The Totem Glove

The Totem Glove

Somewhere over the Central American jungles

A helicopter flies in a gray overcloud day. As the streaks of lightning pass below them. Dr. Carter Solomon sits in an Safari dress outfit and reaches for a mining helmet. Dr. Solomon a

white man working out of Syracuse University adjusts with his other hand his orange Syracuse mascot tag on his helmet. A dark haired former BND German female known as Alisa Greer wearing the same type of dress as Carter looks over to her VIP. “ Dr. Solomon, I hope your coordinates are correct for this Aztec shrine. The skies are getting messy as you Americans would say.”

“Its okay Alisa I saw a landing field about two miles back where you can land and we can camp if you don't mind getting wet?”

“Its not me who you should be worry about I was with the German military police at Hahn Air Force Base with your American Air Force. before I went to BND.”

“I'll be fine lets touch down and see what happens.”

“That's what worries me. You and your hunt for Aztec or Inca treasure. Americans.”

“Its purely archaeological research Alisa so I'm a treasure hunter with a degree in geology and minor in Archaeology and Paleontology.”

“And I don't want to be the one that pulls you out of your soldier of fortune personality.”

“Cheer up you will love it.” comments carter as Alisa lowers the helicopter down to the field below.

Below in the jungles

A jaguar man looks up at the slowing and lowering helicopter. He signals to his pride the helicopter. “Helicopter o viniendo. Alerta. Exploradoras”

“Si” from another jaguar man.

The helicopter touches down as the jaguar men scouts stay in the shrubs watching the unwanted guests. The rain clouds above start to downpour on the treasure hunters and jaguar men. “Wonderful Re gen. Carter.”

“Cheer Up at least we will only be here for a few days. Start unloading rather than complaining.”

“ Idiot.”

Carter looks at his smartphone and reviews the coordinates of the designated target. “ Alisa,

it looks like we need to go back about 2.5 km from here in the SW.”

“Are you going jeztz or spater, Carter?”

“I'd like to go now but since we need to make base camp in this rain. We can go early in the morning.”

“Dan-ken Gute.”

The two begin to sett up their camps as the jaguar scouts watch and talk between themselves.

“We get them in evening.”

As the night skies continue to rain hard on the treasure hunters, Alisa and Carter sit in a tent reviewing their plans for the morning. Alisa yawns as carter continues to talk about the hidden treasure he is looking for. “ It is said the Conquistadors were looking for this shrine in hope to find another fountain of youth that could restore the sick but they were prevented by the native people who were rumored to be people of the jaguar god Tezcatlipoca. Whose people prevented non-native people of the powers of the fountain.” carter looks at Alisa who seems to be falling asleep. “ Am I boring you Alisa?”

“Non non the jaguar god and its people were against Eindringlinge.”

Well I see your tired, so I will call it a night.” As Carter rises and exits the tent to walk in the wet night skies

Moments later

Twenty minutes past as carter sits by a small campfire and is quickly captured by the jaguar people. Injecting with him curare. Carter struggles but falls to the curare poison. “You are not welcomed white man.” Are the last words Carter hears before he passes out.

Next morning

Alisa wakes early and exits her tent. As the muddy grounds washed away and signs of the jaguar men taking away Carter. “CARTER!...Are you here where are you my Freund?” Searching the camp Alisa shakes her head and searches for Carter. Smelling the distinct smell of wet cat.

Four miles away

Carter wakes up to a camp where he sees jaguar children playing between themselves and several jaguar people guarding him. The lead guard looks down hard at Carter but just shows him a grim look. “Norm you are awake. The curare should have worn off. Come with me for your trial.”

“Trial what are you talking about?”

“All come in good time, GET OUT!” As the lead guard pokes him with a spear.

“OUCH...UMM. You speak English Good. Where did you learn.”

“Mexico City, Catholic School. NOW GET OUT!”

Carter follows the lead guard who escorts him through the town as the jaguar people give him a curious and grim look for his intrusion to their lands,

Meanwhile

Alisa packs up her gear and heads deeper into the jungle looking for the missing Carter. Using a machete to cut away her path she once again sense the smell of wet cat. Panning through the surrounding jungle shrubs Alisa spots nothing out of the ordinary. Walking further she quickly is

pulled upside down by a vine booby trap. She is quickly surrounded by a group of jaguar people who holds their spears at her as she loses some of her gear from her backpack. “What did you get me into Freund?”

She is quickly lowered and tied up to a bamboo reed and taken back to the village of the jaguar people. “Intruder not welcomed here. Take her back to the matriarch.”

The Trial Judgment

Carter is brought before the matriarch of the village who speaks the ancient dialect of the Aztecs to him translated by his guard. “Shaman, says you violated the sacred agreement that prevents Norms like yourself and are found guilty of these agreement made by a Norm with the ancient Shaman. Your judgment shall be swift and you are to be in the pit of Tezcatlipoca. May the jaguar god have mercy on your soul.” The guard tuns to his guards who bind Carter up and take him into a pit in the SE corner of the camp.”

“Wait a sec don't I have a defense?” questions Carter

“NAY!”

