THE small Amerindian village was located deep into the jungle. It consisted of 17 small benab-shaped huts. Some had sides weaved with Troolie  plant; others had none.
Each hut had one or two hammocks, and a small fireside. The people belonged to a remote tribe that never ventured close to civilization. It was not that they didn’t know of the existence of other tribes; just that they chose to remain unknown to them. This was no ordinary tribe.

The nearby rivers were teeming with fish; animals roamed freely all around, and plants grew uninhibited. The people were closely bonded to each other, and to their surroundings.
Each animal had a name, and someone was responsible for its wellbeing. They protected the animals, and lived at one with their environment. This was possible through their ability to communicate with the animals; but even this gift was not as unique as their strange power of transformation into any given animal. This was why they stayed away from others. Some tribes feared them; others revered them. They knew that the only way to survive was to stay hidden and preserve their secret. But how long could this secret existence last?

Beth
Beth was the village’s favourite daughter; she was loved by everyone, but she was not a typical girl. She loved doing all the things the boys did, and hated cleaning and cooking. At just eleven, she was the fastest runner in her age group, and could out-swim many boys older than she.  She could throw a spear further than many her age, and shoot a mean arrow.
She was the village “Tom Boy”; her only weakness was a fascination with discovering new places, which was why she was considered a wanderer. At times she would vanish for a day or two, then reappear, telling of some beautiful place nearby or far away. After punishment and threats failed to stop this tendency, she was ignored wherever she had the urge to wander off.
That is, until she walked into the camp of a fact-finding expedition and caused quite a stir with her unusual attire and body painting.
Professor Misery heard the commotion outside and came out of his tent to see what was going on. He was both shocked and excited to find a native child with body-paint, piercings and attire he had never before seen. He was a linguist, and spoke seven Amerindian dialects. He was also a highly respected archaeologist. This lucky encounter was his best in six years. He had found and mapped many tribes, learnt their languages and customs, and studied their way of life. The child standing before him was way beyond all that. The mere idea that he could not recognize her tribal markings caused him to tingle with excitement.
“Professor Misery! She just walked in out of the jungle!” one of his assistants exclaimed.
Misery glared at the hapless young man in his usual bad-tempered fashion.
“Professor! Professor!” he bellowed. “Call me Professor!”
He had insisted over and over again that no one address him by his last name. Who wanted to be known as Misery? How he wished his mother had had the good fortune to meet a man named Success or Wisdom.
Turning his attention to the uninvited little guest, he tried communicating with her. None of the dialects got any response. There was one thing that puzzled him, however. The child, although surrounded by strangers in strange attire, was not afraid. Instead, she looked all around her in open curiosity. This would serve him well.
Word of the find soon got around. Two experts were flown in: One was a tracker; the other some government official. They went to work on interrogating her, but that only served to frustrate them. In the end, it was decided to allow her to go back to her village. They would head out the next day.
By daybreak, the camp was abuzz with excitement. Tents were folded, and equipment packed away. The expedition headed deep into the jungle, in the wake of the child.
She moved with such agility that soon, only the fittest could keep up with her. Those left lagging kept in touch via radio. Deeper and deeper into the jungle they went; at night, they rested, keeping the girl under close watch. Next day, they moved on.

Vanished!
It took them eleven days to reach the village, but this, too, was very disappointing for the professor, for the inhabitants had vanished. He noted that their departure was sudden, as they’d left behind oodles of foodstuff, which was so unlike any tribe he’d ever met. They’d also left food cooking on the fireside.
They had not gone far; he was sure of that. The girl looked all around her, reading the signs. She seemed to understand what had taken place.
The tracker took over, and began following the signs of the fleeing villagers, but two days on, and they still had not caught up with them. Undaunted, however, everyone felt they were getting closer.
That night, an exhausted research team rested. The next day, however, saw the beginning of a series of strange events. First to begin with, when they awoke, the girl was gone! So, too, were their radio, compass and weapons.
Confusion reigned. Some wanted to turn back; others wanted to continue. Professor Misery was torn between the two. He could sense that the tribe was nearby, but worried that they were heading deeper and deeper into the unknown. They would take a day to think about it. They discussed this, and decided to go on.
As they went deeper into the jungle, it became more and more difficult to travel. The foliage was thick and forbidding, and everyone grew tired. Progress slowed to a crawl, and soon all they saw where animals moving around. No sign of the tribe.

Night visitor
Professor Misery snored loudly in his tent. His feet were sore; his head ached; and his patience was almost at an end. His weary eyes fluttered open. It was pitch black, and he had to fumble for the electric lantern. He switched it on and glanced around. Standing at the head of the hammock was the strange girl. She had a pleasant smile on her face, and he could not help but smile back at her.
“Go back!” she whispered. “Turn back!”
But before he could respond, the strangest thing happened. She stooped, and suddenly, right before his eyes, she changed into a beautiful but deadly jaguar. Speechless, he watched the creature. Two soft eyes looked right back at him. The animal tossed its head in the direction the girl had bade him to go, and then glided from the tent.
Then, from the surrounding jungle came a howling, growling and snarling of many animals. It sounded as though they had completely surrounded the tent, and were about to attack.
‘Prof’ trembled in fear and excitement. Suddenly, the flap of his tent opened, and his assistant and all the others came trooping in, looking physically and emotionally drained. They were adamant about one thing: They were turning back! Some claimed that animals warned them in their dreams, while others even claimed to have seen animals trying to warn them about continuing.
Professor did not argue with them. Who would believe he had seen a girl change into a jaguar? They might think him crazy and retire him early. The expedition turned back the next morning.
But that’s not the end of the story! To this day, some members of the expedition swear they were led back to “civilization” by animals; that without their equipment, they just had to follow their instincts or their elusive guide