Chapter 216: Howls in the Jungle
Coop used the entire palm of his hand to rub Felix’s massive head, right between the ears, to the absolute satisfaction of the black jaguar. No matter how hard he scratched, the cat just pressed his head harder into Coop’s hand. The big cat’s coat was far thicker than a regular house cat. His pelt was made of multiple overlapping layers that provided defense, camouflage, and waterproofing, but all that protection just made his fur so much softer to the touch. Felix responded to the petting with a steady purr that rumbled into the immediately surrounding forest like a truck engine in need of maintenance.
Every other nearby animal was driven to silence as they respected the domineering presence of an apex predator. The denizens of the jungle froze in an effort to go unnoticed. It didn’t matter that Felix was completely distracted; other animals chose not to risk drawing his attention even for a moment. They knew on an instinctual level that if they weren’t careful, disturbing the cat might be the last thing they ever did. Coop was the only creature in the jungle willing to risk his life just to get some good scratches on the nearest feline.
Coop sat on a large flat stone adjacent to a shallow creek and waited for his break time to be over. Despite how things had calmed ever since they entered the Yucatan settlement’s territory, his nerves were constantly on edge. He was listening with dread-filled anticipation, only partially distracted by the cat. The night was comfortable, with the day’s humid heat dissipating as time went by, but the sounds of the jungle had Coop intently watching the darkness while his fingers worked through Felix’s fur.
In the distance, a horde of cicadas, hidden throughout the thick vegetation, established a complex soundscape with their loud, pulsating chirping. Crickets provided a high-pitched background, in complete contrast to Felix’s deep rumbling purr. The crickets echoed from all directions with hundreds of overlapping, and distinct, rhythms. Croaks, whistles, and trills joined into a chorus, overlayed on top of the layered background, added by diminutive tree frogs and other amphibians. They had what Coop envisioned were conversations about his presence near the trickling rivulet. The haunting feeling Coop already had about this particular region of jungle wasn’t alleviated when he imagined the constant surveillance from the critters hidden among the drooping fern leaves and moss covered wood.
The jungle was always busy. Coop wasn’t sure if his senses played tricks on him, but the nights seemed more lively than the days. Frankly, Coop was amazed that the Primal Constructs had managed to control any part of the wilds in Central America. There was so much competition, they couldn’t gain an inch of territory without a fight. The reason the alien invaders had any success could only be due to the fact that they were the only ones making a concerted effort to accomplish a larger goal. The Constructs' entire purpose was conquest. The animals, on the other hand, just wanted to live their lives. If that meant maintaining a small pocket of forest, then that’s what they endeavored to do.
However, it wasn’t the steady cadence of nocturnal jungle sounds that made Coop uncomfortable, it was when all the sounds stopped with an abruptness that left his head spinning that made him question what was really out there. He shivered when the cause of his discomfort occurred yet again, silencing the forest and leading him to involuntarily react on a primal level. His reflex drew Felix’s attention. If the cat could raise an eyebrow, that’s the expression he would be giving Coop when the petting stopped and the Champion grabbed his ethereal spear with a white-knuckled grip instead.
Horrific screams echoed across the jungle, sweeping through the canopy and piercing straight into Coop’s chest. Tortured inhuman wails had Coop sure that something terrible was about to happen. It was a truly awful sound.
“Gah!” Coop cried out as he tried to shake it off.
A silhouette appeared from the darkness. He practically jumped out of his skin when Juliana entered the clearing from between thick trees a moment after another set of howls finally settled back down and the cicadas resumed their rhythms to begin another rainforest concert.
Juliana was amused by his reaction, taking a moment to relish in his discomfort, confident it wasn’t really her appearance that caused him to jump. “If only I could make the Cultists react that way with my mere presence.” She complained before moving to the other side of Felix.