by Celine Yorke
"Let's try to untie each other, so when the opportunity comes, we're free to run," Candela said.
It was a hard task, but they all got busy helping each other. It gave them something to do. It distracted their thoughts away from their fears. Once everyone had been untied, it felt like a small victory. Now all they wanted to do was to fight for their lives.
Later that night, they could hear the people getting loud and very noisy. The women assumed they were drinking and now just waited for an opportunity to escape.
"It will be safer to leave one by one and sneak out around the trees without anyone seeing us," Anne suggested.
One of the women said, "But we haven't got a chance escaping from those brutes!"
"We can't give up and let them win. We can't just sit here like insects caught in a spider's web."
"I'll go first. I'm pretty fit; I work out and go for a jog every day. I have also done a lot of training with martial arts, so if I should be attacked, I can defend myself," Candela offered. She had to muster up all her courage and try not to pay attention to the way her body was shaking.
"Okay. As soon as you are a good distance away from the camp, you run as fast as you can and only stop if you should need to catch your breath," Anne said.
They peeped out of the opening in the tent carefully and saw the men lying around. Some seemed doped out, and others were getting high on something.
"Go, Candela, go," Anne whispered.
She crawled out of the tent on all fours and hid behind it. She sat quiet as a mouse for a while, but no one had seen her. She ran over behind a tree and stood, listening. She let out a relieved breath, but her leg muscles were tightening, her body ready to run. She looked around before she continued running from tree to tree. When far enough away, she ran as fast as she could in the dark. She had a hard time moving through the bushes of the dense jungle. The branches cut her arms and tearing at her jeans, but she kept pushing herself. She just wanted to get as far away from the natives' camp as possible.
"Maybe it's my imagination, but I have a feeling I'm being followed," she said to herself. She heard noises and thought it might be wild animals.
Then, suddenly, a native appeared right in front of her with a spear pointing at her. He wasn't a big fellow and didn't look intimidating. He poked the spear to her chest and started to talk to her in a language she didn't understand.
She stared at him. Now it's time to put my skills into action! She swiftly kicked the spear out of his hand, grabbed his arm, and twisted it around. Before the native had time to react, she had him on the ground and punched him in the head a few times, until she had knocked him unconscious. Cold fear ran down her spine, but she couldn't stop to nurse her feelings. She had to keep going. She moved forward as fast as it was possible here in this thick jungle.
"I'm so glad I'm so physically fit, or I would never have been able to cope," she said aloud to herself.
All she could think of was to save her own life. Her eyes had adapted to the dark, but after a while, the clouds that had covered the moon drifted away and made it easier for her to see. She walked and ran until the early morning. She had been lucky; after the incident with the native, she had only been attacked by mosquitoes and stinging ants. When she came to an opening where some trees had fallen, she was covered in scratches, cuts and dirt.
"Oh, God, I'm exhausted, I have to rest." She sat down on a tree stump and started to pray. "Oh God, thank you for helping me get away from those brutes. And if you help me to get out of this jungle, I will be so grateful." Candela's emotions got the better of her, and she started to cry. Pain tore through her chest as she cried and cried, realizing how hopeless her situation was.
CHAPTER TWO
Chan and his pack had just said goodbye to Tom. They watched the helicopter take off into the air. They could see it over the bushes and trees as they walked back towards their den. A loud scream drowned the noise from the helicopter,
"H...E...L...P..." Chan turned around. It was coming from down the river.
"Philippe is in trouble! Come quickly! We have to help him." Chan rushed back to the river, with the others following him.
Out in the river, they saw Philippe fighting for his life. A huge anaconda had wrapped its body around him. Water splashed everywhere as Philippe tried to free himself. It took every ounce of effort to keep himself above the water. They could hear him swearing at the beast.
"You bastard...son of a fucking bitch! Get the fuck off me or I'll kill you." The situation seemed pretty hopeless. His arms were pinned.
