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1. Jaques was very unhappy about my resignation. He thought that I had lost my mind for wanting to trade my life here for a much rougher existence back in India. Of course, I kept my true motivations to myself. I just said that I found peace with myself while living a minimalistic existence there, and that I had come to the conclusion that life here was too hectic and chaotic for me. Some of my colleagues admired my determination, others just waved it off as some silly idealistic act of lunacy. After officially giving Jaques my notion, I had a month to get things in order. That meant canceling the lease of my house, trying to sell as much of my belongings as possible, and sort things out with the Indian Embassy in The Hague to get a permanent residency. Because it only had been two years since I got back, I hadn't had much opportunity to build up a proper financial buffer, in between buying all the necessities to provide for a comfortable living. My colleagues were so kind to spread the word, and it didn't take very long for me to sell most of my things.

With that money, and the small amount that I did have in my savings account, I bought a one way airline ticket to Nagpur International Airport, which was the same airport I was deported from two years ago, and the closest major airport to Balaghat. I ended up having a considerable amount of money left over after booking, of which a part I converted to Indian Rupees. Currency that would serve me better than the US dollars I used there before. I bought a proper handheld GPS device with detailed topographical maps of the area, small solar and mechanical battery chargers, and some other related items. That, along with one change of clothing snugly fitted in a shoulder bag, which was all I planned on bringing with me to India. I wouldn't need anything else. I made a list of shops and stores of use in Nagpur. Once I would clear customs and get all the bureaucratic procedures out of the way, I would try to sort out proper clothing, survival gear, and make my way back to the pack as quickly as I could.

The landing gear of the passenger jet that flew me the last leg from Qatar to Nagpur in India touched down on the runway's tarmac with a controlled skid and thud. After a short taxi, it came to a stop at the designated gate, where a passenger loading bridge was steered out to mate with the plane's left front door. I made my way into the terminal building, and found my way to the immigration area. The officer in the boot I stood in front of went through my documents. He opened my passport first, and looked up at me in surprise after reading my name. "Six months spent lost in the jungle, and still you come back, he remarked with a smirk. "Permanently, even!", he continued after looking at my permit. "Was the story that big that the news reached all the way here?", I asked. "Well, Balaghat isn't that far from here. A four hour trip. And yes, regionally, it made the newspapers. You're one lucky guy to have survived. I mean, there are tigers, wolves and other big predators living in that area. I am sure you were aware of that?" "Um. Uh yes, I did cross my mind more than once. And of course I heard about the tragic incident in Balaghat little over a month ago. Do you happen to have any news on that? Last thing I heard was that a party of four men went missing." "Yes. The tiger is still at large. The news has daily updates. The mutilated remains of the group of four were found five days after they were initially reported missing. The animal has not been seen since, and all attempts to track it down have been seized, at least temporarily." "That tiger killed all four of them alone? I assume they were armed?", I asked in surprise. "Some of the damage and bitemarks on the bodies were not caused by a tiger or any other large feline. Whatever happened, there were more animals involved." I fell silent. "You're going back to that area, Mister de Berg?" "I am going back to Balaghat to begin with." "Please do take care. You've survived the wilderness for six months, and thus are skilled in survival techniques, but an unarmed man alone is no match for a fully grown tiger, or a pack of wolves. It's best to stay out of the jungle altogether if you want to live out your full life." While suppressing the urge to scoff, I thanked the officer for the update and advice, and wished him a pleasant day.

I had only experienced local traffic in Balaghat. The absolute mayhem that was the six hour long busride on Indian motorways from Nagpur to Balaghat was very unnerving. I saw countless car wrecks, of which some were still smoking, and even dead bodies. While shaking my head, I just told myself that not too long from now, I'd be back in the serene forest, away from this mess. After getting out of the bus, I got my list with shops and stores, turned on my GPS receiver, and went on my way to purchase supplies; proper camouflage clothing, a back-pack, a light-weight sleeping bag, a pair of firm boots, a big bowie knife, a smaller all-purpose folding knife, a machete, sharpening stones, flints, a few cans of soup and packs of MRE to get me going for the first few days until I'd find things to eat in the forest. Because I no longer had a car or other means of transport, I'd have to walk the sixty kilometers from the outskirts of town to the location of the former campsite, and then to the pack's ground. The distance from the outskirts of town to a few kilometers into the forest would take me straight through the territory of Shere-Khan. There also could be roadblocks in place to prevent anyone from entering the forest. Though these roadblocks would not bother me, because I was planning to stay clear from roads and pathways. But the possibility of Shere-Khan sniffing me out worried me. I checked and rechecked my lists and made sure that I bought everything I thought I needed. I decided to make my way out of Balaghat as quickly as I could and disappear into the forest, and not spend the night.

