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“Don’t you think we should be worried about him, Beef?” Doc asked, his deep voice uncharacteristically somber. They were standing at the edge of the jungle by the large door that welcomed visitors, not too far from the river. On the other side was the cottage Beef had built as an information kiosk. The warm, humid air made Doc guess that it would start raining soon.
“Why? Bdubs is still himself. Did you see The elephant statue he built in front of his base? It’s beautiful” Beef’s voice was cheerful, not at all carrying the worry the situation warranted in Doc’s opinion, and he didn’t know if he should be worried by Beef’s carelessness or if it was Doc himself who was seeing trouble where there was none.
“Well, yeah. I talked to him this morning though. The vines are spreading around him. I think they are growing FROM him. He says they are just decorations but… I dunno, man. I’m a creeper and I don’t grow vines in my body, he shouldn’t either...”
“Bdubs is loyal to the NHO. To us. To the jungle. That’s how he shows it, isn’t it? I think the Jungle approves.” Beef turned to look at Doc, his eyes dull, intense, unblinking. “Aren’t you loyal too?” Doc wasn’t easily frightened, but that look on his friend, it was wrong, it was out of place, it didn’t fit the gentle man Doc knew Beef to be.
He felt a shiver down his spine. “Of course.” He answered after a moment, but perhaps he took slightly too long, Beef kept staring at him in silence, expression blank. Doc flexed his prosthetic hand a couple of times, considering if he should pull his sword out.
And then, Beef blinked and he was smiling again, warm and familiar. It fit his face better than the expressionless look. “Me too!” He reached to Doc and patted his organic arm in a friendly manner. “Good talk Doc! I do have to go back to work. The Jungle won’t take care of itself right!” He laughed and made his way to the river where a boat was waiting;
Doc wanted to say more, to ask more. What was that stare about? Where was Etho and why they hadn’t seen him for weeks? Why was he the only one who seemed to notice this jungle was cursed? Bdubs wasn’t okay, Etho was nowhere to be seen, Beef was unpreoccupied when usually he was the first to fret. It was wrong, this was wrong.
But the words died in his throat as he watched Beef get into a boat and row deeper into the jungle. The vines and bushes seemed close around him as he passed by them, some sticking to his clothes for a moment before letting go. Doc felt the urge to follow. To allow jungle to surround him and take him deeper into its embrace as well, to stop worrying and just accept what was happening like the rest of the NHO had.
He took a deep breath, taking in the scent of vegetation and the humid, warm air around him and let it out slowly. Maybe he was overthinking things. Maybe he was seeing trouble where there was none.
Doc got into his own boat and rowed down the river into the Jungle.