Yisrael trailed down the similar hunting track in fuming silence, walking behind River and her daft archeologist friend.

Christopher had asked to see the hunting-fishing grounds and how the Iborian hunter-gathers tapped into the well integrated natural sources of Amazon.

As a head-hunter himself, Yisrael enjoyed good hunts and fishing by utilizing their blowguns, arrows and darts tipped with poison and spears. They were also highly territorial over their hunting enclave.

All native tribes have participated in making clear of the demarcation of their lands, ensuring their boundary was respected.

Sophisticated hunting, tracking, navigation skills were the indigenous ingenuities of most Iborians to the hostile environment.

However, for Yisrael it was child's play.

He learnt from an early age how to hunt wild games, sense changes in climate, return of migration of birds and the flowering seasons of fruits trees.

He employed his techniques, honed them over the years and is now capable of making his tribal people healthy, self sufficient and happy.

He belonged to the forest. The environment. He knew it so well.

How to collect honey from wild bees without getting stung, he'd spit the sap of a plant over the hive to drive the bees away.

His blow guns were made from raw hardwood and the darts laced with a poison that interferes with the functioning of the animal's heart as he strikes them down.

Over time, he developed by using plants to treat injuries. Like the bark of copal trees is applied to infection, the juice of cat's claw vine can treat diarrhea, crushed aromatic leaves are inhaled to alleviate cold and nausea.

He also works a poison curare that is used on the tips of arrows to paralyze preys which can also act as a muscle relaxant.

He was many things and yet he felt a hole in him.

And that hole yearned to be filled by the most intriguing woman in front of him.

He watched her ass move in the most sensational dance as she chatted with Chris. Her whole side body was pressed against him, clearly trying to prove to Yisrael how mad she was with him.

He wasn't going to be sorry for he had done. His first culmination after five years and this was the only time he had felt utter blissful moments washing away.

His own individual rising.

It's not like he didn't want to soothe her but when she mentioned how happy she was with him and Yuh's partnership, he began to seethe.

Her lie was so clear. He didn't need to know she was pretending. He just wanted to know why she was pretending.

Yosemite called him out, breaking his trance, " I spot a boar. You want it?"

Yisrael had already heard the mammal's shuffling feet. Quietly he moved behind the lowered branch, as he raised his blowgun placing it on his mouth.

He waited. No one moved.

The moment he saw the mammal, he forced out a strong exhalation to pneumatically propel the dart hitting straight into the boar's back.

The sound of the hurt animal immediately shot amidst the forest.

He lowered his gun and smirked. Easy shot.

When he looked back to see if River was looking at him, he frowned.

She was busy observing Yosemite who with close intent held his spear in position, waiting to catch another boar.

Again a round of tensed silence.

When the boar came spinning through the bushes, with focused eyes he released the weapon.

It zoomed through the leaves hitting the boar at its side, toppling the mammal over to his back by the sheer force.

River smiled, clearly looking like she enjoyed what she saw.

He clenched his jaw, shaking his head. He didn't care. He didn't fucking care she liked Yosemite's hunting skills better than his. Who cares?

He trotted to his own prey, yanking the dark out with duress and with clinical precision, he sliced its neck.

After tying the two board up onto a stick, they made sure to not leave any blood stains behind.

Leave no traces. It was a key factor to maintain the balance between nature and humans which only the tribals respected.

Responsibility and reciprocity are vital requirements.

To take more than is needed or to degrade the earth is not only self-defeating but neglecting it like one would abandon one's children.

They hunt only for their needs. No more. No less.

Christopher jotted down notes and notes, uncaring of the world around him. He didn't even notice the dark green eyes watching him.

It was Yisrael who stopped and with slow rigor, he locked eyes with the jaguar.

Jaguars are unusual hunters. They don't go for the neck, they go for the back of one's head and he was eyeing Chris's.

But from the size of it, it was still in it's young age. He was learning his skills. Reminded Yisrael of his own childhood.

With the total economy of stealthy movements, he jumped just as the jaguar but somehow he placed Chris right behind him.

"Come to me, Chris." Yosemite whispered as he watched Yisrael circle the small carnivore.

Chris scrambled away on his belly in terror stricken face. Yosemite got hold of him, putting him behind.

