Author's Note: You gotta run through the jungle... Check out my bio page - I have a link to a pre-lim portrait of John & Shadow! It's from the scene in 'WTF' shortly after they hear the urtal scream.

Chapter 7

It has been six days since Sheppard and his people left, and five days since we entered the jungle. Even after all this time and the rains it is surprisingly easy to follow the First Ones' trail. Like the urtal that they are based upon, they like to mark their territory with scent and scratches on tree trunks. The deep scores that are a long reach above my head are easy to spot – with the extra moisture in the ground from the rains the scars weep thick sap that attracts hundreds of insects.

And they've left behind a trail of decimation and death.

The First Ones leave messy camps, strewn with bones and debris, and just leave their dead where they fall. We recover a few scraps of leather to add to our collection, but no bones. They apparently loot their dead for any decoration, and the medical scanner I carry with me can tell if the remains we find are human or not.

We move fast, the only supplies we carry are salves and medicines for any injuries, and three spare mounts carry extra weapons and baskets for the remains. Everything else we need can be taken from the jungle itself. I have left my belt behind, and any clothing since I spend most of the time in my full panther form, only changing to the intermediate when I need to communicate or use the medical scanner. Kintu and I have the lead, and from first light to twilight we are on the move constantly, only stopping for water and to feed our Ixlatecutl and ourselves or examining the dead. When we camp for the night they always let me sleep first – my watch comes during the darkest hours of the night where my vision will serve us best.

I have not required much sleep as of late. I admit I am pushing myself, but if need be I can go days without sleep, so the few hours I receive each night are adequate.

It is nearing twilight when we find the remains of a human camp, and I smell it long before we come across it. It is too small to be a proper village and the few lean-tos we spot seem to indicate there were several people here at one time. The small clearing is awash with old blood and the scattered and still somewhat wet remains of three First Ones lay in the jungle.

Kintu and Xul, our best tracker, dismount and cautiously enter the clearing with me. I have my nose down – the First Ones' scent is still fairly strong and I feel this camp hasn't been abandoned for more than four days at the most. We are getting closer.

The area is clear and Kintu signals for the others to approach. As they are bringing in their mounts I find a sizeable scattering of cracked bone. I change and retrieve the scanner from a supply basket. They are human, and very clean. Kintu sees my ears and whiskers go flat and he gets one of the larger baskets without a word. He, Kaza, and I gather the remains, and the pieces barely fill a third of the basket. We find a few personal items in the camp – a necklace of pale blue shells, a few scattered beads of polished iridescent stone, some scraps of bright cloth – and carefully gather those up as well.

Even though it is a good spot, we travel on to make our own camp. I slip away immediately and follow a familiar scent, and when I return it is nearly dark and my hunters are frantic. Especially Kintu. The wild Ixlatecutl carcass I am dragging only mollifies them so much. I change and go off to the side while Kaxa and Tlon start to skin and gut the bird. Poc starts a small fire – he insisted on coming with us, and his primary mount is one of our pack animals. She is still not ready for him on her back, but the baskets are fine with her. The men cut enough meat for their own evening meal and one in the morning; the rest will be given to their mounts.

Kintu brings part of a raw haunch to me. I accept it and immediately start eating. "You frightened us, Tilahuaxutzli," he says rather angrily.

"I needed to think," I growl around a mouthful.

He looks back at the carcass, takes in the shredded condition of its neck and chest and the fact that the head is barely attached, and grunts. "Next time you need to think, think on this." He taps the tree next to him with his knuckles. "It is easier on our thinking." He stomps off, and for a moment reminds me of Dr. McKay. I think it was his expression.

I don't blame him for being angry. We are all on edge with this necessary task. I finish my meal alone, then change back to my full form to groom the blood from my fur. Then I curl up into a tight ball and sleep. When I wake on my own several hours later I see Tlon is on watch. I chuff softly to let him know I am awake, and I see him nod in roughly my direction. I make a circuit of the camp and check on everyone and look for any snakes that may have come seeking body warmth. The Ixlatecutl stir restlessly when I approach, but soon settle once they recognize my scent. After I add more wood the fire I climb a tree that gives me a good view of the camp and settle for the rest of the night. A few hours before dawn an urtal screams somewhere in the darkness and everyone comes awake, but it is far away and does not pose a threat. Just as a precaution, however, I descend and mark a wide perimeter around our campsite.

No one sleeps after that, and we are ready to move before dawn has fully broken.

oOo

Our journey has been taking us closer and closer to the coast, and the jungle has grown denser as we progress. It has slowed us and we are forced to follow game trails through some areas. That means we must move single file, and I do not like that. I take the lead during those times, Kintu's mount nearly stepping on my tail as he follows, and everyone is tense. Two days have passed since we found the camp, and I know we are close. The First Ones' stink lays heavy on the trail, and we found a body this morning that scavengers had only just started to tear apart. I cannot find any obvious injuries on him, but the scanner shows a trace of ri'i venom in his system. This one still retained his leather mantle and ornamentation, and we take the time to remove those, wrap them, and tuck them carefully away with the rest.

