“KRAAAA! Kigo has saved the Papa Gebo from the jaws of death! Therefore, as set by tribal custom, Kigo is an adult!” shouts an orange, yellow-eyed Grouak atop a blood splattered log.

My jaw drops in astonishment, and I immediately lose concentration on my magic. With the white flame’s light flashing away, the fog and darkness swallow our raft and Kigo and his log disappear.

“GEH!? Kigo cannot see. Abra make light please!”

“Er-uh. Right,” I stammer. Blinking back to my senses I unsheathe my wand and summon a ball of light.

Light yet again floods our surroundings and Kigo stands before me clear as day. I ask him, “Kigo what the hell are you doing here?”

A sputtering Gebo flops over on the raft’s surface with help from Rouk and Mago.

Coughing, Gebo asks similar, “Gebo—GOH-HOH—would like to know as well Kigo.”

The young Grouak thumps his chest proudly, “Well, Kigo will have you all know, it wasn’t easy. First, Kigo had to outwit the fiercest beast of them all: Mama!”

Gebo audibly groans and rubs his temples at hearing this.

“You see, Kigo told Mama that Kigo wanted to become an adventurer and help Abra find his love. But Mama was not having it and she even tried to swallow me at dinner. She only stopped herself because people were watching. So Kigo ran home and yelled at Mama that Kigo was going to bed. But Kigo never went to bed! Kigo gave good friend, Haro, Kigo’s dinner and she became part of Kigo’s master plan. Haro snuck away from her parents and slept in Kigo’s bed while Kigo swam to Haro’s house and slept in her bed!”

All eyes turn to Daru who shakes his head shrugging. “Daru thought Haro was acting weird, but Daru can at least say that Haro was green when Daru left the hut.”

“KE-KE-KE, that is all thanks to Kigo’s master, Abra,” says Kigo looking at me with beaming eyes. “It was thanks to you Abra that Kigo learned magic and can now do this!”

he orange frog closes his eyes and mouth, and his body gets visibly tense. As I begin to wonder what exactly he was trying to do, his skin begins to shift and lime green splotches appear all over. Soon enough, the lime overtakes him until he looks like a smaller imitation of the Haro, albeit yellow eyes instead of orange.

“Impressed are you not Abra?” Kigo says.

Jambo lets out a whistle, seemingly impressed. “Now that’s a trick Jambo has not seen since Kori, eh Mago?”

Mago nods, “Indeed. Mago’s late wife, Kigo’s grandma could do likewise. Mago was starting to wonder where her gift had gone, but it seems it skipped a branch on our tree.”

“Ahem,” says Kigo pulling back the attention to him, “When the village had fallen silent, Kigo swam to the Mangrove Mound to join you, but you had already left!” Kigo waves his arms dramatically as if overcome with woe.

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“But Kigo did not fear, because then I thought, what would an adult do? Kigo used his brain until he found this.” Kigo’s hand slaps the bloody end of the large log and grimaces. As he washes his stained hand in the water he continues, “Kigo rode the fallen tree following the map Papa left in the dirt until he found this cloud. Kigo almost gave up seeing how Kigo became blind inside, but then Kigo heard a ‘WHOOSH-WHOOSH’ and thought, ‘that must be Abra.’”

Thinking back on it, my fog clearing was decently loud. It wasn’t out of the question that anyone with good ears could follow us blind based on that alone.

Tuuk speaks up, “But if you wanted to be with us, why did you go so slowly? Tuuk mistook you for a croc. Your log was so long, and Tuuk did not hear you at all.”

At this, Kigo’s eyes widen in surprise, and he gives off a big grin. “Wait, so the all-hearing Tuuk is saying he did not hear Gebo?”

Tuuk nods.

“Er, Kigo means that was on purpose…yes.” Wiping the smile off his face, Kigo recomposes himself explaining, “Kigo’s paddle was lost to water weeds and Kigo would lose the log if Kigo looked for it in the fog, so Kigo used hands to move, that was why Kigo was slow. For the sound, Kigo’s splashing in the water was too loud that Kigo could not hear Abra’s wind. So using more magic, Kigo told the water and everything around to be quiet—then it was.”

This time, Rouk speaks up. He points to his webbed hand then begins splashing the water and points to the 30-foot log behind Kigo. Tuuk acts as interpreter, “Rouk wants to know how strong you are. Even he would not be able to fly through the water like you did to save your father.”

That’s right. The speed at which Kigo was careening towards us while his father was drowning would have been impossible no matter how strong he was. The log was simply too large. I bring my light over to the wood and find the bark had stretch marks characteristic of crude magic work. The marks came in clear divisions, appearing as if the log had been stretched in bursts rather than continuously. The answer to his speed became all too clear.

“This log wasn’t this long when you found it correct? You made it longer and used the building momentum to throw yourself forward?” I ask in amazement.

Kigo beams, “Kigo knew master Abra would get it. Yes, that is exactly what Kigo did. Papa’s chokes were clear as day. Kigo goes hunting with him often so Kigo knows what a Grouak in danger croaks like. Kigo knew time was of the essence, but Kigo is not as strong as Rouak or even Granpa. Kigo thought and thought how Kigo could reach Papa until Kigo realized I could not reach Papa because my tree was too short.”

“So Kigo made it longer and longer and longer until SLAM,” he points to crushed fangs piercing his log, “Kigo saved Papa.” Kigo then raises his chin and gives a serious look to the Grouaks around him. “Kigo knows that there was no proper trial, but Kigo still slayed a might beast AND saved Papa. Kigo is no longer a child, so Abra let me help get you home!”

His gaze meets mine and the pressure of his resolve bears down upon me. I struggle to find words as my mind trips over itself. I’m still processing his absurd claims of magic. I only taught him magic a day ago, yet he’d progressed that far. Or was he always like this, and I just gave him the right lens to look through?

“Uh, ah. Well…” stammering I look to Mago for assistance.

Nodding he says in a voice loud and clear for all to hear, “The boy, though reckless, speaks true. His feats can hardly mark him as a child. Further, sending him home now would be the same as killing him. Are there any hunters here who rebuke the boy and the fact that he traveled here alone, tracked us while staying hidden, and lastly saving his father?”

None object.

“Now, by tribal rites, the choice lies on the father. Gebo, do you choose to accept and bless your son Kigo as an adult—an equal—moving forward?”

All eyes are on Gebo. He sighs, “At this point Gebo has no choice.” He stands and grabs Kigo by the armpits. Holding him high, he croaks, “This is Kigo, son of Gebo and Uka. Today marks his first birthday as an adult!”

Everyone, especially Kigo, erupts in cheers.