Poor Private Perkins Pt. 03

"Thomas, remember that Fuira I said was an ambassador?" The private recognized Kiana's voice behind him, and his mate quickly let go and moved to stand beside him. "Meet Minya, esteemed representative of the Furias."

"{I'm gonna kill you!}" Minya spat in response, "{Fucking furless son of a bitch!}" She stopped thrashing against the two jaguars restraining her, but she still looked like she wanted to kill the human. Now that she wasn't trying to claw his face off, he noticed her clothing was decorated with scraps of human attire: she had a belt buckle on her bicep, a red sleeve repurposed as a scarf, and a pocket watch worn as a pendant, all of it making her seem like a veteran human-hunter. Her nose was streaming blood from when Thomas had smashed it with his rifle, accenting the red paint she wore under each eye.

It was then that Thomas noticed that Chief Kolau was standing to his right, and without really thinking, the private snapped to attention. "I deeply apologize for the behavior of our guests," the chief said with a hint of mockery, "She's just rather... irritable, especially when it comes to humans. I wanted to keep you hidden from her, but thanks to Alejo, word got around rather quickly." He then turned his attention to Minya, who had simmered down to simply staring daggers at Thomas. "{I'd like to remind you that he is as much of a guest as you. If he steps on the land of your tribe, you're free to kill him as painfully as you like, but until then, he is under my protection. Understand?}"

"{Yes sir.}" Minya yanked herself free of the two jaguar's holding her, but made no attempt to go after Thomas. "{Black Claw is going to hear about this" she growled, "{As will every other chief.}" After glaring at everyone present, she stomped off back towards the village, then scrambled up into a nearby tree. Somehow, Thomas knew he'd see her again, but his attention was quickly grabbed by Kolau.

"So," the chief began, "Now that we've gotten that bit of unpleasantness out of the way, I think we've some other business to discuss." He paced around Thomas and Kiana until he was in front of them both, and the two jaguars who'd held back Minya came forward to stand behind him. "Thomas, I'm guessing you want to get home at some point, and I believe I know a way you can leave here."

The private reached over and subtly took hold of Kiana's paw, squeezing it as he tried to sort out his mixed feelings. On the one hand, it seemed only natural to go back to his one kind, to leave the deadly traps and venomous wildlife of the jungle far behind; on the other, he knew he wouldn't be able to bring Kiana back with him, and the thought of being cut off from her made his heart quake with a longing fear. "You mean trading information for safe passage?" he hesitantly offered, "I had thought about it, but..."

"It's a bit more complicated than that, I'm afraid. I'm guessing that most of the tribes will hear quite a few unfavorable things about you in the next few days, so we need to head them off... I'll need to present you at el encuentro de los jefes, have you state your case and explain what the humans are doing. Then... well, maybe then the others can convince {Black Claw} to let you return to your homeland."

Kiana seemed to sense Thomas's question before he even spoke. "{Black Claw} is the chief of the Furias," she explained, "Her real name is Talia, but everyone uses the title of her... {how would you say...} family line."

"So, when's the meeting?" Thomas asked, "Is it at the village, or..."

"The meeting can happen as soon as I send out some messengers," Kolau replied, "And as for the location, we meet on sacred ground."

"Like a church?" came Thomas's blurted reply.

"Mmm... sort of. It is what you humans call hallowed ground, but there is no building there, it's just a wide clearing with a big, flat rock called {The Holy Grounds.}"

Kiana stepped forward with her own set of questions. "{Are you planning to have the meeting at once, chief? Should Thomas and I wait here until the messengers return?}"

"I think it's best if we have the meeting before rumors start flying," Kolau replied, sticking to English for Thomas's sake, "And yes, I would like you two to wait in the village just so we can head out at a moment's notice."

Thomas suddenly felt something brush his fingers, and he glanced down to see Kiana's paw gently squeeze his hand. He swiftly returned the gesture but held onto her furry paw for some semblance of comfort. "Are we just leaving now?" he asked, hoping he'd get a chance to grab some things from the hut.

A knowing grin spread across Kolau's face. "Don't worry, you can get whatever you want to bring along... however, I'd recommend you keep that {thunder-stick} at least partly hidden." With that, he turned to his two subordinates, prompting Kiana to lead her mate back toward her home.

It didn't take long for the jaguar to pack the essentials, and once that was done, she helped Thomas find something to cover his rifle with. "So," he started to ask, "About the meeting... how big of a deal is it?"

