“How dare they?” said an angered hunter named Davi. “How dare they exile me for my hobbies?”

Davi was a hunter who had lived within the villages and rainforests of Brazil. He had recently been exiled from his village for killing a jaguar for its fur. Davi had an affinity for hunting ever since his youth, but not too long ago he move into a village that idolized animals. And since he was unaware of this, he did his misdeed and got banished.

“Well, I suppose now that I should make home within the wilderness,” he declared to himself. “At least here I can hunt as freely as I wish.”

He then trekked his way through the lengthy ivy, the long, thick grasses, and lush green trees. It would be long before he'd reach his best spot, but on the way he managed to kill some tree snakes, tapirs, and even a few anteaters. However, none of this game was special nor pleasing to him. He had, previously, killed much bigger game than these:jaguars, macaws, hawks, and even gorillas. He had even reserved some fur within his pouch for good luck. Hunting was almost all that Davi had ever cared about, to point where he would even poach protected animals and trade them.

However, as Davi advanced further into the wilderness right into its tropical habitat, he noticed that things began to look rather different. But, not just different in a strange way, but instead different in a beautiful way. The rainforest he was in was no longer just greens and length; it now shined with various tropical and more majestic sights, sounds, and colors. The leaves and grasses were now buzzing with wondrous shades of pine, jungle, fern, yellow, and thousands of other greens. They even had beautiful pink, purple, yellow, red, blue, and orange flowers of every tropical kind growing on them. And the best thing was that they were crowned with beautiful, colorful butterflies.

Davi also had also noticed that the trees were bearing delicious fruits and nuts such as mangoes, papayas, cocoa beans, guava, passion fruit, coconuts, bananas, pineapples, and even some fruit that Davi has hardly even heard of being within South America. But what amazed him the most was the beautiful, long, lively waterfall and its river. It was being raised near large, perfectly shined, crystal-like black rocks, had the clearest and shiniest water he had ever seen, flowed gracefully with thousands of fish, and had the most soothing splash sounds. And, to top it off, it had a beautiful rainbow glowing in front of it.

“This is nothing like the Amazon,” said Davi in breathless awe. “It's like nothing I have ever seen! It's so abundant, so magnificent, so...lively. It's just the perfect hunting spot.”

His toned had become more greedy and unpleasant.

“There must be thousands of animals breeding and flocking around here,” he said. “If I look hard enough, I may even find some rare and exotic creatures.

He then pulled his gun and crept carefully across the grass. Disguising himself with leaves, he hid under the grass and pointed his gun at a long, brightly-patterned anaconda that was wrapped tightly against a nearby tree.

“That's it,” he said to the serpent in a seemingly gentle voice, “just stay right there.”

However, as soon as he held the trigger, a poison dart frog leaped from the from the river and jumped onto Davi's back, causing him to accidentally shoot his gun into the air. The blast from the bullet caused the anaconda to flee in fear. Aware that the frog was a bright golden, the most poisonous of its kind, Davi desperately tried to remove the frog before it touched his skin. But after just seconds of rapid swiping, it was too late. The frog had already touched his hand. As this happened, however, Davi suddenly saw his youth flash before him...











…

“Hey mãe, can I go outside and play in the rainforest, por favor?” said a young Davi. “I want to see the tree frogs. Their eyes look so weird yet so legal at the same time!”

“Não sei, querido,” said his mother. “It's quite dangerous out there, you could get attacked by jaguar or even get poisoned by a frog. Maybe it's best that your pai comes with you.”

“But mãe, pai is a hunter,” complained little Davi. “He'll probably hurt the innocent animals because he thinks they will try to hurt me.”
Davi was an avid animal and nature lover. He enjoyed going on long walks near the rainforests and gazing at the blue-and-yellow macaws from a distance. He also loved rivers, especially the Amazon, and seeing the fishes and frogs of every color dwelling upon it. He even liked smelling the flowers, watching the blue morpho butterflies, eating the colorful fruits that grew there, and hearing the pleasant calls of parakeets and toucans. However, he never actually got a chance to go inside the rainforests themselves because his father was an active hunter. Whenever Davi asked to go to the rainforest, his mother would always say that his father would have to come with with him, which Davi was afraid of.

