A Day in the Life of a Kabaruningdo

Marisol is an animal called a Kabaruningdo. She is very small, and lives on the Amazon Rainforest floor. She is beautiful, with shimmery transparent wings, and large eyes. She has a best friend name Gabbie, who is a goldfish that lives in the Amazon River.

Marisol does not have a family, however, she does consider Gabbie her family. Marisol doesn't often meet any other animals. She isn't noticed on the forest floor. Marisol eats a certain type of plant called a Bitty Bush. They are very small and it takes her keen eyesight to find one.

Marisol doesn't like change very much. She has lived in the same area of the forest her whole life, eaten the same plants, played with the same goldfish, and slept in the same spot for as long as she could remember.

One day, Marisol decided to take a stroll down to the river to see her friend Gabbie. It had been raining for the past week, causing Marisol to stay under her makeshift shelter-a stick against a tree with a leaf on top. She could hear the rushing Amazon River from where she was standing.

Marisol had a little skip to her step because the sun was shining and she was happy to frolick through the rainforest. As Marisol was approaching the river she stopped dead in her tracks. The Amazon was as fierce as she had ever seen it. The water was racing down, as far as her keen eyes could see. "The rain must have flooded it," she thought to herself.

Marisol knew that it was dangeroud around the river when it was like that, but she needed to know if Gabbie was alright. She walked carefully over to the river's bank. She could feel the mist spraying up at her, moistening her shimmery wings. "Gabbie!" she called. "Gaaaabbbie!!!!" There was no sign of her. Marisol thought she saw a hint of an orange goldfish down on the other side of the bank. She called out to see if it was Gabbie, but the sound of the rushing water drowned her out.

Marisol saw her chance to see if that glimmer was Gabbie and if she was okay. There was a path of rocks leading to the other side of the bank. Marisol knew how treacherous it was, but had to see her friend. She started the walk, careful not to slip in. She tiptoed across the first rock, then the second, then the third, with great ease. The fourth and last rock was farther from the third rock than the others had been. She decided that she had to jump. Marisol leaped into the air, and just as her foot touched the rock, she slipped into the churning water and hit her head on the rock. She was knocked unconscious as she was carried down with the river.

Marisol woke up with her wings spread open on a sandy beach. She sat up and felt a big lump on her head. "Oh dear," she said to herself, "where am I?"

Out of nowhere a voice hissed, "Why, my child, you are in the Amazon Rainforesssst."

Marisol heard the voice but could not see where it was coming from. "Wh-wh-where are you?"

All of a sudden a huge cobra slithered out from behind Marisol. "You don't have to worry, sssssweeet little thing, I will take care of you," the snake slyly hissed.

Now, Marisol was very scared, because she knew about the dangers of cobras. She had heard some birds squawking about one just the other day. They were talking about how one of their old birds had been tricked by a cobra, and gotten himself eaten. Marisol knew that she had to act just as slyly as he did, in order to get back to her home alive.

"Thank you kind sir, but you see, I think I lost my favorite black shiny stone in the river. It fell off the edge of the bank onto a rock. I cannot reach it. If you could get my prized rock back for me, I will do anything for you."

"Anything?" the cobra snakily asked.

"Oh, yes sir," Marisol replied.

The cobra laughed to himself thinking about what a foolish little animal she was. "Of courssssse," the snake said.

He slid over to the edge of the bank. He wrapped his tail around a small saplings stalk and lowered himself down to the back. "I do not ssssee it!" he called, sounding a bit distressed.

"It's down there somewhere!" Marisol yelled.

Just then, she saw her opportunity. Using her teeth, she clamped down on the snake's tail. He screamed in agony as he fell off the back and the river carried him far, far down.

He called, "You rotten little creature! I will get you for thissssss!"

Marisol smiled to herself and tried to organize her thoughts. She had to get back home. From what she remembered, she fell into the river, which must have carried her to this point. Marisol figured that if she followed the river the opposite of the way it flowed, she would find her way home.

First, Marisol chomped on some leaves. She didn't have time to look for a Bitty Bush because she wanted to travel as far as she could in the daylight, and it was already past midday. Marisol wearily walked down the Amazon Riverm thinking about how much she missed home. The sun was just setting when she saw, in the distance, a dark figure, laying right in the middle of her path. She waled a bit further, when she recognized the animal. It was Kehar, the panther! His abdomen was rising and falling, letting Marisol know that he was sleeping.

"Oh dear," she thought, "What am i going to do?" Marisol was very nervous. She said to herself, "Maybe i can just sneak past him, and he won't even notice." She doubted this could happen, but attempted it anyway.

She inched across the ground, taking great caution not to make a sound. She was almost done tiptoeing aroung the panther, when she came up to his tail. She was very small, but Kehar's tail was very thick. She would have to climb over it.

Marisol lifted one leg over the tail. "Piece of cake," she thought to herself.

She had one leg on one side of the tail, and one leg on the other. Now, all she had to do was to carefully lift the other leg over Kehar's tail. She did it with ease, and sighed in relief. She started to tiptoe away from the panther when she tripped over a small pebble and fell into a small pointy bush. "Owwwww!!!!!!" Marisol screamed. She realized what she had done when she heard a large growl.

