Dealing With Blonds

The shadows and The wild cat

The white faded to leave me in the Dark Woods. I was laying curled up on a bedroll in a perfect square of tan winter grass. Outside the square were I laid every inch of the clearing had a few inches of snow on it. Slowly I stood up from my bedroll, letting my blankets fall away from me. I looked around me, the snowy clearing was small with the black trunks of the pine trees shrouded in thick fog. The only thing that I could see clearly was the small square of winter grass that I stood in.

It was odd within my square of grass was not only my bedroll, but a small saddlebag that laid near the head of my bedroll and across from were I stood was a small stool. The stool had a wine glass and a bottle of wine resting on it.

I looked up from my small patch of grass to look around at the clearing. There really wasn't anything too look at, besides the black trunks that climbed up into the unseen sky. The thick fog curled around the trunks of the trees turning them a few shads lighter and making the clearing seem spooky like. 'Its not like the soft wind that whistled in the branches makes it any more creepy.' I chuckled at myself for thinking that. "I wonder what's going on. I've been having nightmares but I think that I rather like this quit peace. No leaf or fire monsters. No assassins trying to kill everyone. No creepy demonic voices demanding knowledge that I so obviously did not possess. But its kind of lonely." I shook my head. "Really Sirocco talking to yourself again?"(Yes I do it often. Got a problem with it? No. Good.) I chuckled again and smiled. 'At least I still have my sense of humor.' I thought. (Yes I do have a scene of humor; I just don't show it when you're around. Why? Because you kill the mood 'Mr. Piss-Off-Bitch-I-Don't-Want-To-Put-Up-With-You')

Yep I did it again. I jinxed it. No sooner had I said that it was kind of lonely I could hear the steady crunch of several large animals trotting to me. I turned around and slowly the sounds got louder. I gulped as a fan of color came at me from the edge of the clearing. But as they got to the edge of my vision they halted. In the center stood three shadows that were different from the rest. Two were glowing silver while the one between them was shining with a golden aurora. The three in the middle looked rather angelic compared to the dark earthy shadows behind them.

The sight of the shadows sent shivers down my spine. If I could not see them then I might as well use my other senses. My ears twitched as they picked up the minute sounds of the shadows. They lifted and softly stomped their heavy feet, witch made a soft crunching sound in the snow. I could also hear a familiar sound like the snorting my charger had once made. Among the sounds were also the sound of quiet feet padding on the snow that stopped and was fallowed by a low murmur. Out of the gloomy fog whizzed twenty arrows. If I had not consecrated so hard on listening I would of missed the twang of the bows who let their arrows fly.

I dropped down to the ground as the arrows buzzed over my head, they made a strange sound like that of a swarm of bees. A very pissed off swarm of bees. Shaking I stood up and put my hands up. "I..I didn't mean to intrude. I just woke up, I don't know any thing." I stumbled over my words.

Apparently they didn't like that answer. Another volley of arrows rained down at me. I took a few steps to my right to avoid them. I looked to my left to see a circle of arrows that stuck up from the ground were I had been. I gulped in fear. Why is it that I always am the one to get shot at?

I felt something push me from behind but when I turned I could see nothing but the misty trees and snow. I turned to look back at the shadows, but before I could even turn halfway around I was shoved again. I turned back around to see nothing. What ever it was gone but the wind picked up, the wind howled and snarled as it whipped my coppery hair around my face.

The wind gusted up and pulled the snow down from the high up branches. The already bad visibility was worsened at the snow swirled and danced in the thick fog. The snow just like the leaf monster seemed to move on its own accord, the only thing that seemed to be different this time was that it was snow not leafs that pelted me.

As a single unit the snow combined together to form some animal like thing. I recognized it, it was the wild cat thing from earlier in my dreams. It was crouched close to the ground; the wild cat had traded in its blotchy orange and white coat of flames for a white pelt of swirling snow. The wind picked up and pulled on my clothing and hair, but the snow that danced in the air did not drop into my little square of grass. I shivered as the wild cat picked up one of its cloven hooves and delicately placed it in the snow in front of its self. Like any normal wild cat it hissed at me and arched its back, ready to pounce. The wild cat readjusted its cream colored leathery wings and made a hissing sound again.

The cat shot foreword at me. It took two bounding strides before falling onto the ground before me with a yelp of pain. From the wild cats shoulder sprouted several of the arrows that had earlier been aimed at me. The wild cat shrieked, curled into a ball then stretched back out, and flapped its wings in desperation to get off the ground. The wild cat flared its cloven hooves and scrambled to its three good legs.

With its right flank bleeding the animal hissed at me before taking a step to the woods. But the pitiful animal fell to its chest then side as it quivered in pain. I looked around me to see the fog starting to lift and the snow calm down. The wind stopped pulling at me. I looked wide eyed at the shadows that sill stood at the edge of my sight. They snorted and stomped their feet in the snow. As the fog started to lift they retreated into the Dark Woods. Before vanishing from view two things were thrown at me, the first was a dagger and the secant was a water bag. I looked at the golden shadow, who was the only one left, and bowed my head at it, "Thank you." I heard a soft snort and a quiet murmur as the shadow turned and disappeared into the forest.

A shriek pierced the silence and I looked to see the wild cat still laying outside my square of grass. It was flaring its cloven hooves and flapping one wing in desperation. I watched as the wild cat howled in pain as the arrows dug into its hide. I couldn't help but feel sorry for the wild cat, it was in pain. I took a step to the very edge of my grass square, I took another step forward, closer to the animal. I wasn't one for seeing things in pain, so before I could think I took four more paces to the wild cat. As I neared the wild cat it hissed at me and tried to hit me with its good wing. I took a deep breath and walked so I was behind the wild cat. I could see that on one side the wild cat had several arrows sticking out of its flank, the leg and wing on that side were limp. While on the other side, the wild cat flailed its good wing and thankfully its cloven hoof was pinned beneath its body.

The wild cat, as if sensing me turned its head to me and snarled, bearing its white fangs at me. (Yes the cat's teeth are sharp. Any more stupid questions? Did it floss? You know what I really didn't ask, it didn't come across my mind. If you want please go stick your head in its maw and see for yourself.) I gulped and shivered at once. Now that I was closer to it, and it wasn't prancing in flames, I thought that it was kind of beautiful, in a strange way. I held a hand out to the wild cat, "Shh. Its ok, I think." I took another step closer to the wild cat and placed my hand on the ground near its tail. The wild cat flapped its good wing but not so fearsly as before. The cat swished its tail way from my hand and growled at me.

"Shh. Its ok Kitty." I crouched close to the ground and reached out with my hand again. The wild cat hissed and recoiled as I put my hand on its hindquarters. Then the wild cat snarled and tried to snap at me, the wounds in its flank causing it to stop short and whine. I worked up some courage and slid my hand farther up its body. The wild cat gave me a quit hiss before kicking at me with one of its hind legs. Luckily for me my arm was longer then the wild cats leg. I kept my hand on its side as the winged cat hissed at me.

The closest thing that I knew to this winged and hooved wild cat was the kings cat. A magnificent beast that was, its pelt was crimson and its claws flashed white. Rodrigo was his name, a name that sent shivers down my back. You see Rodrigo is much like Nia, Morri's falcon. They are both unusual animals, a rear abnormal animal that is only given to the higher status people. Often they were the 'odd' offspring, Nia being reddish brown compared to her pure siblings and parents who's feathers were black with golden tips. Or Rodrigo who's pelt was the color of dried blood, also abnormal, he was very different from his gray and white family.

But it awed me, the winged wild cat awed me.