The Tiger Cars growl faded behind her, swallowed by the dense Maracas Valley bush. Jackie, no longer Jackie but Tiger Cat, moved through the undergrowth. Cool earth cushioned the soles of her bare, ebony, calloused feet. Roots snaked across the forest floor, ancient and gnarled, a living tapestry underfoot. Sunlight, splintered by the canopy, dappled the path ahead, painting shifting patterns on the emerald leaves. The air hung thick with the scent of damp soil, decaying leaves, and something else a faint, sweet, cloying aroma that hinted at cultivation, not wild growth.
A low branch, draped with moss, brushed her shoulder as she passed, a cool, soft caress. A hummingbird, a blur of iridescent emerald and ruby, darted past her ear, its wings a frantic hum. The sounds of the forest enveloped her: the chirping of unseen insects, the distant cry of a kiskadee, the rustle of leaves as some unseen creature moved through the undergrowth. She became part of it, her senses sharpened, her instincts guiding her deeper.
The path, if it could even be called that, narrowed further, becoming little more than a deer trail. Vines, thick as a mans arm, hung like sleeping serpents from the trees. The air grew heavier, more humid, a suffocating blanket. She felt the subtle shift in the earth beneath her feet, a slight rise, then a plateau. The vegetation thinned abruptly, revealing a clearing.
"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in." The voice, rough and gravelly, cut through the stillness. It came from behind one of the larger stones. Tiger Cat spun, her muscles tensing, her body coiling, ready to strike.
A man emerged, his face obscured by a wide-brimmed hat, a rusty shotgun clutched in his hands. Another stepped out from behind a thick tree trunk, a machete glinting in his hand. their eyes hard and watchful. Ganja farmers.
"Thought you'd come snooping around, this aint no place for pretty city women, especially not one dressed like a…a jungle cat."
Tiger Cat remained silent, her gaze sweeping over them, assessing their weapons, their positions. They were amateur, but desperate, probably high on their own product. That made them dangerous.
TIGER CAT -Mystery in the valley- 02:http://memberslogin.hipcomix.com/gallery3/index.php/Mitru/Tiger-Cat/MYSTERY-IN-THE-VALLEY
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