In the Depths of the Amazon

A shine of glistening sweat covered every inch of Anna’s body and she’d finally gotten used to it. Tropical heat was, for a forty something year old woman from the mild south of England, almost intolerable. Why, she continually asked herself as she followed their guide through the thick Amazon rainforest, did this trip have to happen at the height of the Brazilian summer. An answer immediately followed in her train of thoughts creatures in danger don’t run on a timetable.

So they plodded along. She’d been told to wear full length trousers to protect her legs from whatever was hiding down there but she’d insisted on wearing the skimpiest top, very unlike her usual attire, to let her skin breath in the suffocating humidity. Aside from that, the Amazon Rainforest was quite unlike any other place she’d ever been. Its beauty was limitless. This was a sacred place. Their path was illuminated by shafts of heavenly light which filtered in between the sky high treetops. The vast and varied animal languages were constant from shrill bird song to wailing monkey cries.

After an hour or so they reached a small but very loud waterfall. The water crashed down into the pool below and it was as if it was calling for Anna to join. She stopped and took a long gulp of water. Their guide, a young Brazilian man who had only just broken a sweat, said, “only down there.”

He was right of course. A couple of minutes later the trees gave way and they found themselves on the shore of the Amazon River. A sudden serenity fell over Anna. After the mad house which was the forest, it was abruptly quiet and peaceful.

Anna pulled off her rucksack and sat down on the cushioned grassy verge. From the large bag she pulled out strip after strip of a South Africa delicacy known as biltong. It was also a favourite of what was locally known as the cachorro de raio or the lightning dog. While at the field office of the DPA she’s come across another of the breed found in Greece and this why she’d come along to what was a purely Guardian excursion. It was while looking after the creature that she’d found out its strange love for the rare food, dried out beef and the spicier was definitely better.

She ran a few strips and indicated for everyone to move backward, back into the forest.

The clingy, suffocating heat of the Amazon was nothing compared what she thought were scorching summers in Alabama. That heat was just hot. The heat of the rainforest was something entirely and it was beginning to wear Sera down. The climate was probably one of the reasons which kept her in the UK, surprisingly enough.

Ahead Anna kept up with their guide which didn’t surprise her for the woman was a veteran. Sera was content to stay at the back of their small group where another guide took up the rear and a few other Guardians ambled, two of them carrying the container they’d use to transport the animal back to their base in Cornwall.

Reports had come their way about the lightning dog, a poor victim of local superstition and ignorance. This part of the world seemed so removed from the constant battle and sundry which faced millions. There were those in remote places who still weren’t aware that the supernatural has been unearthed and in the most horrendous way possible.

When the trees ended and the brilliant blue sky took over, Sera felt a little more at ease. It was slightly cooler by the water which was a God send. Anna got out the bait and they crept back inside. One of the Guardians, a middle aged man called Sergio, held the tranquilizer gun ready, aimed toward the bait.

It didn’t take long before the black dog crept toward the food. Its outward appearance completely resembled a black Labrador except for one thing: the air around it crackled. It had been theorized that it evolved as a safety mechanism. Unfortunately that didn’t protect it from humanity. Most of its pack was already dead and although they’d continue to look, this was probably the last one left.

Surprisingly the dart was almost silent as it rushed out and landed on the dog’s hind leg.