Commission: Willow and the Lost Temple (Part 2)

Summary: In her adult years, Willow's studying to be an archaeologist, and she's joining her first expedition! She navigates jungles, fords rivers, and meets a furry friend along the way.

This is a commissioned piece for Torasque.  It is free to read for whoever.

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Tara owned by Amy Wamboldt

[Story Listing]

[PREVIOUS PART]

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Willow may have expected some kind of encounter with the jaguars of the Kiyali Jungles, but not quite like this. The jaguar cub tried to track the movements of her tail, the tip twitching and wagging, pouncing and gnawing on it with its tingy fangs, flailing about with its tiny claws. Willow noted that it looked about the size of a house cat... right now.

Willow's scales were exceptionally strong—she had withstood gunfire at least a couple of times with nary a scratch, so it hardly seemed that a jaguar cub would put in much of a dent. She didn't seem to be in much direct danger...

...But if one jaguar was here, it stood to reason that others were nearby. As Willow stared at the cub, her hairsnakes eyed the surrounding bushes for movement.

"...huh..."

Willow didn't spy any strange heat signatures. Strange. She turned her attention to the jaguar, who had wrapped its little paws around the tail, growling and kicking at it with its furry feet.

She raised her tail, and the jaguar held on for dear life. For the moment, its aggressive assault on Willow's tail ceased, and it looked to Willow with a pair of wide blue eyes.

It squeaked indignantly.

"Omigosh you're adorable..." Willow whispered, reaching her hands out to grasp the baby. Her scaled hands shuffled around, stroking the creatures' fur; the jaguar was having none of that, trying to wriggle free and making an awful racket with its tiny mouth.

"A-ah, sorry, sorry-" Willow exclaimed, quickly lowering the creature to the ground. The cub was so tiny, especially compared to Willow's utterly enormous length and girth. She swayed from side to side as the little critter stood its ground.

"Are you still learning to hunt? You must be very brave, hehe..." Willow chuckled. She leaned a little closer. "Where's your mama? You have a mama, right?"

The jaguar continued to squeak in Willow's direction with unsteady steps in its meek attempts at a mighty roar.

Willow frowned slightly. She didn't speak jaguar. To her credit, Willow was a bit of an empath; animals had feelings of their own after all, and Willow was quick to pick up on them.

"Are you hungry? I don't have anything to feed you right now..." Willow frowned. She was carrying some rations in her backpack, but it wouldn't be wise to start cracking into those when she had just arrived.

"Well... I was about to go try and catch something." Willow nodded. "You wanna come with me?"

The jaguar cub marched back and forth in front of Willow in a pint-sized facsimile of a larger, more ferocious beast pacing back and forth. Willow chuckled to herself.

"You're going to protect me? Awww, my hero!~" Willow laughed breezily. The relief in her voice was palpable; it was nice to have someone to talk to again, even if the conversations ended up rather one-sided.

...And truthfully, Willow wanted to remain by the side of the little cub as well. It would likely be safer; predators generally know to pick their targets, and Willow was a decidedly unappetizing, imposing target to avoid. The only thing she really feared right now was the encroaching deadline to get to the basecamp.

She made to slither along, wondering if she had to slow down to let the cub keep pace. She was happy to find that the cub was content to latch onto her tail in another pouncing motion; she could barely feel its claws trying to dig into her scales. She smiled to herself, and went on her merry way.

Willow had done some research of the area before coming down, noting that one of the longest rivers of the country cut through the jungle. Its width varied at points, but it was useful for boat transports; she understood that the base camp shipped a lot of their equipment down river, with express permission from the government. It stood to reason that if she found the river, she could follow it to base camp.

Not to mention that bodies of fresh water were rather inviting to animals of all kind, and Willow would likely stumble across somebody having a drink. A capybara would be ideal, but she could settle for a tapir. She just had to be on alert for the sound of flowing water; her hair snakes swivelled, scanning their surroundings as Willow traversed the natural trails...

"...!"

Her head jerked up, and her hair snakes turned in unison. She could hear water! She tried to orient herself towards the direction of the sound...