"Don't worry, Philippe, we'll get the bitch!" Chan yelled. He pulled his knife out from his belt. The rest of the pride followed him.
The anaconda was completely wrapped around Philippe, getting ready to swallow him. Chan started to cut into the anaconda and so did the others. It didn't take long before the anaconda loosened its grip on Philippe. They cut it to pieces.
"Thanks, Philippe, now we have dinner to cook over the fire tonight," Chan joked.
"Oh, thank you, guys," Philippe gasped. "I'm so glad you're here. I thought my last hour had come. The motherfucker nearly made me lunch." Philippe looked pale, still trying to catch his breath. They helped him into the riverbank, where he lay down to rest.
"Welcome to the jungle. This was only a small one, and maybe its mother will come looking for it soon," Chan said. He helped carry all the pieces of the anaconda on to the river bank.
Philippe quietly laughed to himself. Chan has a way of always looking at the positive side of things. I can understand why Tom thought of Chan as a hero. I will probably do that too, before long, Philippe thought to himself.
While Philippe rested, they all got busy cutting some palm leaves off the trees and made several baskets to carry the anaconda back to the den. Philippe watched them working, amazed by how simple and bare-bones they lived. They had different values, much less stressful than his lifestyle had been. He looked forward to learning more from Chan and his pride.
Back in the den, they all helped to collect wood for the fire, and before long they had a roaring blaze going. They cut the anaconda up into small neat pieces so everyone could help themselves to put the meat on a stick and cook it in the fire. They all thanked Philippe, delighted by the nice dinner.
"You are welcome," he said, and shook his head, still a bit shaken after his earlier near-death experience.
"We start training first thing in the morning, Philippe. We will soon get you into the shape you need to be in to survive here in the jungle," Chan said.
Philippe turned pale, but nodded munching on his anaconda chunks.
The next morning, Philippe got up early and decided he wanted to go for a little run before he started his morning exercises with Chan.
"Don't go too far away from the den on your own. It is not safe. I'll take you for a spin later," Chan warned Philippe.
"I'll be careful," Philippe said. He was anxious to get out of the den and explore the territory surrounding the den. He was spending most of his time in his jaguar form and enjoyed a good run in the jungle. He trotted around the area close by and climbed one of the big trees. The view over the top of the trees provided a fantastic view of Golden Valley.
A feeling of gratitude ran through Philippe. I feel so free. It's so wonderful to be out here in the jungle. I think this place is going to be life-changing for me.
When Philippe came back to the den, he saw Chan and a few of the jaguars in their human form already waiting to get started on the morning exercises. Chan had planned a couple of hours' hard physical training. Philippe often worked out in the gym at the club, so he wasn't doing too badly in the beginning, but as they progressed he struggled, and was pretty sore by the time the lesson finished.
"Okay, let's go for a run!" Chan said.
"What now? I'm worn out, I need to sit down and rest for a while," Philippe said, sitting down on a tree stump.
"Okay, later," Chan said with a smile, and the rest of them went for a j
og.
As the days went on and Philippe got used to the morning rituals, his fitness improved rapidly. He wanted to learn as much as he could from Chan, who was obviously a master of the jungle. They had started the martial arts training in the afternoon. This was new to Philippe, but he rather enjoyed it and was willing to train hard. Chan loved that about Philippe; he was easy to train.
"I think it's time I taught you to use a bow and arrow. Let's go for a little walk and find some suitable wood," Chan said.
"That sounds exciting, something I have been looking forward to learning," Philippe said.
"Let's walk down towards the river, where we can find some suitable branches to make a bow."
Chan and Philippe made their way down towards the trees. As usual, Chan was on the alert and careful for any strange noises. They climbed one of the big trees. Chan clambered up in no time at all, as graceful in human form as he was in jaguar form. Philippe, awed, slowly followed him. Chan soon found a suitable branch to cut off. Once down on the ground, Chan started to teach Philippe how to shape the branch into a useful bow.
