Before the troop started moving, Ashwin faced another specific problem. The sandals he was wearing were too big, so he couldn't just let them be. This was fine during their long and hurried journey to the western border of the territory, but if he stepped into the river, Ashwin knew that the only pair of shoes he had would be lost. While waiting for a sign, the boy tied the sandals to his feet with a piece of aerial root. However, the knots were clumsy and did not give him much confidence. Ashwin was tempted to tear off a few pieces of muslin cloth when the ape raised his hand near the iron bars. 'Maybe it's for the best,' Ashwin thought, trembling. He did not want to lose the piece of cloth, so he wrapped it around his waist and tied the ends together. In the folds of the cloth, the boy hid a matchbox. These simple preparations seemed to calm him a bit, but all he wanted at that moment was to wait until the group left and sneak into a town.
There was no way his ill-conceived plan could come to life. The apes dragged him all the way to the border; they would not leave him behind. After a brief speech from their leader, the troop formed in a certain order. Ashwin was in the middle, alongside Scarface. The leader had no intention of leading the vanguard. Iz suddenly straightened up and hooted, imitating a night bird's song. It confused the boy at first, but when they received an "answer" he recognized it as some kind of signal.
Now everything was ready. The first few apes dived into the river. The boy stared at the water, deciding whether to follow Scarface's advice and walk on the bottom or stay in shallow water. Just like most of his choices during the last year, he ended up doing something that others had decided upon him. The beast's hand dragged the boy into the center of the river. When his feet could not reach the bottom, one ape pushed Ashwin back, bringing him above the water's surface. The boy took some breaths before diving underwater again. He tried not to make too much noise, afraid of drawing the soldiers' attention. Yet he thought his desperate breathing and floundering echoed all around. The voices of the people and the sound of running reassured him he had failed. Only when he reached the iron bars and could finally take a short break, did Ashwin realize he had ignored another sound all along. The alarm pierced the night air and came from the side where Scarface had sent the two apes.
The boy was holding on to the iron bars, listening to the alarm's shrieking sound. While he caught his breath, the apes dove in one by one. Ashwin clenched his hands on the bars. He was already tired. Scarface shook his confession about the lack of swimming skills off. The truth was that, despite the help from others, just staying in the water drained the boy's strength. He needed to fight against the current and try to stay above water. Ashwin watched as the surrounding group became smaller, crossing the underwater barrier. The number of apes in the middle part of the troop decreased in a blink of an eye, leaving only him and Scarface on this side of the bars. The boy's gaze met the leader's red eyes, and before he could protest, the beast placed its paw on his head and pushed him underwater.
Closing his eyes in the muddy water, the boy moved his hands and legs chaotically. It was impossible that such a tactic would help him. Instead, he hit the bars, bruised his left elbow, and scratched his knee. Instinctively, Ashwin stopped moving, then tried to come to the surface to breathe air. But someone pulled him down. Without thinking, the boy resisted. Alas, the beast gripped him and pushed him against the stream. Ashwin hit his head on the back of the bars, but the ape did not waver and pushed the boy again. His lungs were empty when he finally got out of the water. Forgetting all concerns about soldiers, Ashwin breathed in precious and delicious air greedily.
Before he knew, most of the apes had crossed the barrier. The boy looked beyond the stone walls surrounding the iron bars. They needed to swim further, to leave the trenches behind and barbed wire. Only then could they climb the riverbank and run across the vast field. Just thinking about it filled Ashwin with despair.
The alarm was still ringing, but most of the soldiers above their heads went to the nearby section for reinforcements. At least, this should have improved the apes’ chances of leaving the defense line alive. If only the boy could forget about the firearms that the soldiers were equipped with.
"Hurry," Scarface hissed in the boy's ear. The beast likely commanded everyone present. Ashwin did not want another physical encouragement and let go of the iron bars. He was sure that as soon as they left the small artificial grotto, the soldiers would start firing. But to his surprise, the commotion he heard came from another part of the wall. 'Scarface must have sent those two to create a distraction,' the familiar sound of an explosion confirmed the boy's guess. The apes that they had left behind used its sound magic to distract the humans as best it could.