The obnoxious noises of beeping horns, revving diesel trucks, zooming two-stroke tuk-tuks and other racket quickly faded away, blanketed by the huge trees and thick undergrowth of the forest. Fifteen minutes later I found myself in total silence, except for the wind making the leafs and twigs rustle. Nothing but trees in sight. Familiar scents of decomposing leafs and twigs on the ground, being turned into nutritious humus for the vegetation to feed and grow on filled my nostrils. I held short for a few moments to take in everything. Oh how I had missed this so, so much. Even if the initial reason of my return was grim, I felt ecstatic. I took a few deep breaths and continued my way. Despite the thick forest canopy, my GPS device still got enough signal to provide me with a fix. I was glad that I invested in a proper hand-held receiver, in stead of relying on a smart-phone for everything. It would be all but useless here anyway. I remained parallel to the main road, putting a few hundred meters of forest in between for safety. I had to follow the road, as there was no possible short-cut. The road basically followed a straight line right to the campsite.

Suddenly I stopped dead in my tracks, instantly pressing myself against the tree closest to me, holding as still as I could. There in the distance, a huge orange and black shape slowly moved in between the trees. I was shocked when I saw how enormously huge Shere-Khan was. Hoping that my camouflage clothing would provide some cover, I held my breath. Because the tiger was up-wind from where I was, he did not detect my presence. He paused and raised his huge head up high as if to taste the air. Slowly he turned towards me. It must have been a hundred meters in between him and me at most. His gaze scoured the forest like sweeping radar, but our eyes did not meet. A minute or two later, he yawned, shook his head as if something was stuck in his fur, and continued on his way, at an angle of roughly ninety degrees to where I was going. With my heart violently pounding in my head, I leaned over with my hands on my thighs to regain myself. At least knowing the general direction in which he was initially heading, I felt a bit less stressed. But having seen the tiger in the flesh for the first time surely put me on edge. I decided to keep on walking through the night, putting as much distance between me and Shere-Khan's territory as quickly possible.

The day turned into a moonless night. The pitch black darkness made it difficult for me to navigate the uneven terrain. I tried to use my GPS device as little as possible, because keeping it at even the lowest display illumination setting would temporarily blind me after turning it off. Not even to mention drawing unwanted attention of, or alerting wildlife with eyes far better equipped to see in the dark than mine. Hours and hours went by. Up to my annoyance, I noticed that my physical shape left much to be desired. However, I pushed on through. The light of early dawn filled the still forest while I sat down on a fallen tree trunk to relief the pressure off of my aching legs. I heard the rush of water. Exhausted, I pressed a button on my GPS receiver to activate the display. I had arrived back at the campsite.

Everything was as I remembered. Though now badly corroded and tumbled over in a disorganized pile, the steel bars that once made up the cage were still there. I realized that I was sitting on the same tree trunk as I did when I came here first. At last, I felt confident enough to allow myself some time to eat some food. I activated an MRE and watched it sizzle and steam as it warmed up the contents. 'Shredded BBQ beef', it read on the label. The food was as bland as the package suggested. But it was food, and provided me with much needed energy to be able to continue the twenty kilometre long walk it would take to get back to the pack's grounds. Sleep would be for later. Familiar tree and rock formations, patterns in vegetation that still were there... Everything pointed out that I was getting close. Closer to my adopted home. My tiredness seemed to disappear when I finally came back to the pack's grounds.

Something seemed out of order though, as I walked passed the familiar rock formations and mounds. No patches of flattened vegetation. No paw prints in the sand. The area looked as if it had been deserted for a while. I walked around to find the patch of scruff that was bordering my territory and den next to the lake and water-fall. However, the hole that used to be in the brush no longer was there. I grabbed the machete that I kept sheathed at the side of my back-pack and started to chop away vegetation to create an entrance. The sharp and stiff twigs scratched the skin of my head and arms while I pushed myself and my backpack through. To my delight, my den was still pretty much intact. The wooden supports were in place, though some parts of it had started to rot. Everything I had inside that wasn't made of organic material was still there. I would have to make new bedding, things for blankets and cushioning, and do some work on the supports, but that would not be too hard. Pleased with that, I grabbed my backpack and crawled my way back, to see if I could find any of my packmates. My mood dropped when I again was confronted with the desolate appearance of everything. While wondering where everyone was, I walked up the mound in which Luri and Alexander's den was.

I fell on my knees after seeing the large boulders and thick vegetation blocking what used to be the den's entrance.