Yisrael tried to reassure the jaguar by nasally snuffling. It was used to greet them.

Jaguar comes from the ingenious word 'yaguar' which means he who kills with one leap and god, he hoped he would miss a leap today.

Yisreal didn't enjoy killing them because he believed them to one of the greatest hunters of the forest.

So he lowered his eye, continuously making the same noise. When Yosemite threw the killed boar at the side, immediately the jaguar pounced on it, chomping the flesh.

Yisrael released a breath. Basically the jaguar was hungry.

River's tight breath staggered

She almost thought he would get killed but the 'saw' kind of noises that was voiced from Yisreal made the small jaguar calmer and he just ignored the whole group and tore flesh after flesh of the boar.

Slowly, they began to head back to the tribe. It had already turned dark and Chris thanked Yisrael profusely.

River scowled at Chris's careless behavior. These days he seemed so engrossed into his theories, he forgets that they were still alive and breathing in the jungle.

How long will it take to go back home, she didn't know. What's worse, she didn't know will she make out of this place alive?

After seeing and witnessing Yisrael's vigor and might, she realized how savage he really was.

River would never admit it but today seeing him at his prime just shows what kind of a man he really was.

Dangerous but calm. He wasn't supposed to be provoked.

Yet it made her only to provoke him even more. To see his face glow when he came earlier, how he looked so relived and so different from the man she saw right now.

Her own heat clenched. Why is she thinking of him again like this? She had purposely ignored him all day. She was furious and didn't want to ever talk to him.

What's worse? He didn't seem to care. He looked like he did the right thing by smacking her ass, making her so close to the edge and hanging up while he took his relief.

This man was scalding, nefarious to his own needs and fiendishly honest. Yet she was getting hot for him.

Her brain has gone.

"River could I speak to you?" She looked surprised to find Yuri calling her out.

With tentative steps, she followed him into his regal tent. It was made of bluish canvas, a spacious tent that had tracery scrolled along its sides.

Unlike his son's tent, he had a huge wooden made lower table filled with important scrolls and sheets. It had plants and small tubes of some liquids. Same paper lanterns hung with roof supporters to provide light.

It was almost like a laboratory except it was a native one.

"What can I do for you?"

"I want you to stay away from my son." Again, this.

Folding her arms across her chest, she glared at the old man who sat on to a furry pallet, eating some wild cherries from a clay bowl.

"I'm not interested in the man. You do not have to worry."

"You both have said the same things to me and I'm getting more appre- apprehensive as we speak."

"I don't mind having Yosemite monitoring me."

"That will not do. Yisrael has warned off all men from looking at you. He hates sharing."

Her stupid heat skipped a beat at that.

When Yuri sniffed the air, a leer broke his mouth. "You like him. I scent your excitement."

She tried to remain aloof at his lechery. "I am thinking of Chris."

Yuri gazed at her as if trying to read her mind. He then shook his head and popped a cherry into his mouth. "If that's the case, I should tell you he has an oa-"

"I know."

His brow arched. "I see. He has told you of it." He brought the bowl towards her, ushering her to pick one.

She didn't know if she should. Yuri gave her the heebie-jeebies. She refused politely only to have been forced to take them with his relentless eyes.

"Fine." Taking a small branch, she plucked the red succulent fruit. Popping one into her mouth, the juices crush out and seeping her tongue with sweet tang flavor.

"Good night. I hope you sleep well." He grinned like a Cheshire's cat. Oy vey...not good.

She walked out, closing the flap of the tent. All the tribals had vanished into their respective homes leaving her out alone.

She continued to eat more of the cherries and her mouth bursted with flavors and her mind began to grow giddy.

She was about to head to her own tent when she saw the familiar broad back heading towards the east side of the narrow looking path.

So many pathways, she sometimes was glad she remembered which way was which. This one was new. She hadn't seen it before.

Should she follow him? Or not?

No, she shouldn't.

His father had subtly warned her off, his soon to be wife marked him as her property. All these signs signaled her to go back to the tent and simply go off to sleep, forget whatever happened today.

Yisrael wasn't meant for her. Yes, think just like this. Now let's go to sleep.

Her misleading feet were already trailing after him in noiseless dark vicious channel.

Eh..What's the worse that could happen?