The cat darted toward the jungle. I tried to keep an eye on it, but it was too fast and quickly vanished into the shadows.
As people poured out of their tents, Alonzo ran to the edge of camp. He howled at the sky.
I sprinted to where I'd seen the cat and pointed my flashlight at the ground. I saw bloody paw prints. Leaning closer, I noticed two scratch marks crisscrossing each other on the right set of heel pads. "It's the same one from the other night," I called out. "It—"
With a loud bark, Alonzo raced toward the jungle. My jaw tightened as I remembered Yohl Ik’nal's horrible fate.
I ran after Alonzo. The land sloped upward. The air grew thicker. It was the sort of air that sucked your breath out and left you gagging for oxygen. Before long, I felt like I was going to pass out.
I sprinted past the tree line. The ground continued to slope upward. Coupled with the loose mud, it made for difficult traveling.
The trees around me were massive and ancient. Their thick trunks drifted high into the air, vanishing into the mist. They'd clearly been around for a long time, at least a couple of centuries.
Dead leaves hung from the branches. They swayed from side to side, rustling quietly in the breeze. The jungle was pristine, but far from beautiful.
Just ahead, I saw Alonzo. His nose was pointed at the earth. He moved back and forth, sniffing the ground, bushes, fallen branches, and leaves.
"Stop," Crowley shouted. "I see it."
I pulled to a halt. "Where?"
"Above you."
I looked up. My heart skipped a beat.
A large cougar stood on the branches of a tall tree, just ten feet over my head. It roamed back and forth, shifting from branch to branch.
I backed up a step and pointed my gun at the cougar.
It stopped. Stared down at me. Bared its fangs.
"Wait," Graham shouted. "You're too close."
A loud gunshot rang out, inches away from my head. I cringed and instinctively clutched at my ears.
The giant cougar toppled out of the tree. It smacked a few branches on the way down before landing in a heap, less than five feet away from me.
I waited for it to jump up. But it lay in the muddy grass, unmoving.
Gradually, I became aware of my surroundings. Rustles sounded out along with deafening shrieks and low-throated growls. Some noises sounded far away. Others were uncomfortably close.
I glanced at Alonzo. He continued to roam the area, sniffing the ground. I was proud of him for overcoming his fears. At the same time, I was puzzled by his lack of interest in the cougar. Had he found another scent? A stronger one, perhaps?
"Looks like I got it," Crowley said.
"You should've warned me." I glared at him. "What if you'd missed?"
"I don't miss," Crowley said.
"Don't be too sure about that." Graham bent down and inspected the cougar. "These paws are clean, free of marks."
"Who cares?"
"We all should care. Because you killed the wrong animal."
Chapter 52
Rigoberta, looking far better than I remembered, cleared her throat. "So, this isn't the one that killed my baby?"
"It doesn't look that way." Graham pointed at Alonzo, who was still sniffing the ground. "Otherwise, he wouldn't be searching for a scent. Plus, the heel pads don't match up."
"We've been endangering animals by cutting them off from the marsh. But at least we weren't killing them." Tum glared at Crowley. "Until now."
His reaction took me by surprise. It was the first time I'd seen Tum lose his temper.
"Maybe it's not the animal that's been hanging around our camp," Crowley retorted. "But it's still a predator."
"So, we should just kill any animal that might do us harm?"
Crowley shrugged.
"Most likely, it would've ignored us. Cougars rarely attack people."
"That's because they've learned to avoid people," Graham said softly. "That's not the case here."
"Why stop now?" Tum's hands formed fists. "Why don't we just go kill the rest of the cougars while we're at it?"
"Actually, that's not a bad idea," Crowley said. "Maybe that'll teach the survivors to fear us."
"Or take revenge on us."
"Animals don't take revenge."
"Certain animals, including big cats, are capable of grudges," Tum replied sharply. "Revenge isn't a far step from that."
As he spoke, I realized Miranda, Tum, and the Maneros made for an interesting team. They'd grown up together in the Lacandon Jungle. Yet, they'd developed different views along the way.
Miranda cared about the Classic Maya civilization and global environmental issues like climate change. Yet, she showed little interest in her tribe. Plus, she seemed uncomfortable in nature.
Tum hadn't expressed an opinion about big-picture issues. Yet, he cared deeply for the life of a single cougar. As a shaman, he drew on the ways of his Classic Maya predecessors. At the same time, he continued to be an active part of his tribe.
Dora and Renau, in contrast to Miranda and Tum, seemed to have little interest in nature except when it impacted the Lacandon tribe. Although they studied ancient Mayan hieroglyphics, they didn't seem all that interested in the Classic Maya civilization.
"I've hunted animals across the globe," Graham interjected. "And I've never seen a single animal try to take revenge."
"That's not the only issue," Tum said. "We're standing in a unique, well-balanced ecosystem. If we don't respect it, we could cause a catastrophe."
Graham snorted.
"He's got a point," Miranda said. "Look at what happened to the Mayas when they started tearing down trees. If we begin murdering animals, we could unleash hell upon this canyon in ways we don't even realize."
"In case you haven't noticed, we're already in hell," Graham said.
"Think about it from the perspective of the cougar," Tum urged. "It was just protecting its land, its family. We're the invaders here, not it."
"Are you really siding with animals over people?"
"When people act stupidly, yes." Tum waved at Crowley. "He didn't just hurt a predator tonight. The prey will suffer too. The relationship between predator and prey is self-regulating and as ancient as life itself."
"You're talking about the Balance of Nature theory." Graham arched an eyebrow. "Too bad it was disproven decades ago."
"Nonsense."
"Predators aren't just eating machines. They show mobbing behavior. They participate in surplus killing. In fact, they've been known to eat themselves right out of existence. And prey—"
I held up my hands. "Stop it, all of you."
They turned to face me.
"We're not going to kill random animals. But we have to be able to protect ourselves. Agreed?"
Every head — except Tum's — bobbed.
"We need to increase our defenses. Let's set traps around the southern edge of the jungle. That should help." My face turned grim. "Like it or not, the cat is still out there. And we need to get it before it gets us."
Chapter 53
"Hold on a second," I called out.
Our group came to a halt. Heads swiveled toward me.
I perked my ears. In the distance, I heard a soft rushing noise. It sounded a little like wind. "Does anyone hear that?"
Crowley listened for a second. "It's just a breeze."
"I don't think so."
I turned around. Before anyone could stop me, I was marching southeast, away from the camp. I heard a few sighs. Then the others started to follow me.
I stepped hard as I walked, making as much noise as possible. I kept my flashlight beam constantly moving. I hoped my actions would convince predators to keep their distance. But just in case, I kept a firm grip on my machete.