Jerry Wants a Cracker

In the early morning of the Chidokai Forest it was dark and gloomy, save for the few beams of light able to penetrate the thick canopy above.  The ancient trees were massive, towering over even the tallest of giant predators, with intertwined branches making it nearly impossible to tell one tree from another.  Their colossal forms were covered in moss and vines from their exposure to the downpours and elements of the forest for centuries.  Drops of water descended from their leaves far above constantly, creating a small shower despite the uncommon lull of the storms its inhabitants were used to.  It was this change that awoke the ancient treant Goro.  Two bright green eyes without pupils slowly opened taking shape on the trunk of the tree his spirit inhabited, followed by the rest of his elderly face as vines swung down to frame it and extend into a long beard.

He yawned and extended his will into two of the largest branches using them to stretch as he woke up.   "Who turned off the water?  I wasn't done sleeping yet!" he grumbled waking up the rest of his 'body'.  The tree he inhabited was even more gigantic than the others in the grove he lived in, and it was a small chore to extend his will through the whole thing.  Just one more reason why he preferred to sleep the day away than be awake.  The long soothing downpours also made sleeping very relaxing.  He looked around taking in the scenery, the mix between the gloom and the beams of light reflecting the falling water was a serene sight few could have the luxury to enjoy, but it wasn't going to be enough to bring him back to sleep.   He glanced down and grinned seeing the long brown haired mantoid still sleeping down on one of his roots, having taken shelter from the rain of last night under him.  He held up a smaller branch to his face and examined the green feathered bird with red wings as it preened itself before looking back at him.

"Think a little payback is in order Jerry?"

"Jerry want a cracker!" the bird squawked back at him.

"Straight to business as usual I guess.  No crackers- just fruits, and I get to wake up her up, deal?" he said plucking a citroise higher up in a tree nearby and lowering it with a few of his branches next to the bird.  Jerry immediately began to eat from it.  "I'll take that as a yes."

Goro slowly reached down, making sure not to disturb her until he was close enough- and then proceeded to unceremoniously brush her off his root in one quick sweep.  The mantoid didn't even have time to figure out what had happened as she was suddenly woken up flailing through the air before she landed into the mud below face first with a splat.

"Bwahaha, you should have seen yourself!  Oh I've been waiting to do that for a looong time.  Not so fun is it Liora?" Goro said cackling loudly.

The mantoid raised herself up and wiped the mud off the front of herself staring up in disbelief and annoyance at the giant treant.  "You do know this means war!" she said shaking her fist up at him.  "Since when did you wake up this early… er scratch that- since when did you wake up at all two days in a row?"

"I think I'll take my chances, I am bigger than you," he grinned.  "So, got any plans today I should know of, little pest?"

"I was planning on sleeping the day in some, but I guess that's not happening, old man.  I guess I could visit Ciel and do stuff with her.  I think she said she was going to the river for 'fishing' or something, whatever that means."

"That's a method of hunting humans and nekos do.  They can catch the fish in the rivers without ever having to go in after it," he explained simply.

"Oh!  I think I saw her doing that when I first met her…ya know, before I actually knew her.  Seems like a strange thing though, she was just sitting up in that tree waiting and holding some of her silk.  I think it would be easier to just grab it than hoping for a fish to come."

Goro shook his head and laughed.  "That's not really the whole point, it's a very relaxing way to go about hunting to just sit back and wait.  Anyways, if Ciel somehow knows about fishing I think you should go too.  It would do you good to learn how to as well- you may even like the taste of fish."  And besides, he thought to himself, it's a lot safer than stalking other prey through the jungle.  

Liora shrugged.  "Still sounds boring to me but maybe I can take her on a more exciting hunt afterwards."

Goro sighed.  "Just don't do anything too reckless alright?  I know that's asking a lot of you little termite."  Jerry fluttered down and landed on Liora's shoulder having now finished his own fruit breakfast.

"Little pest, rawk!" he made sure to squawk at Liora as she rose a hand to shoo the bird off.

"Yes, you are a little pest sometimes, but you're our pest.  Today you get to spend the day with him," she grinned motioning to Goro.  The bird flew back up to him and perched on a branch nearby his face.  "Don't worry grandpa, I'll be fine.  Between the two of us what could happen?  I promise I'll be back as soon as I can."

He smiled back.  "I'll take your word on that."  

---

"Jerry want a cracker!" the brightly colored jaykay bird squawked at Goro again, waking him up again after he had finally calmed himself enough to sleep when Liora had left.  By now it was nearing midday and the darkness was being replaced as a warm light permeated the forest, reflecting off the collected mirror-like pools of still water to further illuminate the jungle.

Goro groaned.  "Five more hours."

"Jerry want a cracker!"

"For the last time, I don't have crackers!  Where's the off button on this thing," he grumbled, opening a giant eye to look at the bird scuttling on one of his larger branches.  The bird shuffled around and flapped its wings without taking off, seemingly excited about something.  "Alright, let's see what's got you so worked up, and it better be good."

Goro closed his eyes and tuned himself into the roots at the base of the tree he inhabited.  Through the massive sprawling roots running underground and in contact with several other trees, it took only a moment to sense a distinct new being scurrying around behind him in a panic.  Its movements were quick and light, despite the rush he could feel in the urgency of its steps keeping balance.  It was very close, hiding near one of the trees in his grove.

