Without Desi and Corla, keeping watch required each of them to increase their guard time. They were exhausted. Talya and Sheeba noticeably dragged their feet and made too much noise. They slept during the heat of the day, and at one point veered off course for more than a mile due to a large group of cats coming within a few hundred yards of them.

Every day in the jungle took its toll. They had to make it out of cat territory before Zenya contacted Amy. They knew they were ...