Born of Fire: The Dawn of Legend (10 page)

Rex, after a minute of wrestling with it, managed to get the whole thing down when he suddenly leaped to his feet while pointing to EeNox and yelled, “You’ve got to be kidding!”

DiNiya looked at Rex, then at her brother, who she scowled and smacked over the head with the wooden spoon again. “Owww!” cried EeNox as he rubbed his head. “I didn’t say anything this time”

“Damn cat,” Rex said, this time more angrily as he continued to point. They looked at each other then realized he was in fact pointing behind them to the window. They both turned and saw a large saber-tooth resting his head on his forepaws, comfortably watching the drama unfold.

“Good morning,” he said casually.

Rex could instantly tell that he was not the same one he had fought in the forest, for he was over three times the size and had long tufts of fur hanging from his cheeks. Furthermore, his two upper canines were significantly longer, running well past his lower jaw.

“Good morning, NyRo,” said BaRone. “What brings you into town this morning?”

“A curious tale,” the cat replied cheerfully.

“Oooh, do tell!”

“I was out with several others the other morning, when to my great amusement and surprise, who do I see skulking back from the forest with his pride dragging far behind?” Everyone looked at him expectantly, everyone except Rex, who already knew where this was going. “Why, my baby brother of course,” NyRo said as he reached out of sight with his other paw and pulled TyRoas into view.

“You!” Rex roared angrily.

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” TyRoas said, clearly underwhelmed.

“Rex, do you know him?” asked DiNiya.

“Yeah,” replied Rex furiously, “that asshole tried to eat me!”

“We’ve been over this already, remember?” the young saber-tooth replied, raising his voice in turn. “I mistook you for somebody else? Simple case of mistaken identity.”

“Mistaken identity,” Rex repeated as red flame suddenly shot out and engulfed his body. Everyone jumped back in surprise while both cats’ eyes went wide. “You call trying to rip my throat out a simple case of mistaken identity?”

“I’d been tracking a foreign predator through the forest for three days when I came across you, someone I had never seen in the forest before. What was I to think?”

Rex could feel his anger trying to push its way out but managed to hold it back for the time being as he took in TyRoas’s words. He knew that in light of the situation, his very presence in this land might be more bizarre to others even than it was to him. For that reason, he decided to do something he almost never did: go against his desire to lash out and give someone else the benefit of the doubt.

“When he told me what had happened, I immediately went to VayRonx, who told me that KaNar had just acquired a new kinsman,” NyRo explained. “A rather special one at that.”

“Well, you’re right about that,” agreed BaRone. “Still, I hope he didn’t rough up your little brother too much.”

“I held my own!” TyRoas interjected angrily. “Besides, as far as I’m concerned, there’s still nothing conclusive that says he’s not the killer we’ve been after!”

With that, Rex felt something snap inside of him and he charged forward. Before anyone could even so much as move to intercept, he had crashed through the open window and into TyRoas. The two rolled backwards several meters before splitting and landing on their feet, where they faced off.

“What is the matter with you?” roared TyRoas. “I came here to apologize!”

“You were dragged here by your brother, and even then all you do is accuse me of being a murderer,” Rex said angrily.

“Look at you! Can you blame me?”

Rex stopped and thought for a moment.
Can I really blame him? I am probably overacting right now. Then again, if I start letting people here push me around now without making an example of them, I know exactly what life will be like here. 
“Hey, TyRoas, you really want me to play the role of villain that badly?”

“That’s not what I sai—”

“Then so be it.” Rex suddenly rushed forward, landing a powerful blow to the side of TyRoas’s face, who was sent sprawling to the ground where he groaned and rubbed his jaw with a paw. Looking up, he saw Rex bearing down on him, fury burning in his eyes.

“Rex, stop this, please,” DiNiya yelled as she ran out of the newly made hole in the wall. Everyone was already gathering to watch the fight.

“No, no, it’s fine, DiNiya,” TyRoas said as he stood back up and spit blood. “He wants to fight, that’s fine with me. I’ve got a score to settle with him anyway.” The young saber-tooth suddenly unleashed a roar that echoed throughout as his brilliant green flame ignited. Rex’s flame in turn grew as his eyes continued to burn fiery red. “All right, Rex. Time to teach you some manners.”

