Scouring the forest
floor, I found the perfect weapon – a good-sized, forked branch. I stood
perfectly still, clutching it tightly and barely breathing. The hot sun beat
down on me; beads of sweat clung to my forehead. My lips tasted salty from the
sporadic tears that had fallen during my flight through the woods.
I surveyed my
surroundings. I was on a sunny hillside, and the trees were sparsely scattered.
There were several old, rotting logs which could really mess up my footing if I
wasn’t careful. On the other hand, if I could maneuver Melanie in the right
direction, I might be able to force her backwards, down the steep bank.
“Yoo-hoo! Oh
Alex,” she called in a sugary voice. “I know you’re around here somewhere. Your
footsteps weren’t too hard to follow, you know.” Her voice sounded amused and
excited. “You must be more careful in the future.” Her voice was getting
closer. “Oh, wait.” She laughed loudly. “What am I saying? You won’t have a
future when I get through with you.”
She had to be
only a few feet away. A twig splintered under her foot, and I knew the moment
had arrived. Leaping out, I swung my forked branch like I was trying to hit a
home run. Lucky for me, she was completely unprepared. The branch slapped
across her face before she could shield herself. Her head snapped back as the
sharp tips of the limb scraped across her cheek, leaving two wide blood trails
in their wake. I dropped the branch on the ground and advanced. With survival
instincts I didn’t know I had, my leg shot out to kick her in the stomach. I
accidentally closed my eyes at the last second and lost sight of my mark. Even
though I made contact, it wasn’t with enough force to knock her down.
Glowering, she
lifted her head and wiped her cheek with the backside of her hand. She groaned
at the sight of her bloody hand and rubbed it back and forth on her jeans.
Seething with rage, she snarled, “You’re gonna pay for that.”
I started
backing up, but she lunged forward and took me down. We rolled around on the
ground launching cheap shots at each other. Everything was so surreal. She was
trying to punch me, and I was clawing back, hoping to gouge her eyes. My head
smashed against a jagged rock, and as we rolled sideways, it sliced through my
scalp and I yelled loudly.
Gaining an
advantage, she pummeled me good. Sadly, I was beginning to doubt if I’d make it
past a first round knockout. Her fist connected with my jaw, and the pain sent
me reeling. Crying out, I started gagging as blood filled my mouth. My reflexes
went to work, and I spit out the metallic tasting glob. As luck would have it,
the bloody wad of saliva hit her smack in the eye. Screaming, she loosened her
grip, so I jabbed her hard with my knee and rotated sideways.
We jumped to our
feet at the same time. With only a few paces separating us, we circled each
other as if in a boxing ring. Exhausted, and needing a reprieve before another
strike, we came to a dead stop, glaring at each other with open animosity.
Blood trickled
down her face, and pine needles poked out of her stringy, black hair. Several
inches taller than me, she was also extremely skinny. With heavy black make-up
smeared around her eyes, she looked like a witch whose spell had just backfired
in her face. Except she wasn’t wearing a long black dress; she wore tight jeans
and a short, yellow tank top which exposed her silver-hooped belly button ring.
Even though her
face remained rock-solid, her shoulders twitched. That subtle movement
indicated she’d made a decision to act, so I wasn’t surprised when she finally
lunged. She swung her right arm, but the swing was high. By tipping my head, I
avoided her fist easily. She immediately followed that attempt with a low jab
aimed at my stomach. My reaction time was sufficient, because I slid out of the
way just in time. Obviously frustrated with her failure to hit me, she stared
viciously. Taking full advantage of her hesitation, I sprang a momentum filled
roundhouse kick and sent her stumbling backwards.
Her equilibrium
was impressive, because she didn’t lose her balance. Not even when she
staggered back over a dead log. But she didn’t stand a chance when I launched
another blow – a front snap kick from my days of Tae Kwon Do training. My foot
connected with her exposed stomach, tearing away the silver hoop in her belly
button.
Screeching, she
fell backwards and shoved her hands out to soften the impact, but she wasn’t
fast enough. Her butt hit the dirt with a loud “thump.” While she was down, I
kicked her again. Frantically, I sought another weapon. When my eyes landed on
a sharp rock, I grabbed it and turned back towards her. She was trying to
regain her feet.