"Rowr-" The cub yelped as her tail wagged excitedly, flopping to the ground without much in the way of grace. Willow blinked, turning to the critter.

"O-oh, sorry! Lemme just..." Willow scooped the critter up in her arms, cradling it like a baby. "Is this better?"

Again, the cub fidgeted restlessly; Willow sighed, letting the creature rest over her shoulder as she hurried forward towards the sound of water; she hoped its claws wouldn't make too much of a hole in her uniform.

At the outskirts of the jungle foliage, the trees and canopies thinned, now overlooking a river that curled and twisted back and forth. The water had a decidedly marky quality to it; this particular stretch of the river widened into a considerably-sized basin, and the flow of water had slowed as a result. Giant water lilies dotted the surface of the basin in clusters, and dark shadows ebbed and flowed just below.

Willow's eyes enthusiastically tracked their movements; her tongue flickered out, her irises narrowing. She had found her prey.

"Mm... I haven't had fish in a while. When you head south, you gotta get some seafood in you, right?" She grinned towards the cub, who was so far tolerating Willow's coddling grip. She bounced the cub up and down as if to get a response; it let out a squeak in response.

"Heheh. Okay, I'll let you down. I need to catch something for us anyway..." Willow lowered the cub to the ground, ushering it over to a patch of matico flowers.

"Okay, lemme just... ah... hm..."

Willow surveyed herself, and her belongings. She didn't wanna carry her things into the river. There were all kinds of diseases in the water, and she didn't want her clothes to get stuck with wet jungle water stench; she wouldn't have access to a good laundromat for months! Not to mention her luggage...

...She did have one little thing to wear that'd be suitable. But she'd have to change into it. She turned to the cub.

"Okay lil guy, here's the deal: I'll leave my things here, and if you do a good job of guarding everything, I'll catch us both something good to eat, okay?" Willow winked at the cub with a smirk; the cub stared for a spell, before rolling around playfully in the flowers, very much content.

Willow reared up with a satisfied smile. "Heheh, alright, my stuff's in safe hands. It's a good thing I packed my swimsuit..."

Willow hadn't seen the point of bringing her swimsuit, but Tara insisted, citing the fact that the mountain areas were known for their natural hot springs. Willow had gotten some use out of her two-piece suit on the boat too, getting some sunning in on deck. But a swimsuit would be easier to dry off than her archeology duds...

She fitted herself in a hurry, her hair snakes swiveling about anxiously. Their gaze landed on the cover the jungle foliage offered.

"Aw, c'mon guys, it's just us." Willow beamed. "No gawkers here! Hey, Terry, gimme a pair of eyes here."

Terry lowered his head to Willow's backside; from there, through his eyes, Willow got a good look at how her hands wrapped behind her back, reaching for the straps to her bikini. She smirked, getting it done up just right.

She looked over herself with a smirk, admiring her flower-print bikini. The garment around her waist had required some adjustments on its own, and perhaps it looked a little tiny compared to her massive girth. She bounced up and down, psyching herself, before slithering to the river.

She slipped into the clear water, drinking in the delightful weightless feeling. Her tail swayed gently as it dipped into the water behind her. Her hair snakes lowered, draping over her shoulder as her head disappeared under the surface.

A thin membrane slid over her eyes, protecting them from river detritus; she squinted, trying to pierce through clouds of kicked up dirt. Her body flowed elegantly, naturally through the water; the muscles in her tail flexed, no longer burdened by its heft on land.

Ah! Movement! Some heat signatures. A lot of them were tiny, insignificant for someone of Willow's size. But she detected something far off, obscured by the thick screens of dirt and detritus.

Willow slowed her breathing. Her scales shimmered, and her image melded with the river. She stalked her prey, careful not to disturb the water. Her eyes trained on the largest heat signature; it grew sharper, more distinct as she approached. She opened her mouth, readying to strike...

She surged forward with a thrash of her tail, shooting across the water. Her viper-like canines lengthened as she bared them, converging on the largest of the heat signatures!