The two charged forward and slammed into each other, causing a brilliant flash of light and a deafening crack that sounded like thunder. They battled furiously, with TyRoas bringing his huge saber teeth down on Rex, who in turn grabbed them and flipped him over onto his back, where he then leaped onto the cat’s chest and began driving his fists into his face before being swiped off with a big paw.

“Ha,” cried TyRoas. “How do you like that?”

Rex rose up on his hands and knees and wiped blood from his mouth. Then rearing up, he cracked his neck and charged once again.

“You idiot,” TyRoas scoffed. “You’re outclassed!”

He ran forward to intercept, when Rex suddenly leaped into the air and brought his head down hard onto his nose.

TyRoas roared in pain. “Damn it, not my nose again!”

“Look alive,” Rex said savagely before slamming into him at full force, sending them both rolling down the hill locked in combat.

“NyRo, can’t you stop them?” DiNiya asked the other saber-tooth, who seemed to be watching the fight with great amusement.

“You know, I think we should let them work it out for themselves,” he replied.

Scowling, she turned to her father and gave him an expectant look.

“Wow, that flying head butt was impressive,” BaRone said as he stroked his beard.

“Father!”

“What?” he replied innocently. “It was.”

“Do something, please,” she insisted.

“DiNiya, you are descended from warriors,” said her father. “Can you not feel it?”

“Feel it?”

“Their power. They’re almost evenly matched, which means this will be little more than a sparring session for them both. Besides, sometimes it’s best to blow off steam like this to prevent a more serious altercation later on.”

“But what if Rex gets hurt again?” she asked worriedly.

“Gets hurt?” said NyRo. “Are we watching the same fight?”

Rex grabbed TyRoas by one of his back legs and swung him in circles before letting go and sending him skidding into the ground.

TyRoas groaned as he rose to his feet dizzily and shook his head. “Little bastard,” he said to himself as he looked back to see Rex standing, ready for more. He charged his flame to match his opponent’s, and the two began circling each other. TyRoas bared his teeth and growled menacingly, while Rex pointed to him defiantly, mouthing,
You’re mine
.

“You’re pretty good for a SaVarian,” said TyRoas. “I’ve never met one at your age that could hold his own against an OroGon of my size.”

“A what?”

“An OroGon. You know…what I am? You know what, never mind. All you need to know is that I’m not about to roll over and give up, either, so what’s your plan?”

“No plan,” replied Rex, grinning. “I’m just going to keep hitting you until you stop getting back up.”

“Well, I’m still standing,” TyRoas said as his flame intensified. “Try hitting harder!”

“Have it your way,” Rex replied, leaping forward and meeting TyRoas in midair, where they collided in an explosion of fire that sent them both flying in opposite directions.

“Rex, TyRoas,” DiNiya yelled as she came running down the hill. “Are you two all right?”  She ran up to Rex and knelt over him, checking his vitals to make sure he was at least alive, immediately exhaling in relief when she felt a strong pulse. Rex’s eyes shot open and he jumped to his feet just in time to see his adversary do the same. TyRoas looked up at Rex and growled from deep within his throat.

“You want more?” Rex exclaimed as he clenched his fists and prepared to strike, but he suddenly cried out in pain as DiNiya grabbed him by the ear and pulled him back forcefully.  “Wha…what are you doing? OOWW!”

“What am
I
doing?” she repeated angrily. “What are
you
doing? Are you trying to get yourself killed? You’re not fully healed yet! This kind of ‘activity’ will only slow your recovery!”

“But I’m fine…OW!” he tried to explain, but it resulted in her only pulling him along harder.

TyRoas laughed heartily as he taunted Rex. “That’s it, run home with mamma! And don’t you forget who won here today!”

“Why?” came an all-too-familiar voice that made TyRoas’s eyes go wide and his fur stand on end. “Did he hit you so hard that you forgot already?”

“No, not my neck,” cried TyRoas as VayRonx picked him up by the scruff of the neck and carried him up the hill.

It was truly a sight to behold as DiNiya came up to the top, practically dragging Rex by the ear, while the enormous alpha VayRonx was right behind her carrying TyRoas like a mischievous kitten. The look of misery on both their faces was apparently too funny to keep from not laughing, for everyone roared with it as they watched them be hauled off.

