KICHI IN JUNGLE JEOPARDY

Chapter One

One steamy summer morning, the emperor’s Fortune-
Teller carried me outside for fresh air and placed me on a
plump pillow. He spoke in a baby voice and tickled me
under the chin. “Would Sugar like some armadillo meat?”

“I’d prefer some pleasant conversation,” I said. “And my
name’s not Sugar. It’s Kichi.”

His face remained blank as he fed me a piece of roasted
armadillo.

I chewed on it and sighed. As usual, he hadn’t understood a
word I said. I might as well have been speaking in Jaguar.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t teach him my
language. It wasn’t his fault. Humans are rather dull-
witted and simply cannot speak Dog.

Or so I thought until . . . but, wait. I’m getting ahead of
myself.

So there I was, chewing armadillo meat in front of the
Temple of the Two-Headed Snake, the largest building in
Chilaam. Stomach full, I rested my head on crossed paws
and scanned the main plaza and the emerald lawn that
stretched from pyramid to pyramid.

In the nearby jungle, monkeys shrieked, making me glad
they were there and I was here. I had never been out of
the capital and I planned to keep it that way.

I was born in a cotton-lined basket two years ago, the only
bluish gray puppy in the litter. The birth of a rare blue
chihuahua was hailed as a sign of good luck. Priests
immediately designated me a sacred temple dog to be
pampered and spoiled and fed the best food.

Still, I wondered. Was I to be a pet all my life? Or
something more?

No city in the Mayan Empire is quite like Chilaam.
Morning, noon and night, it swarms with people. Today,
noblemen played ball in the court to my left. To my right,
workers chiseled designs on the steps of the new pyramid.

Not a hint of a breeze stirred in the city, so my keeper sat
beside me, fanning me with a palm leaf.

I heard the tramp of approaching feet.

I smelled the soldiers even before they came into view.
Every human has a special odor. Potters smell like mud.
Cooks smell like cornmeal cakes. Soldiers smell like blood.

The emperor’s guard, back from a raid, strode into the
plaza. Behind them came captives with hands tied behind
their backs.

I felt sorry for them, for I knew their fate. People of little
importance would become slaves. The rest would be
sacrificed to the gods. If one of them happened to be a
king or prince, he would be the first to die.

One captive in particular caught my eye. A boy about
twelve summers old stumbled along in the center of the
caravan. He wore only one sandal. His eyes darted left
and right, taking in the grandeur of Chilaam. He seemed
impressed with our pyramids, the tallest in the empire.

But the thing that struck me as odd was his forehead.
Unlike the other captives, his hadn’t been shaped when he
was a baby to slope backwards. Humans considered a
slanting forehead a sign of great beauty.

He stopped and stared straight at me. Offering me a half
smile, he grunted hello. Not just any “hello,” mind you.
He spoke Dog.

This was most puzzling. Before I could respond, Ah Tok,
captain of the emperor’s guard and Fortune-Teller’s
brother, shoved the boy forward.

The captives bristled and circled him protectively. It
reminded me of a mother bird spreading her wings over
the nest to protect her babies.

I just had to talk to that boy. I jumped down from my
pillow.

Fortune-Teller was too fast for me. He scooped me up
and held me tight to his chest. “Be careful, Sugar,” he
cooed. “You could break a bone and I’d be in sooooooo
much trouble.”

That was true. Anyone who hurt me would be severely
punished.

“I want that boy!” I whined as I quivered with excitement.

Fortune-Teller didn’t understand and wrapped me in a
blanket.

“I didn’t ask for my blanket,” I barked. “I want that boy!”

The god-who-hears-dog-prayers must have been listening.
The other captives were led off, but Ah Tok brought the
boy over. “Dearest brother,” Ah Tok exclaimed as he
grasped Fortune-Teller by the upper arms. “You are
looking well.”

“As are you. May the gods be praised for your safe return.”

“They smiled on me this time, brother! I captured five
slaves. I can sell them and finally have enough cocoa beans
to get out of debt.”

“What do you plan to do with him?” Fortune-Teller nodded
toward the boy.

“Uxmal? I haven’t quite decided.”

Fortune-Teller cradled me in his arms and that put me at
eye level with the boy.

“How I wish you could understand me,” I whined.

“I can,” the boy whined back.

It was too good to be true. To test him, I said, “I adore
being scratched between my ears and eyes.”

The boy reached toward me.

Ah Tok’s arm shot out and grabbed him by the scruff of the
neck. “Don’t touch the sacred temple dog.”

I squirmed, whined, and wagged my tail.

Fortune-Teller had trouble holding onto me. “He seems to
like you,” he said to Uxmal. “Usually, I don’t let anyone
touch him, but you may pet him just this once.”

Ah Tok released Uxmal. “Don’t abuse my brother’s
generosity.”

The boy gently rubbed that special place between my ears
and eyes.

A big smile stretched across my face . . . and his.

“I like to be tickled under my chin,” I said.

“Is this the right spot?”

“You can understand me! At last! Someone who speaks
Dog. How did you learn my language?”

The boy grinned and shrugged. “It just came naturally.”

The conversation ended between the two brothers. They
hugged and said good-bye.

“Come, slave!” Ah Tok said sharply.

Anger flashed from the boy’s eyes. “My name is Uxmal.”

Ah Tok slapped him.

The blow hit Uxmal so hard he reeled backwards and fell.
His hand flew to his stinging cheek. He looked shocked, as
if he had never been struck before.

It hurt to see the boy mistreated. I struggled out of
Fortune-Teller’s arms and dashed over to Uxmal. I licked
his face to comfort him.

Fists on his hips, Ah Tok stood over the boy and glared
down at him. “A slave does not speak until spoken to.
You belong to me now and you will never use that tone of
voice with me again.” Ah Tok turned and dragged the boy
away.

I was sad to see Uxmal leave. At last I had found a human
who understood me! Unfortunately, he was Ah Tok’s
slave. I had to do something to change that.