Carmine Jewels ║ Wanda Maximoff

Chapter 16 - A Misson Gone Sideways

And the rainforest was famed for its brutality.

But as she strolled along a narrow path, probably made by a deer judging by the tracks, she couldn't resist stretching out her hand and caressing the leaves as she passed them. Keira had never been in this country before, in fact, she had barely even heard of it. But she already knew that Honduras would be a place she would want to visit properly, when she wasn't on a mission that is.

It was simply beautiful.

Her path steered her towards a river, and she slowed her steps down. Everything seemed calm as the birds were still singing up in the trees. That was a good sign. If they went quiet, that's when she had to worry.

She was still at least a mile from where the base was supposed to be located, so she wasn't too worried about sneaking around and covering her tracks. The middle of a rainforest barely held crowds of people. Her hand was still outstretched, feeling the leaves as she passed them.

The gentle trickle of the calm river grew stronger as she neared the riverbed. Keira came to a halt by the water, and she crouched down by it. She lowered her hands into the flowing water and sighed blissfully as the cold water cooled her down.

Why she ever chose a tropical mission when she could barely function in the heat was a mystery even to her. She cupped her hands together, gathering the water in them before splashing herself in the face.

Droplets of water trickled down her face and down to the collar of her shirt. Normally, that would've been an unpleasant feeling, but in this heat, she'd take anything that could cool her down. As her eyes scanned the tree line on the other side of the river, her heart skipped a beat as it landed upon something furry.

A jaguar.

The big cat was lounging up in a tree, its eyes closed and one paw dangling off the tree branch. Its ears twitched occasionally as an occasional bug buzzed past it. Despite knowing that the big cat could kill her in mere seconds, Keira wanted nothing more than to snuggle up next to it.

Big felines had always been a favorite of hers, and jaguars together with tigers topped her list. So, to be able to see one in the wild, was an indescribable feeling. Sure, the cat was snoozing, but it was still amazing.

For a few minutes, Keira just observed it, taking in the sight of everything from the small, black spots in its face that then widened to become hollow, uneven circles. The powerful legs that gave the cat the ability to jump its prey, and also the cause of their name.

Its name originated from the Native American word yaguar, meaning 'he who kills with one leap', which fit its hunting style perfectly.

A small bee buzzed past Keira's ear, and it broke her out of her reverie. She was here for a mission, and she needed to finish it. Even if the jaguar was a fascinating subject to observe. Shaking her head to get out of the temporary daze, she got back up, carefully moving away from the wildlife path that she had been following, and walked upriver.

But in doing so, she trod more carefully and scanned the rocky riverbank for any dangers. Stepping on a venomous snake and getting bitten out in the rainforest alone would suck. Or getting attacked by a crocodile resting in the water. However, now that she thought about it, crocodiles weren't especially common in this area.

As she neared the place where the base was supposed to be located, her steps became slower, more calculated. Her ears strained for any sounds except the ones from the chattering wildlife and her eyes darted across the trees surrounding her. Patrols out here wouldn't be a surprise if she was near the base.

Just like Maria had explained, the river came out of a big lake. And on the other side of the mirror-like surface of the water, a building emerged, huddled between two mountains. If she didn't know any better, she never would've reacted to it.