“I can’t believe you dragged me into this Anthony!” Clara says with a yelp as her foot nearly slips on a mossy rock, her hand instinctively clasping over her necklace. The stupid hike had been his idea, after an hour of his endless pleading that we leave the resort and explore the surrounding jungle—yes jungle— Clara had finally caved.

“Live a little Clar! Can you believe I could be the first person named Anthony to step on this rock? Or this one! And this one!” The idiot proclaims as he hops from rock to rock. “We couldn’t very well come all the way to Ecuador and NOT visit the Amazon!”

Anthony, being the go lucky explorer he is, would not hear any of Clara’s reasoning that the jungle is full of animals that could kill them, nor did he allow her to book a guided tour, no he just had to ‘be a free spirit’ or whatever it was-

Clara’s thoughts are abruptly interrupted by the scream Anthony lets out as he hops from the last rock onto the river bank. Panic shoots through her, setting the moss and fish and possibly of her being swept into the river never to be seen again, Clara leaps rock to rock until she’s right beside her best friend. Frantically checking him for any injury, eyes sweeping the area for some kind of animal that could’ve caused his alarm, her anxiety quickly releaving itself when she finds that Anthony is completely healthy and not in way of danger.

“Why would you scare me you jerk! I thought you were about to be eaten alive for Christs sake!” Clara scolds, giving him a firm whack on the shoulder.

“Clar, I saw something. I don’t know what it was but it- it wasn’t normal.” Anthony whispers, grabbing her shoulders, a fear so unnatural to the man’s often playful eyes that she’s sure this isn’t one of his jokes. As if on queu, a sharp wind gusts through the area. Their heads snapping toward the thick of the jungle as a raspy echo escapes it.

“I- is someone there?” Clara asks hesitantly, triggering a faint glow among the trees. They take a step back as the light comes foward, no not a light… a human if you can even call it that. The figure is still to far to determine the nature of but it seems to bear the head of a jaguar, the body of man, and what looks like a large set of wings. Clara clasps her hand over Anthony’s mouth as she hears his inhale before he can scream. She stands frozen as the creature comes closer, a spear in its hand now visible. She quickly becomes aware of the fact that the rushing river has fallen quiet. The figure now stands only a few feet away, its head tilted as if trying to figure them out.

“Please don’t hurt us!” Anthony’s high pitched plea manages to escape Clara’s hand, though his words don’t faze the creature. Things slowly begin to click as Clara spots the lantern the figure holds that causes the glow. The small jade clasp at the base of its neck keeping the wings in place. The way more skin is uncovered by the cheetah fur as it tilts its head.

“You’re human.” She states quietly, partially to the figure and just as much to herself. This seems to amuse the figure. Anthony tenses beside her as it steps closer, despite his non violent nature and lack of fighting ability, he seems completely ready to throw down with….whoever this is. It’s hand reaches for her neck, but to both Clara and Anthony’s shock, its fingers gently wrap around her necklace. A gift from her grandmother, the reason Clara and Anthony had came to South America in the first place, she was a historian up until her last couple years on earth when she developed an illness, it was just last week that Clara received an invitation to her grandmothers funeral.

“What’re you doing?” Clara’s words are filled with fear and hardly come up audible but the figure alas steps back and stakes its weapon into the ground. It’s hand move to its furry head and pull it off, revealing a man who can’t be much older than Clara and Anothony.

“Your necklace. You know where Evangeline is?” The man’s voice is rough, not mean but a hint of accusation in his tone.

“Evangeline was my grandmothers name, she passed away recently.” Clara’s response seems to shock the man greatly, his face scrunching. “Um how did you know her?”

“She was our queen.”