On the desert outskirts of Junai, Kaida and Firion joined Jaheim and Alima after they witnessed a purple fireball in the sky. The four of them rode on the back of the massive 3 horned saurian, name Lola, as she galloped toward the distress signal.
Kaida's horns could sense the emotions of the two, and she could tell how much anguish and worry they are both filled with, and how the situation is very personal.
She couldn't resist asking the source of their turmoil. "Alima, my horns can sense the emotions of others, and I can tell you and Jaheim are very troubled by something, can you tell us what it is?"
"We know who it is. Me and Alima tried to relocate him before, but he keeps coming back and starts killing the native saurian in this area...and its our fault he is here in the first place!" The yumbo revealed as his face looked more anguished.
Firion interjected. "Who keeps coming back and killing Junai's saurian? Is it a poacher?"
Both of them shook their heads.
"No, its a saurian we rescued from poachers decades ago, back when he was just a little hatchling." Alima reminisced. "Acro is a carnivorous saurian from the northern tip of Junai, poachers brought his egg to the boarder and we stopped them, but then the egg hatched..."
"But he is no longer that tiny little lizard that would chase our ankles or role over on his belly for a pet...when he got bigger we thought he would adapt to area since other saurian predators are out here, but what we DID not realize is how powerful he would grow up to be...." Jaheim voiced started cracking the more he talked about it.
Then the four of them saw another type of saurian flying overhead, this one had huge, scaly wings and resembled a massive bird.
"That is Sky! But where is Emani? Unless he sent her out to find others like us!" Alima stated as she pointed at the large avian like saurian.
Firion started looking around to see if he could see anything, but the day was still rather bright, but carefully he was able to see a small smoke plume above some tall trees, and it was in the same direction as the purple flare.
"Over there! Someone is lighting a smoke signal!" He pointed in the direction of the dark bellows.
Jaheim quickly stirred the 3 horn in that direction. "Lola that way!"
Along the way the group saw partially eaten corpses of other animals...likely the work of Acro. Some of the sights were so gruesome that Kaida closed her eyes and buried her face in Firion's back. She was not use to seeing mangled carrion like this...
The flying saurian Sky, also led them in that direction, and the closer they approached, Kaida and Firion finally laid eyes on a terrifying saurian that circled around the trees.
"Jaheim its him...its Acro..." Alima stated as she hugged her husband tightly.
He grit his teeth and sneered. "Why did you come back? Do you not understand what I have to do now Acro?"
Acro was a huge looking reptilian predator that stood on his hind legs with two rather small arms. His scaly skin had a beautiful, black and white speckled patterns. But the rest of his body was pure muscle and his mouth is maw filled with razor-like teeth. But perhaps his most terrifying trait were the tall sharp spines on his back.
Amongst the trees Kaida saw a terrified and wounded man with blood dripping down his leg while holding a spear, he is also wearing a armor similar to Alima and Jaheim.
"Is that man your friend Emani?" She asked calmly.
Alima quickly yelled out. "EMANI WE'RE HERE!!!"
The wounded yumbo man turned his head and saw his rescuers! Sky also flew over him a roared at Acro who was stalking her owner.
*huff* *huff* "Jaheim....and Alima..." He coughed a little blood as he tried to yell. "MY GRANDMOTHER WARNED YOU ABOUT THIS MONSTER! NOW LOOK AT WHAT ITS DONE!!!"
"Your friend is rather angry for someone being rescued." A baffled Firion stated.
Jaheim replied rather fast. "He has every right to be angry at us Firion, me and Alima spared this creature years ago, even after bibi advised us to end its life when it was just a hatchling, but we refused then...now look at the devastation its caused..."
He grabbed his spear, and at the same time Alima filled her quiver with arrows.
"Kaida, you and Firion will go help Emani...me and Jaheim will take care of Acro!" Alima declared as she tightened her bow.
Firion also took out his blade, he and Kaida were there to help.
Suddenly Jaheim roared with anger at the beast. "ACRO!!!! I TOLD YOU NOT TO COME BACK...AND YOU RETURNED...I SPARED YOU....NOW I WILL BE THE ONE WHO SENDS YOU TO THE NEXT LIFE!!!! COME AT ME!!!!"
The vicious saurian roared back at his former friend and Jaheim pointed his spear at him.
He charged at the beast as Alima fired an arrow into the beast thick hide and struck one its nerves as it stumbled over, allowing Jaheim to pounce on the beasts back!
("If I hit it just right...I can sever his spinal cord and kill him quickly...") He thought.
He steadied his spear and plunged it into the thick neck of the creature, but quickly realizes his aim was off....
"SHIT!!!! That was just his cartilage.." Jaheim didn't even finish his sentence as Acro flung him off!
He hit the ground with such force that it cracked a rib.
"JAHEIM!!!" Alima shouted.
She steadied another arrow and this time struck the beast in the eye and forcing its attention away from her husband who she ran to!
"Jaheim get up quickly!" She cried as she tried to help him to his feet.
His pained expression revealed his selfish plan. "I though if I severed the spinal cord...I could give him a quick death...but I was off a bit..."
Alima cradled him as Acro got back up again and turned his attention toward his former caretakers.
With one eye, it crept toward them, then suddenly it started roaring again!
In a split second Firion was on the back of the Acro with his short blade and with great strength he plunged the blade into the base of its neck! Delivering the mortal wound Jaheim was aiming for earlier.
It staggered for a moment, but then fell over as Firion jumped off!
Kaida slowly brought their friend Emani whose leg was wrapped in a palm leaf as he supported himself on his saurian partner Sky.
As Acro laid dying, Jaheim and Alima walked up to him, his uninjured eye focused on them.
Slowly they both put their hands on the dying saurian as he looked at them warmly; it seemed almost as if he recognized them.
Kaida, Firion, and Emani watched from a distance as the beast slowly gave its last breaths before finally dying.