"Who dare wake the sleeping Kehar? Who is this brave creature?" the panther remarked.

Marisol knew that she was too small to fight the panther. She knew how angry Kehar was and also that he would eat her without a second though. She knew that she would have to run for it.

While Kehar was prowling along the bank looking for the "brave creature", Marisol darted out from underneath the prickly bush. She ran as fast as her tiny legs could take her and never looked back until she reached a large bend in the river. Around the bend she saw that the forest had become dense, and was very dark and mysterious. Marisol knew that she would have to travel through it in order to get back home.

Marisol walked slowly to the edge of the dark trees, and built up her courage by saying there was nothing to be afraid of. When she felt confident, she entered the darkness. She could see a path and could still hear the running river water.

Marisol's heart was beating rapidly. She was starting to get sfraid. She looked around, but could see nothing but dark outlines of trees. Just then, she heard a rustling sound behind her. A large figure lurched out from behind the trees.

Marisol tried to run, but the figure clamped its huge hand around her and over her mouth, stopping her from screaming as well. "WHY ARE YOU IN MY PART OF THE FOREST? DO YOU NOT KNOW THE CONSEQUENCES FOR THIS HORRIBLE ACT?" the creature shouted.

"Mmmm, mmm," Marisol tried to answer through the creature's hand.

"SILENCE!!! I will not have this!!!! You are to be burned at the stake at once!" The creature, still holding on to Marisol, conjured a long wooden post with small sticks around it with his free hand.

"This creature must be magic!" Marisol thought to herself. "What am I going to do?"

The creature threw Marisol against the post causing her to fall limply onto the pile of sticks around the post. The creature hoisted her up and tied her to the post.

Marisol was shocked and frightened. This time, she had no way to escape. The creature was to big to try to injure, and was to magically powerful to try to outsmart. She knew that she would soon die, and felt her life flashing before her.

As the creature was flickering with his hands trying to start a fire, Marisol felt the rope tying her loosen. She froze, wondering if it was just her imagination, but moved her wings and hands and felt that they were free!

Just then, Marisol heard a splash from the nearby Amazon River. The creature stopped what he was doing and looked up. "Who's there?" he said. "I WOULD LEAVE THIS AREA IF I WERE YOU!!!! LEAVE IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S BEST!!!!" the creature bellowed. Marisol heard a hint of fear in his voice.

Marisol thought for a moment and then said, "You know about the Amazonian Water Dragon, right?"

The creature looked straight at Marisol, saying, a liitle bit unsure of himself, "There is no such thing!"

"Oh yes, there most certainly is. Why, my great-great-great-grandmother was eaten up by the very monster!"

"Sh-Sh-She was? But I am big and strong! Certainly this dragon could not eat me up! Right?"

"Oh yes it could, it most certainly could..." Marisol said quietly, for she saw a long slender figure sneaking up behind the creature.

"RARRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!" Kehar pounced upon the creature, sinking its nails deep inside its skin, making the creature scream in agony.

Marisol saw her opportunity and ran towards the sound of the Amazon River. There she saw Gabbie! Gabbie cried. "Hurry! Hop on my back!" Marisol did as she was told. Gabbie swam as fast as she could without speaking to Marisol until the roars had faded far away.

"How-how did you know?" Marisol stammered, still frightened by the experience.

"Well, I heard someone screaming for me this morning, but I was too tired to see who it was. If it was you, I knew you would have waited. But then I heard a splash in the water above me. I swam up and I saw something floating quickly around the bend in the river. It dawned on me that it might have been you, so I tried to catch up. You were too far ahead. Eventually, I did catch up to you, right as that snake fell in the water. Then I saw you by the sleeping Kehar and I knew not to make a sound when you passed by him. I was traveling the opposite way of the current, so naturally it was very hard to swim and catch up to you. I was trying my best when I heard you scream. I was worried that something might have happened to you, so I thought of the best plan possible." Gabbie explained.

"Oh yes, it all makes sense now. You asked Kehar to run ahead and save me, but one thing isn't clear. How in the world did you get Kehar to do you a favor?" Marisol asked.

"Well, let's say we made a little bargain. I told him that you would help him get well whenever he is sick by finding herbs or whatever other remedy that would work."

"You said what?"

"Well, you know how you always have little ideas of how to cure things, plus youe eyesight will help to find the materials needed. Hey, it saved your life didn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess." Marisol said.

"Look at the bright side," Gabbie said, "you'll never have to worry about getting eaten by Kehar again!"

"Gabbie, how will I ever repay you?" Marisol asked.

"Your friendship is the only thing that I need." Gabbie replied happily.

They swam on, somewhat changed, they both felt it, but couldn't explain it. What they felt was a stronger bond, true friendship that would last forever.

And from that day forward, Marisol and Gabbie were always together, and always helping each other out when they were in trouble.

Marisol eventually found a mate when she was a bit older, and she gave birth to a young female Kabaruningdo named Zoe.

Also, from that day forward, Kabs and panthers lived in peace, helping each other with things impossible to do themselves.

All in all, Marisol lived an excellent life, filled with lots of adventures and best of all, friends.

All in all Marisol lived very pleasantly, and will never forget when her best friend saved her life.