Tales of Tavàri and Gabriel

Jungles and temples.

Tavàri and Gabriel were looking for a temple that was supposedly full of gold and treasure. They had stolen the map from The King of Chandeur and his guards were after them. They were making their way through the jungle trying not to leave a trail. Gabriel was in front riding on Bless with Bones following behind. Tavàri was at the back covering up their tracks and creating fake trails through the bushes.

Tavàri felt a sudden sinking sensation as she stepped into a patch of soft ground. She looked down and saw her boot disappear into the dark mud. She tried to pull it out, but it was too late. She was trapped in quicksand.

"Gabriel!" she shouted, hoping he was close enough to hear her.  They had to act fast before the quicksand swallowed her whole.

Gabriel heard Tavàri's shout and turned Bless around. He saw her struggling in the quicksand, about twenty feet away from him. "For f#ck's sake!" He cursed and spurred Bless forward, hoping to reach her in time.

He jumped off his horse and threw one end of his rope to Tavàri. "Grab it!" he yelled. "I'll pull you out!"

Tavàri caught the rope and wrapped it around her waist. She felt Gabriel tug on the other end, but the quicksand was too strong. It was pulling her deeper and deeper.

"Gabriel, it's not working!" she yelled. "You're supposed to be smart!"

"I'm smarter than you Miss. I-stepped-straight-into-quicksand!" He yelled back while straining against the rope.

"Well then get me out of here or I swear to the holy fire sprites I will haunt you when I die!" Tavàri retorted as she sank even further.

Gabriel looked around, desperate for a solution. He saw Bones and Bless standing nearby. He had an idea.

He ran to Bones and grabbed Tavàri's rope from her saddle bag. He tied the other end of his rope to the saddle. Then he tied one end of Tavàri's rope to Bless' saddle and the other end to Bones' saddle. He hoped the horses were strong enough to pull Tavàri out.

"Hurry up!" Tavàri yelled frantically as the quicksand came up to her neck by now.

Gabriel mounted Bless and shouted to Tavàri. "Hold on tight! I'm going to try something!"

Tavàri only heard the first part as her head sank below the surface of the quicksand.

Gabe slapped Bones on the flank and kicked Bless into a gallop, hoping they would follow his lead. The horses ran in opposite directions, creating tension on the ropes. Tavàri felt a sudden jerk as the ropes pulled her out of the quicksand.

She gasped for air as she landed on solid ground. She was covered in mud, but she was alive.

She looked up and saw Gabriel riding towards her on Bless. He jumped off his horse and ran to her side.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concern in his green eyes.

"I'm fine," she said, smiling weakly. "Thanks to you."

He hugged her tightly, relieved that she was safe.

They heard a whimper behind them and turned around. They saw Luna running towards them. She had been following a little bit behind the rest and wandered off from time to time.

She jumped into Tavàri's arms and licked her face.

"Hey, Luna," Tavàri said, stroking her fur. "You're a good girl."

Gabriel smiled.

"Come on," he said. "The sooner we find this temple, the sooner we can get out of this damn jungle."