“Hey,” I yelled,
hoping to distract her. At the sound of my voice, she raised her head and set
her fuming gaze upon me. Once she caught sight of the stone hoisted over my
head, her jaw dropped, and she grunted loudly. Disturbed at committing violence
by my own hands, I allowed self-survival instincts to kick in and heaved the
rock towards her cowering body. As usual, I executed my dim-witted signature
move – an attack with eyes closed. At least I was consistent.
As she howled in
pain my eyes flew open, and I winced. Blood oozed from a huge gash in her
forehead, and her crooked nose looked broken. Repulsed, I grabbed my stomach,
doubled over, and spewed partially digested salmonberries all over a wild
blueberry plant. Holding my stomach, I staggered to a full stance and glanced
up at the blue sky. Realization of what I’d done washed over me as I breathed
unevenly. Reluctantly, I reached down and touched her arm. Relief swept over me
when I felt her Essence still flowing. At least she wasn’t dead.
Looking in the
direction of the creek, I listened to the comforting sounds of the racing
waters and thought of Jason’s last orders. However, the creek held no interest
to me without him by my side. I turned and tore back through the woods towards
where I’d last left him facing not one, but two Ray-pacs and possibly a
Mastiff.
My momentum
carried me swiftly through the woods. Hammering against my chest like a sledge
hammer, my heart throbbed painfully. My lungs expanded rapidly as I swallowed
big gulps of air, and I was all too aware of the pain emanating from the open
wound in my head. My body was the least of my worries, so I didn’t stop to see
if I could heal myself. Finding Jason was all that mattered.
Loud grunts
guided me to the right place. I snuck up and hid behind a wall of about six
dead trees that looked liked they’d been laying on the ground for ages. They
were stacked together like they’d all fallen over at the same time, maybe
during a big windstorm. They were topped with a spongy, yellow moss, and
strange fungi clung to the undersides. As a whole, the logs made a great
protective wall and vantage point.
Noiselessly, I
climbed up and crouched on my knees. Sinking my fingers into the springy moss,
I peered over the top of the highest log. In the center of a fairly open area,
about half the size of a football field, Jason and Kieran were engaged in a
serious physical battle. Only they fought with abnormal strength and speed.
Rapt in wonder,
I watched wide-eyed as they flew through the air with super-human force and
crashed thunderously to the ground. They appeared equally formidable.
Impressively strong, and extremely swift, they utilized several different
moves: unmerciful punches, flying kicks, elbow jabs, and everything in between.
Bruised and bloodied, it was obvious they’d already inflicted significant
damage to one another. Stepping onto their playing field would be tantamount to
placing a kitten between two wild dogs – I’d be ripped apart in seconds.
Upon perusing
the surrounding timber, I found no sign of Andrew. It was like he’d
disappeared. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. Glancing back, I shook my
fists in a silent cheer as Jason leveled a punch straight into Kieran’s
cheekbone. Kieran’s head snapped back, and he sailed through the air several
feet. He managed to tuck himself into a ball at precisely the right moment and
roll to a stop before smacking into a tree.
Vaulting to his
feet, he roared, “I’ve had enough of these little sparring games. Now, let’s
see what your ability really is.” With a cold, unblinking stare, he offered one
vicious laugh and then stood perfectly still. I wasn’t sure what was coming,
but I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty because Jason flew back several paces.
He watched Kieran with anticipation. Keenly aware of Jason’s location, I
diverted my attention to Kieran and watched with the same intensity.
I did a
double-take when Kieran’s skin began rippling – sprouting short, light reddish
fur at a rapid rate. His splitting clothes sounded like old towels being
shredded into rags. Growing in length and size by the millisecond, Kieran’s
body expanded, becoming slender and elongated, until eventually, he was
standing on four legs – the hind legs longer than the front, each with big,
soft-padded paws. A black-tipped tail, more than half the length of his body,
swished powerfully behind him.
