In a soothing journey through a dense forest reminiscent of a broccoli forest, the fog began to thin out. Around the path they traversed, several areas appeared damaged and battered from the onslaught of the giant white crocodiles.
"Uncle! Are you alright?" Agniran stood beside Solor.
"All good," Solor replied while stroking and checking on his horse.
Handoko stood observing their surroundings—a few short, fallen trees and snapped giant roots.
"What about those crocodiles?" Handoko stepped forward slowly. The butt of his spear occasionally tapped the mossy forest floor as he drew closer.
"They have been imprisoned."
"Really? Is it safe now, Uncle?" Handoko asked, repeating his question while looking down at Solor's much shorter stature, reaching only up to his waist.
"That's why we must leave here quickly before they break free!" Solor said as he resumed walking while leading his horse by the reins.
Agniran followed Solor, who walked swiftly leading his horse, leaving Handoko still looking around in confusion, searching for the whereabouts of the crocodiles.
"Hey, come on!" Joko shouted, turning around and gesturing for Handoko to resume walking toward the cliff.
"Where on earth did those crocodiles go?" Handoko stopped running and was now walking briskly beside Joko, who was also rushing, focused on looking straight ahead, following Agniran vigilantly.
"You heard their roars, didn't you? Maybe they fell into the ravine."
A dimple appeared near his long lips. The fair-skinned youth turned toward Joko. "Which ravine? Is there a ravine in the north?"
"Whenever someone talks to you, you always give nonsensical responses." Joko turned his gaze back toward Solor and Agniran, who were walking fast up ahead.
Joko's thick eyebrows knitted together. He glanced briefly at Handoko beside him. "Well, you asked, so I answered, yet you never agree..."
Handoko walked quickly to catch up with Agniran, until he was now beside Solor. He looked slightly downward. "Uncle, where did those crocodiles go?"
Solor raised his index finger as if giving a signal. "I lured them into a root trap. I saw them destroying the forest floor, so let the forest punish them."
As soon as he finished speaking, his right palm covered his lips. "Hee-hee..."
Handoko looked back toward the cliff ahead with a doubtful expression. "Seriously?"
His pace slowed down. The black udeng binding his fair forehead stood out in stark contrast. Now Handoko's gentle eyes observed Solor slightly behind him.
"You seem to be Master Solor Jayusman, aren't you?"
"I saw you whistle, and those crocodiles followed you. Perhaps it's true that you are the famous handler from Nawijem, right?"
Solor turned his body to face Handoko, even as both kept walking briskly. He then extended his index finger and touched Handoko's thigh as if pressing a button.
"Spot on..."
Handoko offered a faint smile, which did not go unnoticed by Agniran and Joko.
"Right? I knew it..."
"I know you have a topknot, and..." Handoko's words trailed off as he hesitated, afraid of offending Solor over his small body size. "...and why do people call you Solor the Pouty Ant Egg?"
Solor merely glanced up at Handoko. "What's with you? Out of the three of you, you're the only one who keeps asking questions!"
Instantly, Handoko's expression turned into an awkward smile as he tried to refocus his gaze on the cliff ahead.
"Don't know, Wi..." Joko chimed in from behind them.
"Just leave him be, Master. That guy rarely gets thirsty, which is why he carries a water bottle..." Joko faced downward, staring at the leaves while swinging his machete to cut through the brush obstructing their path.
His narrow eyes stared at the bun of Handoko's hair from behind. "If he hadn't brought one, he'd probably have stayed quiet all this time."
Handoko immediately turned back in annoyance, "What do you mean by that!!?"
Joko merely responded by pointing the handle of his machete and gently pushing Handoko, disrupting his footing.
Handoko looked up. His fair, smooth skin was complemented by thick eyebrows extending past the outer corners of his eyes, gazing at the branches of the rain trees shading the path amidst the fog. His long, pink lips with sharply defined brownish borders parted.
"Well, isn't it better to ask than to get lost along the way?"
"What's wrong with asking? Who knows, it might broaden our knowledge."