“Desculpe, Davi,” said his mother, “but I don't want you to get hurt. You've never been inside the rainforest before, so neither you nor I know what could happen. But your pai has been inside the rainforest, so he has more experience. Look, I'll go talk to him about it.”

However, as his mother left, Davi decided that he wasn't going to take anymore chances. He took his backpack and spyglass and ran out to the rainforest. Davi cheerfully had the time of his life there; not only while chasing and catching some of the wonderfully red-eyed tree frogs, but also while scavenging through the green grasses for butterflies, climbing the long trees in search of green yet simultaneously multicolored parrots, monkeys of varying sizes, the slowest and sleepiest of sloths, and macaws of every shape and color, and running through the rivers for fish, other kinds of frogs, and even some turtles.

However, as Davi's fun lasted, he came across a seemingly beautiful sight. It was a finely colored frog, painted with the bright colors of red and blue, with a few black spots to top it off. Davi slowly approached the frog, which was perfectly well-rested upon a green leaf near the river. Once he finally reached the frog, Davi grabbed and pulled out the leaf that it was sitting on, without startling the frog.

After seeing how gentle the frog seemed, Davi then decided, “You're such a nice frog, I think I'll call you Isabel. I guess mãe and pai wouldn't mind if I kept you as a pet.”

However, as he said this, he heard someone call for him.

“Davi! Davi! Davi, onde está você?!”
It was his father. Apparently, Davi's parents have noticed that he had left home without their permission. After hearing his calls, Davi immediately ran to him, though still accompanied by the frog. When Davi finally reached his father, his father glanced angrily at him. Davi looked rather guilty.

His father than scolded him, “Davi, what were you doing out there in the rainforest?! You know better than to wander off into the wilderness without permission! Your mãe and I were worried about you!”

“But pai,” whimpered Davi, “I brought my backpack with everything to keep me safe. And it was fun! I got to play with all the animals and explore the rainfor-”

“Davi, that is no excuse!” interrupted his father. “Your mãe specifically said that I had to come with you. She even had a talk with me about it. Davi, I know that you love animals and nature, but why do you not want me to get involved with that?”

Davi then stood up, “Well, pai, it's just that...”

Davi then paused as he looked into his father's saddened eyes. He then could not bring himself to tell his father how he really felt. However, at the same time, Davi noticed that the frog that was sitting on his leaf had disappeared. He then saw that it was running into his house.

“Isabel!” shouted Davi.

His father then looked puzzled, “Isabel?”

Davi then took off to catch her.

“Davi, who is Isabel?!” his father yelled. “Where are you going?!”

Davi then ran inside as his father chased him. Inside, he panicked as he heard his mother scream. He then ran into the kitchen and saw his mother trying to kill Isabel as she leaped repeatedly across the room. Davi's father then ran inside and was horrified to recognize Isabel as being a poison dart frog. He then immediately rushed in to catch her.

In a rush, Davi's father desperately tried to stop the frog from hitting anyone by getting pots, pans, and even some sticks. But when Isabel almost managed to hit Davi, his mother swooped right in front of him and Isabel landed right on her face. After that, Davi's father took a pot and crushed Isabel to death with it as soon as she jumped.

Davi's mother laid flat on the floor as the poison slowly grew into her.

“Mãe!” yelled Davi as he knelled down to her, sobbing.

“Estefaní,” his father wept. “Don't worry, I may be able to find some cure in time...”

“Davi, Alfredo, no,” she said. “The poison from the frog was too strong. I don't think that you'll be able to make it in time.”

