Chapter 17

  Monster’s Teeth - Max

  The rest wasn't as long as Max would have liked, and before he knew it, Conquest had yelled for everyone to get moving., Soon, they were heading back out, between the ragged rocks, and into the desert. They returned to an easterly direction and began marching.

  Max, again, looked occasionally to the sky, but there were no signs of the osprey or any bird.

  The pace at which Conquest was pushing everyone kept them quiet. For Max, it seemed there was more than just the pace that kept the gorillas quiet.

  Max wondered if Link would ever try to communicate again. After the one-time Link whispered, "Max, make sure to keep quiet."

  One of the gorillas, whom they later learned was Ash, must have heard because he looked over and said, "What are you talking about? Who are you talking to?"

  And Link spoke louder and said, "I'm praying that the Creator might give you all a brain, so you'll know that what you're doing is hopeless."

  "You don't know what you're talking about." Ash bellowed. “You’ll soon learn,” but Ash was cut off by Conquest.

  "Quiet," Conquest yelled from the front. “We're,” the gorilla leader paused and then said, “Be quiet, Ash. Let's march.” and with that, Conquest picked up the pace of the march.

  It didn’t take long in the heat for Conquest to slow it back down a little, but after that, no one said anything.

  Link didn't whisper again, so Max walked on, alone, alone in his own thoughts.

  As much as he could without drawing attention to himself, Max looked around. Max figured that it was a few more hours before nightfall. At this point, he could see another group of rocks poking out of the sands like spears or the teeth of some enormous predator ready to rip apart anyone who would be foolish enough to pass by. They looked small right now, but Max guessed that once they got closer, they would grow. And as they got closer, Max could see he was right. They were huge. They were tallerthan he would have expected, considering the desert they were in. Sand was everywhere, and yet what looked like shards from the top of a mountain were sticking up out of the sand. The sun last rays were disappearing from the cliff wall far off in the distance. This was a cliff that separated the Upper Plains from what lay below.

  As far as Max knew, there was nothing to the East but the cliffs and desert, so driving herds of elephants seemed foolish. What in the desert could give the gorilla’s victory over the Forest of Animals? Especially since the only way to the Forest was to the West.

  He realized that his knowledge of the world was limited. But he had always been told that the only way to get from the lower plains to the Forest of Animals was the Bridge of Hope. Legend had it that the Lower Plains had dropped away from the Upper Plains during a great battle. The creator stepping in to save those who had faith and condemned those who were fighting against them to what became the Lower Plains. But that was just a story. Maybe there was something over this way, Max thought, but I didn't know.

  What he did know was that the gorillas had a plan. They knew where they were going. Considering the number of animals they took, Max thought there also had to be a good source of water.

  Max reviewed what he knew. The gorillas had a plan to somehow use the herd as a weapon. It seemed impossible to Max that they could do anything to control elephants, even non-talking elephants. Max had lived with them for seasons, and he knew that though they might be strong enough to be used as weapons, they wouldn’t willingly participate. Max had experienced firsthand how stubborn an elephant from the Lower Plains could be.

  Yet, Max could still smell the ointment that had been spread on his trunk. He had to wonder if they might not have other means to control his non-talking relative. It they did the Forest of Animals could be in trouble.

  Max thought about these things, but after a while, he couldn’t think of anything else that could help or hurt them, so he focused on walking. He concentrated on putting one step in front of the other, trying not to slip on the sand that seemed to become deeper, and determined to make him fall.

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  The gorillas seemed to know where to walk, so Mas watched closely. There were times when they were walking up a dune, and they changed direction just a bit. Max quickly learned to follow their lead exactly after the sand slipped beneath his feet in those spots. At times, it took great effort for Max to keep his feet under him but still move forward.

  Whenever he started to slip, Bond would come back, rub his nose, and sometimes put the ointment back on. He would whisper, “Everything's going to be okay. It's good. We're here. Your friends.”

  Often, Max could hear Storm whisper, "Yeah, sure we are." Or, "yes, be nice to the good little slave,"

  It was clear to Max that Storm did not like elephants, or maybe it was that he didn't like anyone.

  As the sun was falling behind them, they came up to the pillars. The teeth, as Max was thinking of them, were as big as Max thought they would be.

  “Welcome to the Teeth of the Monster,” Conquest yelled back to Link.