The world as I
knew it came crashing in around me, unhinging every fiber of my being, and
sucking the oxygen right out of my lungs – almost stopping the flow of my
Essence. Kieran had inexplicably changed shape from human to animal. And he was
not a giant, scary Mastiff. He was an enormous, probably close to eight foot
long, ferocious mountain lion – the reddish one from my snapshots. I pressed my
mouth into the log and allowed the spongy lichen to absorb my cries of horror.
Clinging to the trees like they were my own iron curtain, I quivered as a
high-pitched, throaty yowl echoed through the woods.
I started
hyperventilating. This was the day I was either doomed to die or destined to
live.
Either way, I
wasn’t about to let Jason die. My heart missed several beats at the thought of
Jason, who was really a Guardian, lying buried in the hard, cold earth. His
life was more important to me than my own. That’s why fear clawed relentlessly
at my insides. Maybe I could distract the mountain lion long enough for Jason
to escape. Shaking, as if I was eternally ensnared in a Clonic seizure, I
peeked over the log again and spied the wild cat. His head was small, his face
short, and his ears rounded. Long, two inch canine teeth, designed for
slashing, flashed as his jaw widened. His glowing amber eyes stole my breath
away. They were the eyes of the Mastiff.
In the flash of
an instant, the huge animal charged straight for Jason with incredible speed.
Fear and horror pierced my heart. I was too late! I was going to watch Jason
die at the paws of a mountain lion – the one animal that sat deepest in my
fears, haunted my dreams, and had dominated my thoughts for months.
It was too much.
I couldn’t watch the bloody assault. Before I could react, I witnessed
something even more shocking than anything else I’d already seen. Something I’d
never even considered. Jason, my Jason, leaped straight up in the air and
transformed into a muscular mountain lion. The underside of his body was white,
and although he was lean, he was also a blend of stealth and power. He landed
gracefully on large paws directly behind Kieran. When he turned and faced my
direction, there was no doubt in my mind that it was really him. The cougar’s
eyes were aqua-marine. He opened his mouth and hissed. I stopped breathing. He
was the tawny brown mountain lion from my snapshots. Only, rather than being
terrified, I found myself captivated by his fierce beauty.
Maybe my
snapshots were about more than just me. Could it be that I was here to save a
Guardian? Or, with his brawn and my Essence, could it be we were destined to save
each other?
All at once, the
mountain lions pounced and came together with a loud “thwack” in mid-air.
Falling through the air a good 15 feet, they landed with walloping “thumps” on
a bed of compact pine needles. A temporary veil of dirt obscured my vision, but
outlines of their huge bodies were evident as they rolled conjointly, grappling
with each other. The air cleared, and I could see right down to the reddish
mountain lion’s forepaws. His exposed claws were attempting to tear into Jason.
I’d read up on
these wild animals and their hunting techniques in advance; I’d wanted to be
prepared. This predator was trying to catch his prey in a death grip. He’d use
his powerful neck and jaw to grasp Jason, before sinking his teeth into Jason’s
neck, crushing it and suffocating him.
Deafening hisses
and growls filled the woods like human screams of suffering. The tawny brown
cougar flipped over backwards but managed to escape, and then the race was on.
After awhile, I couldn’t tell which mountain lion was which; they were a
massive red and brown blur, streaking across the forest and slamming into
trees. Branches cracked and logs snapped. At one point, they shot off in
powerful sprints and vanished into the undergrowth.
For awhile the
woods were unequivocally quiet, and I dared not breathe or move. Eventually,
the tawny cougar poked his face through some ferns. After furtively scouring
the whole area, he ran full force towards a huge evergreen tree, which stood
only about nine feet away from my hiding spot. He climbed with amazing grace
and quickly sprawled out on a high branch. I had a clear view of his face and
could tell he was watching vigilantly for his enemy. Light brown fur dominated
from his nose to his forehead. White patches popped above his eyes, surrounded
his lips, and covered his chin and throat. The white was offset by a few black
markings on his face, but white whiskers poked out around his muzzle and above
his eyes. Despite his beauty, he looked extremely dangerous. While I was
admiring his savage beauty, he turned, looked directly at me, and hissed
faintly. I sucked in a shocked breath and froze, unable to blink even an eye.
Surrounded by a silence that rang loud, we stared at each other for what seemed
an eternity.