At the end of the day, the twilight sky revealed itself over the Lumut Mountains. The fog thickened, as if the mysteries hidden beneath the shade of its trees were about to welcome them.
A gentle ravine breeze blowing across the Jalur Lumut bridge softly ruffled Handoko's loose hair. Having been walking alongside Joko all this time, he seemed to agree.
"It will be dark soon," Handoko said. A thin mustache extending along his smile adorned his firmly defined, almost square jaw. His thick black eyebrows occasionally knit together and relaxed following the movement of his narrow eyes. His raised arm revealed well-defined muscles, portraying a youth accustomed to physical training.
Fuuuggghh... Several times gravel flew across the cliff. Joko was trying to hurl stones at two giant white crocodiles that had remained motionless in the river far below.
"I wonder what those crocodiles do when night falls?"
"Yeah. They haven't moved at all." A reddish-orange glow pierced through the fog, stroking his straight, calm nose bridge. His fair skin seemed to reflect the surrounding ambient light.
"Master Solor, back when we helped your horse earlier, why didn't those crocodiles leave when you whistled?" Handoko, walking beside Joko, shouted slightly while carrying his spear, looking at Solor who was walking a little ways ahead with Agniran.
Solor looked back. At that moment, he was walking backward, facing his horse beside Agniran.
"I know, it's because of their massive bodies!"
Handoko raised his chin. "Oh, so they can't crawl up here..." His clear pair of eyes looked far toward the two crocodiles resting motionless by the riverbank, deep below the cliff. His gaze was serene, yet held a sharpness that seemed to make him grasp situations faster than the others.
Twilight slowly drifted into the embrace of total darkness, like a single thread of light being drawn away from the sky. The heavens above the Lumut Mountains now faded into a purplish-gray hue, leaving behind final flecks of light swallowed by the mist. Wisps of fog began to squirm among the tall trees, caressing the tips of old leaves that rustled softly in the damp wind coming from the bridge they had just left behind.
The white stone path faded in and out of sight, gradually consumed by thick green moss and ancient roots protruding like the earth's hands seeking to grasp them once more. The scent of damp soil, mingled with the lingering breeze of the old forest, seeped into their breaths.
After treading the path for a while—where the white paving appeared only sporadically between moss and roots—Solor's eyes caught sight of a tree. In the midst of the forest's gloomy shadows stood a colossal rain tree. Its trunk twisted like an ancient bonsai that had grown for hundreds of years undisturbed by humans. Its leaves hung densely, forming a natural canopy that held back the remaining light of the night.
At the base of its trunk, thick roots writhed like sleeping dragons, shaping an arch that resembled the mouth of a small cave. Behind those roots lay a fairly spacious and dry cavity, suitable as an unexpected shelter in the deep wilderness of the Lumut Mountains.
"We stay here for the night," Solor said at last. His voice was quiet yet firm, like a guide who knew precisely when to stop before danger emerged from the dark.
"How many days have you been staying here?" Both of his hands tied the saddle strap to a root, then he led his horse into the root cave beneath the tree and fed it a bunch of fresh leaves to eat.
The three youths were seen tidying up the surrounding area.
"Just one night," Agniran said as he lifted mossy stones.
"I wonder, how on earth did you end up being chased by those crocodiles?" Solor walked over carrying an elephant yam and a few bananas, while his fingers held a knife as he approached them busy making preparations.
"Ah, that started earlier this morning, Master," Handoko said while cleaning off moss and dirt between the paving stones.
"...Yes, while we were sleeping..." Agniran added softly. His head remained lowered, while his hands calmly arranged stones on top of the paved path, as if each stone had been carefully chosen for its place.
Thump! Joko arrived. His strong hands released a bundle of cut branches and logs toward Agniran.
"While you were sleeping?" Solor placed his fruits onto a paving stone near the stack of wood and the circular stone arrangement set up by Agniran.
Click! A spark of flame produced by the fire starter ignited the short torch he held, slowly illuminating their surroundings.
Agniran raised the short torch in front of the pile of wood. The flickering glow dancing across his face emphasized his sharp jawline and slender cheeks. Long sideburns on both sides of his face formed a distinctive silhouette, while his eyes calmly reflected the flame as his hand spread the fire evenly across the wood.
"That's right, Master."
Solor arranged a stone to sit on, then his deft hands began peeling the elephant yam he had just retrieved on top of the paving.
His legs were spread wide apart. His face was bowed, his eyes focused on peeling the elephant yam.
"Heheh... So what were those crocodiles doing while you were sleeping?" Solor smiled broadly. His head remained down, looking at the elephant yam he was peeling. The campfire glow in front of him swept across his oval face, accentuating its features adorned with a warm smile.
Handoko quickly set his spear down on the paved floor, then used both hands to shift a stone closer to the campfire, which was now spreading bright, warm light around them.
"Well, Master, it wasn't crocodiles that bothered us while we were asleep..." His legs were bent in an open position, with his forearms resting on his knees.
Handoko's words caught the attention of Agniran, who was tucking his short torch into a vine wrapping around the tree trunk where Solor's horse was sheltered.
Handoko's eyes were fixed on Solor, who was almost done peeling the elephant yam in his hands.
"...It was a golden deer."
Instantly, the skin on Solor's arms grew rough with goosebumps. Every hair stood on end, spreading up the back of his neck.
"Huh?!" Solor abruptly stood up, his hands pausing in peeling the elephant yam. Slowly, his expression transformed from plain to radiant. A broad smile spread uncontrollably across his face, while his eyes looked at Handoko beside him with intense enthusiasm.
