Read Online Final Quest by B. C. Harris - Free Book Online Page B

described moments ago. Loud cries from animals that we can’t see reverberate through the twisted maze of vegetation.
    Capurni is the first to speak.
    “This isn’t possible,” he says. “The island of Elpis is supposed to have no, or very little, vegetation. How could it have possibly turned into this luxurious paradise?
    Out of nowhere, a large butterfly-like creature, with alternating fluorescent bands of purple and neon green screaming out for attention, flies to a nearby tree. The butterfly, or whatever it is, is as big as me. The oddly shaped tree, with massive leaves as big as the butterfly, sways as though a gust of wind hit it as the butterfly settles on a smooth velvety branch.
    As I look closer, the face of the butterfly is almost human-like, most definitely like a monkey with huge brown eyes that seem to be filled with intelligence. The butterfly rips a reddish fruit that is hiding under the massive leaves of the tree. It begins to eat the fruit that oozes a pink colored juice.
    The butterfly stops eating.
    Have we frightened it?
    Its head swivels as though it has sensed danger. Its eyes seem to penetrate the swirling jungle around us.
    I hear a whimper like a baby.
    I look in the direction of the noise.
    A small creature, about the size of my hand and reminding me of a frog, appears. The frog, or whatever it is, changes its color from a bright green which closely resembles a nearby leaf to a sandy brown color like the ground. If I hadn’t caught a glimpse of it before it changed color, I would not be able to see it now.
    The animal that at first reminded me of a frog is more like a beetle with four heads. It is circular with a head poking out from its body every ninety degrees.
    The small creature is frozen. I glance at the butterfly that is fixated on it.
    A small paw on the belly of the butterfly unravels and shoots through the space between it and the small creature on the ground.
    In an instant the small creature is snatched and brought back to the mouth of the animal that resembles a butterfly.
    The paw from the butterfly reminds me of the long tongues that some animals have on my planet. It was like the extended tongue of a frog or lizard shooting out to catch a fly. Only in this case, it was a paw instead of a tongue.
    “How amazing,” Capurni says.
    As I look at Capurni, I see the wonder in his eyes. At the same moment, I catch a look of amazement on Jamie’s face.
    It’s as though we have stepped into the proverbial Garden of Eden, although I expected that such a place would be a world of complete peace and harmony, not a place where one creature devoured another.
    “Survival of the fittest,” Jamie exclaims as though he read my thoughts.
    “How can these creatures be similar in some ways to animals on my planet, yet they are also so different?”
    Nearby, a dull brown bush unexpectedly moves and transforms into a bright blue cat-like creature with six legs. It reminds me of a cat, but moves like a spider. Before I can inspect it further, it’s gone.
    “People,” Capurni says, “tend to believe that the way evolution occurs on their planet must also be the way evolution should occur on all other planets. In reality, evolution can occur in completely different ways on different planets. What we perceive as plants on one planet might be animals on another, while what we perceive as intelligent life on one planet might be the complete opposite on another.”
    “You’re saying that life evolves different on each planet,” Jamie says.
    “Yes, that’s correct,” Capurni says as he walks towards the space where the cat-like creature was standing a minute ago. “Most people don’t understand that evolution is not a step-by-step process.”
    “It isn’t?” I say.
    “No. Evolution sometimes takes giant leaps.”
    “Like mutations,” Jamie says.
    “Exactly. Sometimes mutations result in a creature or even a plant that is quite different than its parents.”
    As I think about what