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Time Jump~
Gregory Fletcher's POV~
Austin, Susie, Velma, and I tromped through the noisy rainforest for at least eight hours. By five o'clock in the humid afternoon, we felt as if we were ready to pass out from exhaustion and dehydration. Luckily, a pond smaller than the oasis appeared, and we cleaned up and drank.
The blonde girl removed her black glasses, and she and I splashed our faces with water while the freckled Susie washed her neck and her shoulders, then cupped three handfuls of the refreshing liquid for a much-needed drink. Austin scrubbed his underarms before also quenching his thirst.
"How much longer do we have to go?" I tiredly muttered.
The redheaded Australian huffed, adjusting the straps of her bra. "Well," she said, fatigued, "if we continue at the pace we have been going, we should arrive in the next, oh, ten, fifteen minutes."
With a mighty sigh, Austin set a palm on his forehead, still crouched by the little body of tepid water. Eventually, he stood, stretched, and casually motioned onward. "Let's keep going then."
As the two women continued walking, I tenderly touched my boyfriend's waist. "You all right?"
Austin nodded. "Just looking forward to getting to this damn temple." He smiled at me, then kissed me softly. "You don't need to worry about me, but I appreciate you checking on me."
I returned the kind-hearted simper and resumed treading with my half-naked savior, following the pair of Birds from a short distance. Every muscle in our bodies was burning, but we pushed through the bothersome plants blocking our path until a lush bush stirred, and everyone froze.
An adult puma, conceivably two meters long from its nose to the tip of its tail, had jumped out from the tropical brush and faced the four of us head-on. It stooped low to the ground, listening attentively to its surroundings with erect ears and eyeing each of us with controlled yellow orbs.
Instinctively, I raised my bow and nocked a stone-tipped arrow. The three other survivors hid almost behind me and squeezed their weapons as my aim zeroed in on the cougar, but I did not shoot immediately. My breathing was heavy, and I felt like the big cat sensed my sudden fear.
"Greg?" Velma whispered.
As if there had not been enough already, more tension permeated the scene when the panther exposed its dangerous claws. Most of its spine-tingling attention was on me since I was closest to its personal space and, therefore, its nearest threat. My arrow was seconds away from flying.
Before I could consider killing, or at least harming, the puma any longer, a warm breeze wafted through the tall trees, and the cougar perked up. As if confused, it looked to where the current had originated, waited, then bolted and disappeared into the foliage in the opposite direction.
Everybody was speechless. I kept my sharp projectile pointed to my left as a security precaution but slowly lowered it when Austin began leading us onward. Initially, no one dared to divert our gazes elsewhere, but soon, we were far enough away from where the encounter had taken place.
I was apprehensive. "So, uh... we all agree that the queen had something to do with that, right?"
"Yeah," Velma concurred, "it was like she summoned it to tell it to move aside so we could pass through; that's what I think, anyway, since a natural wind wouldn't scare off a big cat like that."
Susie pondered briefly. "Because we're so close to the temple, I wonder if the queen uses the wildlife to guard it, to protect it from people like the Snakes. She doesn't want it raided again."
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Legendary Lovers
Adventure******************** Twenty-eight-year-old college student Gregory Fletcher is flying home to North America from Australia. He has been studying for two required school years to receive a master's degree in crisis intervention counseling and was nev...
