"I am the Leopard of the Jungle, my heart beats like wild deer in flight, yet now, specks like frost cover my body, gnawing at my blood, chewing at my bone."
"Quetzalīn calli! Beneath the roof of flowers and quetzal feathers our ancestors dance, but tonight I lie amid withered petals and fallen plumes. Heat and pain are like the talons of an eagle, clawing and pecking at my skin. Yet a brave Samurai does not weep, for tears cannot call back the daylight.
Ehecatl yohualli! Wind God, carry off the breath of life tainted by disease, Moon God, cloak my trembling shadow. I hear the war drums echoing in the Divine Kingdom—this is the voice that summons me home!"
Xochitl tonatiuh! Flowers and Sun weave my mat and bedding, my every breath is incense smoke offered to the fire of heaven. When I go back, I shall bear this scarred and hideous flesh, wear the eagle feather, and set my feet upon the road of light."
