BLOOD AND SWEAT; THE HEART'S FUEL

The little African island of Samore stretched into the distance; thirty thousand square miles of lush green vegetation interspersed with sparkling brooks glinting like diamonds in the morning sun. Just another beautiful day on the island but Joshua Vaughan was stewing with rage. Poachers. Those bastards were trespassing on the forest enclosure. Tala'a Hanau, his right hand man had discovered the traps placed all over and quickly put a call to him. It was clear they were after the island's pride; the Samorean albino Jaguars. Alighting from the sleek silver two carrier jet he had boarded from Kwembe and feeling the muggy island air envelope him, Joshua felt he had finally come home. Feeling like a mini Chernobyl, he strode through the wide glass doors of the wildlife conservation agency. He would catch the scumbags who dared invade his home, and when he did...he would make them pay.

Navigating his way through a maze of desks and cubicles, Joshua finally caught sight of the tall, lean form of Tala'a. His head was bent, listening respectfully to an ancient figure clad in a bright blue 'ankara' wrap with stooped shoulders and a shock of pure white hair that was startling against his dark brown complexion. Feeling uncharacteristically anxious, he tried to slow his angry strides into a more even paced walk as he reached them.

A native of Samore, Tala'a was a proud, strong and honorable male and like his people, was deeply reverent of elders. Joshua had just completed his postgraduate degree in ecology at St. Mary's university, Nova scotia when he first came to Samore. He was doing a research on the gene pool of the albino Jaguars and he needed a guide. The locals kept their distance at first, wary of the pale hulking foreigner who couldn't speak the local dialect. He had been surprised when Tala'a had sought him out, walking up to him confidently as he rested outside his tent after supper one evening.

The weak light of dusk had highlighted his warm brown skin tone and had given an extra vitality to his lean elegant build. But it was the eyes that told him he was a male to be trusted...eyes that brimmed with intelligence and a lively curiosity. They had discussed long into the night and before morning had struck up a partnership. Tala'a worked with him as a guide for a few months and during that period, the discovered just how endangered the Jaguars were. After procuring the necessary documents from the government, they became formal partners and established the wildlife conservation agency a year later in order to cater for the endangered Jaguars.

Tala'a nodded briefly at the old man who gave him an affectionate pat on the back and hobbled away. Straightening, his eyes scanned the office wearily before they fell on Joshua's large form. Joshua saw the troubled look in his partner's eyes and cursed under his breath. "Hello arnoo, " Tala'a muttered using the affectionate term for brother as he reached him.

"Salamaukwe arnoo, " 'peace brother'. Joshua replied extending his arms for the warriors' clasp. "Why was Baba Saku here?" He asked, his tone deftly stripped of urgency.

"A Jaguar has been caught in the poachers' snare, " Tala'a replied in a grave tone. Giving his partner an incredulos stare, Joshua let loose a volley of curse words before taking off at a dead run.

* * * *

They trudged through the dense forest, cutting trail tirelessly with razor sharp machetes, rifles slung across their shoulders. All around them, mahogany and teak trees towered far above, huge and imposing as they hacked their way through the underbrush. The dense canopy above them admitted a few runnels of light and the smell of rot and decayed leaves hung thick in the air like a blanket. Stopping to blot sweat on his sleeve, Joshua saw the gleam of metal as it caught the weak light and swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. "Halt arnoo, " he said, raising his voice to be heard above the noise of the crashing brush.

"What is it?" Tala'a asked, coming to stand beside him. "The gods, " Tala'a said faintly as he saw what his partner was looking at. Slowly and cautiously, he sheathed his machete and unstrapped his rifle, flipping the safety catch, the metallic click loud in the sudden stillness.

Gripping his machete more firmly in his slick palm, Joshua took a tentative step towards it...and another...

"Jesus Christ!" He bellowed. It was truly the most gory sight he had ever witnessed. On the leaf carpeted ground lay the enormous carcass of a Jaguar, red eyes dull and lifeless, jaws frozen in a snarl. It had been expertly skinned to reveal the pink flesh still oozing blood and its claws had been cut off. The floor was streaked with gore and a thick mat of glittering flies had descended on a pool of congealed blood. The trap lay nearby, discarded. The macabre device was clearly made for torture. It was cruelly fashioned out of cheap metal, wide jaws with rusted serrated teeth covered in the Jaguar's blood. Seeing the evidence of the evil, Joshua felt the rage inside of him roar and leap like a hungry fire. This was his life's work and someone had dared to taint with blood. A red haze crept into his vision.

"The Barra clan." Came the deep voice of Tala'a who was bent over the corpse to better examine it. "Its canines are missing, probably to be used in the ritual of the Jaguars' dance which is due in the next full moon."

"We will hunt them down, " Joshua said, his voice hoarse with fury. Tala'a who could see his murderous fury reflected in his partner's eyes remained tactfully silent.

* * * *

It had been three days since they began the hunt for the poachers. Tala'a who was an excellent tracker couldn't even find a trail, so they had split up, hoping to cover more ground. Those bastards really knew how to cover their tracks. It was almost dark, the moon was making an appearance over the horizon. He was about to put out the fire he had lit when he heard the rustling of a branch in a nearby shrub. Darting behind a rock, he crouched low, rifle in hand, tensed and waiting. He did a double take as a woman walked into the clearing. Her very curvy body was encased in animal pelt and her skin; rich dark chocolate, buttery smooth under the silver glow of the moon. He watched as she tensed, poised for flight as if sensing his presence and that was when he noticed her hunting paraphernalia strapped to her shoulders. So she's one of the poachers!