Davi's eyes teared up, “Mãe, don't go! It was me who found the frog! Look, I'll never go outside again! I-I'll never go near an animal again! In fact, I'll hate them! I'll do anything! Just don't die!”

“Davi, Alfredo,” his mother uttered weakly as she spoke her final words, “Amo vocês”

After that, the poison finally covered her and she became lifeless as her eyes slowly closed and her body became white. Davi then cried deeply with the darkest pang of guilt as he ran into his father's arms.











…

Davi awaited his impending death as the frog left him behind. He wept as he recalled his sad memory and believed that he was going to suffer his mother's fate. But seconds later, it seemed as if a miracle had happened. Davi had survived the poisoning. He did not even feel slightly sick or even dizzy. He then gazed at his hands and was shocked to see that they were not white.

“How-how could this be?!” yelled Davi in amazement. “The frog was golden! The most poisonous of its kind! The frog that killed my mãe was nothing compared to it!”

“Davi then regained his calmness.

“Calm down, Davi,” he said to himself, “just keep moving.”

He then roamed deeper into the rainforest. He did see some animals as he wondered through the long, bushy grasses, but they were mostly just butterflies, tree frogs, and bothersome mosquitoes. As he continued to search through the forest, however, he began feeling rather hungry. He then began to gather some fruit to eat along the way. But when he bite his teeth into a mango, he noticed that it tasted even better than the ones from where he last was. However, what was even greater was that he noticed that he was surrounded by birds, hundreds of them varying from scarlet macaws to hyacinth macaws to blue-and-yellow macaws to colorfully beaked toucans to the greenest parakeets to the cutest lovebirds to the fanciest cockatoos to the brightest multicolored finches.
Davi was, initially, truly delighted by the sight of this; but, yet, at the same time, he thought to himself, “Hey, if the fruit tastes great here, then I just wonder how saboroso the animals must taste.”

Davi then took his gun again and aimed it at a scarlet macaw. However, as he did, he also noticed a nest within the tree that the macaw resting on. Just then, he recalled yet another memory...











…

Years had passed since Davi's mother died. Davi was now 12 years old and was being raised up by his father. Davi's love for animals had quite faded since that day. He grew an immense hatred for frogs, claiming that he never wanted to see another frog again. Also, he could not forgive himself for disobeying his mother and, ultimately, being responsible for her death. And, still, he remained quiet about his problem against his father. But, little did he know that this would soon create more problems for him.

One day, his father had decided to train him to become a hunter. He brought Davi into the kitchen to discuss about it with him.

“Filho,” said Davi's father in a gentle yet concerned tone, “I know that you and I haven't been very close since your mãe died, but I just wanted to ask if you could help me with my hunting.”

“What?” responded Davi, looking rather confused. “Pai, why would you ask me that? You know how much I love animals, why would I want to kill them?”

His father looked rather upset, yet as if he weren't the least bit surprised.

“Davi,” he said softly, “it's not that I want you to hunt them for game or anything, it's just that we're running out of food to eat and clothes to wear. And, pretty soon, your going to need to protect yourself out there in the wilderness.”

“But pai!” yelled Davi. “When I went into the rainforest that one day, I came back with hardly a single scratch!”

But his father then argued, “But you did come back with a deadly creature that could have killed you, but instead killed your mãe! Is that not enough?!”


“Pai!” shouted Davi, “Mãe died years ago and there is plenty of fruit in the forest to eat! Can't we just keep it th-”

“I ONLY WANT WHAT'S BEST FOR YOU DAVI!” screamed his father, which ended the argument.

His father then calmed himself, but eventually became teary-eyed.

“Look,” he sobbed, “I know that you and I still miss your mãe very much, but I just don't want you to end up like she did. You may be blaming yourself for her death, but could please tell me, honestly, if you think that it was my fault that she died and why? Por favor, filho! I don't understand why you just can't seem to stand me. Am I doing something wrong?”

