These past few days have been nothing short of incredible. Where do I even begin.
First, of course, we went to the resting place (what we decided to call the site where the carcass was found). Nothing was out of the ordinary. Nevertheless, we went and put down some cameras there just in case.
The cat was revealed to have died of tuberculosis. Some animal behaviorists online theorize that cats would instinctually find a place to hide as they realize they are sick and ill. This is to ensure that they would not be found by predators in such a vulnerable state, in the case that they survive the illness.
While I know domestic cats tend to hide when they are ill, I do believe they do so to protect their pack members, as predators are more likely to hunt the sick and dying. However, I have no clue if wild cats do the same.
Michizuka-san seem to think they do, though. Let me rephrase that, she believes that they do.
Regardless, considering that fact, I personally do not think another one of those cats (for now, we've decided to call them Higgs' cats) would appear in that same area. I confided this to Dr. Higgs, but he just reassures me.
It seems that he thinks the same, but that site is our only clue for now, so we have no other choice but to place some cameras there.
But this is where things get exciting. Michizuka-san decided to try and retrace the way where the cat came from. It has been weeks since its carcass was found. But she seems adamant on trying. I certainly would not stop her. Neither would the others, it seems.
While she does that, Dr. Higgs said he would check on the perimeter and also set some cameras. I'm
interested in what Michizuka-san is up to, so I decided to go with. Joseph (that's right! we are on a first name basis!) also came with us, his reasoning
being that we (probably me specifically) are new to the area, which means Mr. Jones would accompany Dr. Higgs on his endeavor.
Meanwhile dr. Sinclair said she's going to return to camp and cook lunch for us (the breakfast she made was amazing, as expected of a mom). And finally, just in case, Mr. Jones gave me his survival handbook and some med kit. Just in case. He said it twice.
The way Michizuka-san work is, interesting, to say the least. She started with smelling the ground, to tasting it, to… hearing it…?
Either way, she eventually pointed us to a location so we went there, with Joseph in front, her in the middle, and me observing her from behind. She seemed to have a lot of trust in Joseph; she never once looked in front of her, only keeping her head down to look for clues.
This would backfire though, as her head would hit a tree branch hard. Joseph was just a little too late to warn her. Thank goodness for the med kit.
This routine continues for a few days; we would place a temporary mark to restart where we left off. Sometimes we would leave the mark to return to it later and go down a different route.
So far, we haven't found any solid clues. What we did find, however, was a species of orchid, specifically of the Dracula genus, that was thought to have been extinct some hundred years ago.
This orchid is special in that its bright red petals would turn deep black when it comes into contact with heat. According to Joseph, the scent of this flower is said to attract jaguars. For this reason, it was called "marca de la muerte" or "mark of death."
Scientifically, it's called Dracula tezcatlii, taken after the Aztec god of death and darkness, prominently
associated with ritual sacrifices, obsidian, and interestingly, jaguars.
At any rate, he seemed uncomfortable even being around this flower, not to mention taking a sample of it back, so we just took a picture of it, mark its location, and called it a day. I was very excited at the prospect of rediscovering an extinct species; couldn't stop grinning all the way.
Meanwhile, Michizuka-san remained largely the same. I guess being someone well-known for re/discovering extinct/new species, she's grown numb to it all. I doubt I would be though. At least, I hope I won't.
On our way back to camp, we met with Dr. Higgs' team of two at the resting place. He seemed overly excited so we asked if they found a trace of Higgs' cat. He didn't. But he did snapped a picture of an extremely rare insect whose sightings were only recorded twice since its discovery, three times with this.
It is a ground beetle with an unusually beautiful carapace compared to others of its genus, or even any other ground beetle species. It is usually muddy, but when cleaned, it shines with an arrangement of colors not dissimilar to a rainbow. Aptly named Trechisibus tulumanyai, from the Incan deity Tulumanya, called the first rainbow.
I understand why he would be excited by this. I would also be excited! Only three records in history including this one! Though there is a chance it is an underground species, hence why it's so elusive, he didn't take a sample of one with him out of fear of it being an endangered species. That would be for the best. Besides, photographic AND video evidence of it should be enough to temporarily satisfy the scientific community.
That is thus far all the excitements of these past few days.
Now on to the reason why I started calling Mr. Cárdenas by his first name; it started on the second day, right after our, um, head-splitting trek through the woods. It wasn't a horrible injury or anything a medkit couldn't handle, but Michizuka-san did started to bleed from her forehead, coupled with
the fact that she got a mild headache from it, we decided to end the exploration there and head back to camp to see the doctor. She was still cooking when we got back. As she checked on Michizuka-san, me and Joseph started talking.
I wasn't off on his age; he is actually 21, slightly younger than me. He was adventurous as a child, always going off to the forest on his own, to the dismay of his parents. He had always been fascinated by nature, which was what led him to start working as a guide at 17.
We started talking every night since then, about likes, hobbies, and other mundane stuff, getting to know each other even better. He was not fluent in English or anything, but he manages a lot with his limited vocabulary. That was when we started calling each by our first name!
This night, I had just finished talking to him. Our main topic was whether we would find Higgs' cat or not, and how long we would have to stay here to find it. I realized as we talk he had a wistful look on him.
I reassured him that we would definitely find it. And Dr. Higgs did said that if at any point any one of us decides to opt out of this expedition, then they are
allowed to leave whenever they want to.
I also told him that whether or not we find the cat, there are never a failed expedition, as every new experiences and connections are as precious as the objective of said expedition. That's what Michizuka-san told me on the day we met, and what I firmly believe to this day. This seemed to cheer him up, so that made me glad.
We said our good nights and went to our sleeping bags, which is where I am at as I write this. So yeah, it was very fun. I learned a lot more of the people around me, and more of this place as well.
Tomorrow we will be continuing our exploration, but this time would be different. We are planning to venture deeper into the forest to look for a new campsite.
There has not been any new clues regarding the cat, but we remain optimistic. Hopefully there would be more exciting things to find. At any rate, good night.
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