The Second Scene

The feet of many generations of thirsty animals had formed a narrow path in the soft sediments of the stream bank. On slightly higher ground, scattered groves of oaks dotted and landscape. A 10-foot-long around sloth had finished a meal of oak leaves and was walking awkwardly toward the terrace path on its way to the stream for a drink. As it walked, its great bulk moved off center from side to side, as if it were looking for enemies to the right and left. The sloth walked in this painful-looking way because the bone structure of its front feed forced this animal to walk on the knuckles. Frequently the sloth would pause and, with obvious effort accompanied by a grunt, straighten its heavy bulk to a sitting position. It would remain in this position for some time.

Above the deepest section of the path, a big male sabercat crouched, ears down, nostrils rapidly expanding and contracting, stubby tail unmoving. Three mice, two ground squirrels, and one cottontail rabbit had not been enough to ease to its hunger in the past two days. Earlier that morning the sabercat had barely missed a peccary eating acorns under an oak. It would have been successful, but at the wrong moment a dead limb fell from the tree, and the peccary immediately dashed off. The cat had stalked and waited for that mean for hours.

Now the ground sloth was sitting directly beneath the sabercat. As the wind carried the heavy sloth’s smell to the cat, the cat pounced and ingested its meal.