the widest beast in this Forest. The beast was considered the king of the Forest because of its dominance and there were no predators threatening it.

Tiger Tree.

Gaju uses feces aka dirt from Tiger Tree for that reason. Other predators will run away in fear even if they only smell the distinctive scent of the Forest King.

That's why Gaju collects his stools and spreads them around his basecamp. At least that could make most of the predators that roam around the Gaju basecamp think twice.

As the name implies, the Tree Tiger is a species of big cat that is trained to hunt in the Tree.

Not running between trees. Literally hunting in trees. Similar to panther. But this is much bigger and stronger. Tree Tigers evolved and have claws that are suitable for climbing trees.

Two boys run above the ground and all the obstacles in there, fighting an adult Tree Tiger hunting in its habitat.

The end result is predictable. But the Tree Tiger seemed to enjoy this hunt. It was even as if he had been seen intentionally letting the two boys loose a few times to then be chased again.

Until finally the Tiger Tree felt something using his instinct and he knew this game had to end. Because the Tiger knew that he had gone too far to leave his area of power. And that means, he is now in the territory of another King.

A pair of children who ran while holding hands looked even more panicked when they saw the Tree Tiger accelerate its run.

The intelligent-looking girl muttered softly, "to be able to survive, you don't have to be the fastest. You're enough to just be 'faster' than your friend."

"You mean?" ask the confused boy.

A moment later he saw a cynical smile in his soulmate eyes that he had always considered his best friend.

The next second, the boy felt pain in his thighs. A knife stuck there. The knife that his own soulmate had planted.

"You? How come? After everything we've been through?" whispered the boy.

"You're just too stupid to see my true figure" the girl muttered, "give me enough time huh?" he continued with a triumphant smile and ran away leaving the boy.

The boy just smiled sadly.

He now realizes one important thing in life in his last moments. Everyone is selfish and narcissistic. They are self-centered and love themselves too much. In the end, they are willing to do everything just for the sake of pleasure and personal purpose.

The boy then turned his back and faced the Tree Tiger who was chasing quickly towards the two of them.

He spread out his hands and smiled, "I hate this selfish world. If reincarnation exists, I want to be reborn into a world that does not know the word."

The boy looked at the Tree Tiger that was getting closer to him. He could clearly see the gaze of the Tiger's eyes that saw him as nothing more than a rabbit.

The tiger opened his jaw wide and while jumping from the tree without stopping from the run, he swallowed the head of the resigned boy into his mouth.

The Tree Tiger chewed on the boy's head while standing looking towards the other prey that ran off in the distance. Fresh blood dripped from between his mouth and his teeth.

The sound of chewing jaws and teeth of the Tree Tiger while crushing the bones of the boy's head was terrifying. And when the Tiger Tree still looks hesitant to decide whether he wants to chase the other prey or not. Suddenly.

Bukkkkkp..

There was the sound of a headless boy's body falling beside him. The Tree Tiger swallowed the boy's head and bit the boy's body. The tiger jumped into a tree and disappeared. For him, the other victim who ran was not worthy to make him fight with the King who ruled here.

The little girl breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the Tree Tiger bit off its soulmate head. Especially after that the Tree Tiger left and let himself.

My plan worked, the boy whispered softly. Although he knew that there was a rule that the soulmate should survive, but he did not care about it for now. Most importantly, he could live longer.

The exhausted little girl threw her body to the ground and leaned against the tree behind her. He was trying to get some more stamina that was lost because of the tiger being hunted earlier.

The boy closed his eyes and enjoyed the calm and quiet atmosphere. For a moment he could forget everything and feel a little relaxed. Even he was drowsy and almost fell asleep when he suddenly regained consciousness and opened his eyes quickly.

Silence!!!

In the Forest and the wild, silence means danger! And he was lost because of it.

His strategist brain immediately worked and he quickly found the answer.

Hahaahahhaha.

The girl could only laugh. Laughing at himself. After everything he did, even at the expense of his soulmate, he still could not escape his fate.

Deaths.

The Tree Tiger turned around not because he had no interest in chasing her anymore or because he had already gotten his prey. There is never enough for the Tiger.

The Tiger turned around because there was another 'King' in power here. The King who was just as powerful or might be stronger than the Tree Tiger as it could intimidate the Forest King without even fighting.

And now the boy knew why this place was so quiet. Not a single animal will make a sound when the King hunts. And the hunt is himself.

The little girl expected a swift death like her soulmate and closed her eyes. But that momentary pain did not exist. He felt his body being wrapped around something that was squeezing him harder and making it difficult to breathe.

His hand and leg bones were fractured and crushed one by one and he could feel them.

He could only regret his fate. Because the King is a snake not a fellow Tiger as he hoped.

Dying entangled with snakes and being swallowed alive is a slow, slow and painful process of death.

Snakes can entwine their prey for hours to crumble their entire bones but still let them live. After that he would swallow his prey still alive.

Third day of the Elimination Test.

3 Pairs pass. 7 pairs are eliminated.