By Anike Mari Garci Cisek
Stories for Survival 2024 Writing Competition
In the heart of the Andes, where the mountains rose like ancient guardians, I found myself on a quest to find a creature as rare as a shooting star—the Andean Mountain cat. This small, elusive feline was a master of the highlands, a creature whose very existence was a testament to the resilience of life in the harshest of environments. She has survived among the harshest conditions, hunted; one of the last of her kind.
One crisp morning, as the sun began to warm the rugged landscape, I set out with a local guide who knew the mountains like the lines on the palms of his hands. We trekked through rocky paths and across windswept plateaus, our eyes scanning across the terrain for any sign of the mountain cat. I suppose we were like many others, hunting the cat. However, this time instead of hunting for it, using its pelt, all we wanted was a rare glance at the creature. The air thin, each breath feeling like a
connection to the ancient spirits of the land.
After hours of searching, I spotted her—a flash of movement against the rocks. The cat, perched on a boulder, her silvery fur shimmering in the sunlight. She was smaller than I had imagined, about the size of a domestic cat, but her presence was commanding. Her coat was a beautiful blend of gray and tawny hues, marked with subtle stripes that mirrored the shadows of the mountains.
Her eyes, a striking amber, met mine for a moment. In them, I saw a world of stories—of survival, of solitude, and of the wild beauty of the Andes. She moved with a fluid grace, her long, bushy tail trailing behind her like a whisper of the wind. Every step was deliberate, a dance with the landscape she called home.
As I watched her, I felt a deep sense of awe and responsibility. She was not just an endangered animal; she was a living symbol of the Andes, a reminder of the delicate balance between nature and the encroaching world of humans. Her existence was a fragile thread in the tapestry of life, one that we were duty-bound to protect.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting the mountains in hues of gold and purple, she disappeared into the shadows, a ghost of the highlands. I stood there, the chill of the evening air wrapping around me, and made a silent promise to do everything in my power to ensure that her kind would continue to roam these ancient peaks, wild and free.
Image: Unsplash, Adele Beausoleil