Her fangs pierced scales, sinking into flesh. She struck her target true; the huntress would not be denied her pray, even as her quarry struggled. She couldn't tell what it was, it was just huge, and kicking up all manner of dirt. Willow made for the surface, grasping for her captive prey with two outstretched hands, her claws digging into its flesh with a powerful, uncompromising grip.

She breached the surface with a splash, beads of water trickling down her smooth skin. She glanced down to her quarry, her eyes widened. She knew it was big, but upon a second look...

Her mouth was full, and her excited cheer was a little muffled. This invited some more struggling on the fish's part, and she began to make her way back to the shoreline. She admired the fish's grey and black scales, but also its sheer girth; it must've been almost a meter long, and almost a hundred pounds! A lesser person would've been really bruised up by its thrashing, powerful tail, but Willow was made of tougher stuff. She was just trying to recognize what kind of fish it was.

"...oh, lucky, this is, uhhh... piranhas don't get this big." She squinted. "Must be a tambaqui! Oooh, we're in for good eating today, lil guy!~"

Willow cheered, hurrying to the river's edge. She hoisted her prize above her head with pride. The jaguar cub stared at Willow's enormous prize, utterly astonished; their irises were wide, eyeing the catch hungrily.

Willow had perhaps flourished her prize for a couple moments too long. A look of dawning realization crossed her face.

"Um... I don't think I've ever gutted a fish before." Willow grinned sheepishly. "Well... there's always a first time for everything, right?"

---

It was a bit of a challenge to get a fire going in the jungle, but Willow knew her way around building a fire. It was a bit of a process to get the fish prepared; Willow was actually pretty anxious to dig right in, and she was never really picky about these sorts of things. And considering her company, she figured the cub wouldn't mind if the fish wasn't sliced up perfectly.

Besides that, the fish was enormous. It took every ounce of discipline for Willow not to tear into it. An hour passed as Willow stared at the fish, speared through and left to roast on a spit over an open fire.

The cub eyed the fish warily, wide eyes drifting towards the fire roasting it from below.

"Easy there, tiger." The tip of Willow's tail pushed the cub to the side, away from the fire.

"...jaguar, I mean." Willow blinked, chuckling to herself. Her eyes drifted upwards, following the smoke wafting towards the canopies above.

"Mm. If your mom was looking for you, she'd probably steer clear of the smoke." Willow grimaced, lowering her eyes to the cub. "Where is your mom, lil guy? Did you guys get separated?"

Willow recalled that jaguar mothers were fiercely protective of their young; they would teach them to hunt and watch over them for at least two years. It was very strange to find a cub isolated and on its own like this.

...Of course, asking questions aloud didn't bring Willow answers; the cub was content to playfully roll about in a pile of dead leaves. Willow racked her brain; her eyes drifted to the river that cut through the jungle.

...Her smile fell. If the mother hadn't tracked down her child to this point, it stood to reason that, perhaps, the mother was no longer around.

One depressing thought came to mind. Perhaps she got too close to the water. She had heard horror stories of black caimans: relatives to the alligator, they could reach lengths of fifteen feet. To say nothing of the native anacondas that prowl the waters as well.

Willow didn't have much to fear from the local fauna, she was simply enormous, and far more intelligent than the average apex predator. But her concerns drifted to her unexpected companion. Would it be safe to let the cub go off on its own? It was still so young, and the jungle could be such a dangerous place...

"Hey, lil guy, you wanna stick with me for a bit? I'll keep you safe." Willow nodded. "At least until your mama can find you."

Willow tried to be encouraging. She took to talking to the cub quite well; she was used to chatting with other woodland creatures, especially her favourite horse at home. The cub didn't seem to comprehend fully, but at the very least, it picked up on her gentle tone. It cuddled up near her tail, getting a little cozier.

Willow smiled to herself. She lowered a hand, stroking it on the head as a reflex, pushing back the thoughts that she might've been socializing the creature more than it needed.

"I guess since we're gonna be buddies, you might need a name? Hm... well, how about Frisky? You strike me as a little frisky!~" Willow chuckled.

Frisky didn't seem to mind the name much. And it did have a way of rolling off Willow's sinewy tongue. She smiled to herself, settling on the name for now.

