Traipsing deeper into Oncari land, jaguars prowled through bushes like shadows, flanking Atia and Aiyana. The silence was suffocating, and the path to Prime Hollow felt endless, though in truth it was no longer than it had ever been.
Atia had shifted into his jaguar form, offering Aiyana silent support, occasionally nudging his head into her shoulder while she stared after her father's broad back. Chief Tamuari led the way with purposeful strides, his long hair plaited on either side of his face, falling past his chest. His dark skin shimmered under the dappled light, revealing the faint jaguar markings beneath the surface. Like many of the Oncari, he was tall and powerfully built, but his strength as a leader came from his wisdom.
During his time as the Oncari leader, only a handful of hotheads had the gall to challenge Chief Tamuari. They left half-broken, humbled, and a lesson carved into their battered bodies: Age does not equal to weakness.
