Unsolved Mystery
The bear and the fox XV
Dhi Maksa, the bear, had been furiously revengeful to Chuk Tumpa, the fox, for openly deceiving second time. He had vowed to kill him by shocking his blood, tear him into pieces and swallow fresh on the spot where he would find him. His arms that Nakchhong, the human, had beaten were almost bumped and harshly aching. The leg which had been tied was bruised and burning. His head and heart were full of revenge.
Chuk Tumpa was feeling unsecure. He was wandering here and there. He remembered the cave he had once used for shelter after he had to leave his pack. He had forgotten the exact location of the cave so he tried to remember. Finally, he could remember and stride toward the direction where there was the cave. While walking, his eyes were widely opened and his ears were straightly erected . His all sense organs were highly alert while he was stepping his legs very carefully with twitching nose.
Searching and sniffing, he could see the cave across bushes from distance. It was between two enormous rocks tiered one after another. Between the two rocks were left a small opening but wide enough to enter the body double of the fox. There were different types of cryptogrammic plants and lichens around its mouth which had made the opening even narrower. Just above the mouth on the rock was a thorny bush standing alone.
Be became excited. He thought that he would live there safely and peaceful until he could find the shelter better than that. He stopped in the hedge and stared at the mouth of the cave and slowly took pace. He could not find any indication of the existence of other larger hunters around. He raised his nose and moved round and gave a loud foxy howling which echoed every parts of the trees in the jungle. He continued it until he felt his vocal cord tired and he laughed sharply.
Close to the mouth of the cave, there was a small flat. Chuk Tumpa stepped on the flat. His nostrils felt a strange odor coming from somewhere. He searched around. There was remains of a death deer. The body had been almost eaten and only its skin and bones were left. It's antlers were as long as his hands and were sharp like thorn. There stag had been surely hunted by big cat, but not died naturally. The fox hadn't found any sign of any big hunter even in the heart of the jungle. In the past he was surprised of being unable find any sign of such hunters but now he was surprised of finding hunted a giant stag. His head froze as soon as he found the carcass. When he got himself refreshed, he curled the rock where the cave was. He couldn't find and footprints and claw marks of hunter. He couldn't collect enough courage to get to the cave, however. Again he stared at the cave and returned back to the unknown direction. He fell into whirlpool of dilemma and he couldn't decide where to go. If he returned to the previous place there was his mit, formal friend, to welcome his with sharp strong claws and spiky jaws of if he went to the another direction, there were uncertainties and fear. Any how, he had to go forward. On the way, another surprise, he saw a head of a hare without body laying on the layers of fallen leaves. Drops of blood seemed fresh were scattered on the leaves. He could not find the killer and eater of the hare even he tried his best. He surveyed as best as he could but he failed to identify the killer. There were nobody to asked for.