Day 79
Lake
Last night we heard many strange noises coming from the
jungle. The captain has begun to believe there is something. I suggested it might
be a Razor beak but he is convinced there is something else in the trees.
We spent the day walking around the edge of the lake, my
team and I have manages to document a few sighting of other birds on the island.
Most were tropical birds native to a lot of the pacific islands. Yet one
specimen that stood out was an exceptionally large species of Parrot with a
wing span we estimate around five meters. The bird shares a similar size to a
Macaw yet it lacks the vibrant colours, having a very tan brown coat of
feathers with a maroon underbelly of feathers.
Day 80
alone
We have decided to keep camp at the lake edge till tomorrow
as the research team and I document the local vegetation and fauna in the area.
Day 81
lost
I am lost.
Yesterday as my team was documenting the local wildlife I
foolishly followed a small flightless bird into the forest hoping to sketch it.
After losing the bird I tried to make my way back to camp only to run into a
Razor beak. The vile creature chased me deep into the jungle away from camp. I
managed to avoid it by climbing into the tree canopy. Yet as sun begins to set,
I am stuck sitting here waiting for the razor beak to lose interest and leave.
It seems I am spending the night here__________
Day 82
quila
After waking up in the tree I decided to climb down and head
back to camp as it seemed the Razor beak had moved on. Only to discover that
the creature had been sitting in wait nearby. As the beast pounced on me a
shadowy figure shot down from the trees knocking the giant bird to the ground.
Before I could even comprehend what had occurred the figure grabbed me and
pulled me above the tree canopy. In shock of the events that had transpired I fainted.
Day 82
quilLa
When I came to I was lying in a hollowed out log under an
animal hide. I was in a strange structure that appeared to be made of woven
vines and flax with floorboards of thick bark. There was whispering coming from
the floor beneath me. As I tried to stand I realized the razor beaks claw was
able to cut a sizeable gash into my arm as I cried out in pain. A beautiful
women came up to check on me. It took me a second glance to realize had she had
the ears, leg and tails of a fox. Startled by her appearance she knelt down and
presented me with bowl filled with a green liquid I believed she wanted me to
drink it. I was hesitant at first but her smile washed away any scepticism I
had. The drink had a very herbal taste with sweet undertones. She began to
dress my wound using a huge leaf coated with an herbal paste. I thanked her and
she replied in English, Surprised that she spoke my language I began bombarding
her with question. She silenced me by placing her hand on my mouth. she replied
“rest, we speak later”. After she finished treating my wound. I started to feel
groggy soon after that I passed out.
Day 85
quilLa
I awoke this morning in the log bed checking my wound, I was
amazed to see it had already begun to heal quite rapidly. The gash had closed
up and left a nice scar. I decided to explore the area to hopefully find that
woman and get some answers. As I was searching around the hut looking for a way
out I found a door on the lower level of the hut. Opening the door onto a small
platform revealed that the hut was actually built around the top of a tree that
stands around 50 feet tall. I started looking for a way down when the woman
returned. She greeted me with a smile and asked how my wound was. I told her it
was healing nicely and thanked her for the help. She offered me some fruit to
eat. It was becoming unbearably clear she was far more comfortable in the
current situation than I was. I decided to ask her a few questions which she
seemed more than happy to answer. From that conversation I have gathered the
following:
Her name is Quilla and she is from a race of creatures
called the Vulpua. The Vulpua are a race of sub humans that have evolved
features that resemble that of a Fox. This amazing adaptation seems to have
formed from the dangerous environment they live in. Quilla continued to explain
how her people lived in tribes scattered amongst the tree tops and hunted and
gathered from the tree canopy far above the dangers that lurked below. She
explained to me how she came to learn English. When she was a child a strange
man washed on shore and her tribe took him in he taught a few of the village
members English to help communicate. The Man went on to teach the tribe many
things and even took the chiefs daughter as his wife. The off spring of this
union. Quilla has decided to take me to the chief of the village tomorrow and
introduce me to the tribe. I have tried to explain to her that I am not alone
here and my crew will be looking for me. She said the chief will decide what
happens from here.
Day 86
The Tribe
We left early this morning for the tribe, Quilla explained
that this was a hut was merely a hunters cabin set up as a place to rest for
hunters and it would take us most of the day before we reached the village.
Quilla moved quickly across the trees traversing from one to
the next. I was not so elegant taking my
time slowly and carefully moving from branch to branch. Quilla kept pushing me
to catch up and telling me to act on instinct instead of fear. After a about an
hour I started to lose my fear in falling and started trusting in the branches
to hold and traversing the tree line started to become second nature and I must
say it was truly invigorating.
By sunset we had travelled deep into the heart of the jungle
and Quilla had begun to move far more slowly. I thought this was due to
exhaustion but Quilla explained that the deeper into the jungle we went the
more danger there was. She spoke of a creature called the ligoni that hunted
and devoured anything in their path. Petrified by the thought of something fiercer
than the Razor beaks I decided it best to quietly follow her lead. As night
fell we reached a huge cluster of trees that had grown very close together and
had become further tangled together with vines making a barrier we could not
pass through. Quilla began called me over to a huge tree that had a hole carved
through it this was the entrance to her village. Inside the village were a
group of much older and larger trees that held together the village building
and huts as I looked down I saw the village sat over a swamp. We made our way
to the main hall where we greeted the chief a sizable young man who was excited
to meet me a man like his father. He invited us to feast and I spent the night listing
to stories of the chief’s father and telling tales of the England.
Day 86
The Tribe
This Morning I met with the chief to ask if I could return
and fetch my crew or at the very least tell them I was still alive. The chief
has agreed to send an envoy to go collect my team, I have sent along a note
explaining the situation to the captain hopefully he will come. In the meantime
the chief has assigned Quilla to show me around the village and I’m hoping to
gain a better understanding on how these people live. Quilla seemed happy about
this arrangement. I feel she has become very protective of me less of an
attraction and more of a toy she doesn’t want to share. Quilla spent the rest
of the day introducing me to the village settling their curiosity. From there
she took me to the village’s medicine man who check up on my arm and rewrapped
it in a new bandage. The Medicine man told me if it wasn’t for Quilla I would
have lost the arm.
Yet another reason I owe Quilla so much.
Day 86
The Tribe
Quilla decided to start with clothing. She believes my
clothes only attract attention so she has taken me to the cloth makers who have
made me swap out my ripped pants for a pair of Deerskin leather pants with a
leather pouch a, A loose fitting shirt made of some kind of woven plant fibre
and a pair snake skin armbands. From my wardrobe adjustment Quilla showed me
around the village where they make their clothing and other apparel and how
they are able to turn a type of bamboo into string that they weave and how thy
tan there leather.
Day 87
The Tribe
Today Quilla is going to teach me how to fish. Since there
village is built over the trees of a swampy area of the jungle the land below
is submerged beneath a couple feet of water so we made our way down the village
to the lower levels where the villages swing down with spears and pierce the
before climbing back up the vine with their haul. This method seems to be quite
effective as the fish is completely unsuspecting of the spear till it is too
late. Quilla showed me how it was done a few times before handing me a vine and
spear. Unfortunately I do not have the same incredible eye sight as the Vulpua
and this task seemed impossible to land. I even slipped on the vine and
plummeted into the water. Only to learn that the other reason for them fishing
this was to avoid the crocodiles that lurked in the water. After a hasty swim
for the dock at the base of the tree I was able to avoid becoming lunch for the
prehistoric beast. Tomorrow I will try my hand at actual hunting.
Day 87
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