Chapter Eight

Selvi’s head throbbed in frustration.

“I told you,” said Amir. “I won’t tell anyone about this. I just want to see the leopard. Please.”

Selvi was furious at being put in such a position. The last thing she wanted to do was involve Amir with Lokka. But what if he told someone? Jansz would think that she’d broken her end of the deal and his gang would come after her and Mother. If she made an enemy of Amir, she would be putting herself and Mother in danger.

“That’s blackmail,” said Selvi.

Amir frowned. “I don’t even know what that is.”

“It means you’re forcing me to do something because you have information you could reveal.”

“Well, that sounds bad,” he said, “but I’m not forcing you to do anything. I’m pleading with you.”

She took a deep breath. He sounded more clueless than sneaky. Maybe he didn’t mean any harm. “Okay, you win,” she said. “You can come.”

Selvi set off up the mountain again, hoping against hope that they wouldn’t find Lokka. Amir followed behind. She moved slowly, willing Lokka to be away from his favorite spot. What would she do if he was there? She hoped he’d run away at the sight of Amir.

“I don’t know how you do it!” said Amir enthusiastically as they jumped over a dip in the ground. “Such a big leopard. And it was just playing with you like a cat.”

Selvi glanced at him. Amir was gesturing and smiling, his face full of happiness. She had to admit, his enthusiasm was infectious. It made her smile a little in spite of her irritation with him. She’d never had anyone to talk to about Lokka and the bond she shared with him, and it was tempting to trust Amir. She thought back to yesterday when they were at his house. He’d seemed nice. Yes, he’d acted like an idiot with his friends that morning in school, but when it came to it, he hadn’t betrayed her. She decided to give him another chance.

“It didn’t happen right away,” she said. “At first I think Lokka was curious. He’d seen me on the mountains a lot. And for some reason I wasn’t afraid of him. I caught glimpses of him now and then but I just kept out of his way. But then he began to watch me. After a long time of doing that, he came over. I was terrified!”

Amir’s eyes grew wider and wider in surprise until he resembled a loris. “No way! What did you do?”

“Nothing.” Selvi laughed. “I just stood there frozen to the spot. He had a good look and then ran off. The next time it happened, I was less scared. And after it happened a few times, I wasn’t afraid of him. So he just kept staying longer and longer.”

“That’s like . . . the best thing ever.” Amir looked almost reverential with wonder.

Selvi smiled. “It’s quite special.”

“Why don’t you go near him then?” said Amir as they neared the plateau that was Lokka’s favorite haunt. “You said you don’t get close.”

“I don’t know really.” She hadn’t actually thought about it. “It just feels like the right thing to do. He’s a wild animal, so though we have this bond, I want to keep a respectful distance.”

“How do you know where to find him?” he said, brushing aside a low branch as they trudged upward.

“I don’t. It’s not like I necessarily know where he is at any time. But he has a favorite spot. Do you know the small plateau high up in the mountains there,” she said, pointing, “which the villagers call the ‘small end-of-theworld’? He likes to hang out there.”

“Yes! I can’t believe I’ll get to see him. Do you think he’ll like me too?”

“Maybe,” said Selvi. “Either that or he’ll eat you. We’ll soon find out.” She giggled at the startled look on Amir’s face until he realized she was joking.

Eventually they came to the high point on which Lokka would normally be found. It was a flat area of sandy, rocky ground, ringed with wilderness on three sides and a plunging drop on the fourth.

Sure enough, there was Lokka, his spotted body nestled languidly in his favorite tree as if he didn’t have a care in the world. The setting sun blazed through him, silhouetting him and his hanging tail. He turned slowly as Selvi approached. Amir stopped abruptly behind her.

Selvi stood back and grinned at him. Lokka yawned, his mouth open wide and revealing four long, curving canines and smaller jagged teeth behind them. A pink, bristled tongue stretched out. He flicked his tail in greeting. He was absolutely perfect.

“Whoa,” whispered Amir. “Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.” Each word was punctuated by silence.

Selvi chuckled at his reaction. He stood there gaping, his gaze creeping left and right at the plateau, but always coming back to the resting leopard in the tree.

Lokka rolled his head and looked at Amir briefly, then settled back again.

Amir looked as if he desperately wanted to get closer, but he hung back. It was probably for the best. Selvi wasn’t sure how Lokka would react to a stranger, though he didn’t seem overly concerned as he lay there in the golden light.

“Let’s go back,” said Selvi. She didn’t want to stay too long with Amir there.

“What? That’s it? You’re not going to run around with him?” He looked behind reluctantly as they walked off.

“No. He’s always like this at this time of day. He’s more active in the morning, maybe after a night of prowling and hunting.”

Amir’s mouth turned down at the corners in disappointment, but he brightened up soon and started on the questions again. “How do you always know it’s him? All leopards look more or less the same.”

“No, they don’t. They are as varied as humans. And this area is his territory anyway. Also, haven’t you noticed his coat? He has a golden shimmer around his rosettes.”

“Oh yes. How come it’s like that?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

He turned back to look but they’d left Lokka high up behind them as they descended the mountain. Amir seemed reluctant for his adventure to be over. “What are you going to do about those men?”

“I need to convince Lokka to leave. He’s not safe here now. Maybe once Jansz has given up, Lokka can come back. This is his territory, after all, and he shouldn’t be chased away by those idiots.”

“Why do they want him?” asked Amir.

Selvi frowned at him. “Isn’t it obvious? His skin!” she said impatiently. “Bones, teeth.”

Amir looked revolted. “What? Bones and teeth? Why?”

“There are parts of the world where big-cat skins are used as rugs. Or bags and other stupid things. Bones and teeth are used in some types of medicine. I’ve heard that people like Jansz take the animals to the port and sell them to the foreign merchants as the ships arrive.”

They’d come to the track that led to Amir’s house. They stopped there for a moment before Selvi turned to be on her way.

“Wait a minute. Does this mean,” said Amir, “that if Jansz gets your leopard . . .”

Selvi grimaced. “I’ve got to go. I promised my mother I’d help with the rice.”

Her heart burned as she continued down the path toward home. Amir’s unfinished sentence hung in the air, blurring the fern-covered path ahead of her as tears stung her eyes. He was right, of course. She couldn’t bear to think about it, but if Jansz got to him, Lokka could end up as a rug on somebody’s floor.