All the boys left the village to hunt. Jake also said goodbye to his dad and left. As he entered the forest, the boys split up and went in different directions. Edward also took his own path, but Jake stayed behind for a moment.
Jake sat down and said, "This is the third month of the year. The weather is hot, and all the animals are searching for water. It's a good time for hunting. But these days, many people from the cities also come to hunt, since animals don't stay around all the time. Still, I'm sure I can find something. The jungle has four sides: the first is where the monkeys live — no one goes there because the monkeys are too smart. Another part is very dangerous and dry, without much water or life. The third part connects to our village, where I am now. Then, there's the last part — the great green side of the jungle. I'll go there. There must always be something to hunt."
Jake started walking toward the green side of the jungle. The green jungle was full of trees and small animals. He walked calmly, not worried about anything. Then, he saw an apple tree. "Wow, apples!" he said. "I'm lucky. If I have fruit, I don't need to kill small animals for meat." He picked some apples and continued exploring, looking for animals to hunt.
But there were only small creatures — rabbits, little birds. Jake sighed, "What the hell is this? This jungle used to be full of great animals. Why is there nothing now? Where are the wolves, lions, tigers? What's wrong?"
Just then, a loud roar echoed from a cave nearby. Jake froze. "What was that?" he whispered. The sound came from a cave in the mountain. "That must be a lion… but the roar was huge," he thought. Jake hesitated, thinking what to do. Then an idea came to him. "I'll wait outside. When the lion comes out, I'll kill it! Yes, that's a good plan." He smiled proudly.
But then, he saw something strange — a rabbit carrying some fruits into the cave. "What's wrong with that rabbit?" Jake wondered. "He's going to a dangerous place like that? He'll be killed for sure." But a few minutes later, the rabbit came back out alive. Jake was shocked. "Don't tell me… that lion is the king of this jungle. Of course! That's why there are no other dangerous animals here."
He was amazed. "I want to write about this lion someday." But then, the lion roared again — this time in pain. Jake sighed, "No, no, I'm not going to help him. No way!" But the sound came again, louder, full of pain. Jake frowned, "Damn it! Why do I always get myself into trouble?"
He started moving toward the cave, crouched low, and entered carefully. Inside, he saw something unbelievable — not an ordinary lion, but a massive one, ten times bigger than a normal lion. The lion saw Jake and leapt toward him, trying to attack. Jake ran back, and the lion fell to the ground. That's when Jake saw the truth — several large arrows were stuck in the lion's leg. The lion was too weak to stand.
Jake whispered, "What should I do now? If I kill it, I'll be a hero in the village and they'll let me stay. I can do it…" He raised his bow, but as he stepped closer, his hands trembled, and the bow fell from his grip. "No… not again," he said. "Why can't I kill anyone? It's just a lion! It could kill me! Why am I like this?"
Then Jake threw his bow aside and sighed. "Fine. I'll do it my way." He knelt beside the lion and examined the arrows. "You'll feel some pain, but forgive me," he whispered. "Now that I see you closely… you're not a male lion. You're a female."
Jake gently pulled the arrows out from her leg, cleaned the wounds, and wrapped them with leaves. Then he took out some fish meat from his bag and placed it before her. At first, the lion refused to eat, but after a while, she accepted it.
Jake stayed with the lion for two days, helping her recover. By the second day, she was able to stand again. She became friendly toward Jake, and he smiled often, though deep down he was worried. "I didn't hunt any animal… they'll throw me out of the village. I don't care about the village, but my mom and dad are there…"
He walked out of the cave, and to his surprise, saw many beautiful animals around — parrots, deer, monkeys, and peacocks. A small monkey even came to him and gave him a flower. Jake smiled. "Maybe this is the reward for my kindness." He waved goodbye to the animals and to the lion, then started walking back to the village.
But when he got close, he saw black smoke rising from the village. "What is that? Did someone's house catch fire?" He ran as fast as he could. When he reached the village, his heart stopped — everything was burning. The bodies of the villagers lay everywhere.
Jake's mind went blank. He stumbled forward among the dead. Then, he saw his father — standing upright, but with eight swords stabbed into his back. His body was lifeless, but he still held one sword in his hand.
"Dad! Dad, what happened to you?!" Jake cried, running to him. But there was no answer. Then he looked nearby and saw his mother's shawl. He rushed to it — and there she was, her neck cut, lying lifeless on the ground.
Jake fell to his knees, his soul breaking apart. He sat silently, unable to breathe. Then, something heavy hit his head from behind — and Jake fell into darkness.Jake woke up. His vision was blurry — he could not see clearly at first. After a little time, he looked around and saw that he was bound in chains. He looked about and saw another person there.
Jake asked, "Where am I? What happened to my village?"
The man who was sitting nearby answered, "Calm, boy. Stay calm. Soon we all will be dead inside the hands of the Mongol army. Now only God can save us