We all recognized Paxul's tattoos and it has hardened our resolve.

The trail widens and just as I am about to step up my pace I pick up a new scent and lope to a halt. Kintu slides to a halt beside me and I can hear the others stopping as well. The jungle is … still. Too much so.

I change and stand, ears as far forward as they will go, and listen. I take a step away from Kintu, and out of the corner of my eye I see him bring his blowgun up. I take one more step, lips parted so I can taste the air, my head swiveling from side to side and ears straining for the slightest change,. That is why I catch the buzz of fletchings and dive out of the way, and the arrow cuts through my left ear instead of imbeding itself in my eye. I snarl in pain and come up, claws extended, and that is when I see him.

It is a man. He is taller than the Nixtahuec, but not as tall as me, and his head is shaved except for a topknot. His face is either painted or tattooed red from his nose to his high hairline, and has an odd, flat forehead that makes his face seem far too long for his head.

And he is readying another arrow.

I can hear more movement in the undergrowth and am certain he is not alone. That is confirmed when a moment later another arrow comes from the underbrush to my right. I'm not so quick this time, and it goes through my upper arm as I dodge it all too late. A word rises up in my memory and I shout it out. "Ku'alchi!" It is an old word, one used when the city was great and it had trade with tribes from all over the peninsula and beyond. Traders used it as a greeting, and a farewell, and it simply means my friend. I see a flicker of recognition in the man's eyes, but he still has his arrow nocked and drawn back to his ear. "Ku'alchi," I repeat.

Kintu moves up next to me, his blowgun to his lips, and I see Poc come up behind him.

The man stands there, his eyes wide in his face as he watches us. Two more men fade out of the jungle near him – they are armed with bows as well. I can hear movement behind me, but I don't dare look. Besides, I know my other hunters will have them covered. Finally the man repeats the greeting and slowly relaxes his draw.

Calling up that one word brings up more information in a white flood, and I get dizzy. I sway and stagger a half step to the side as I put a hand to my head. But it passes quickly and leaves a mild headache in its place.

"Tilahuaxutzli?" Kintu says and glances down at me.

"I am fine," I reply. I look at the new hunters and hesitantly try the old trade language. "We do not mean to trespass – we are hunting demons who attacked our village."

They start faintly, then confer rapidly among themselves. Their language contains many glottal clicks and I cock my head, ears forward to listen. The motion makes the fire in my left ear explode and I choke back a growl. My memory finds a dialect similar to the hunter's and I slowly repeat my earlier statement. I cannot get the clicks quite right, but I must be close enough because they all cry out in surprise, including the ones behind me. I glance briefly that way and see two more before I return my attention to the others. Their next words send my pulse racing and my headache throbbing.

"We hunt demons as well."

From the way they are watching us – particularly me – I can guess their thoughts. I translate for Kintu, and he puts his blowgun away and dismounts slowly. That brings more quiet discussion.

The first man gestures towards Kintu and his mount. "You are from the White City," he says a moment later. "We thought it … dead."

I blink as more information rolls through my aching head. "Yes, we are." I squint my eyes down. "We live in its shadow. We are Nixtahuec." I use our own name – I can't even begin to reproduce their equivalent.

"We are DˀQui."

The word is nothing more than a hard consonant followed by a glottal click ended with an aspirated vowel. It is the sound a bird should make, not a human throat. Then he makes another click/aspiration, and when I don't react he does it again and taps his chest. Ah, his name – ˀQi. I tap my own chest. "Nixta." Then Kintu introduces himself. I go to lift my right arm to indicate the rest of my party when a flare of pain reminds me of the arrow. It doesn't hurt nearly as bad as my ear or head, but it has to go. Kintu is watching me closely. "Steady it," I say as I turn so that arm faces him. He grabs the shaft from where it protrudes from my triceps without question and I snap off the rest from the front. He pulls the shaft out in one smooth motion and I growl softly. I look at the piece in my hand – the point is very finely worked agate – and glance up at ˀQi. "Poison?"

"No."

I chuff and approach ˀQi slowly. He and the two hunters tense, but I just hold the broken shaft out to him on the open palm of my hand, claws retracted. Good points can always be reused, and it is a fine one indeed. He takes it with a soft grunt and tucks it into a woven pouch on his simple belt.

oOo

We have moved down the trail to a small clearing so we can all face each other in a more civilized manner. My ear has already healed, and every time I flick it to shoo insects away from the drying blood I can feel the tear in it. My arm is almost healed, and some zaxutl gum has taken care of my headache. I am sitting crouched down on my heels, Kintu and Xul flanking me, the rest of my hunters and their tethered Ixlatecutl behind us, their blinders up so they are calm. ˀQi is crouched down on his heels across from me, his four hunters standing behind him. They hold their bows casually, but if they are anything like my hunters they can have them up and an arrow nocked in a few heartbeats.

