Salvation.

4


Higeoyaji awoke to the sound of slow, loud and heavy banging.
“What, I’m still alive? ” he thought as he looked around and saw that Leo had left him. “Oh well he’s gone…Go Leo, go!” He shouted loudly, throwing his arms in the air and hoping that Leo would hear him where ever he was.
“I hope he makes it.” He said softly and cradled his head in his hands.
“Wait a minute, what’s that sound?” He said to himself looking up and around.
The banging sound turned to thumping and now it was clear. It was the heavy footfalls of some enormous creature. The bright moon created mysterious shadows among the snow dunes and rocks and slowly from the dark shadows emerged two giant tusks and then a huge mammoth stood there in front of him.
In a sweet and kind female voice the mammoth spoke, “Higeoyaji.”
“I, I am Higeoyaji” he answered. “Who are you ?”
“I am Ofukurosan.”
“Are you the one who helped us before?” Higeoyaji asked.
“Yes.”
“You helped us before. You helped Leo. You saved our lives in the avalanche.” Higeoyaji looked around him to indicate that Leo was gone.
“Leo is gone, I don’t know where he is and he’s blind. Can you help him, please?” He pleaded. “You are almost at death and you ask me to help Leo. Why do you not ask me to help you? “ She asked.
“I don’t deserve your help. Leo is my friend and I foolishly and selfishly got him into this terrible trouble. Just a short while ago he tried to kill himself to save me. Who am I to deserve such a noble act ? Please help him, please.” He pleaded with her again continuing, “Everyone else is dead, only Leo I are left and he shouldn’t die because of me, please don’t let him die too.” Ofukurosan stood silent for what seemed an eternity then answered, “Leo came to help you because he felt a debt to you, but he also came for his own reasons.
He knew what he would find here. No human who has ever climbed this mountain and entered this domain has been permitted to live. I heard you say that you would do anything to save Leo’s life. Because you said that, and for reasons that you can not yet understand, I will give you two choices.
I will help only you off this mountain and you can be free to go your own way.
Or I can give you the power to help yourself and Leo get back to the jungle, but you must return to this same place and forfeit your life.
Would you be willing to give your life so Leo can live ?”
Higeoyaji answered immediately, “Yes!”
Ofukurosan smiled a hidden smile beneath the heavy fur on her face.
“Then pick up the moonlight stone you threw away.”
“But I lost it,” he said.
“Look down, it is at your feet.” she answered.
Higeoyaji looked down and there it was shining dimly. He remembered that he threw the stone away quite some distance back and he saw it disappear into the snow and ice. As he reached for the stone he thought best not to ask how it could be here now.

5


Ofukorosan continued,“ You said to Lamune that the stone was like a two edged knife, if used wrongly it can be a devil stone. This is true, evil intention with, or for, the stone’s power will bring evil. Therefore the stone, if used wisely and with good and kind intent, can bring good. Use the goodness in the stone. Go to Leo and hold the stone between you as you walk and it will guide you and give you strength. Take him home and wait until you and he are well again. Then you must return here and return the moonlight stone to me. When you return you must keep your word and forfeit your life. Do you agree?” she asked.
“Yes!” he answered. “But I..don,t ...know…….where………..he…..” Higeoyaji felt his consciousness slipping away.

Higeoyaji awoke to the silence and cold of the night around him but as he gently awoke he realized he had just been dreaming. Leo was still sleeping next to him.
“Wait a minute,” he said to himself. He felt an object in his hand and he opened his fingers quickly.
“It wasn’t a dream, it’s true! The moonlight stone! Oh yes, it’s true!” he shouted joyfully. “Leo, Leo, wake up quickly, we're saved, we’re saved!”
Leo felt his head difficult to lift and couldn’t understand what the shouting was about. “Ofukurosan came to me while you were asleep and she told me what to do to get home. We’re going to make it Leo, you’re going home.” Higeoyaji shouted as he shook Leo for joy and shook his hands through his mane.
As Higeoyaji said “Ofukurosan,” Leo’s strength began to return and he stood up.
“You saw her, you saw Big Mother, she spoke to you?” he asked.
“Yes, yes. She told me what to do,” he answered, with the adrenaline of joy.
“Come on, come on, stand here. Now I’ll stand here.” Higeoyaji positioned himself beside Leo and both looked forward. He lowered the hand with the stone in it and held it between himself and Leo.
The stone began to shine bright red and as they looked ahead a clear path appeared before them and they each began to feel better and warmer.
“Don’t worry Leo, I’ll guide you.”
“I won’t worry. I trust you Higeo.” Answered Leo.

As they walked and walked, the snow began to thin out until they were just walking on bare rock and soon after that the night began to give way to the dawn. As the rays of dawning sunshine slowly crept over the horizon both stopped, just to look. Leo could hardly see at all but he knew where his home was and turned towards it as if he were looking but kept his eyes closed. Leo and Higeoyaji were on ledge trail of a very high cliff, while below them the sun gently illuminated the place where it had all begun.
“Oh Leo, I wish you could see this. How beautiful the jungle is.” said Higeoyaji.
Leo couldn’t see his jungle home but he imagined it to be more beautiful than he could ever have seen it before. Leo answered him, glad home was no longer lost, “Let’s go on a little further and then we can rest for a while, I want to catch the warmth of the sun after it’s warmed my home.” Higeoyaji answered him, running his hand along Leo’s side and then lightly and affectionately whacking him on his rump.
“That, Leo, is the best idea you’ve had today.”

6


A short time later the sun had reached their high cliff trail and the pair sat beside each other and soaked up the delicious warmth of the sun and Leo knew the ordeal would soon be over. They still had a long walk ahead of them and as they walked they spoke to each other of their lives. Leo told him of his birth on the ship and the long hard swim to shore.
He told him of his life with humans and in the jungle and he told him of Liya.
By nightfall the pair had come down off the mountain and had reached the edge of the jungle. The night was warm and the ground was warm and the breeze was warm. Both were tired but well. Somehow Ofukurosan and the moonlight stone had staved off their pain and hunger and it was time for a well-earned sleep.




Part 3