Chapter 10: Hand

The large bird flapped its wings dominantly. As if it knew that it could scare all the preys in sight, and out a kill in just a strike. Its beak so hard and protruding. It has a yellowish hue and even from a distance, I knew that it is bad news. Its claws are sharp and long perfect for grasping and sinking it deep on the prey's flesh, holding it in place.

It gave another high-pitched noise serving another strong warning. Its shadow casted an intricate expression of potency and supremacy. Its features hold superiority.

I heard a familiar sound of something dropping from the water. The surface of the water was disturbed making a series of waves before my eyes finally landed to the cause of the disturbance.

The sloth, with its baby now placed higher on her chest as its face rest on the mother's neck, moved slowly. It swimmed to safety or so I assumed.

I steadily moved my eyes from the sloths up to where they came from. It is a bit high up. And if I was to be put in a circumstance, I will not definitely jump but rather stay put and not move at all to hide safely in the branches of the trees.

But the mother's instinct is always as better, wether a mammal of some kind or any creature in the animal kingdom.

The harpy eagle screeched a, yet again, fair warning and like a missile in pursuit of the target, it projected in a certain angle locking its eyes on its prey. It flapped its wings one more time and in a blink of an eye, a what seem to be lizard was now on its beak trying to move free. But unfortunately for the reptile, it did not seem to be easy and failed horribly for the eagle swooshed and flew. It secured and locked its beak tight as it made its way to its home, finally having food to feast on.

The sloths continued moving and swimming somewhere far. I saw them vividly climbing a more fruitful and thick-branched tree in a distance.

When the action ended, so is the start of a realization. I am at the ace of America and Brazil! The two animals made it more identifiable and easy for me to differentiate the place amongst others.

Why did not I realized it earlier? Well for starters, a concrete destination makes it easier for the travelers to survive. To know how to adapt in certain areas, including the climate and what kind of environment it holds to name a few in the list. It is a great help for survival and life.

And now that I know what danger this place holds and how deep and high it is, I can say that I have to be extra-careful for me to survive even a few days.

The Amazon rainforest holds almost all of the most dangerous and most bizarre creatures man can see in this world. It is like having a sudden travel and time-skip in different dimensions because even a plant have that much mystery. Every creature, big or small, is like a portal to a new world. It is like a sore thumb or a rose in a field of daisies; maximizing its rarity and standing out above all else.

My heart thumped faster in my chest. I am both excited and nervous for the things I might see in here. To be honest, this is one of the few things I am interested about. It is my greatest dream to set foot and venture to the dynamic ecosystem of the world's lungs.

I totally forgot the dilemma I had about a minute ago. Ahh..the rain. It is now gone. The leaves in the branches shined under the sun's glory. The remnants of the rain came together and formed a glowing drop in the tip of the leaves before spilling into the heel-length water below. It created a ring and a few more after it--domino effect.

The silence around me occupied me as if I was in a trance. The sound of the dripping droplets from the leaves, the muted sounds of creatures in every direction and the humming of the insects everywhere made my mind at ease.

But If not for the creeping feeling I have, like I am being watched, I will just stay still and close my eyes and coo. Like an infant under a spell of a lullaby.

My senses became alert when I felt a hand in my shoulder. It is both cold and warm as if the hand just touched water. It is big and feels rough under my thin, overused pjs.

My thumping heart became erratic. It feels like I am in a roller coaster ride and every fall is too sudden, it aches. My mind became hazy in both fear and unvertainty. I closed my eyes tight and slowly uttered a prayer.

I heard a huff. It is so strong and guttural yet so brief enough to make its presence known. I can feel the heat emittin of the stranger and even from that moment I knew that I am in a big trouble. Beads of sweat streamed down from my forehead and down to my eyes, nose and cheeks. My eyes dilated in complete and utter agitation.

A sound came from its throat. A sound that I can't differentiate to all the predators I know of. My mind is in haywire and could not process any information at the moment.

"Who are you?" It repeated the same sound I just heard.

My palms are fisted and my mind is now playing some scenarios I might try in the next few minutes of this unexpected acquintance party. I was in the middle of an imaginary brawl when the words sink in.

It can talk? The crocodile can talk now? And it has hands too?

I swallowed a considerable amount of fear and a bit of assurance that I uttered a prayer and might end up in heaven if ever things go off course, before I turned to face my nightmare.