"If you learn how to handle a bow and arrow, you will always be able to kill some wildlife and never go hungry. Okay, let's get started. Here is a knife for you. When you are in your human form, you should always carry the knife with you. There are many threats to watch out for in the jungle, and you always have to be prepared to defend yourself."
They both worked on the bow and some arrows, and they turned out well.
"Here you are, Philippe. You have yourself a fine bow and some arrows, and now we have to teach you how to use it." Chan was a good teacher, but a tough one. He didn't let Philippe leave before he was sure he'd mastered the art of shooting whatever he aimed at.
CHAPTER THREE
"It feels so good to have the freedom to jump up a tree and climb to the top, or hide from the view of any intruders," Philippe sat up in the tree, enjoying the view as the sun started rising. The sky filled with red and splashes of pink. The morning dew on the leaves of the tree shimmered from the reflection of the many colors, a mesmerizing sight to watch. The birds had started to wake, welcoming the daybreak with a song ringing with the joy of the new dawn. But through the singing of the birds, he began to hear something sounding like a human crying. He got curious and jumped down from the tree to follow the sound.
He hid behind the bushes and saw a young woman sitting on a tree stump, crying and covering her face with her hands. She seemed to be alone.
I will scare her if I show myself in the jaguar form, and I don't really feel like shifting to my human form. I was just having such a good time. But I can't leave her here by herself. Philippe argued with himself, but the urge to help her won, and he shifted into his human form.
"Hi, young lady, can I help you?" Philippe said as he came out from the bushes.
She looked up, startled by the sound of his voice. Her eyes were red, from the tears running down her face, and strands of her long blonde hair had come undone from her pony tail, falling down over her face.
"Oh, I'm so glad to see you. I'm hopelessly lost. I've got no idea how to get out of here!"
"How did you get here? We're so far from everything," Philippe asked.
"I was on a little boat with a few other tourists and a tour guide when a group of unfriendly thugs surrounded us. They killed the men and took the women prisoner. I was the only one who managed to escape, as far as I know. I've been running for a long time. I don't know where I am" she said.
"My name is Philippe, and I'm staying in a cave not too far from here. You are welcome to come with me until we find a way to get you out of here," He offered.
"My name is Candela. Thank you so much." She was a bit wary. I hope I'm not walking into another trap.
Philippe sat down next to her and started to prepare her for the situation. "I must warn you, though. I haven't been here long, but I live in a cave with a pride of peaceful jaguars. We are all shape-shifters. You don't need to be frightened; no one will hurt you."
He felt attracted to this pretty young woman. He enjoyed her heavy scent and began to feel aroused. It worried him, because he hadn't planned to mate with anyone. And how would he explain to Chan if he brought a young human woman back to the cave?
Candela looked at him in disbelief. "Oh my God. Shape-shifters and jaguars. You can't be serious?"
"I suppose it might be a bit of a shock for you, especially on top of what you've been running away from. What if I find you a safe spot where you can wait for me, while I go and ask for permission to bring you back to the den?" He remembered the way Serena had fainted when he first told her about being a shape-shifter. He felt a sudden pang in his heart.
"Okay, but where can I hide?" She looked around desperately.
He took her over to a thick row of bushes surrounding a large tree. "Come over here, I will help you to climb up the tree and you can wait up there. Philippe got her placed way up in the tree. "You should be safe up here, I will come back for you as soon as I can."
Back at the den, he met Chan at the entrance. "What's happening?" As usual, he had already tuned in on Philippe's encounter with the young woman.
"I heard this young woman crying. She was lost and didn't know where she was. She had escaped from an unfriendly tribe that captured the women and killed the men while on a tour boat down the river. I made her wait in up in a tree while I came back here to ask for permission to bring her here to the den." Philippe, who used to be in command of his own pride, felt a bit embarrassed about having to ask.
"Let's go and get her." Chan grabbed his big knife and bow and arrows.