"Huh?!" Solor tilted his head up. His gaze swept over the lush foliage of the towering rain tree, lost in the night mist far beyond the reach of the campfire glow.
His smile broadened further. In a hurried yet passionate motion, he thrust the partially peeled elephant yam and his knife toward Agniran, then rushed over to Wus Wus, who was happily chewing on leaves.
From the front, Solor hugged his horse's head tightly.
"Ah... Wus Wus, that beautiful creature..." He closed his eyes, pressing his cheek against the horse's head, immersed in an uncontainable joy.
Agniran, who had just sat down comfortably holding the knife and the elephant yam, suddenly stared at Handoko in front of him. They exchanged looks for a moment, appearing bewildered by Solor's behavior. After all, they had only just met him. All they knew about the man was his name, not his profound love for animals that made his joy overflow so genuinely.
"Does Master Solor want that deer too?" Handoko asked while watching Solor. Unbeknownst to him, Joko leaned forward to sit extremely close behind him. The burly youth's legs were spread wide, straddling Handoko's sitting position while resting both arms on his knees. He deliberately stayed that close, enjoying his mischievous trick without uttering a single word.
Solor's smile shifted as his eyes opened wide.
Solor turned toward Handoko, then hurried over to him. He bent down slightly until his face was merely inches away from Handoko's.
"Is what you said true?!"
"That golden deer?!"
Handoko remained silent. His pair of eyes froze, following Solor's darting gaze so close in front of him.
Meanwhile, Joko, still maintaining his prank behind Handoko, inadvertently let the tip of his nose—illuminated by the campfire light—gently brush against the strands of curly hair hanging at his friend's nape.
Handoko's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.
"Yes, Uncle. Back then, the deer was sniffing my cheek!"
"Is it really made of gold?!"
Handoko's expression turned fearful. "Yes, made of gold! Even when its ticklish whiskers touched me, I felt it..."
"Yes, made entirely of gold. I couldn't believe it myself when I first saw it..." Agniran said softly. Without pausing his hands from peeling the elephant yam, he occasionally raised his face to ensure Solor was still paying attention to the conversation.
Solor slowly straightened up, moving away from Handoko's face, then turned around while raising his head, letting out a long, suppressed huff.
Agniran and Handoko looked at each other again without a word. They had not expected the man they had just met to be so deeply lost in expressing his excitement over the mere story of a golden deer.
Solor walked around the campfire, his gaze fixed on Handoko, who looked curious about what was actually coming over him.
"No wonder you were chased by those crocodiles!" The tips of his thin eyebrows came together. "That is a beautiful and precious creature..." He paused, then raised his index finger. "If you hunt that creature, you will be led straight into danger!" The tip of his index finger pointed directly at Handoko, as if tapping the air.
Handoko abruptly straightened his back. That movement accidentally bumped Joko's face, which had been pressing close behind him all along. Only then did he realize his friend's presence.
Handoko, realizing Joko was there, stood up and stepped over to adjust his spot. He shifted his seat closer to Agniran before looking back at Solor. He stole a challenging glance at Joko that seemed to say, "Wanna fight?!", as his seat had been taken.
He turned his face back to Solor. "Sure enough, at that time we managed to capture it. But by noon, the golden deer broke free from our vine bindings..."
"When we tried to recapture it, the deer ran toward a lake inhabited by those giant white crocodiles..."
Solor snapped his fingers. "I understand."
He walked back to his original spot, then sat down on the stone facing the campfire—where Handoko and Joko were already roasting pieces of elephant yam using their respective weapons. He looked at each of the three youths. "Do you know the name of this creature?"
Solor straightened his back. "This is Dadung Kawilis."
"Not easily found..."
"A creature that has lived for over thousands of years..." His hand stroked his straight beard downward.
"A beautiful creature, yet deadly."
Agniran offered the hilt of his sword toward Solor, who then took hold of it. "You know, I have always dreamed of stroking its fur and hugging it..." His face flushed slightly as he smiled.
His eyes widened as he stared at the cooked fruit at the tip of Agniran's sword.
"No!!"
"This creature misleads!"
"I know Dadung Kawilis is a creature that snares desire..." he murmured between bites of elephant yam.
"Even though this morning I told them we should just hack off its tail to sell," Joko said in a heavy voice. "A chunk of gold that big is quite something, right? We could split the proceeds with the Old Man in the village," he muttered while eating a piece of elephant yam taken from the tip of his machete.
"Yet Agniran and Handoko wanted to bring it to the village instead... Haha..." Joko smiled broadly until his narrow eyes squinted even further. His gaze did not shift from the elephant yam freshly roasted at the tip of his machete. Occasionally he blew on its surface, which still emitted thin wisps of steam, before biting into it greedily, as if refusing to miss a single bit of its warm deliciousness.
The three youths enjoyed dinner in an atmosphere that was much calmer and more entertaining. They listened to Solor intently, as though every tale of creatures coming from his mouth belonged to a swamp guardian who had known nature all his life.
"However, one thing!"
The three youths around the campfire looked at him in unison.
"This creature can only be obtained by those who are truly supreme in mastery and power." His mouth was busy chewing, savoring the elephant yam with his eyes scanning the flesh for slightly charred bits.
He continued, "Possessing deep knowledge of the spiritual and occult..."
He raised his face, then handed the sword hilt back toward Agniran. "Why do I call this a creature?"
He raised his index finger. "Because Dadung Kawilis indeed is a creature..." Then his finger tapped toward each of the three youths in turn. "Yet, in truth, it is a mystical being."
His face froze, gazing at Agniran. They locked eyes for a long moment.
"You are fortunate to have felt its touch."