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“A growl,” Santiago confirmed, blood half frozen in his veins.
They heard it again, swirling around them, everywhere and nowhere at once. Santiago peered into the mist, straining his eyes to catch a glimpse of whatever was out there. He saw nothing.
Ali stirred, and he watched her pull the hunting knife from the side strap of her pack. He thought about his own, sheathed and tucked away at the bottom of his bag. Exactly where it was most useless.
“Puma?” he asked, his voice barely audible.
“Probably,” she confirmed.
They don’t usually attack unless threatened, right? Santiago wanted to ask. But he was hesitant to speak more and give away their location.
As if it can’t smell you, he chided himself.
Knife firmly in hand, Ali began sliding off her pack. Santiago moved his hands across her shoulders to help detangle her from the straps.
She readied herself into a fighting stance, as if she planned to roundhouse the thing. She probably did.
It’s a cat-eat-cat world. He almost laughed to himself. At least then he’d go down with a smile.
“Stay behind me,” she whispered.
The growl sounded again, louder this time.
Ali’s muscles tensed. Her left fist was raised in front of her, ready to protect her face, and her right held the weapon steady. She shifted slightly on the balls of her feet. From the corner of his eye, Santiago saw movement and whipped his head in that direction, shrinking backward.
He caught sight of two gleaming eyes.
The predator seemed to consider them before vanishing again.
Santiago’s vision blurred at the edges, and he swung his head back and forth, searching for the thing about to make a meal of them.
Suddenly, a raucous barking sliced through the mist, and a slender black blur tore toward them. Ali lunged with her blade, but Santiago managed to catch the crook of her arm, pulling her back at the last moment.
“Wait!” he cried out.
“What are you doing?” Ali yelled at him, pivoting to keep their assailant in her sights.
“It’s not a puma!”
“It’s still a wild animal!” she shouted.
She wasn’t entirely wrong. The growling menace wasn’t anyone’s pet. But it also wasn’t the mountain lion they’d expected.
The beast was thin but tall, its head not quite reaching Santiago’s hip. Its body was completely black and hairless with a long, whiplike tail. Its eyes were narrowed, its bat-like ears perked upward.
“It’s a chimú dog,” Santiago said softly. “A Peruvian hairless dog. Sometimes also known as a Peruvian Inca Orchid.”
“I know what it’s called, Rios,” Ali spat between clenched teeth. “It’s dangerous.”
Santiago couldn’t deny that. The dog’s front paws were braced on the ground, its upper body lowered beneath its raised hackles. Sharp, dangerous canine teeth were bared in their direction. If it wanted to, it could likely kill them. Well, it could kill Santi.
Still, he couldn’t let Ali hurt the poor thing.
“It’s probably just hungry, isn’t that right?” he said, cooing softly in the animal’s direction.
“Yeah, and it’s about to know how you taste,” Ali hissed.
“No she’s not, are you, girl?” Santiago hoped he spoke true. Very, very slowly, he crouched down next to Ali’s pack.