Before he could think better of it, he stepped into the clearing. With the speed of light, she withdrew a long silver-tipped spear from her back and aimed at his chest. "Salamaukwe, " he called out in the local dialect, dropping his gun and raising his hands palm up in surrender. She drew back a little and he stepped closer. He felt his breath catch in his throat. She was exquisite!

"Salamaukwe, " she called back in a deep purr. Slowly, she dropped her spear. When she straightened to her full height, she barely reached his bicep and he would have laughed if he hadn't been so gobsmacked. "Desibo, " 'foreigner' she called out.

Recalled to sanity by a flash of anger, he narrowed his eyes. "You are hunting the Jaguars, " he stated furiously, "where are your fellow hunters?"

"There are none, I hunt alone." Her voice like the rest of her, was rich and titillating. Liar! He wanted to scream and wring her gorgeous little neck.

"The Jaguars are forbidden hunt, " he emphasized. "Did you not know this?" He still couldn't believe this little woman had caused him headaches these past three days.

"It is well within my birthrights to hunt them, " she stated, lifting her chin haughtily. "It is not forbidden for a royal."

A royal? Well that was new. Raking a hand through his sable hair in frustration, Joshua tried another tactic.

"Look the Jaguars are endangered and under my protection so-"

Mocking laughger filled his ears. "Under your protection?" She asked. "You do not have such rights, I am a pure blooded royal and you are just a foreigner." She said, contempt dripping from her tone like acid.

Before he could say another word, she turned and walked away without a look back.

* * * *

"Oh God, " Joshua exhaled, flopping on his low bed. It had been a week since his encounter with the mysterious woman in the forest. They had traversed the island, following the trail of the Barra clan, but each time they were certain they were on the right track, they hit a dead end. He was furious and bone weary, lwying his head on his soft down pillow, he fell into a deep sleep.

Joshua jolted awake in the middle of the night, uncertain at first of what had awakened him. But then...he heard it.

"Boom...boom...boom..." The faint rhythmic sound of drums carried through in the still night air. Going to the window, he pulled the curtains aside. The bright silvery light of the full moon flooded the room. The full moon! Then he heard it again.

"Boom...boom...boom..." A bit louder this time. He felt the pull so strongly, like he was tethered and someone was yanking on the ropes. The cadence of the beating drums charmed him into a strange trance like state and he felt a sweet ache in his chest. He could see smoke rising into the air a great distance away. Turning, he pulled a shirt in great haste and fumbled with his boots. Donning a coat as an afterthought, he grabbed a flashlight and walked out.

A walk in the chilly air cleared his head, shaking off the strange trance like feeling, he walked faster trying not to get lost. He needn't have worried. The beating of the drums were loud and clear now giving him a sense of direction. Smoke tendrils curled around him and he sucked it in. The sweet spicy scent of cedar wood filled his lungs, making his eyes water. The beats rose in tempo, making him dizzy. Up ahead was a clearing and he could make out shadowy forms surrounding a blazing fire. Crouching behind a screen of milkweed bushes, he looked through the gaps.

What he saw made him gasp. A large group of people sat huddle together around a fire, forming a semi circle around it. Men in 'ankara' loin cloths were beating strange drums covered in animal hide. Voodoo drums! No wonder he felt like he was under a spell! These people were clearly-

His thoughts exploded as he saw her. The strange woman in the forest! She was standing before the fire, staring into it, arms raised to the sky. She was draped in a furry white form fitting coat that was clearly made from the Jaguars' skin. Then she began to dance. A sinuous movement of limbs that was both sensual and captivating. The flames roared and leaped angrily, licking at the cedar logs like a hungry tongue. He caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to watch a tall man walk into the clearing. He was clad in a loin cloth of the same white furry hide and trailing behind him were four hefty men bearing a large wooden cage screened with banana leaves.

The woman stopped dancing and gestured to the men bearing the cage. With a collective groan of effort, they set the cage down and stood aside. She spoke. "We are gathered this full moon to honor our ancestors with the dance of the sacred albino jaguars." Her voice, rich and authoritative rang out. "This is a time honored tradition and it is our duty to pass it on to our children and their children and their children's children, " she intoned.

"Child of the fire, take your place , " she commanded the man in the furry loin cloth. To the cage bearers she shouted, "release the Jaguar!"

* * * *

The woman stood aside as the men opened the cage. The heavy wooden beams fell apart with a heavy thud and the men scrambled away. There stood an enormous albino Jaguar. Its eyes were ruby red, its fur a lustrous white. Its jaws gaped open to reveal razor sharp fangs , yellow in the moonlight. The thudding of the drums resumed and the Jaguar swayed to the beats hypnotised. The man in the furry loin cloth stalked the Jaguar. He withdrew a knife, its long silver blade curved and wickedly sharp. It glinted in the moonlight like a sinister smile. He took a step towards the hapless animal.

"No!" Joshua screamed and lunged forward, tackling the man to the hard ground. They rolled once...twice, the knife clattered to theground and skittered out of reach. Suddenly, the woman was standing above him with a fury in her eyes that was terrible to behold.

"Foreigner!" She shouted." How dare you...you come into our sacred site, interrupt our sacred ritual and profane our ways?" She questioned, venom dripping from every word.

"Your life stands forfeit!" She declared drawing out a deadly spear. Beside him the fire roared, emitting deadly sparks into the sky. Before his very eyes, the fire took the form of a Jaguar. Its hungry fiery mouth opening to reveal the inside where flames leapt like electric sparks. With the speed of a striking king cobra, it lunged at him. Death was a shabby bargain.