It is getting easier for me to speak their odd, clicking language – the dialect in my memory is only five hundred years out of date – and I am being understood with only minimal confusion now. I have learned that their tribe has a few villages closer to the coast, but also small familial bands that travel the jungle as well. The camp we found was not ˀQi's, but they saw the First Ones as they left after they exhausted their … food supply. There were nine people in that band – men, women, and a few children. They had been tracking them for two days, and were returning for reinforcements when they encountered us.

I also learn there are eighteen First Ones left.

Some are still recovering from wounds received during the attack on my people, but the majority are healthy. We will have to be very careful, but I am confident we can take the majority down before they even know what is happening.

"The leader is a giant, wears many skulls on his belt," ˀQi says. "He speaks, but I do not know the words."

My ears go back and they all tense. They are still incredibly nervous around me so I force my ears to relax. "Can you lead us to them?"

ˀQi nods slowly. "You will need stronger weapons."

I almost smile with my teeth, but that would be bad. "Our darts are tipped with the venom of the red and yellow snake. And my hunters are very good." ˀQi and his hunters shift slightly. "We have plenty to spare." Now they look amongst themselves.

ˀQi nods thoughtfully. "That will work." Then he gives me a fierce grin. "My hunters are very good as well. We will lead you to the demons." Then his grin fades and he studies me in silence for a moment. "Why do you hunt your kind?"

It is an honest question. My ears go flat and fur rises along my neck and spine, and everyone present shifts nervously. "They are not my kind," I say softly through my teeth.

The hunter on ˀQi's right – Tilibutu if I remember correctly – is an older man, and he actually seems rather curious as he stands there, watching me. He has been silent until now. "You are from the White City," he says rather thoughtfully. "We have tales of the White City we tell our children." The rest of his party look at him, and one of them makes a rude exhale that seems to be a universal sign of disgust. He earns a reproachful glance from Tilibutu. "Tales of a shadow goddess in the jungle who eats misbehaving children."

I feel the corner of my mouth twitch. "She wasn't a goddess," I say quietly. At one point, though, I believe she may have thought herself one, and that fills me with a sorrow so deep I have to lower my eyes a moment and fight the ache in my throat. When I finally speak again, my voice is thick. "And she never ate children – just Ixlatecutl. She loved her people too much." When I look up, my fur has settled and my ears have relaxed. Tilibutu is still watching me very closely. I believe he is too clever for his own good.

"Are you her son?"

"In spirit, I am."

He grunts softly. "Then you must have the face of a man as well as this, this shadow one?"

I meet his gaze for a long time before I answer. "I do." I stand, and Kintu mistakes the action. He steps forward, hand on the knife at his belt, and Xul tenses as well. "It is all right. Please, be calm. They have heard of the Tilahuaxutzli."

Kintu lowers his hand. "Of course they have," he says, and I honestly cannot tell if he's being sarcastic or not. I wouldn't put it past him.

I meet the gaze of each of the DˀQui briefly. "This is my true face," I say and change. My ear twinges briefly and I force myself to keep from smiling at their surprised cries. ˀQi launches to his feet, and even though he is the tallest of his party and almost a head taller than Kintu, I am a head taller than him in my human form. I can smell fear coming from some of them, so I dip my head briefly. "Ku'alchi."

ˀQi actually steps forward and pokes me hard in the chest, as if he's making sure I am what I am. Then he walks around me, and I just follow him with my head. When he comes back around he stands right in front of me. "You have fought these demons with success before?" I can see his gaze is on my throat, and no doubt he took in my other scars from that long day as well.

"We have," I reply. "With the help of friends."

ˀQi grunts and nods. His fierce grin returns. "Ku'alchi."

oOo

We travel until twilight, and I leave briefly again to hunt down another wild Ixlatecutl for our evening meal with our allies. They are impressed. I eat roasted meat in my human form that night, and at one point I catch Kintu watching me. When I raise an eyebrow at him he just shrugs casually. "I had forgotten how pale you are, Nixta. That is all." My skin is just a little lighter than his thanks to the sun, but I fling a bone at him anyway.

I do shift back to my full form, however, and that briefly disturbs our new allies until Kintu rubs the top of my head vigorously like I am his son and says, "Ku'alchi." I growl softly at him and swat him away with a blunt paw. He just laughs as he staggers sideways, and I chuff disgustedly and roll my eyes. My other hunters chuckle, and that puts the DˀQui at ease. I curl up and am asleep shortly thereafter. When I wake up several hours have passed and Kintu and Tilibutu are sitting up at the fire and playing a gambling game with multi-length sticks that is popular with our people. They both nod at me when I approach, and I see Kintu is losing badly. Apparently Tilibutu is a quick learner, because he has quite a small pile of the round, purple new leaves of the ground vines they are using as currency. I chuff and go to make my rounds. When I come back they are still playing, and Kintu has won some of the leaves back. I climb a nearby tree, and they only bed down an hour later, the match at a draw.

End Note: Sorry folks - I had to put my BA in anthropolgy to use in this one. . I can even almost do the glottal clicks!