Philippe shifted into his jaguar form and trotted in front of Chan to show the way, but when they got closer to the spot where Candela was hiding, he change back to his human form. A big cat was lying in front of the bushes, waiting for the right moment to climb up the tree and attack her. They stopped on the spot, not sure how to handle the situation. Chan didn't want to kill the cat, so he changed to his jaguar form and send out a loud roar, scaring the big cat. Philippe quickly shifted and joined him in scaring away the cat. It took a look at them and fled.
"Hi Candela. I'm back. You can come down now; you're safe. We scared the big cat away and I brought the alpha of the pride with me." Philippe, who was now in his human form again called out as he pulled back the bushes to make an opening for her to jump down from the tree."
"Oh, there you are, I'm so glad to see you. I was so frightened!" She was still shaken, but at the same time she felt a rush of excitement going through her when she saw Philippe. He is so handsome, she thought.
"This is Chan, one of the alphas of the Golden Valley den."
"Hi, Candela. You're welcome to come and stay with us until we find a way out for you."
"Thank you. I'm so grateful to you. I don't know what else to do." She managed a little smile, but was visibly scared stiff by her situation. Philippe got a good look at her and saw how attractive she was, but she also seemed very vulnerable. She appealed to his male instinct of wanting to protect her.
"Hop on my back," he said as he shifted into his jaguar form.
"Oh, oh!" Candela put her hand up to her mouth in fright.
"It's okay, he won't harm you," Chan assured her. She climbed onto Philippe's back.
Chan's partner Romina stood in the entrance of the den to welcome Candela when they arrived. "Nice to meet you. Don't worry, you are quite safe here."
Candela was relieved to see a woman in the cave. She looked friendly, and like she was ready to give birth soon. They all sat down by the big fireplace in the middle of the room. One of the other women came with a cup of warm tea for her. She looked around the cave and was not sure whether to be scared or impressed with all the jaguars lying around, relaxing or sleeping. She spotted Gonzo up on the dais, and couldn't seem to be able to take her eyes off him.
"That is Gonzo, the other alpha of the pride. He takes care of things in the den. Chan is the warrior and hunter. The
y are both respected alphas," Philippe told her.
"Oh, I see." She nodded.
Philippe couldn't deny that he was attracted to Candela, and it annoyed him. He didn't want to get involved with another human again, not after how hurt he'd felt when Serena broke up with him. Yet here he was again, falling for another one. He couldn't help himself and wondered frantically if he could be true to himself or let his sexual urges get the better of him. Candela was so attractive, and he sensed her arousal whenever he was near her. His instincts wanted her there and then, but he thought he better listen to his brain and not his cock.
Chan came over to Philippe and Candela. "We have a certain exercise routine we follow every morning. You are welcome to join us whenever you are ready. We have to be fit, with the many hidden dangers around here in the jungle."
"After a good night's rest, I'm sure I'll join you," Candela said.
"I'll show you where you can sleep." Philippe took her down the long corridor to a small room. "I haven't been here long either, but this is a little guest room, and I'm sure you will get a good, undisturbed night's sleep in here." Lots of pelts were thrown over a bed; it looked very comfortable. "I will be in the next room, so if you get frightened or have any problems, just come in and get me."
"Thanks. That's good to know. I'm not sure how safe I'll feel in here by myself," Candela said in a little insecure voice. She lay down on the bed and closed her eyes.
Philippe stood there for a few minutes and admired her while she dozed off to sleep. He went back into the store room and found a candle. He brought it into her room, put it on a rock, and lit it.
After a few hours, Candela woke up with a fright; she'd had a bad dream. She wrapped one of the pelts around herself and grabbed the candle to help her find the way. She headed into Philippe's room, where he was fast asleep. She didn't want to wake him, so she crawled into his bed and cuddled up to him. In his sleep, he put his arm around her and pulled her in close to him. Candela felt a little aroused, but also very secure and safe, here in the arms of this handsome man.