Carter soon passes Alisa who is being brought by the jaguar scouts. Alisa looks over to

the struggling Carter. “Carter is that you?”

“Alisa...”

The guards move Carter along quicker into the pit area.

The Pit and its Find

Carter is soon thrown into a pit that is just a bit larger than a watering well. As Carter falls down hard into the pit surrounded by a number of skulls and bones. Several appear to be formal conquistadors and others appear to be pirates. In the darkness growls is heard by Carter. Carter weakened by the fall stumbles to get up as the growls get closer. “Just Great...now I am the dinner for something down here in the dark. I have got to find a better and safer career.”

Moving closer a pair of large black jaguars approach Carter and his position. “Oh No super jaguars. I better find a weapon or something.” The large black jaguars pace back and forth in front of Carter.

The black jaguars growl at him as they continue to watch his movement and actions but do not jump at him.

Carter reaches over for a pair of conquistador leather gloves still in good shape and looks hard at the black jaguars. Reaching for a thigh bone as a weapon. “ COME ON! I'M HERE!”

Carter grasps the gloves and suddenly they start to change from leather gloves to brass gauntlets in his hands. The gauntlets release a muddy water blast at the large cats. “What the hell?”

The muddy blast of water chases the cats off and carter looks at his gloves as they return back to leather gloves.

A voice enters his head “ Your bravery has given you a new talent use the gloves properly and you shall be well received.”

“I must be smoking something from these natives.” carter shows a look of uncertainly in his eyes and stares at the gloves. “Well if you can fire blasts a water what else can you do. Get me out of this pit.”

The mysterious gauntlets reappear and fires a grapple to the wall and Carter starts to climb up the slippery wall. “I must have hit pay-dirt.”

Topside

Alisa is brought before the matriarch and looks curious at her and speaks to the lead guard again. “Shaman, wishes you to show your body for something.”

“Excuse me.”

“Shaman says you were in a vision she saw and wishes to believe that you are a chosen one for our people.”

Showing a look of insecurity Alisa unbuttons her shirt and reveals a birthmark like a cat on her left side. The Shaman's eyes widen at the sight of the claw-like birthmark on Alisa. The Shaman speaks quickly at the lead guard.

“Your mark is what the Shaman was looking for.” Turning quickly to the surrounding guards Alisa is released from her binds. The Matriarch signals to a young teen who runs off.

“This birthmark was on me since I was a babe. Why does she think it makes me special?”

“There is a tale that says a woman who is normal and not a Lycanthrope will come to our land and defend our people from other treasure hunters and you are that person my senorita.”

“This is crazy, Where is my Freund?”

“Freund?”

“Companion, I demand I see him.”

“He is in violation of my people and is being punished.”

Moments later

Carter arrives drench in sweat and looks hard at the jaguar people. “I think your pets need a towel. Alisa step over here.” Orders carter as he raises his leather gloves like a weapon to the

jaguar people.

“Norm, I see you were chosen as well. Since you survived the dark ones. I do not think your leather gloves will do much.”

“You be surprised. What these gloves can do?”

The young girl returns with a shield and totem and heads over to Alisa.

The older female Shaman raises her voice. “ENOUGH OF THIS! NORM PUT DOWN GLOVES! Tezcatlipoca has chosen you both.”

Carter looks at the Shaman and Alisa. “She speaks English and what is she talking about Alisa?”

“I was just about to find out before your cockiness showed up Carter.”

“Cockiness?”

The matriarch shaman hobbles forward with her bamboo staff and approaches the couple. She is joined by the young teen and the lead guard who extends his arm for her. She speaks quickly to the lead guard. “Shaman says that you both have a purpose, For you woman you will have the ability to control plants and work with animals. For the shield will be able to be thrown and return to you and be made to cut through most objects. However you will also be given a totem that will aide you to work with animals as well as plants.”

“For you stranger she says the gloves were stolen by the Spanish but disappeared though she wishes it return she asks you to use it as a fight for good and not evil. If you can do that.”

“She also says stay here in this village and train yourself in better skills. It is up to you but she highly demands it. The choice is yours.”

“If you accept your training starts tomorrow tonight we celebrate to a point. If you misuse your tools you are not the chosen ones.”

Alisa and Carter look at one another and show a uncertain but positive look at the matriarch and her people. “ I have always wanted to help the world but what do you think Alisa?”

“The world is in chaos and we do need some type of good to help the world. I say we give it a chance so your treasure hunting days are over for now.“

“Not necessarily, if it is okay with the matriarch could I be taken to the hidden cache where I could use my education background to study but not touch the missing treasure. If it is okay?”

The lead guard talks back to the matriarch who shakes her head on the word by Carter. “ She says NO but is willing have you learn about the Aztec people with our village and I serve as middle man.”

“That's a treasure that interests me.”

“Than it is done you may study our customs but not look for the treasure. Come Senor, I am Santiago and you are?”

“I am Dr. Carter Solomon and this is Alisa Greer my assistant.”

“We welcome you both.”

The party follows Santiago and the matriarch as they begin their new journey of the ancient jaguar people who have Aztec history in them.