The travelers remained in the village of cetay for several days. When it was time to leave, two of the villagers, Hosa and Hoscotl, volunteered to come along on the journey to Nexal. The village had once been the guardian of a legendary feather-cloak and rumors suggested that the cloak was last seen in Nexal. The travelers showed little interest in the legends of another village but they were happy to have additional companion for their journey.
While waiting for the appointed day of departure, Zollin, Atl and Omechoka heard rumors that animals had been seen—or at least heard—in the forest outside the village. Reasoning that a few hours hunting could provide them with enough meat to sustain them in their journey and to leave a gift with their hosts in the village, Zollin, Atl and Omechoka asked their new friend Hosa to help them track the mysterious animals. After several hours hunting, they heard a strange and unbeautiful sound, a long, rhythmic shriek without pathos. They traced the sound to a pair of huge, many-armed creatures, with heads like men, but lacking features. Atl encouraged Omechoka and Hosa to attack the creatures.
Atl’s exhortation was irrelevant as the creatures were charging and the terrible sound that seemed to emanate from them reached a nearly deafening level. They resembled enormous ants or other insects. They were multicolored—gray on the bottom and reddish brown on top. Their mandibles were like knives and their arms were like spears. Theirs tails tapered to a sharp point. Omechoka and Hosa prepared their weapons.
Hosa’s first blow knocked off one of the creature’s arms. Without flinching, it lashed at him with its remaining arm and mandibles. The other creature attacked Omechoka. Attacking it with his knife, he found that it seemed to be made of a strange metal, much harder than gold or silver. Hosa struck his attacker another solid blow, knocking off its head, whereupon it began flailing wildly and running in circles. Omechoka, fighting with a knife, was forced to get much closer to his assailant, relying on his armor to protect him. The giant bug lodged its mandibles in a thick fold of Omechoka’s jaguar pelt. He used this opportunity to seize hold of its head and wrench it from its body. This did not incapacitate the creature, however. Instead, it thrashed at Omechoka with its arms, cutting him several times across his chest. Atl and Zolin rushed forward to club the monster to the ground. When its body ruptured, there was an explosion of cold vapor, but no blood or viscera. As the four companions in battle caught their breath and tended to each others’ wounds, they heard the sound of another creature approaching. This one moved much more quickly, especially with its stinging tail. Omechoka was struck and collapsed to the ground. The top of the creature’s back opened like the lid of a box. His friend’s, shocked and horrified, watched the creature lift Omachoka with its long, spindly arms and placed him in the box, and in the same motion turned and started to run. Hosa chased after it and knocked off one of the creature’s legs. In the same instant, he was felled by a quick dart of the tail and pulled inside the creature. Zolin and Atl, however, attacked it from the sides before it could run away and brought it to the ground. There was a sizzling sound like a strike of lightning and then the creature was still. Zolin and Atl pried open the creature and dragged their friends out of the cavity inside. They were cold and unresponsive, but alive. Zolin and Atl carried them back to the village, where Atl mixed a warming drink to revive his friends.
The next day they finally set out, no richer for meat, but with three weeks’ worth of beans and maize. They traveled for three days in the jungle and reached a cliff where they saw that next section of their journey would take them across dry plains. They rested here for the night, and found places to refill their waterskins. During the night they heard voices. Atl called out that those making the noises should show themselves. Silence. A restless night for all.
The travelers reached the plains. The grass was brown. And, as the days progressed the dry grass turned to cracked earth. The wind picked up and tossed clouds of sand into the air, obscuring the white stones of the sacbe. The travellers pressed on toward Nexal and the valley of Zatal.