Goro opened his eyes again.  "Good work Jerry, looks like another neko got lost if my guess is right.  Extra treats for you today," he whispered to the bird.  His face vanished from sight as it reformed on the other side of his trunk, making sure the vines formed his incredibly long beard.  "Hello out there!  Come on out where I can see ya.  My name is Goro, I promise you it'll be alright," he called out to the person.   

The person only gave a startled yell in response before running out of their cover, trying to put as much distance between itself and the giant treant.  He sighed and reached out using the other trees closer to the being to ensnare it with his vines before it ran off any further and passed the struggling neko along from tree to tree using their vines until he plopped it down on a root in front of him.

"Easy there," he squinted his eyes at ragged neko, examining the brunette haired catgirl from a distance.  "Don't ya know running wildly through the jungle is the quickest way to get even more lost?"  She hissed in response and tried to bolt off again, to which he just restrained her again and set her back down in the same spot.  "Now what makes you think you could get away if I caught you once already like that?  Downright senseless furball."

"Let me go!  I just want to go home!" she cried out at him.

"I gathered that already," he said dryly.  "Calm yourself down already and listen- I'm not gonna hurt ya.  If you want to find your home you needa stop getting yourself more lost and think for a few seconds where you are."

The catgirl looked up at him, watching him warily, still looking for any chance to try to run off.  "I never said I was lost!  I just… need a second to remember where I went."

"That's called being lost."

"Is not!" she puffed angrily at him, making her tail stand on her end.  

The large jaykay bird fluttered down to a branch near Goro's face and stared at the neko as well.  "Rawk, neko got lost!"  Goro smiled in triumph with the bird agreeing with him.

"Told ya."

"Hmph!  Why should I listen to you anyway?" she said crossing her arms in defiance.  "It's not like a giant tree would know where my tribe is; you're stuck in one spot!"  She paused, intimidated at seeing him appear annoyed at that remark.  "Um, well what I meant was, I don't know how you could help me anyways, because of, uh, that.  Please don't hurt me?"

Goro sighed as his face vanished again and reformed again in front of her at a human size, startling her.  "Once again, I already said I'm not gonna hurt you.  You're right that I can't move, but I don't need to for me to see all of my home."

"You just need some perspective on the matter," his voice came from another tree behind her.  She gasped; whipping around surprised to see the treant's grinning face on another of the giant trees.  "I find having a lot of them helps for situations like this," both voices of his echoed from in front and behind her.  She turned her head back and forth seeing that both faces were there talking to her at the same time.  She began to notice pairs of green eyes appearing on several of the trees around and further in the distance.  

Just as quickly as they had appeared they began to disappear again until she turned around to face Goro once more.  "Ok…sorry for doubting you.  That is a very impressive trick.  My name is Mauri, and... I am a little lost I think," she admittedly sheepishly.

Goro yawned.  "Thanks, but it is tiresome doing that.  It's also no substitute for actually being able to move around.  Nice to meet you then, Mauri.  You're not the first and you certainly won't be the last.  What some people call the 'forest of many hiding places' is also the 'forest of getting yourself lost'.  Thankfully I don't have to worry about that at all, kind of hard to get lost when you're 'stuck in one spot' as you said.  Now then, you must be looking to find your way back to the marshes right?"

"How did you… Can you, uh, read minds too?" Mauri asked surprised.

Goro grinned again.  "Like I said- you're not the first one to get lost here.  You picked a good time too.  Liora is away for the day so you should be able to find your way back without worrying about her either.  One less mantoid to deal with.  As for the marshes," he trailed off and lifted up a set of entangled vines to point off to her side; "you'll want to go that way until you hit the river.  I don't think Liora will be at that one since she is visiting a friend.  Just follow the stream and you'll find your way back soon enough."

The neko turned to where he pointed and nodded before looking at him again.  "That way, got it!  Is there anything I can do to thank you?" she asked.

"I know just the thing- you can get lost furball; I want to get back to sleep!  Err, wait a second," he paused thinking over his choice of words as the neko looked at him in confusion.  "Bah! You know what I mean.  Just be careful and get back to your clan or whatever, they'll probably want you to get back soon."

"Oh!  You're right!  I've already been gone almost an extra day!" she said as she turned and began to run off in precisely the opposite direction he had just pointed out in her rush.

"OTHER way!" he called to her, pointing the direction out again.  Mauri stopped in her tracks and ran back to where he pointed out again as he shook his head.  As soon as he was certain she had ran off in the correct direction he closed his eyes to finally go back to sleep.  The large jaykay bird shuffled around on its branch some more in an attempt to gain his attention.

"Rawk!  Jerry want a cracker!"
  
"Later, let me sleep," he groaned dismissively at the bird.  Jerry continued to hop around squawking, trying to get his attention.  Goro lazily swatted at the bird with a vine to which it just merely fluttered out of reach before landing again.  He opened one eye in annoyance to look at the bird again as it cocked its head at him waiting for his reward.  "Fine you lazy bird," he mumbled in defeat as he reached into the canopies for a sweet fruit to silence the bird with.  Jerry happily started munching his newly found treat Goro left for him as he began to rest once again.

"You know," Goro muttered with his eyes closed, "I think I'll have to teach you a few tricks.  I think I have just the perfect one to start with too.  It's called 'if the neko gets lost here again, don't wake me up!'"