Chapter 1 – Alexis meets Scaly
The forest grew quieter the deeper they went. The surrounding air got cooler, it was getting darker too as the trees top canopy had blocked out a fair bit of the sunlight. Every step into Emberveil Forest felt like crossing an unseen boundary.
“It’s much cooler and easier to hike up the trail now, isn’t it?” Viktor asked Alexis as he paused a moment to catch a breath.
“Definitely, Dad. I don’t feel as tired and stress,” replied Alexis with a smile that seemed to brighten up the surrounding forest. “Let’s go, Dad,” before the sun sets.
“Sure, Darling. Nothing beats hiking and bonding time with my sweetie!”
At first, Alexis had not noticed it.
The usual sounds were still there—leaves shifting, branches creaking, the distant hum of insects. But gradually, almost imperceptibly, something began to thin out.
As if the forest itself was holding its breath. “You hear that?” Alexis asked.
Viktor did not stop walking. “Hear what?”
“That’s exactly it,” Alexis said. Viktor glanced back briefly, then continued ahead. “Not everything needs a sound to exist,” he said.
The path narrowed, the light filtering unevenly through the canopy above. Shadows stretched across the ground in fractured patterns, moving slightly though the air felt still.
Alexis slowed. Something felt… wrong. Not dangerous. Just — misplaced.
Then she saw it. At first, it was only a shape. Curled. Still.
Almost indistinguishable from the fallen leaves and earth around it.
“Wait,” Alexis said, her voice dropping.
Viktor stopped this time. “What is it?”
Alexis stepped off the path. Carefully. “Over there,” she said, pointing to a tree with a branch arching towards the ground.
The shape did not move. It crouched slightly, eyes adjusting.
And then — it shifted. Not much. Just enough.
A soft, dry rustle. Alexis froze. “What is that?” she whispered.
Viktor approached slowly now, his expression tightening.
“It’s… a pangolin,” Viktor said quietly.
The animal lay partially uncurled, its scales catching fragments of light—dull, uneven, some cracked.
It was breathing. Barely.
Alexis took another step closer. “Is it hurt?”
Viktor didn’t answer immediately. He was looking at something else.
“Stay back,” Viktor said.
But Alexis was already kneeling.
There was a wound along its side. Not clean. Not natural.
The edges of its scales were disturbed, as if something had tried to force them open.
Alexis felt her chest tighten. “What could have done that?”
The pangolin’s head shifted slightly. Slow. Deliberate.
Its eyes opened. They did not dart. They did not panic.
They looked at her. Not like an animal startled by presence.
But like something… aware of it. Alexis felt a sudden, inexplicable stillness settle over her.
“It’s okay,” he said softly, though he wasn’t sure why. The pangolin did not move away.
Instead, it watched. A long moment passed.
Then — it made a sound.
Not a cry. Not quite. A low, almost inaudible vibration.
More felt than heard. Alexis leaned in slightly.
“What is it doing?” she asked.
Viktor’s voice came, quieter now. “I don’t know.”
But there was something in his tone — something Alexis had never heard before. Uncertainty.
The forest around them seemed to dim. Or perhaps it was just the light shifting.
Alexis reached out instinctively — then hesitated. The pangolin did not retreat.
Instead, its gaze remained fixed on her.
Steady. Unblinking.
And for a brief, disorienting moment — Alexis had the strange sensation that it was not afraid.
That it was waiting. “For what?” she murmured.
Viktor stepped closer now, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
“We shouldn’t be here,” he said. Alexis looked up.
“Why?”
Viktor didn’t answer.
Instead, he said, “Animals don’t usually stay this still. Not unless…”
He stopped.
“Unless what?” Viktor’s eyes returned to the pangolin.
“Unless they’re too weak to run,” he said. But even as he said it — it didn’t feel true. Because the pangolin’s eyes had not changed.
They were still watching. Not with fear. With something else.
Something that did not belong to the forest. A faint breeze moved through the trees. At last. The leaves stirred.
The world resumed. But the moment remained. Unfinished.
And as Alexis slowly withdrew her hand — she couldn’t shake the feeling that this was not something she had found.
But something — that had been waiting. It was as if the pangolin was waiting for her.
The pangolin thought, I needed to be found by Alexis, those were the instructions given to me.
I can still move…slowly though, I’m injured. The pangolin thought. She regretted moving too quickly which by now would have caught the attention of her adversaries – a few hundred kilometres away. They had been tracking her, she knew. She must not be caught by her adversaries. They had tracked and chased her till the edge of the cliff. Cornered with no escape, she had to take the chance. She curled herself up and off she went at maximum speed rolling down the cliff.
Too steep! Too steep! Instead of rolling down the cliff, it was an almost vertical free fall of 5 metres. She landed on her front paws with some scales almost peeling off and bleeding.
