In the depths of the jungle, an arrow pierces through the trees at high speed, hitting its target: a red circle drawn on a large trunk. Then, four more arrows are consecutively embedded in the same circle with extraordinary precision. A few seconds later, a last arrow is shot, but this one, far from being precise and fast as the previous ones, ends up sticking in the ground and breaking instantly.


—"No. You're putting too much tension on the string! You don't need to pull very hard. Do it gently."

—"N-No hard? But..."

—"You also need to raise the bow a little bit higher. Bring your arms up to the level of your chin and make sure the knuckles of your left hand touch your cheek while you aim the arrow with the fingers of your right hand. Understand?"

—"Ehhhhhh!?"

—"Go on, do it again."

—"Okay. Uhhh... first, Y'shaati raise bow. Then... uhhh, Y'shaati touch... chin... Y'shaati put this... and... and then... uhhh..."

—"Alright, keep going."

—"Uhhh... and... then... n-no hard... and pull... and then... uhhh... uhhhhh... like... like th-this...?"

—"Yes, you got it! Now, remember how I did it? Calm. Take your time, aim well and release it softly. Sooooooftly."

—"S-S-Soooooftlyyyy..."


At that moment, the arrow came out with so little strength that it barely traveled a couple of meters away.


—"Sigh. No, not THAT softly..."

—"Ahhh?! Grrrr!"

—"Let's try it one more time, okay?"

—"No! This too hard! Y'shaati no want try! Y'shaati tired of this! ook ook ook!"

—"Excuse me?!"

—"Y'shaati try and try, but Y'shaati can't! Bow no like Y'shaati and Y'shaati no like bow. Hm!"

—"What? The bow has nothing to do with this. The bow is just a thing, not a someone. It is you who must keep practicing and sharpening your skills!"

—"But why...?"

—"Why? Didn't you say you wanted to be a guardian of the jungle, just like me? To protect those in need?"

—"Uhhh... Y-Yes..."

—"What do you think your gorilla master would say if he could see you giving up?"

—"...."

—"What did he use to say you when you couldn't accomplish something?"

—"Master say... no try. Only do."

—"And he was absolutely right. Listen, I know you've done a great job protecting your Naka'i brothers and sisters for most of your life. But if you want to be able to protect the entire jungle, you'll need more than just your monkey skills or your hidden power. You must become a better version of yourself."

—"A better Y'shaati...?"

—"Exactly. I'm sure you can make it. It won't be easy and it will take time. But I believe in you. You know that, right?"

—"Y-Yes. Uyari always help Y'shaati."

—"I am with you. And you are with me. We are in this together."

—"Y'shaati and Uyari together!"

—"Heh heh. Then what do you say, monkey? Shall we try again?"

—"Okay!"

—"Well said! Now, watch how I'm going to-"

—"No!"

—"Eh?"

—"Y'shaati want do Y'shaati's way..."

—"What? But I thought you would... oh well, all right. Let's see what you've got."

—"Uyari watch Y'shaati, ook ook!"


At that moment, The wild blonde sat down on the grass and held the bow and arrow in a rather unusual way. The brunette observed her unamused and a little worried.


—"Uhhh... may I ask you what you are doing...?"

—"Y'shaati do better like this."

—"Better?! You know... I don't deny you have a great dexterity with your feet. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you manage to do it. But even still, you need to be aware of-"

—"Shhh. Y'shaati concentrated."

—"Oh. I'm sorry."


Suddenly, the blonde turned and pointed her bow in another direction. She had a new, much smaller and more difficult target in her sights. A big mango hanging from a branch.


—"What?! That's way too far, even for more! Are you sure about this?"

—"Y'shaati can. Hmmmm..."

—"Alright then."

—"Raise... pull... aim... aaaaand..."


This time, the arrow was shot at a almost perfect speed and trajectory. Almost. The arrow missed its target, but passed surprisingly close to the fruit, leaving a slight scratch on its surface.


—"Whoa! That was so close to be your first time..."

—"Ahhh?! Grrrr! Y'shaati can do better!"

—"Yes... typical monkey talent, I suppose. Why didn't I think about that from the beginning?"


Commission done by Maxa-art
Commissioned by me
Story and characters by Screwiest