Ghost Cat

Sole survivor or wandering spirit animal?

Inspector Locard drew back a thick frond from the edge of the plateau and surveyed the valley below. There in the hollow of the ravine he saw it: a wild cat, well muscled with a glossy coat of tawny bronze fur, mottled with reddish brown rosette patterns. It seemed an impossible find but the markings were unmistakable: a sacred jaguar, most noble jungle roamer. But the last jaguar had been hunted over 50 years ago!

Locard had heard the legends. Stories of spirit jaguars stalking the jungle paths, soft steps echoing in the night, the image of the proud hunter lingering like a memory. Locard hastened for the valley clearing to get a better look at the rare beast, but when he approached the spot there was no remaining sign to be found. Moving with caution, Locard scanned the soft ground for tracks and inspected the tree line for breaks. No trace at all. The jaguar had disappeared as quickly as it had emerged and left no indication of its presence. Had he only imagined it? Or were the rumours true? "Ghost cats?" the warden muttered and added a slight chuckle.
Stories for children, Locard. Better not dwell on it.
Starting for home, the inspector warden threw one last glance back over his shoulder at the vacant jungle clearing.
No trace at all. Like a ghost.
Locard made for home and made no mention of the sighting in his report.

The jungles of Pachuco are home to many lethal animals, none so prolific in its predation than humankind. Around 50 years ago, Merikan poachers operating out of Farport Outpost hunted and killed the last of the known jaguar packs of the Silent Sea coast. This act angered the Pachuco clans, who honoured the jaguar as a noble beast beloved of the gods.

Now 50 years later jaguars are being sighted in the jungle once more, but these brief glimpses have been so fleeting, so ephemeral as to seem mere figments of fantasy. The Jungle Wardens have tried to track these sightings in order to confirm their veracity but to no avail. The lack of verification has led some to speculate that the jungle is being stalked by a jaguar spirit, a "ghost cat" sent from the land of the dead to dwell in the living world.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The jaguar was once the largest predator wildcat in the Zone jungles. Noted for their compact, powerful build, jaguars were prodigious climbers and capable of great land speeds.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Recent sightings of the jaguar have occurred in the vicinity of the Pachuco and Outremar jungles.

EXTINCT

Scientific Name

Mammalia

Conservation Status

Long thought to be extinct, the jaguar has been spotted in recent years by lone travelers. In spite of these sightings, no trace of the animals has been found: no droppings, no nestings, no prey, no sign at all. The Pachuco clan council has issued a proclaimation declaring that the animal is not to be harmed, but many no doubt that it even exists.