The sun began to set over the forest. After a short rest, Marco and Ben started to recover.
—Damn... My back hurts.—Said Marco in pain.
Ben stood up from the ground and stretched his arms upwards.
—The anaconda threw you against a tree and you broke the trunk, it was obvious your back was going to hurt.
Marco grabbed his katana and also stood up.
—Yeah, but it hurts a lot... Hey, do you think the others are okay?—His voice revealed his worry.
Ben turned to look at him and smiled.
—Don't be stupid, it's obvious they're fine. They are strong, they won't die in a place like this.
Marco walked towards him, his worry fading slightly.
—Yeah, you're right.
Ben patted him gently on the back.
—Worry more about yourself instead.
—I will, after we find a place to spend the night.
—Oh right, night is when it gets the most dangerous. Let's not waste time.
Marco nodded and the two began to run through the forest again in search of a safe place.
Jhonatan and Brandon kept killing wild animals that attacked them non-stop.
While they were fighting, a two-meter anaconda wrapped itself around Brandon, squeezing him to suffocate him.
—Jhonatan! I need help! HELP ME!—He shouted while trying to free himself from the snake's grip.
Jhonatan killed the last bear attacking him and turned towards Brandon.
—How could a baby anaconda catch you?!—He said between laughs.
The animal squeezed tighter, increasing the pressure.
—SHUT UP AND HELP ME!.
—Alright, fine, but you owe me one—Said Jhonatan before making a quick movement, cutting the anaconda into pieces.
Brandon fell sitting on the ground as he was released.
—Damn...
Jhonatan noticed another pack of bears approaching in the distance.
—Oh... I think we're in trouble and honestly, I'm so tired of fighting so...—He lifted Brandon and put him over his shoulder—Let's go—He started running in the opposite direction of the bears.
Brandon didn't resist as he was also too tired.
Jhonatan leaped through the tree branches with Brandon on his shoulder.
After running for a while, they climbed onto a tree branch to rest. The two of them sat on the branch.
Jhonatan sighed, tired from all the running.
—I think we finally lost them.
Brandon stretched his arms and legs with a moan of relief.
—About time for a break, I didn't think this forest would be this dangerous.
—Yeah, this forest is crazy—Jhonatan shrugged—And that's saying something, at first I thought this forest would be easy and the master was just exaggerating.
—Well now you see reality, it's almost hell.
—Yeah... Changing the subject, tell me what do you think about Terrmomix and Vexana's relationship?.
—What do I think?, mmm... Well they make a nice couple, although Terrmomix is still inexperienced when it comes to that.
—You're right about that, sometimes Terrmomix is the shyest one of the two, if not always.
—Remember when Vexana held his hand for the first time?—Said Brandon with a laugh.
Jhonatan laughed too.
—Yeah, Terrmomix froze completely not knowing what to do, even his hand was shaking.
—It was funny—He stopped laughing and looked at the sky—I hope they stay together forever and get married in the future.
—I hope that too, and that they invite us to their wedding.
—Exactly, we should be guests of honor.
They both laughed quietly so as not to alert any nearby animals.
Terrmomix and Cesar cut down some trees to start building a door for the cave.
Ben and Marco had fully recovered and began to build a small shelter to spend the night.
The shelter had to be as hidden as possible to keep them safe.
—This is good enough for the night, right?—Asked Ben. The shelter was small but cozy enough to spend the night.
—Yeah, now let's look for food.
—Should we eat some dead anaconda?
Marco started checking some nearby plants looking for fruit.
—Not in your wildest dreams—He walked between the trees—Let's go.
—Fine, but wait for me-Ben followed him, staying right behind.
After searching for two hours, they managed to find some fruit to eat.
Finally night fell. Terrmomix and Cesar hid inside the cave with the wooden door covering the entrance.
Ben and Marco took shelter inside their hideout, the night was cold and silent, the sound of crickets was the only thing that could be heard.
Jhonatan and Brandon hid high up in a tree, constantly watching the ground and their surroundings.
Midnight arrived, the two remained completely silent. The air in the forest grew heavier.
The silence was broken by echoes coming from inside a dark, hidden cave.
The two boys turned their heads towards the cave entrance; from that place, several groups of anacondas and bears began to emerge.
These were different, they were bigger and more dangerous, the anacondas were 5-6 meters long and the bears 2-2.30 meters tall.
—This... Is more dangerous than I imagined—Whispered Brandon.
The animals spread out across the forest, Brandon and Jhonatan stayed silent, it seemed they hadn't been seen and that relaxed them a little.
But at that moment, red eyes appeared behind them. Jhonatan noticed, pushed Brandon down and jumped off the tree.
The anaconda lunged to bite but missed both of them. Brandon fell to the ground confused.
—BRANDON, RUN!—Shouted Jhonatan.
Brandon didn't ask questions, he got up quickly and ran alongside Jhonatan. Jhonatan's scream alerted the other animals nearby.
The two ran through the forest while the animals chased them from behind.
Inside the cave, Terrmomix and Cesar stayed silent as they heard the animals passing close by.
Due to carelessness, Cesar knocked over a piece of wood leaning against the wall; it fell to the ground making a small noise.
They both froze, the sound wasn't very loud but animals could hear even the slightest sound.
Everything went silent for a few seconds, until an anaconda smashed through the wooden door with its mouth.
—RUN TERMMOMIX!—Shouted Cesar.
Without thinking twice, they both ran out of the cave taking advantage of the moment the anaconda was recovering from the impact.
A group of bears started chasing them. An anaconda lying on a branch jumped as Terrmomix passed underneath; he managed to dodge the bite and kept running alongside Cesar.
Marco and Ben were hiding in their shelter, a pack of large wolves were walking around it, one of them found the entrance and started tearing it apart with its claws.
They both quickly moved to push against the door to keep them out. More wolves joined in to bring the door down.
Marco stepped back a few meters.
—Ben, get back!.
Ben nodded and moved away from the door as the wolves began to break through. Marco inhaled and exhaled.
He gripped his katana tightly and raised it.
—White Fire Technique: Fire Curtain!—A curtain of white fire erupted from Marco's katana.
The fire burned the door and the wolves, forcing them back. One wolf howled to call more animals.
With no other options, the boys ran backward, broke through the back wall and fled.
The real test had just begun.