Davi, now even more unwilling to tell his father the truth, gave a slow yet deeply emotional sigh and ran out of the room. He then started gathering his belongings in order to run away into the wilderness, but he then saw his father's rifle sitting on the table. He then grabbed the rifle and turned to see his father in the kitchen looking down quite disdainfully.

Davi then looked at the gun again and said quietly yet firmly, “Fine, if he wants me to learn to hunt and protect myself, I will.”

He then ran outside with it, once again into the rainforest. He wandered throughout the forest just looking for the perfect animal to catch. Just then, a blue-and-yellow macaw flew right past him. It had big beautiful wings and the prettiest feathers and face markings. Since Davi knew a lot about animals and could tell them apart, he knew that it had to have been a female. The macaw then perched on a branch and stared defensively at him.

“Maravilhoso!” he decreed. “I'll get this one, then I'll make pai proud.”

However, as he stepped closer toward the bird, she immediately swooped in to attack him. Davi, though, was quick to dodge, even after the bird dive bombed a second time.

Davi then cocked the rifle, aimed it at the macaw, and said, “So you want to fight back, menina? OK.”
Then, as soon as the macaw dived in a third time, Davi took the rifle and shot her with it. She then fell right onto to the grass. Though, at first, Davi looked pleased with what he had done, he then immediately felt sorry for the macaw. He gazed with deep guilt at her lifeless body.
“What have I done?” he said woefully. “I killed an innocent animal for only my father's sake.”

But things began taking a turn for the worst when he noticed that there was a nest of eggs sitting inside the tree right next to them. He could immediately tell that the eggs were the macaw's and that she was only trying to protect them. Davi could do nothing but gasp and stare. He then knelled down and cried at the face of the tree.

Soon, his father had came into the rainforest in order to find him. Davi then stopped crying when he noticed that his father was right behind him. Davi then turned around to look at his father, only to notice that he was starring at the dead mother macaw as well. His father then saw that Davi had the rifle.

He then looked at his son and said, “Davi, did you do this?”

Davi shook his head reluctantly. His father then began to have a look of pride, but yet, somewhat of doubt and contempt as well. He then put his over Davi's shoulder.

“Good job, menino,” said his father in a somewhat cheerful voice. “I'm glad that you chose to obey me.”

“Ye-yes!” said Davi, upset at first but becoming more proud. “I'm glad that you are happy, pai. That's all that I wanted.”

Davi's father then got a stick and used it to carry the macaw by attaching her to it by the mouth.

“Here, let's take this home,” he said. “It should be enough to feed the both of us for a few days.”

After that, they went for home as Davi forgot all about the eggs. A large snake then crawled in the macaw's nest.











…

“How could I have been so ignorant?” Davi said as he lowered the gun.

He then kicked a rock that was near the tree in order to relieve his stress from the memory.

“You know what?” he said to himself. “I've already killed one mãe ave. I don't want to end up killing another.”

However, as he left, even more birds of even brighter colors came flying around him. Some of them even tried to follow him and give him flowers and fruit, but he simply ignored them and kept walking. Now Davi was wondering even deeper within the rainforest, but when he reached his destination, he noticed that things started getting rather, different. The rainforest was no longer as beautiful and majestic as it was before. Its long, colorfully green leaves and vines were now dangling vines and ivy. The rivers were now swampy lakes infested with caimans. Iguanas and other dainty lizards plagued the place and there were few flowers in sight. There were also very little fruit, none of which looked edible. To top it off, it was quite dark as there was little sunlight coming from behind the trees.

Davi had already decided that he disliked the place and immediately tried to turn back, but when he did, he noticed that he couldn't see where he came from. He then tried desperately to find a way back but there was no exit in sight. As ran back and forth, the vines constantly tangled him and the animals harassed him with noises, glares, and even direct attacks. Finally, Davi stopped after he tripped over and realized where he was. He was now in the jungle section of the rainforest and was completely lost.