Her eyes drifted to the fish that continued to roast over the fire. She was getting kind of hungry herself, and Willow wasn't a stranger to raw fish or anything. It would be fine for a jaguar cub as well...

"You getting hungry? Yeah, me too..." Willow eyed the fish hungrily; she reached for the fish with a scaled hand; she flexed her claws, digging into the side, tearing off a meaty chunk, offering it to Frisky with a smile.

"Here you go! A little treat for being such a good guard!~" Willow cooed. Frisky was very attentive, pouncing on it excitedly, tearing it to bits. Flaky bits of fish got tangled up in his whiskers as he noshed away. Willow was transfixed as she watched him eviscerate the chunk.

"W-whoa, you were real hungry. I guess you are a growing boy." Willow smirked, reaching to tear off another piece of partially-cooked fish for Frisky, before supplanting the entire thing herself. She bared her fangs and took a big meaty bite.

She preferred Winston's cooking, of course—he actually knew how to spice things—and her lack of patience meant the fish was rather underdone. But she wasn't any stranger to eating raw foodstuffs, and she was pretty proud of her iron stomach.

"Mmmm, so fresh~" Willow moaned between bites, taking bigger and bigger mouthfuls. Between the two famished partners, they had reduced the fish to bone in no time at all; Frisky seemed content to nibble away at the bones, gnashing its teeth. Meanwhile, Willow eyed the sky above, noting the orange glow of the sky.

Sunset was rapidly approaching. Willow wouldn't have much more daylight to work with.

"Well... this is probably as good a place to set up camp as any." Willow sighed. "I guess we're making good time..."

Willow reared up, stretching her arms skywards. She was sure that the jungle wouldn't get too cold, and she had her own strategy for sleeping at night. But there was the matter of the cub...

Willow had an idea. She took some time to brush some of the leaves on the ground into a pile—she thought about providing something from her luggage as a cushion, but jaguar claws were quite sharp, and finding changes of clothes out on a jungle expedition would presumably be quite difficult.

She glanced back at her long, snake-like tail; it was thick, powerful, and covered with plate-like scales. The muscles in it flexed as she coiled it over and over; it circled around itself, surrounding the pile of leaves.

She had used her body to form a natural enclosure, at least ten feet in diameter. She knew the strength of her own body quite well, and she figured that if any predators stumbled upon their clearing, they would catch sight of the snake monster and pay little mind to whatever lay within the coils.

"Hey, Frisky! C'mere, you..."

Willow called for Frisky, patting the side of her tail gingerly. The jaguar cub seemed more interested in the fishbones than in Willow herself. Willow felt a touch ignored; she pouted to herself slightly, before simply reaching over to grab the cub like a precocious pet.

"Rowr!?" It yowled obstinate, trying to wriggle free. Willow grinned, plopping the critter in the center of the pile of leaves, surrounded by her coiling tail. The cub paced around in Willow's personalized enclosure, batting at her tail's scales; if he was using his claws, Willow barely felt it.

Before long, Frisky was rolling about in the leaves once more, kicking up dried leaves with its flailing tail. Willow chuckled, watching it enjoy itself. And she was certain that this was much more safe than letting the creature wander off without her knowing. She had gotten awful attached to Frisky...

Willow made a note to herself to be careful sleeping tonight, especially to avoid rolling over onto Frisky. Not to mention, she didn't have much daylight left to write a letter to Tara. Though she supposed she already wrote her daily letter on the boat. The sky darkened with each passing minute, and the jungle began to cool off more and more; not enough to pose a risk to Willow, but enough that she would be uncomfortable with progressing. She was cold-blooded after all; she'd rather be moving along in the day.

Fatigue was washing over her; her hair snakes seemed to mirror her headstate, bobbing lazily. She lowered her torso to a stretch of her tail, resting her head. Her hair snakes thoughtfully coiled up into little piles to cushion her head.

"Ni-night, Frisky. Ni-night, Barry. And Gary. Larry, Jerry, Terry... Obamaaaa..."

She yawned, her canines flexing one last time, before she drifted off to sleep. It wasn't much farther to base camp...

[NEXT PART]