Animals swam at different speeds, and some of them were forced to help Ashwin. Nevertheless, most of them passed the trenches and barbed wire when they heard shooting in the distance. It was common practice among all countries not to waste bullets, so this meant that the enemy was in range with a high probability of being hit. By the look of Scarface's grim face, the boy understood that the diversion had ended earlier than expected, but the alarm was still ringing. The animals in the rear guard increased their pace, and those who had passed the barbed wire started getting out of the river. Ashwin was almost crawling out of the water, praising the gods for their mercy, when a human shouted. The guard spotted them. A sudden ray of electric light blinded them for a second. The spotlight, one of the things that was possible only on the wall, aimed at the runaways.
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Apes rushed off, trying to cover as much ground as possible. Ashwin jumped to his feet but felt a push. It wasn't the beast's doing; rather, it felt more like dizziness. Trying to shake off this strange feeling, the boy followed the animal's example. They moved faster, and he felt as if the dark river waters had drained his strength. Still remembering Scarface's words, he kept running. Despite being few, the soldiers were shooting without rest. The screams and sounds of the beasts being hit and falling were hard to ignore, but Ashwin had no time or energy to look around. Even if he did, the chaotic movements of the animals made it difficult to determine the actual number of survivors. The boy followed their example, hoping that this would help him avoid bullets. He prayed for his survival when an animal that was running in front of him exploded. A blast wave knocked the boy and a few nearby apes off their feet.
Ashwin rolled onto his side. He had to stand up, but his ears were ringing, and he was gasping for air. A sudden discovery that the defense line might include landmines made him groan. The entire plan seemed like a gamble, and the boy was sure he wouldn't be lucky enough to win. A bullet struck the ground beside him. Ashwin tried at least to get up. For some reason, being killed sounded less depressing if he could face the shooter with his head held high. But before he could stand up again, a familiar paw grabbed the boy's hand and pulled him away. Scarface dragged him just as another bullet hit where Ashwin had been standing.
"Run!" shouted the troop's leader. His normally clear voice was barely audible in the thunderous mix of gunfire, screams, and alarms ringing.
The boy followed Scarface, forgetting about tiredness and burning lungs. Fortunately, the apes now paid more attention to the ground and avoided any suspicious areas. There were no more explosions, at least. Just when Ashwin thought about landmines, he felt another push and dizziness, like on the riverbank. He continued to run, but another push made him realize - the ground was shaking.
It was an earthquake. A weak one by the likes of it, yet now the boy worried about falling into a sudden crack in the ground. He decided to rely on the ape's perceptiveness and carefully watched the one who was running before him. This led him to being grabbed by Scarface again. The beast pulled Ashwin away from stepping on a mound of earth and pushed him aside. Another ape caught the boy and dragged him further. All this made Ashwin feel like he was a ball in a rough game with no rules. Complaining was useless, so he put every bit of strength he had into staying on his feet and keeping up with the animal's pace. It paid off - soon they left the spotlight’s range and the shooting behind.
Outside the wall and defense line, there was a strip of felled trees. Humans cut down the trees for two reasons: to clear the view and make it difficult for enemies to hide, and to obtain resources. However, the latter goal was tricky, as some local flora lacked the necessary quality of wood. Once the runaways reached the edge of the forest, they switched from running to walking. They were already dead tired, but Scarface made his subjects march further. The tremors on the ground had stopped, but Ashwin didn't notice it right away. All he wanted was to rest. He imagined taking off his sandals and wet cloth and stretching his aching, blister-covered legs. Even hunger paled compared to his unbearable fatigue. Probably the apes felt the same, but none complained. Even the injured ones walked on, covering their wounds with their paws or pieces of cloth.
The procession stretched out more than it had during their march from the capital to the border. Now, it was like a thin thread that was ready to be torn at the slightest touch. Ashwin's sense of surroundings became cloudy. He moved his feet step by step, staring at the back of the ape in front of him. He couldn't even think anymore. His mind went blank, as if he were in a state of perfect meditation. But he doubted that true meditation comprised deafening fear, exhaustion, and pain.
The boy almost stepped on an ape before him when the beast stopped. Ashwin flinched and looked around. The animals that were walking at the forefront finally took a break. Most of them lay or sat on the ground, deep in sleep. Ashwin glanced at Scarface in disbelief and took off the muslin cloth. Originally, he wanted to dry it, but it had already become slightly damp - the wind had dried away most of the water. So instead, the boy spread it out on the ground and lay down on it. He even forgot to remove his sandals. As soon as Ashwin laid his head down, using his arm as a pillow, he fell into a deep sleep.