He then looked hopeless as he laid on the ground. But just then, he felt something crawl on his back and leave. Davi caught a glimpse of what it was and followed it. He ran after the creature to its dwelling place. However, when he got there, he found something truly amazing. Not only did the creature turn out to be a rare golden lion tamarin monkey, but it also lived within an entire colony of them. This sight was so special to Davi, but yet, so heartbreaking, as he had never seen a golden lion tamarin since...











…

Davi was now a teenager and a fully well-trained hunter. His father had taught him everything from sneaking to targeting to stealth to accuracy. He probably became to ambitious of a hunter as well. He would do anything to get the animal he wanted. He would use poisonous bait, hunt at night when his father was asleep, and would even hunt protected and out of season animals. Unfortunately for him, this was what would eventually lead to the most tragic moment in his life since his mother's untimely death.

One evening after his father had went to bed, Davi once again got his gun and sneaked outside to hunt. He then ran into the darkened rainforest. While there, he heard the gentle croaks of frogs and peaceful calls of birds. However, by hearing these noises, he became more desperate to find the best game.

“It's night time,” he said to himself, “there has to be some good ones around here.”

He searched and searched throughout the rainforest until he found a small primate, a golden lion tamarin to be exact, within a tall tree.

“Perfeito,” he said slyly.

He then slowly approached the monkey with his gun. But when he aimed his gun perfectly at the animal and shot the bullet, the sound only woke it and caused to dodge the bullet by jumping off the tree. Sadly, when it did, the monkey, who was still sleep-weary, missed a branch and fell to its death. However, this time, Davi had no sympathy for the creature. Instead, he just walked over to its body and picked it up as if it were a toy. He then carried the carcass with him.

However, as he walked, he suddenly heard a loud growl come from within the trees. When he heard this he ran as fast as he could, but the growling only grew louder as if it were following him. Davi ran rapidly through the leaves and bushes until the growl finally revealed itself in the form of a starving jaguar. Knowing that it was after him because of the carcass but still refusing to let go of his game, Davi ran from the jaguar and tried to back it down by shooting his gun. However, his aim was off so the sounds of the bullets only slowed down the jaguar.

Davi, eventually outrunning the jaguar, managed to escape. But he noticed that he was right next to a waterfall. Startled, he accidentally threw his tamarin carcass and gun down the cliff, thus leaving him defenseless. He then panicked as he slipped over the cliff and heard the jaguar's growl. In genuine fear, he had no choice but to cry out for his father's help.

“PAI!” he shouted repeatedly as he hung onto a rock.

The shouting eventually woke his father. Immediately recognizing his son's voice, Davi's father grabbed his gun and ran to the rainforest. Hearing the jaguar's growls and Davi's cries for help from the waterfall, he managed to rush there at the right time.
The jaguar was just about to get Davi while he was slipping when his father jumped in. He then tried to lift Davi, but the jaguar then jumped on him and held him off. Davi's father tried to shoot it, all while getting scratched and bitten. But finally, when they were right next to the cliff, Davi's father managed to knock the jaguar off the cliff. He then tried desperately to grab his slipping son. But when he managed to get him up, Davi's father tripped and fell into the waterfall's river. Davi gasped as he fell onto the ground saw his father be swept away by the force of the water. He then rushed to save him, but it was far too late. His father was already falling down with the water.

“DAVI!” his father screamed as he fell rapidly down the waterfall.

“PAI!” Davi screamed as his father fell.

Soon, his father had disappeared within the bottom of the waterfall. Davi then cried a genuine cry as he watched his father perish, as he was now responsible for his death. Davi then gazed woefully at a tooth of the jaguar, which had been knocked out during the fight.












…

“I still have that tooth,” said Davi.

He then pulled out the tooth from his pouch.

“I have kept this tooth because it is how can remember my father.”

He turned to glance at the monkeys.

“And it's all that I have left.”