She could feel her adversaries again. They were nearing.
“There’s that curl ball!” shouted a tall burly man with two companions from a distance away.
“Go get it!” he bellowed out the command to capture the pangolin.
Viktor and Alexis looked on, gabsmacked!
Before they could react, another burly man with jute bag in hand, lunged forward at the pangolin. In one quick swoop, his other hand clutched on the pangolin’s back and threw it into the jute bag!
The third burly man blocked both Father and daughter, brandishing meat carving knives at them. “Come any closer and we’ll slash you!” As they did so, they moved backwards before turning their back against Viktor and Alexis. Off they ran in the same direction as their leader with their loot.
“Hey!” shouted Alexis. “Stopped right there!” yelled Viktor.
Their commands vanished into thin air as they looked helplessly at the burly man sprinting away with the pangolin.
Alexis, you need to come get me!
What! Thought Alexis. “Dad, come on let’s go get them!” Alexis commanded with her courage plucked up!
Meanwhile in the Great Hall of the PFP…
“Excellent! These thugs did a great job! Hahahaha!” Laughed The Great Leader heartily upon receiving the message that the pangolin had been captured.
The Great Leader had no idea why the Council Members of 7 had ordered the capture of Scaly. He was only told that it would make a good addition to the Sangkelila Zoo to have a pangolin.
The Great Leader waved his hand into the open air opening up a communications portal. Again, this technology had not yet arrived nor available in Sangkelila. In an instant the 7 Council Members appeared before the Great Leader, looking at the latter intently as if they had been disturbed from certain important activities in the Other Realm.
“My Dear Lords, the thugs have the animal that you want,” reported The Great Leader. The 7 Council Members let out sounds of approval in their own distinctive manners. The Great Leader could sense that they were pleased.
The thug was panting as he ran as fast as he could to the vehicle waiting for him. Scaly was not a light animal with the amount of scales he had on him. The vehicle’s engine roared to life and a door opened ready for him to jump in. He lunged for the back seat as he fling the jute bag containing Scaly into the car. Scaly could feel himself flying through the air as if it was headed into a goal post. It grimaced in pain as the fling exerted pressure on his wound. Ouch! Can’t you be more gentle? I’ve already been captured! Before the thug reached the back seat, he was suspended in mid-air! Victor who was a national sprinter during his college days had caught up with the thug without too much effort. With his left hand he gripped the thug’s shirt. The thug struggled. Being close to the car’s door…bong! He hit his head against the door. “Damn it!” He yelled out. Meanwhile, Alexis dashed to the other side of the car to rescue Scaly. The driver got out of his seat. He threw a fist towards Alexis. She dodged it. Sent him a kick with her left leg which caused him to slam against the car! He got up, launched a flying kick aimed at Alexis. She swung open the car’s to block the incoming kick. The kick went through the window of the door shattering glass! He lost his balance with one leg caught dangling from the window. The shattered glass shards protruding from the window sill cut into his leg, immediately spilling blood. “Arghhhhh! You idiot!” yelled the driver as he lost his balance, fell to the ground with one leg stuck on the car window’s sill. Who’s the idiot? Thought Alexis as he watched the driver grimaced in pain. She made a dash for the jute bag with Scaly in it. Meanwhile, the thug was locked in battle with Victor. The thug was big and strong. Victor was slightly shorter and smaller. It was not an even match. Victor sized up his surroundings and formed a mental picture of his fight maneuvers. He would position himself in front of the car’s door where the thug was supposed to jump into the car earlier. The thug would take aim and throw punches at him. He need to position himself as close to the door as possible. When the thug’s punch came, he would dodge. The thug’s punch would hit the car’s door glass window, hopefully smashing it and hurting his fist. While the thug was in pain, Victor would move under the thug’s left arm, away from reach of the thug’s right arm. He would then rain a blow on the left calf of the thug with such strong force that it would cause him to kneel on the left knee. Simultaneously, he would send a smashing elbow knock to the thug’s head to knock him out! Got it! It will work! Thought Victor with confidence. One second to frame it. Three seconds to execute the maneuvers. The thug fell to the ground like a tonne of bricks. He saw the stars and Milky Way swirling around him before he closed his eyes and blacked out.
“How’s the pangolin?” Victor asked Alexis who was petting and caressing the creature in her arms. Alexis felt it shivering and trembling. “It’s would is still bleeding,” said Alexis pointing to a cut in Scaly’s right foot. Victor saw it. “Let’s get out of here and drive home first,” said Victor. Alexis nodded in agreement. “Help me call the Police when you’re in the car. These 2 thugs need to be put in jail!” Victor said as he pressed the “ON” button to start the engine.
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