Kiana grabbed her bow and quiver, slinging them both over her shoulder. "It's not often that the {chieftains} meet, but when they do, it's usually when something concerns all the tribes. They called one when the missionaries came and one when the Rojas first appeared... I think they consider anything human-related to be worthy of discussion."

Thomas's brow furrowed. "Anything?"

"Si. You're a completely different species with mastery over strange weapons, y los Rojas, in particular, seem to be aggressive toward us." She then picked up the human's red coat, holding it up as if to ask whether he wanted to take it. "{And also,} no human has ever become a jaguar's mate before... probably because no one realized what good companions you make."

After Thomas turned down the coat, she tossed it back on the bed, then moved to let down a vine rope from the exit. The human was first to climb down, balancing his wrapped up rifle on his biceps as he laboriously descended, with his mate following him down in a flash. The pair quickly rejoined Kolau and his escort, and the band of jaguars quickly guided Thomas back through the jungle with only a few close calls.

This time, Thomas had a much easier time climbing up, partially because he was barefoot, and partially because he'd had quite a bit of practice. As he pulled himself onto the platform and examined his surroundings, he saw several jaguars looking on in earnest; when he'd first gotten there, about half the looks he'd gotten were of suspicion, but now everyone just seemed curious. Instead of shying away, a group of cubs seemed positively fascinated by him, especially when they clapped eyes on the wrapped bundle in his hands. Granted, there were still a few villagers who gave him odd looks, but they seemed more uncertain than outright fearful.

"{Kiana, why don't you show Thomas to the bunkhouse?}" Thomas was snapped out of his thoughts by Kolau's voice, and he turned to see the chief gesturing to a massive hut that looked like some kind of bunkhouse. "{Once you settle in, Nieja could use some additional bows with today's hunt since Nerio and Lauia are sick.}"

"{Yes, chief,}" Kiana replied, then motioned for Thomas to follow her. She then led him along the twisting woven bridges toward the bunkhouse, passing a few jaguars on the way, and within a few minutes, they were at its doorstep. Inside were a lot of hammocks, lining the walls in haphazard rows, and a small hole in the domed roof provided dim light throughout the building. Some of the hammocks were just plain vine netting, while others were stitched from animal hide, and most had some level of bone-based ornamentation; few were occupied, and most of the jaguars in them looked to be ill or injured. Kiana led her mate over to a plain hammock by the ground, one that looked like it hadn't held anyone in a while. "This is where we'll be sleeping, for the time being," she said, "You can leave your {thunder-stick} here, nobody will take it."

Thomas shifted his grip on his rifle, but instead of putting it down, he clutched it to his chest. "Chief Kolau said something about cacería... that means hunting, right?"

A small grin spread across Kiana's muzzle as she slung her bow off her shoulder. "That he did. What, you want to go hunting?"

"Yes," Thomas replied, "He said two people were sick, and I've gotten plenty of practice." He stood tall, trying to make himself seem competent, but it was undermined by Kiana's small chuckle. "Come on, you've seen me in action, you know I've got what it takes."

"Oh, I don't doubt your ability, conejito; it's just that we don't need to wake up half the forest with cracks of thunder." She pointed to his wrapped up rifle, and once he looked down, she took it out of his grasp and tossed it onto the hammock. "{Come on,} I know where we can get a bow of your own."

The private diligently followed as Kiana led him back out of the bunkhouse, crossing a few rickety bridges to an old but graceful-looking tree a little ways away from the bulk of the village. On the platform that ringed it, Thomas could see a couple younger jaguars shaping branches, tying bowstrings, and fletching arrows; in the middle was a central hut that he guessed that the hut was some kind of armory. As they approached, a mature looking female jaguar stepped out, and her greying facial features lit up as she laid eyes on Kiana. Well, she only had one eye, seeing as how one side of her face was covered by a primitive eyepatch, but that didn't stop Thomas from recognizing unbridled excitement. "Ah, {daughter!}" she called out, "{It's so good to see you!}" As the older jaguar opened her arms, Kiana began jogging over, and the two collided in a heartfelt embrace. "{I was wondering when you'd come to visit your old mother.}"

"{I'm sorry I didn't come earlier,}" Kiana replied, "{I just-}"

"{Well, you're here now, and that's what matters.}" Suddenly, the older jaguar looked up and met Thomas's eyes, causing her smile to transform into a smirk. "{And this must be the lucky boy,}" she continued, "{He's a little shorter than I thought he'd be...}"

Kiana pulled away in mock offense. "{Mom, don't make fun of him!}" She then turned to Thomas, and her playful expression sobered just a tad. "Thomas, this is Meiana, she's... well, she's the closest thing I have to a mother."