He then decided to leave the monkeys alone and let them live. As he continued walking, Davi knew that he had no choice but to enter into the deepest part of the rainforest: the heart. There, he knew that there would be nothing but long vines, marsh, and total darkness; and his prediction turned out to be quite accurate. There were no flowers, no fruit, and not a single bird, butterfly, or any other colorful, lively animal in sight. Nothing but vines, marsh, bugs, and reptiles; and the area was topped with complete darkness. It all seemed lifeless until Davi saw that three animals were climbing on his backpack. They happened to be jaguar cubs looking for food.

Aggravated, Davi tried to push them off. But just then, a big, adult-sized jaguar emerged from the darkness. It was apparently the mother of the cubs. She seemed rather angry as she glared offensively at Davi. Davi then pulled his gun as the cubs ran to their mother.

He then said to the mother jaguar as he pointed the gun at her and backed way slowly, “Easy, senhora, easy.”

The mother jaguar continued to growl at Davi, as if she could attack at any moment. Davi and the jaguar preceded to circle around each other until Davi began to recall again the memory of the jaguar that got his father killed. The mother jaguar then charged into Davi, resulting in him shooting her with his gun. The three cubs then gathered around their mother's now lifeless body, trying to get her response, but to no avail. Davi's heart was now completely broken at the sight of this. He felt that he had eliminated more life than he had ever thought he would. He then lifted up the mother jaguar's body and placed it upon a nearby rock.

He then looked with sorrowful eyes at the hidden sky and yelled, “Is this all that I am worth?! I have gotten everyone that I've known and loved killed: my mãe, my pai, and even Isabel, a frog! I have also killed every single animal that I have known: macaws, jaguars, monkeys, and other frogs, just to name a few! Not only that, but I have even killed mother animals, two to be exact! I may have even killed much more than that! Let's face it. I am nothing but a life-snatching hunter and will be nothing more than that. I take life, whether it be human or animal. I am the lowest form of life. Even my father was more worthy than I was! I don't deserve something as precious as life. Eu mereço ser preso dentro desta selva.”

He then sobbed deeply as he laid his head on the rock. However, the three cubs somehow understood his sadness and surrounded Davi with comfort. Davi then held and cuddled the cubs, as if to thank them, and then laid them down on the grass.

He then sighed as he held his gun upward and said, “I was an animal lover once; what went wrong? It wasn't my mãe's fault. It wasn't even really my pai's fault. But it was my very own choice. I disobeyed my mãe and got her poisoned to death. I emotionally misheard my father and got him killed. It wasn't even the animals' faults. And, yet, from then I've had to live by myself and learn how to survive by killing many. I even got myself lost in this rainforest and now even its jungle, alone!”
He then sighed again, “If only there was a way that I could change the past, I would stop my parents from dying and revive every animal that I've killed. But since I know that I can't do that, I know what I can do: start all over again.”

He then took his gun and broke it apart, which shocked the cubs. He then took the jaguar's tooth that he had and stuck it inside the dead mother jaguar's mouth.

“It's the least that I could do,” he declared, “for mãe natureza.”

Suddenly, and miraculously, the most extraordinary thing that occurred within the rainforest happened. It was a large, beautiful light that seemed to have abstract vines of varying colors stretching out from it. Davi was bewildered by this sight, and so were the cubs. However, Davi, though still awe-inspired, saw the benevolence that strangely covered the light and was, somehow, drawn to it. He wondered closer and closer toward the light until he finally reached it...











______

Davi is a young boy who enjoys nature and its animals. He lives within an enchanted paradise rainforest filled with tropical fruits and flowers of all kinds, a beautiful waterfall filled with life, and animals and greenery from start to finish. His companions are three jaguar cubs who teach him the ways of the wild. Davi is said to know every animal within the forest.

The rainforest is now complete with Davi and is lively from outside to inside. And though Davi has the time of his life within it, nothing impresses him more than the waterfall. It is believed that behind the rainbow, Davi can see the memories that he cherished with his parents during his first childhood.