“Master…? Hello?”
Ruut quietly tiptoed into the large tent, built with sturdy wooden tentpoles and woven reeds stretched around the poles to provide protection from the elements. It was the usual construction method for the basic structures in the village; packed earth or clay would be washed away in the rainy seasons, while animal skin canvas tents would be sweltering hot in the hot, humid rainforest. At the center of the tent was a small fire, its smoke rising up to a vent flap near the top of the tent, and at the fire sat an old man, dipping his fingers in and out of small, earthen pots while muttering to himself.
The man looked up at Ruut, revealing a long, red scar over one and a milky-white pupil in the other eye. The old man was blind, Ruut knew that much for sure, but he certainly didn’t rely on his so-called apprentice for any help. The medicine man knew every plant by touch, by scent, and by taste if need be, making eyesight an unneeded distraction to his craft. The medicine man (if he had a name, none in the tribe were old enough to remember it) returned to his work, giving only a short grunt of acknowledgment to Ruut’s presence. Martin’s still unconscious body was laid out on the ground nearby, a woven mat of reeds underneath him as he slept soundly, and in the dim light of the fire it was still difficult to see how much his body had changed thanks to the jungle’s influence.
Ruut understood the master’s intentions and approached the fire, squatting down at the knees in the way that came naturally to the jungle native rather than sit. The medicine man worked quietly, pointing to different leaves, fungi, and pastes that were laid out in front of him. Ruut knew this game well. As the medicine man pointed to each, Ruut easily named the substance and its uses.
“That’s tayuya. To help swelling and keep the skin from scarring. And that’s matico paste… To stop the pain, right?” Ruut rattled off, grinning proudly at how well he’d learned the plantlore that was being passed down to him. The medicine man just nodded before returning to his work, mashing leaves and pastes together before carefully daubing it across Martin’s body, letting the medicine soak into the small cuts and bruises left by Chatok and Ruut’s rough treatment earlier.
“...And this one?” the medicine man croaked quietly, pulling out a small bag of purple powder that hung at his side.
“...I don’t know that one, master? What is it?” Ruut asked with curiosity twinkling in his bright brown eyes, always ready to learn of a new medicinal plant.
However, the medicine man instead took a pinch of the powder and tossed it into Ruut’s face, where it flew up his nose and made him burst into hacking coughs, his head feeling dizzy as the shade of his eyes immediately shifted back to its regular green.
“The fuck did you do that for, old man!? That was-…” Rob began to shout his his high-pitched boyish voice, but the dizziness cleared quickly and he realized he was back to his normal self again, mentally speaking. Ruut had been pushed back deep inside, letting him think clearly again without worrying about any jungle boy instincts rising to the front of his mind. At least, for the time being. “Y-you… You did that on purpose? To make Ruut go away?”
“That’s right. You and I need to speak, at least for a short while,” the medicine man replied, never letting his hands stop their work healing Martin’s body. “You were brought here and changed, and I think you at least deserve to understand why. I’ve lived long enough and experienced enough to have learned a few things about this land, so consider this payment up front for being my apprentice, young fellow…”
Rob bit his lip, not exactly sure if he wanted to be this old man’s apprentice, even if it meant finally getting a few answers. But, as he looked down at his young yet surprisingly agile little jungle kid body, he realized that he didn’t have much to lose anymore. “F-fine… What’s happening to me and the others…?” he replied worriedly.
“The jungle needed you, so she brought you here, simple as that. Same as she brought thousands of others here. Plucked them from their lives and let them loose in the jungle, giving them the knowledge and memories they’d need to thrive,” the medicine man said. “Most of them just became animals, but a lucky few became the people of the jungle, and they were given youth to give them the time they’d need to grow into strong, dependable members of their tribes.”
“But why? Why me, and why Chad and Martin?”
“The jungle isn’t a place, it’s a living creature. When some parts become weakened or damaged, it focuses its attention on fixing the problem. Too few predators in the jungle to keep the plant-eaters in check? Bring in a new soul and have them become a jaguar. Not enough children born in a tribe? Let someone from another time or place be brought in to take their place,” the medicine man explained. “The jungle goddess doesn’t need to explain her ‘why’ to you, she does what must be done to make the land thrive. Whoever you were before today, it doesn’t matter to her. She’ll make you into Ruut, just as Chatok and Maa’ti will become a part of this tribe in time. The rest of the tribe will think they have always been here, not even realizing that it was the goddess that planted them here with her power.”
To make his point, the medicine man reached over and plucked the pair of glasses from Martin’s face (which by now had become so much thinner and softer that the glasses didn’t even fit properly) and tossed them dismissively into a pile of objects in the corner of his tent.
“But, what about my life? I… I don’t want to be…” Rob started to say, but it was difficult to finish that sentence honestly. Did he want to be Ruut? Well, perhaps not if it meant losing who he was forever, but he couldn’t deny that the energetic, bright, and rather mischievous jungle native he was becoming was a lot more exciting that the person he had been before. Sensing Rob’s indecision, the medicine man spoke up again.
“And what about your life, hmm? Why is it so important? Were you a king, a rich man, a person of importance? Here, you have a place, a future as my apprentice and successor. A tribe who will protect from danger and shape you into a responsible tribesman, at least if you don’t get yourself kicked out,” the medicine man laughed, his wrinkled face twisting into a grin. “And, with a friend like Chatok looking out for you, you’ll be a person of great importance should he become chief. What are you really losing, Ruut?”
Hearing his name, Ruut began to stir deep inside Rod, who could feel the jungle boy’s urges once again start to awaken. He struggled to keep in control, but a broad grin spread over his face at the medicine man’s explanation. “Umm… I guess you might be right. This place isn’t so bad...” Ruut (or perhaps it was Rod) said with a bratty smirk on his face. “Maybe it’s okay, as long as you teach me how to make all kinds of medicines! I want a strength potion to make me the biggest, strongest warrior in the whole tribe, okay?”
“In time, perhaps,” the medicine man chuckled, tucking the pouch of purple powder safely away from Ruut’s sticky fingers. “For now, let us treat Maa’ti. Just a few scrapes and bruises, but we’ll need to treat them carefully, Ruut. And why is that?”
“So she doesn’t get any infections, of course! The mud from the jungle can get into a tiny cut and make her sick!” Ruut parroted what he’d heard the medicine man tell him a hundred times. “And to make sure she doesn’t get any scars, either. A pretty girl like her shouldn’t have ugly marks on her anywhere!”
“...Not the way I would have put it, but correct,” the medicine man replied grumpily, running a finger over the scar over his left eye. “Now, show me how you’d treat her.”
Ruut eagerly hurried over to Martin’s body and carefully undid the wrapping around his chest and the long cloth that hung from his waist. Humming happily to himself, Ruut looked over Martin’s bare body, not feeling even a bit of shame at seeing so much of Martin’s body exposed. After all, here in the jungle seeing another person naked was just a fact of life, and there was no shame in seeing the body that the goddess had given them all. Ruut dipped his finger into the paste the medicine man had mixed and carefully worked it into a few small scratches on Martin’s chest and shoulders, not even registering as the skin where the paste touched quickly darkened to a deep, reddish-brown hue. He examined Martin’s face and scalp for any hidden cuts, and as he applied the paste to his scalp the roots of Martin's hair quickly darkened to a glossy black and the hair began to slowly grow outward.
Satisfied that he’d done well, Ruut began to look over Martin’s lower body that had been covered up until now, and there he saw...