Thomas stepped a bit closer and offered his hand in greeting. "{Pleased to meet you,}" the human said as Meiana took his hand, causing the older jaguar to chuckle just a bit.

"{Such a gentleman,}" she replied, "{I can certainly see the appeal. Too bad you can't make me any grandchildren...}"

"{Mom,}" Kiana interjected, "{Thomas needs a bow, he's decided to help out with the hunt today.}"

"{Ah, I see,}" Meiana said jokingly, "{Should have known you were here on business.}" The one-eyed jaguar then turned and headed back toward her hut, motioning for the pair to follow. "{Come, I've got just the thing.}"

Inside the hut was a venerable workshop, full of primitive tools, raw materials, and a number of bows in various stages of completion. Meiana quickly led Thomas over to a rack of finished bows, most of which were shorter than the Anglan longbows he'd heard about in history class; she picked out one that was about 3 feet long, then swiftly strung it, revealing the arms' recurved shape. "Try pulling back," Kiana suggested, "Don't release, just test the strength."

After a short sigh, Thomas did as he was told, slowly pulling the string all the way back to his cheek like he'd seen Anglan archers do in history books. The resistance was pretty heavy, but not so much that it was impossible to use... it was easy to imagine skewering a rabbit with a shot from the bow. After slowly bringing the string back to rest, he nodded his assent to Meiana, who cracked a small grin. "{Perfect,}" she said, grabbing a quiver of arrows off the rack and handing it to Thomas, "{The hunters are gathering on the southeast platform, next to the twisted tree. They should leave in about twenty minutes, so you don't have to hurry.}"

The human slung the quiver over his shoulder, then bowed deeply to the older jaguar. "{Thank you, ma'am,}" he replied, right before Kiana led him out of the hut. He looked back to see Meiana waving cheerfully, almost seeming like she took pride in her daughter's choice of mate. As his sort-of-wife led him back across the slightly perilous walkways, he began to wonder what exactly Meiana thought of him... she didn't seem disgusted or afraid, which was more than he could say for the rest of the tribe.

From the bowmaker's hut, it was a long walk to the hunters' meeting point, crossing several rickety-looking bridges and a few narrow branches. As they came up to the platform, the human saw several other jaguars standing about, most of whom he didn't recognize. One of them looked to be in charge, and as she saw the oddly matched pair approaching, she cheerfully offered a greeting. "{Hey, Kiana,}" she called out in a familiar voice, "{Finally decided to help out your own tribe?}"

"We're waiting for the chief's messengers to return," Kiana replied. It then dawned on Thomas where he'd heard the other jaguar before: she'd met them when they were bathing in the river. What was her name... Nieja!

"{Hey, what the hell's a Roja doing on a hunt?}" The second voice was also familiar, and Thomas took it as a bad omen for the events to come. As one of the jaguars turned to face him with a scowl, he recognized it as Alejo, and the moment their eyes met, he knew something bad was going to happen. "Hey, Roja, this hunt not for {bitches}!"

A few sniggers arose from the assembled jaguars, but Nieja didn't seem impressed. "{Show a little respect, Alejo,}" she retorted, "{At least he had the courage to volunteer... I had to drag your lazy ass kicking and screaming the last few hunts.}" A new wave of chuckles rose from the hunters, and Alejo's bullying demeanor melted into an impotent rage.

Kiana leaned in beside Thomas and whispered, "He's a terrible shot, too... couldn't hit a tree ten paces in front of him." Thankfully, no one threw any more insults as the assembled party waited, although Thomas was starting to wonder what they were waiting for after almost five minutes.

Suddenly, a panicked-looking jaguar came sprinting into view, nearly barreling into Thomas as he skidded into view. "{Sorry, Nieja,}" he panted while straightening his quiver, "{I was just-}"

"{At least you're here, Dejito,}" Nieja said with an absolving gesture. Then, she turned to the rest of the group, and began with a formal-sounding speech. "{This is just another standard hunt, no special rules, no ancient rituals, just you and your bow against the jungle. I want everyone to come back with at least five kills, the bigger the better. Watch your back and make sure you stay inside Unidas lands. Are we clear?"

