Chapter 7: Crocans

Kaji swung from branch to branch, occasionally dropping to the forest floor to examine a plant before bounding ahead again. His enthusiasm hadn't dimmed since they'd begun their journey an hour ago.

"What 'volunteer'?" he asked, hanging upside down from a vine. "Is like jungle-helper? Or spirit-servant?"

Crystal ducked under a low-hanging branch. "It means working to help others without being paid—doing good just because it's right."

"No trade? No payment?" Kaji's brow furrowed. "Strange custom."

Spohr moved silently beside Crystal, occasionally releasing spores that cleared their path when vegetation grew too thick.

"And 'doctor'?" Kaji continued, now walking backward in front of them. "Is magic-maker? Health-giver?"

"Sort of," Crystal answered, but her attention had drifted elsewhere.

There it was again—that strange pulsing sensation. She'd first noticed it when they'd left the cave, a subtle rhythm emanating from the jungle itself. Now it seemed to be growing stronger, a gentle hum that vibrated through everything around her.

Crystal paused beside a massive tree, placing her palm against its rough bark. The sensation intensified—a steady, living heartbeat flowing beneath her fingertips.

"Do you hear that?" she asked suddenly.

Kaji tilted his head. "Hear what? Bird-songs? Leaf-rustles?"

"No, it's like..." Crystal struggled to find the words. "A pulse. A rhythm. It's in everything—the trees, the ground, even the air."

Spohr turned toward her, his fungal gills rippling with interest. A small cloud of spores drifted from him, conveying curiosity rather than communication.

"You don't hear it?" Crystal looked between them. "It's so clear. Like everything's connected by this... current."

Kaji pressed his ear against the tree trunk, then shook his head. "Kaji hears tree-sounds, not heart-sounds."

Spohr's spores formed an image in Crystal's mind: a Myconari communing with the Deep Spore, sensing connections others could not. The implication was clear—what Crystal described wasn't normal.

"Maybe I'm just tired," Crystal muttered, but even as she said it, she knew it wasn't true. The humming grew more distinct with each passing moment, like a song calling to something deep within her.

"Crystal-kreecha has special ears!" Kaji declared, seemingly delighted by this development. "Maybe jungle speaks to you!"

Crystal pulled her hand away from the tree, but the sensation remained—a living network of energy flowing through everything around her, invisible yet undeniable.

The pulsing sensation grew stronger as they neared their destination. Crystal felt drawn forward by it, as if some invisible thread connected her to this strange jungle. She found herself walking faster, following the rhythm that seemed to flow beneath her feet.

Spohr's spores formed images in her mind. She could sense from the images meanings that they were getting close, just beyond the marsh would be the grove.

The vegetation thinned as they approached a wide, murky river. Sunlight broke through the canopy, illuminating a distant grove across the water. Even from here, Crystal could see plants bearing fruit similar to the cocoa pods Spohr had shown her earlier.

"There it is!" Crystal exclaimed, excitement building in her chest. "We just need to cross this river and—"

She'd barely stepped toward the water when Kaji's hand shot out, yanking her backward with surprising strength. She stumbled and fell onto her backside with a grunt.

"What the hell, Kaji?"

The Simari's usual playfulness had vanished, replaced by a tense alertness. His ears twitched nervously, and his tail remained perfectly still—a warning sign Crystal had quickly learned to recognize.

"No-no-no! Bad crossing! Very bad!" Kaji hissed, eyes darting between Crystal and Spohr. He turned to the Myconari with an accusatory glare. "You no tell us grove in Crocan land? Why you hide-hide this?"

Spohr's cap dimmed slightly, spores drifting apologetically around his form. The mental impression Crystal received conveyed genuine surprise—he hadn't known.

"What are Crocans?" Crystal asked, brushing dirt from her pants as she stood up.

Kaji's eyes widened dramatically. "Scary-scary Bonebacks! They no like outside-outsiders. They have leetle creebles they keep as slaves!"

[New words registered to Simari dictionary: Bonebacks -- A derogatory nickname for Crocans. Leetle -- Little; often used affectionately or mockingly. Creebles -- Wriggling creature, often used for bugs or squirmy animals; can be affectionate.]

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Crystal frowned. "What do you mean by—"

A distinct rattling sound cut through the air, like bones clicking together in rhythm. Kaji's expression transformed to pure panic. Before Crystal could react, both Kaji and Spohr grabbed her arms and pulled her behind a thick cluster of ferns.

"Don't. Move." Kaji whispered, all trace of his usual speech pattern gone in his fear.

Crystal peered through gaps in the ferns. On the opposite bank, three figures moved along the riverbank. Two were massive reptilian beings that walked upright on powerful legs. They stood at least seven feet tall, with muscular bodies covered in mottled green and brown scales. Their elongated jaws housed rows of gleaming teeth, and each wore an elaborate mantle of carved bones across their shoulders that rattled softly with each step.

Between them walked a much smaller creature, barely reaching the Crocans' waists. It had sleek, dappled skin and a long, prehensile tail that occasionally wrapped around one of the Crocan's wrists. The small being pointed to something in the water, and one of the Crocans nodded, its powerful jaw moving in what might have been speech.

"Walking, talking crocodiles," Crystal whispered, a chill running down her spine. "Yeah...crocodiles were already scary in my world, and they didn't even need to walk or talk."

Kaji's breath was warm against her ear. "Oh, it gets all-twisty puff-jumpy when you see them riding swampgators twice their size."

