JUNGLE DAYS: RIVER BUDDIES

 

Since the beginning of time, Amazonia has been known for being a place filled with beautiful wonders. A land blessed with the most vast flora and fauna that can be found on the entire planet. But like any natural paradise, Amazonia is not exempt from secrets and mysteries. In fact, very few of its inhabitants are aware of the enormous hidden world that exists beneath the abundant jungle. An underwater ecosystem that runs through the rivers and basins in the same way blood runs through the veins of all living beings. An unexplored world within another unexplored world.

The many tales of human tribes speak of extraordinarily rare aquatic species that thrive there. Such creatures are so elusive that many consider them magical. Others ominous. There are even those who claim that some possess supernatural powers. Among all these stories, it's worth highlighting that of certain animals known as the Toninaas.

According to Amazonian beliefs, the Toninaas are enchanters. Mystical beings that sometimes take human form and emerge from the river to seduce human males and lead them to its enchanted underwater realm. Indigenous women who observe them prefer not to tell their husbands, as they might be tempted to seek them out and fall prey to their charms. It's also believed that killing them can bring calamities to the tribe, so it's best not to mess with them. The natives go so far as to say that if the Toninaas are minimally harmed in any way or form, their children will be born with horrible diseases as divine punishment. Due to the peculiar pink color of their skin, it's also theorized that these creatures were once humans who drowned searching for them and that their souls were reincarnated into dolphins by the river goddess Yakumama, thus creating an endless cycle of death and rebirth.

Pretty intense, isn't it? Of course, these are all just legends. And like any legend, there are different points of view depending on who tells the story. If someone could ask Y'shaati who the Toninaas really are, the current queen of the monkeys would tell a completely different version. She would say that Toninaas are actually very friendly animals with which she had very nice experiences some time ago, specifically during her teenage years.

In her training process to become the future leader of the apes, these dolphins were in charge of teaching Y'shaati how to swim, hold her breath and dive in the depths of the Amazon river. Most monkeys and gorillas love the water, but not all can swim naturally. Larger ape species like the Naka'i and the Tahuayos often cannot do it and have an instinctive fear of aquatic predators or drowning. For Y'shaati, this wasn't the case. Since she was a child, she had demonstrated an innate ability to move in the water better than any other ape.

The elder leaders of the Naka'i troop saw that potential and immediately knew it shouldn't be wasted. For that reason, she was sent to spend time with the Toninaas so that they could help her hone those skills to perfection. Likewise, Y'shaati also learned to hunt fish, a very useful survival resource in case she couldn't find any fruits to eat. With practice, she improved her technique by using her hands and feet to catch more each time. She was also able to imitate the graceful movement of the dolphins, resembling that of a beautiful mermaid. Thanks to that decision, Y'shaati was able to see the majesty of the underwater world of Amazonia. Something very few are able to witness in their lives. Since then, she shares a very strong bond of friendship with the Toninaas. Whenever possible, she enjoys diving into the water to play and travel through the river with them.

Knowing this, an interesting question arises: could it be that those sightings of a pink dolphin transforming into a human be a simple misunderstanding? A mere coincidence, perhaps? No one can say for sure.

JUNGLE DAYS: WHAT ARE THESE?

 

A powerful and unexpected storm had hit the jungle by surprise tonight. The dense foliage stirred violently from the strong gusts of wind. Lightning flashes that lasted just a fraction of a second were the only source of light that made it possible to distinguish certain structures in the dark. Such structures were small, compact tents. It was an improvised human settlement in the middle of the tempest. The torches stuck in the ground to illuminate the place hours before the natural phenomenon occurred didn't last long lit. It seemed that the hostile weather would soon sweep everything away. Despite all this, everyone was sleeping in that place. All except a few guards patrolling among the shelters. They would never imagine that certain blonde girl would be infiltrating the camp, moving gracefully through the treetops, right above them. This girl knew exactly what she was looking for.

Hours before the storm, Y'shaati was enjoying a beautiful day of adventure with her newest friend Lucas, a young boy from the civilized world who had ended up alone and lost in Amazonia due to a bad twist of fate. However, a group of heavily armed men suddenly appeared before them and took the boy with them to that camp to "rescue" him. Lucas had ordered Y'shaati to hide herself so the men wouldn't know of her existence. He knew it would be a terrible thing if people of that kind found a fully nude, pure and innocent girl in the jungle. They would surely try to do depraved things with her. Thanks to her survival instincts, Y'shaati felt that something was wrong, so she decided to follow them closely to find out what they really planned to do with her friend. What could these mysterious people want from him?

After descending from the heights, Y'shaati crawled on all fours cautiously through the camp to avoid being discovered. Figuring out which of all the tents Lucas was in would be a rather complicated task for anyone, but fortunately the wild blonde had a keen sense of smell that allowed her to locate the correct area of his whereabouts. Just then, she also detected a second scent. The strange aroma of another person emanating from the same tent where Lucas was.

Trying to make as little noise as possible, Y'shaati entered the tent. What she found inside left her completely surprised. A totally unconscious human female, bound by hands and feet was right there. A young woman with dark skin and curly hair who was only wearing some sort of tribal attire. She was half-naked, and didn't appear to be related in any way to the civilized clothed men of the camp. Could she be one of the native humans that lived in Amazonia?

Fascinated by her find, the feral girl took a brief moment to touch her skin. It was unexpectedly soft and smooth, despite its color appearing otherwise. Upon closer inspection, Y'shaati could tell that the girl was seriously injured, with ugly scrapes and bruises all over her body. The brunette had almost the same size of breasts as the blonde, yet they looked a little bit larger and puffy than hers. Even her nipples showed through her torn bikini. She also sniffed her tangled, sweaty hair. It felt very thick and lush to the touch of her fingers. It was there that she noticed that she was perspiring a very distinct scent compared to Lucas or anyone else's. Her smell was the same as certain animals of the jungle, although she wasn't sure which ones. She was definitely not one of them. What could have happened to her? Who could have hurt her like that? Someone bad? Could these same men have been responsible? And if so, why? Nonetheless, what caught Y'shaati's attention the most about this unknown girl were her feet.

Y'shaati could notice that the shape of her 'foothands' had very similar characteristics to her own. Her slender toes and tanned soles were soft, but a bit calloused and rough on the heels probably from walking barefoot all the time. While playing and gently pulling from them with her fingers, she also noticed how the gap between her big toe and the other toes was wide enough to grasp objects, just like she and other monkeys could do. But she was definitely not a monkey. There were some other details that were evidence of that, like the honey tone of her toenails. As she continued to invade the brunette's personal space, Y'shaati finally remembered what type of animal her scent belonged to: felines. Black jaguars or Onsas, to be precise. Was this girl actually an Onsa? She surely didn't look like one. Or at least, it was unlike any she had ever seen before. A human with a feline scent. How was that even possible? What kind of creature was this mysterious girl? More questions than answers were arising in the blonde's mind.

Trying to decipher the riddle of her true identity, Y'shaati could see out of the corner of her eye that, just on the other side of the tent, was what she had come for. Lucas, her dear friend, was there too, unconscious and with the mark of a heavy punch on his face. Forgetting the enigma for an instant, the savage blonde approached the boy to try to wake him up.

Meanwhile, the intensity of the storm only increased more and more outside. Y'shaati would never have imagined that the fortuitous rescue of these two people would mark the beginning of a new stage in her life.