A Night in the Tropics

A short introductory piece about a creature/animal researcher in the field.

It had been an uneventful night. James had sighted no new specimens to document and had instead resorted to merely watching the star-filled sky that loomed over him. With the island heat still prevalent even during the darkest of nights, the boy, who was in his late teens, was still able to wear his normal attire of a tank shirt, adorned with an oily, colourful print, and beige cargo trousers. He pushed the beak of his cap up, which bore the same design as his shirt, as he wiped his brow. It had been unusually warm that night, even for him, and it was times like these he missed the chilly embrace of his homeland.

For the last hour, he had merely stayed within the same spot in the same field. He let the silent ambience wash over him, interrupted only by the chirping of insects and the faint rustling of small prey, as he stared at the crescent white mark in the sky that contrasted perfectly with the darkness that surrounded it. The moon had been a regular sight for him this past week as he forgone his daytime activities, and in turn replaced them with nocturnal excursions around the tropical paradise region he called home.

He flipped through his notebook, glancing down through his black-rimmed glasses at the scribbles and scrawls of all the information of the various beasts he had encountered. From avians to rodents, he realised he had started to get a thorough understanding of that island's ecosystem during both times of the day now. Maybe he had discovered everything this particular island had to offer? All he had left to do now was to raise the ones he had already captured and expand his compilation even further. He placed a pen to his chin as he pondered whether or not to add something extra to his journal; perhaps stating how for the past two nights he had seen nothing new?

He cursed to himself. He should have spent the time adjusting back to daylight hours so he could train. Due to a lack of human intervention as being one of the many reasons, the night was generous with how many certain beasts roamed the fields and mountains, and it meant he was undisturbed for the most part and could observe in peace. However, it also meant that there was a lack of trainers in which to battle with and strengthen not only his own permanent team, but also the various temporary party additions he aimed to learn more about.

With a sigh he rose to his feet, placing his pen and notebook back into his black rucksack. “Guess I may as well head back...” he said aloud, his eyes catching glimpse of a massive murder of crows in the distance that had erupted into the night's skyline, their caws disturbing the quiet picturesque scene, followed shortly by a mighty roar he had never heard before. “What the hell was that?”

With his eyebrow raised, he tried to see just what was happening, though the mass of trees blocked his view. It seemed the obsidian-coloured birds came from a clearing ahead. Was it worth checking out? It might just be nothing, maybe he was mistaken by the roar. After all, he was not yet completely confident in his ability to identify the local animals by their calls alone, especially on this relatively new island. Maybe it was just a wild predator that was getting a little too ambitious? Then again, what if it was something new? A creature he had never seen before? His sense of adventure had been piqued, as did his curiosity. Surely it was better than going back and sleeping? He'd never be able to live it down if he turned away from this.

Grinning from ear-to-ear, he pulled out his binoculars, camera, and sound recorder from his backpack, he needed to make sure to be prepared just in case this discovery proved fruitful, and grasped hold of the straps on his backpack, hoisting it onto his back once again. And with that he was off, launching himself forward and darting in the direction of the commotion.