[New words registered to Simari dictionary: All-twisty -- Emotionally confused, in turmoil. Puff-jump -- Startled reaction; mild scare.]

"That definitely makes it better!" Crystal hissed sarcastically.

The patrol moved methodically along the riverbank. The smaller creature—which Crystal assumed was one of the "creebles" Kaji mentioned—seemed to be leading the search, its whiskers twitching as it examined tracks in the mud.

Spohr released a subtle cloud of spores that drifted toward Crystal. In her mind, she sensed Spohr's disagreement with Kaji's description. The spores conveyed something more complex: a symbiotic relationship rather than slavery.

The Crocans stopped suddenly. One of them lifted its snout, nostrils flaring. The bone mantle rattled as it slowly turned its head toward their hiding spot.

Crystal held her breath. The pulsing sensation she'd felt earlier intensified, throbbing in her ears like a warning. She pressed herself lower to the ground, willing herself to disappear into the ferns.

The smaller creature tugged at the Crocan's arm, chittering something in a language Crystal couldn't understand. After a tense moment, the Crocan lowered its head in acknowledgment. The patrol continued downstream, bone mantles clicking rhythmically as they disappeared into the dense foliage.

Kaji let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Too close. Too-too close."

"So," Crystal whispered, once she was certain the patrol was gone, "the chocolate we need is in their territory?"

Kaji nodded grimly. "Radix-fruit grows best where river meets jungle. Crocan lands. Very dangerous."

Crystal's mind raced through possibilities. She knew it was a long shot, but she decided to ask anyway, "What if we just asked permission? Explained what we need?"

The look Kaji gave her was part horror, part amusement. "You want to walk up to Bonebacks and say 'Eloo, can we pick your sacred fruit?' They hang your bones on their mantles!"

[New word registered to Simari dictionary: Eloo -- Friendly greeting; equivalent to "hello."]

“Sorry! Sorry! I’m used to talking things out back home. I know that doesn’t mean a seven-foot carnivore with a bone cape wants to negotiate, Kaji. It was at least worth asking.”

Spohr's spores formed a more nuanced response in Crystal's mind: communication might be possible, but complex. The Crocans were territorial but honorable. They followed strict codes.

Crystal stared across the river at the grove. The cocoa-like pods gleamed in the dappled sunlight, so close yet suddenly so far away.

"There has to be a way," she murmured, more to herself than her companions.

Crystal turned to Spohr, who was studying the river with his glossy black eyes. "Do you know of any other places where these cocoa-like fruits grow? Somewhere not in Crocan territory?"

Spohr's cap pulsed with a soft bioluminescent glow as a cloud of spores drifted toward Crystal. In her mind, she saw flashes of other groves—some nestled in distant valleys, others growing along forgotten riverbanks. The images were fragmented, uncertain.

Crystal glanced at the darkening sky. The jungle canopy filtered the fading sunlight into scattered golden beams that grew dimmer by the minute. The shadows between trees deepened, and unfamiliar calls echoed through the foliage.

"Okay, maybe we should just find camp for tonight. We'll figure out where to go in the morning." Crystal rubbed her arms against the evening chill. "No point stumbling around in the dark."

Kaji's ears twitched nervously as he glanced back toward the river. "Yes-yes, but not here. Too close to Boneback sniff-zone." He tugged at Crystal's sleeve. "Kaji knows safer spot. Come-come."

The Simari led them deeper into the jungle, away from the Crocan border. Crystal noticed how the pulsing sensation that had guided her earlier seemed to fade the further they moved from the river. By the time Kaji declared they'd found a suitable spot, it had diminished to a faint whisper at the edge of her awareness.

Their campsite nestled between the massive roots of an ancient tree that rose like a cathedral above them. The roots created natural walls and alcoves, offering protection from both elements and prying eyes.

"Good spot," Kaji announced proudly, patting one of the enormous roots. "Tree-guardian watches while we zoodle."

[New word registered to Simari dictionary: Zoodle --- Sleep]

Crystal set to work clearing a space while Spohr released spores that seemed to repel insects and small creatures. Kaji disappeared briefly, returning with armfuls of broad leaves and soft moss for bedding.

"How did you learn to do that?" Crystal asked as Spohr's spores formed a subtle barrier around their camp.

His response came as gentle impressions: ancient knowledge passed down through countless generations of Myconari.

They shared a simple meal—Crystal contributed some trail mix from her inventory, while Kaji added sweet berries he'd gathered along their journey. Spohr abstained from eating, explaining through spores that he drew sustenance from the soil and air.

As night fully descended, the jungle transformed. Bioluminescent fungi glowed in blues and greens, while distant calls of nocturnal creatures formed an otherworldly symphony. Above, through gaps in the canopy, Crystal glimpsed unfamiliar constellations wheeling across the sky.

Kaji curled up on his moss bed, tail wrapped around himself like a furry blanket. "No bad dreams, eh?" he murmured before his breathing steadied into sleep.

Spohr settled against a root, his cap dimming as he entered a meditative state. Thin tendrils extended from his feet into the soil, communing with the Deep Spore even in rest.

Crystal leaned back against the smooth bark of the tree, marveling at how quickly the extraordinary had become almost routine. With a thought, she summoned her system's journal interface. The familiar HUD materialized before her, glowing softly in the darkness.

She flexed her fingers, watching the gesture-tracking capture her movements, and began to write.