Now his handsome, ever-fresh face turned toward Agniran, then to Solor. A subtle smile expanded, making his long lips stretch even wider, as if inviting them to agree with his sentiment.
"Hee-hee... I'm starting to like you." Solor tapped his index finger against the side of Handoko's thigh once more.
Their feet stepped onto the rough, mossy stones amidst the twisting roots.
"Watch out!!! A crocodile behind you!!!"
Solor raised his index finger, pointing behind Handoko.
Instantly, the three youths moved quickly, about to run in shock.
"Where?!" Handoko's heart rate spiked.
Meanwhile, Agniran and Joko looked around frantically, trying to spot the crocodile Solor had pointed out.
"Why are you guys so startled?" Solor asked while walking backward, still leading his horse.
He turned his body around as he kept moving forward. "I see, which means you guys actually believe me..."
His eyes fixed on Agniran walking beside him. "Why do you trust me, even though we just met? Is it because I'm the guardian of the swamp? Or because I once won a contest?"
"We didn't know, Master. I thought there really was a crocodile just now." Agniran looked at Solor in confusion.
"See? Why did you believe me when I shouted to fool you?!" Solor pressed them further.
"Because you saved us from those giant crocodiles, Master," replied Handoko, who walked supported by his spear beside Agniran.
"Truth be told, I was worried about my horse, but you all managed to save him..."
"Ah, think nothing of it, Master. We were just helping each other," Agniran muttered, looking at him.
"I thought you trusted me because I'm known as the guardian of the swamp or because I won a contest."
"Well, that is remarkable, Master," Agniran added.
"No... No... No..." Solor turned around to face the three of them, walking backward once more.
"I am a disappointment..." He lowered his gaze.
"Don't say that, Master. We saw you whistle and instantly make those crocodiles follow you..." Handoko looked at him.
"Not everyone can do that."
"That's true, Master," Joko added, looking at him as well.
"Sometimes a person may seem disappointing, but it doesn't mean their heart intends to harm." Agniran gazed at the brighter light in the fog ahead, where the silhouette of the cliff appeared vaguely.
Stretching out long before them through the fog was a bridge built of white stone, carved with bold, sturdy geometric reliefs, illuminated by the sun as late afternoon approached.
"Yes, Master. So your name is Master Solor. Where are you heading?" Agniran's voice sounded calm. His clean, oval, light-brown face turned slightly sideways and downward, looking at Solor walking alongside them.
"Hmm... Me...?" Solor walked while stroking the belly of the horse he was leading toward the white railing of the bridge. "To be honest, I'm confused myself." His left fingers touched and rubbed the white limestone crust, partly covered in moss, as his feet kept moving. "There is no fixed destination..."
That statement aroused the curiosity of the three youths behind him.
"Because my house has been destroyed." Solor's eyes stared down into the ravine where soft mist hung, shrouding the roots protruding from the cliff wall.
The confession added to the anxiety and grief of the three youths.
"Huh, destroyed?" Handoko muttered.
"I am sorry to hear that," Agniran added gently.
Solor paused for a moment. Both of his hands, still holding the reins, rested on top of the white railing with his chin propped upon them. He looked down at the steep cliff that was not overly high. Down below, he saw a river flowing eastward, while on its banks lay two giant white crocodiles, frozen like statues.
The striking sight caught the attention of the three youths. They stopped in their tracks as well and leaned their abdomens against the bridge railing.
"Mmm, if you don't mind me asking, Master..." Handoko stepped closer. "What happened to your home?" His gaze was fixed on the two giant white crocodiles down by the cliff.
Solor remained in the same position. His thin mustache, with long, straight tips reaching his chin, swayed with the movement of his full lips. "Because of an earthquake..."
The three youths were shocked to hear that statement. "Huh, an earthquake?" Handoko gasped in surprise, frowning at Solor beside him.
"So yesterday afternoon's earthquake reached all the way there?" Agniran added softly.
"Yes, yesterday's earthquake was quite severe, leaving behind impacts beyond expectations."
The hearts and emotions of the three youths beat even faster.