Loving Katrina

Ten

When Felix didn't answer Katrina right away, she looked at him. Worry etched his expression as his mouth grew tight. Although his stare was fixed on the trees, he crept closer to her. In fact, everyone on the boat seemed to move as slow as turtles, heading toward their weapons.

"Mr. Knightly?" she whispered only for his ears. "What is wrong?"

He turned toward her and grasped her wrist. His hold wasn't tight, but his actions still worried her.

"What you see in those trees are howler monkeys," he spoke in a low tone.

His voice was calm, yet his expression didn't match the tone. "Howler monkeys?" she asked. "That's an odd name."

Extremely hairy and mostly brown in color, they were indeed odd looking primates. Their snouts were short and stubby, and the nostrils were wide and round. It was their heads that had her really studying the creatures, because their faces appeared almost...orange. At first she wondered if they had all been slapped with orange paint, but then she realized that was what they were supposed to look like. Their tails were longer than their bodies, and were the very things keeping them attached to the tree branches, while their hands and feet clutched different branches—almost forming a spider web. Many of them filled one tree alone, yet it seemed that all the trees held about the same amount of monkeys.

"I've never seen anything quite like it before," she continued. "I suppose they are cute in an odd sort of way—"

"Listen closely," he cut her off with a slow but steady voice. "Do not make any sudden movements. You might think they are cute, but they are easily irritated. Making them upset is not wise, because they have been known to attack humans."

A surprised gasp stuck in her throat. They would attack? They looked harmless. But as she watched his crew cautiously prepare for the battle they thought could possibly happen, she realized she'd better follow Felix's warning this time.

She wondered if she'd get another sight. In fact, she almost wished for one, only so she could prepare herself. But so far, nothing flashed in her mind.

"Attack?" her voice squeaked out.

"Mostly they will urinate or fling their um...waste...on us. However, there have been a few times I've witnessed them springing out of the trees and physically beating a person to death."

"Oh, dear."

He loosened his grip on her arm. "Stay by me and I'll protect you. We don't want to do anything to agitate these wild primates."

"All right," she whispered as fear slowly seeped into her body.

One of Felix's crew members slowly approached him and passed him a machete. Felix gripped the handle and stepped closer to Katrina. All the talking—and even whispering—on the small vessel stopped as the barge crept underneath the trees. Panic knotted in her throat as she switched her attention from one monkey to the next, trying to study their eyes. They all appeared to be watching them with great intent, and she prayed they could pass beneath the trees without any disturbance. Even the thought of them flinging their...unmentionables...on her or urinating made her want to gag.

Her heart hammered, and she tried not to get too frightened. Felix promised he'd protect her, so she must trust him.

He took careful steps, shifting even closer to her. "Katrina," he whispered, "you're breathing too loudly. Try to calm down."

Silently she groaned. How in Heaven's name could she calm down when everyone around her was on guard for a battle to the death?

From one of the trees, a monkey rose higher than the others as if the animal was ready to pounce. She held her breath. Oh, please don't! The grip Felix had on her wrist tightened. He, too, must be preparing for something to happen.