  Seeing the jagged edges of the stone peering into the sky, Max had to agree, the name was accurate. They looked more like the teeth of some gigantic beast than before in the darkening sky.

  Max could smell the water. But this time, Bond stopped Max before they entered a new ravine. Max watched all the others go in first. Bond, standing beside him in soothing tones, told Max to wait. Max, however, ignored the calming words, all the while his throat wanted the water he smelled.

  It was Link who finally spoke up. "So are we standing out here all night?"

  Bond looked up at the otter. "No, we're just making sure that everybody gets a drink before we allow our friend to go in."

  "Oh, so you don't want the elephant to act like an elephant."

  Bond shook his head. "There's only so much water. And we have to make sure at this point. Everyone gets only what they need."

  "Oh? Why is that? The other group that came through drank it all?" Link inquired.

  Bond looked up and sneered. "It would be wise. Otter, if you kept your mouth shut? Conquest wants to keep you alive, but he's not tolerant of mouthy little animals who don't know how to keep quiet."

  "Well, first of all, my name's Link. And, what do you expect? You've got me tied up. What else am I going to do but talk?"

  "Good point," Bond said, and with that, he walked up, stroked Max's trunk, and said, "It's okay, it's okay, I'm going to just get on you real quick here, just hold still."

  Max held still as Bond jumped up on his back. A moment later, Link was unceremoniously shoved to the ground. Still mostly tied, but his legs were free. Bond jumped down behind him and said, "Now you can walk, instead.”

  “Oh, so you're going to let me just walk on in?”

  “No, you will walk right in front of me.” Bond explained, “If you walk more than a couple of feet ahead of me, I will tell you what will happen." Bond sighed and shook his head, “Someone will think you're trying to escape and kill you.”

  “Now, you wouldn't want that, Link," Bond said succinctly, saying his name like it was an inconvenience.

  "Okay.” Link Agreed.

  “And if you're smart,” Bond continued as if Link hadn’t responded, “be quiet. I know it's hard for your species, but try it once."

  Link looked back, and just the look that Link gave Bond almost caused Max to laugh. Bond, on the other hand, frowned. But feeling a difference in Max, Bond turned around and stared at the elephant as if his actions were out-of-character for his species.

  Max stepped forward, raising his trunk, smelling the water.

  Bond nodded and said, “Yes, I suspect they've been in there long enough, and I'm sure you're thirsty. Come on." He looked forward at Link and said, "You too. You know what you're supposed to do. It’s not on me if you get yourself killed."

  "Oh, and who else should I blame?” Link said.

  “Would you just be quiet?" Bond growled as he led Max between the rocks and into the ravine. Once in a way, it opened up a little wider, and they entered what looked like a little valley. It was a little wider than the one they had been in before. Here again, there was a sign that there was a large pond, but most of the water was gone.

  Bond looked around and said, nodding at Max, "Did you save anything for him?"

  It was Conquest that answered. "There's some there. Now, get him something to drink, and let's get settled for the night."

  "Yes, sir." Bond responded, and he led Max and Link to the water's edge.

  There was only about an inch of water, and Max held back for just a moment to allow Bond and Link to get a drink. Then he struck his trunk in, took in the water, raised it to his mouth, and within a couple more drinks, there was almost no water. There was certainly not enough water on the ground for Max to get any more.

  Max tried not to sigh, reminding himself once again that he needed to be quiet. He had expected Link to say something, but Link, contrary to his normal nature, kept silent.

  Bond led them off to some grass and indicated to Max that he should lie down. Max did, glad to be done for the day. Bond took and sat Link about 10 feet away and began tying his legs again.

  When Link said, "What are you doing? I don't want to be that close to that animal."

  You've been closer to him all day, and now if you be quiet,” For once, Bond's tone was sharp but he whispered, “you'll be okay.”

  It was then that a small growl was heard. “Come on, we need to talk." The growl and voice were Conquest’s.

  As the last of the light entered their little valley, Bond walked away from Max and Link, off to meet with his comrades. Max couldn't see where they went, but looking back at Link, he could see that he was watching them walk a little way away.

  Once it had been a couple of minutes, Link began to mutter. "You know what I think you guys deserved to be defeated years ago. Yes, even your own mothers must not like you."

  Max gasped and thought, what is Link doing?