Chapter 11

  The Mission - Link

  Link whispered, "I don't know if you remember, but about the time you fell, there was a growing rebellion amongst the gorillas toward the rest of the Forest of Animals."

  Max shook his head slightly, so Link assumed he didn't remember.

  Link wasn't surprised. They were both young at the time, just old enough to start understanding the things that were going on around them, and so he continued.

  "The gorillas were led by a fierce guerrilla named Conquest. He conquered all the other guerrilla tribes. He even killed many of those who offended him. He seemed to be a great strategist. And for a time, the Ruling Council didn't know how they were going to confront him without losing many lives. However, with reinforcements from the unicorns and the centaurs. The council was able to rout Conquest and his followers. They escaped down the Bridge of Hope, but it was reported by one of the birds flying nearby that Conquest vowed to get revenge. He vowed he would come back and destroy the Forest of Animals."

  Max seemed to stumble, but Link then realized he was actually nodding his head.

  Link was concerned that Max had not remembered some of the details about where they came from. How the Upper Plains were part of what was called the Forest of Animals, which included both the Upper Plains, the Great Forest, and the mountains between. The Council of Animals was exactly that. A council of animals joined together to bring peace and to solve problems between the different animal species. For most of its history, there had been few problems that could not be easily solved.

  It was the uprising of the gorillas and the brutality of Conquest that Link remembered hearing about as a child. He was proud that the forest of animals was able to join together, but also saddened that a group of animals would join to fight the others. Link thought he had better explain more to Max.

  Link continued, “Not all the gorillas that took offense against the forest of animals, but a majority of those, as I said, joined him. And the ones who didn't barely escaped with their lives and their families before Conquest killed all who opposed him."

  Link could feel Max shake his head. Link knew that Max understood. It was hard to imagine any animals doing anything so unkind. To want to fight against other animals was horrible, yet killing their own was almost inconceivable.

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  Unfortunately, Link knew that wasn't the end of the story.

  " A watch was placed at the Bridge of Hope, and there was no sign of Conquest or his followers. So, we hoped that Conquest died in the Lower Plains or decided to just go away.”

  Link continued, “Two seasons ago, a parrot named Gab came to the council of animals and told them something no one wanted to believe. He thought he heard some suspicious activity going on among the gorillas. He said that as he understood it, they had a new leader or a leader had come out of hiding. There was some confusion because everyone knew Conquest was their leader, and he hadn’t returned. Gab seemed to indicate there was a plan to attack the forest of animals. Of course, more watches were put on the Bridge of Hope. Gab said the attack would come from some other direction.”

  Link paused a moment, remembering the confusion in the council, especially among the younger members like him. Link knew he had to finish the tale. “Gab agreed to go back and see if he could find out more, but he never returned. And so it was finally decided that two volunteers would go out and scout the Lower Plains to see where conquests and his gorillas had gone. That's why Jezreel and I are out here. We were sworn to secrecy because the counsel was afraid a spy was in the forest of animals.”

  Max paused for a moment, but then continued. Link guessed because Max, like him, couldn’t believe one of their own would help destroy their home. Link wondered if Max thought Jezreel thought he was the spy, so he said, “You couldn't be that spy. You've been here since you fell off that cliff."

  Link paused a moment, allowing Max to understand all that he had said, and then moved to what was recent. "I was tasked with looking through the rivers near here to see if I could find any of the gorillas. At first, we saw nothing. Then, Jezreel said she spotted a group of gorillas coming from across the desert toward this place. She reported to me that she had seen an elephant killed when a tree fell on it, and I now know that it was you. What made her make note of you was that not long after you were knocked out, the gorillas gathered up the rest of the elephants. They herded them off in this direction. By the time I got here, I had seen the signs that elephants had passed and met up with Jezreel. That is when you arrived.”

  Link wanted Max’s help but also wanted him to know what might happen to them, so he raised his voice just a bit. He wanted Max to understand clearly, “I want to help get you home, but we need to find what's happening. If you don't want to join us, just stop, let me off, and I'll point you back toward the Bridge of Hope. But if you keep following this way, I don't know what we'll find. You will probably get yourself into real danger. None of us might make it home. I want your help. I think you are supposed to be here, but I want you to know the truth. You could die.”

  Link raised his voice even more on those last few words, and it was a mistake. Link was quickly going to regret it.