“DiNiya, stop,” Rex said, surprised by how strong she was. “This is embarrassing!”

“Oh, no,” she replied, not relinquishing her grip even a bit. “I’m not letting go of you until you’re back in bed!”

“Oh, come on!” Rex protested.

“Now, now,” said EeNox, amused. “Sure we’ll all be laughing about this for who knows how long, but at least you won’t be the one in the story who is getting hauled off like a naughty cub.”

“Shut up, EeNox,” TyRoas yelled angrily, resulting in everyone just laughing harder.

Back in his room, DiNiya had given Rex an earful about fighting in his condition and that if he did it again she would not let him out for another three days. Rex listened in silence, fearing that anything he would say would just get her more riled up.
This must be what it’s like to have a mother
, he thought. The lecture continued for another hour before DiNiya finally ran out of steam and plopped down on the bed beside him. “Feel better?” he asked. Looking over at him, she laughed. “You’ve got to admit I was winning, though,” he said with a smug smile.

DiNiya rolled her eyes and conceded. “You were holding your own. I’ll give you that.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” he said, grinning.

“Oh my, Rex,” she teased. “You are so big and strong! Oh, how we are all so small and insignificant in your shadow which covers the land.”

“Sounds about right,” he replied, unfazed by her good-natured teasing.

She smiled and shifted on the bed so she was facing him. “So…how are you doing…really?” she asked now with more concern.

Rex thought about the question for a moment. “To be honest, I’m really not sure. There’s still so much I know I’m not remembering, and it worries me a little. How can I ever really be me if I can’t remember who I really am?”

DiNiya regarded him in respectful silence, unsure how to answer his question. “Maybe that’s what you need to figure out?”

“Who I was?”

She shook her head. “How to be you as you are now.”

“By the way, that OroGon…um, TyRoas. Why was he after me back in the forest? I know he said it had something to do with someone killing someone, but I don’t see why I’m his number one suspect.”

“He’s just scared,” she answered, tucking some of her fur behind her ear. “And it’s not just the OroGon, everyone is on edge these days. It’s been happening to a lot of the others, too.”

“What has?”

“Two days before you arrived, some of the herds began losing babies to something,” she explained. “No one has any idea who is responsible, but many believe it is a predator from a region near the sea.”

“Oh?” he replied curiously.

“Yes. This is the Northern Continent, the northernmost landmass on EeNara. Whatever is behind these killings may have swum here from another continent or have been residing on the coast before moving inland from the west, which is where the killings began.”

“EeNara? So this really isn’t Earth. I suppose I knew that when I first saw the sky.”

“Earth?” DiNiya asked curiously. “Is that the name of where you came from?”

“Well, yeah,” he replied. “I mean, it’s the name of my planet.” Rex found himself plummeting into a state of surrealism at speaking these words aloud. Ironically, he had found himself coping rather well with the amazing things he had been seeing over the past few days. However, the idea of being on another world altogether was apparently one revelation too many for him. He felt sick to his stomach while he desperately tried to fight off succumbing to a dizzy spell.

“But how can that be?” she asked, sitting up and looking at him intently. “How could you have come from…another world?”

“I was hoping you could tell me,” he replied, shaking off the feeling of lightheadedness.

“This is strange,” she said, shaking her head.

“That realization had crossed my mind.”

“No, I mean you can’t be…well, an alien, because you’re clearly a SaVarian.”

“I just learned that myself only four days ago, so I suppose that means I’ve been living as an alien for the past fifteen years back on Earth. My question is why was I there if I’m from here?”

“That’s a good question. One I wish I had the answer to.” She looked off to the side, momentarily lost in thought.

Seeing that she was beginning to stress herself out with mulling the question over in her mind, Rex decided to change the subject back to one of a more pressing matter for her. “Tell me more about this mystery killer?”

DiNiya looked at him for a moment, as if she had forgotten all about it, before adopting a neutral face and continuing where she had left off. “We’ve had no sightings of him or her, but the smell of the sea is always strong where the young ones have been attacked. That’s why TyRoas came after you,” she said, looking at him sympathetically.