"{Yes, ma'am,}" the group replied in unison. Even Thomas chimed in, although he had no clue what was being said; Kiana's firm grip on his hand reassured him that she'd help him along. Then, Nieja led the hunting party down to the forest floor, where most of the group split off. Kiana remained behind with Thomas, turning to look him in the eye. "For this hunt, you have to kill five creatures," she explained, "The bigger, the better. You deliver them to Nieja here, either one at a time or all at once. There is no prize for fastest, so go slow and be careful."

"{Come on slowpokes, we haven't got all day.}" Nieja was standing with her arms crossed, a scolding grin on her face.

"{Let's not be late, mi corazon.}" Thomas whispered back, after which the two of them set off into the jungle down separate paths. The young human felt a tad bewildered, being out on his own, but Kiana had taught him enough to where he thought he had a decent chance. As he gingerly stepped over a well-hidden tripwire, the young human silently thanked the jaguar for her lessons on trapmaking, hoping that whatever gods ruled the wild jungle would spare him from their wrath.

About an hour into the hunt, Thomas made his third kill: a flat-snouted raccoon-like animal that he shot clean through the neck with an arrow. It was probably luck, he told himself, but that didn't make it any less edible. He tied the creature to his belt with a bit of woven-vine twine right next to his other two modest kills, not minding the small amount of blood leaking onto his pants. The first victim, a small bird, had been much like his third, shot from a distance with his new bow; the second, a somewhat portly possum, had been lynched by one of the boy's primitive traps. With his boon secured, Thomas started off on the trail of his next prey, which led toward a faint sound of rushing water.

Throughout his hunt, the private had felt fairly alone, mostly because the other hunters were far better sneaks than he. Occasionally he'd see a crushed leaf or scratched tree that indicated where they had passed, but he never them or their kills in person. Even Kiana seemed to have given him a wide berth, and the only company was the ever-present sounds of the jungle.

As the trail wound on, the sound of water got closer and closer, until, at last, Thomas began to see the bank of a river through the underbrush. It wasn't all that wide, maybe fifteen feet across, and the exposed cliff of a bank stretched barely a foot from the treeline. His quarry's tracks turned left to follow the river's flow, but just as he poked his head out, something shoved him from behind. The human went toppling over the riverbank's edge, splashing into ankle-deep water face first; the surprise blow managed to knock his bow out of his hand, and the arrows in his quiver spilled out as he landed face-first. He flipped onto his back just in time to see a cruelly-smiling Alejo staring down at him, and he was just about to come after the jaguar when something bit down hard into his shoulder.

Whatever it was, it had sharp teeth that dug into his flesh, and he barely had time to register a long, thick shape before it started rolling him around like a ball of string. Before he could react, he was wrapped in strong, scaly coils that squeezed hard enough to force the breath from his lungs. One of his arms was pinned against his side, and as his assailant rolled him back into the water, his other was swiftly pinned against the ground. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't see, he couldn't fight as the creature crushed his body. It felt like his bones were about to splinter, crushed by the thing's ridiculously strong grip, and he could already feel the life being squeezed from his body when he rolled far enough to un-pin his free arm. In an instant, his hand went down to the hilt of his knife, and once he pulled it free, he began wildly stabbing at the creature's scales. With each blow, Thomas could feel the steel point poking him through its body, but he only stopped after burying the weapon into his assailant's head.

He couldn't pull the blade free, but he could feel the thing relax just a tad, so he switched his feverish efforts to get free. To the private's surprise, it didn't offer much resistance, and he managed to wriggle free of its coils in a matter of seconds. Its jaws still held on, however, and he had to rip the hooked teeth in a painful spurt of strength. He splashed his way back onto the shore, taking in gasps of precious air, trying desperately to get back to what he thought was safety. As soon as he made it back onto dry earth, Thomas whirled around, only to see that his adversary had perished.

A gigantic, green-and-brown snake lay half-submerged in the water, coiled limply around nothing in particular; its hides were marked with several crimson-dripping wounds, and Thomas's knife was buried to the hilt in the top of its skull. As the adrenaline died down, the young private realized it must've been one of the giant anacondas he'd heard horror stories about.