Pili could not see anything through the sac on her head. Its dry musk managed to overpower even the strong ambient odors of the jungle canopy around them. Pili’s heavy breathing left the air within the sac warm and damp. Small pores in the bag let in a minuscule amount of fresh air, which Pili inhaled desperately through the material pressing over her mouth. All she could make out through the musty brown haze around her senses were the explosive sounds of the canopy. A vibrant menagerie of birds sang loudly over each other, each hoping for that slim chance of a female hearing his love ballad over the cacophony of other voices in the choir.
    Pili heard a faint pounding, so faint at first that she didn’t separate it from the everyday din of the jungle. But as her entourage bobbed along, with Pili still nearly cocooned against the rod that was being used to carry her, that faint pounding began to grow. The de