Jaguar

Chapter Six

Nixon flew for hours as we drove deeper and deeper into the ominous forest.

"Let's rest for the night, it's dangerous to leave ourselves out in the open around here in the darkness." He found a small crook in the tree trunk and hurdled me there. "I will be right back." I reached up quickly before he flew off.

"You just said it was dangerous out in the dark!"

"I fly a lot quicker without a hitchhiker, please I must." He backed me back into the tree with his hands wrapped around my arms. He gave a soft smile and flew away in a blur of light.

As hours pass me by screams of the dying or already dead fill the thick air coated in the blood of its enemies.

Beasts scratch on the branches closer to the ground as they attempt to climb out of others reach but only fail.

A whimper echoes through the forest like none other heard so far. My head whips around and quickly I find the direction of the sound. It's not far away nor do I absolutely have to go to the ground if I find nothing, I'll be fine!

I crawl out and hop through the branches as the wind filters through my hair. Each little creak showing the trees age, thousands of years hidden in their rings. Each little leaf showing new life on such old oaks and willows. The wind blowing every little twig from its original position only to rest back in place once again.

Finally, I reach the whimper and look around on the ground and in the branches for the sound of the creature. A bush near the trunk lets out the small whimper like a lost bird or a baby fox forgotten by its mother.

I head down with each step taking a different precaution from the other in case of a predators attack. I near the bush at the bottom and reach my hand down to reveal the little one, but before my hand reaches I snap upwards from a creature lurching towards me. The whimper coming from this beast as its wild eyes stare through me. Watching me like prey, an insult, but its large bloody teeth tell me its true. A whimper escaping my mouth this time.

I jolt back up the tree but the damn thing knows how to climb as it races after me. I transform into a full jaguar to heighten my senses. I race through the entangling branches as the forest seems to watch me being chased by this . . . thing.

I keep attempting to lose it with every turn but this is its territory and it knows it well, I stand no chance, I quickly stop as it lurches forward and I snap back at it crunching down its neck. I scream as it reaches at me with its long hind legs. Talons tear into my side forcing a roar from my throat. The forest goes silent my eyes fall upon the sight of its exposed chest and my energy fades. I reach my forepaws out and dig into the chest cavity. Its heart, lungs, diaphragm, stomach all fall out and spill onto the branches and pour onto the ground below.

A roar behind me signals a new battle. I snap around to fight a new opponent resembling a grizzly bear but much sharper teeth.

I scream as it digs its teeth and claws into my hind legs. My eyes blacking out from the pain. I reach my own claws out and attempt to escape while tearing the creatures own flesh into millions of pieces like a cheese grater. 

A flash of light and thunder sound before me but they had already become blurs of the night before I fell into the depths life could not touch.

The sound of a branch snapping awaking me once more. I braced myself and jerked myself forward with a growl and bared my teeth to see large black wings leaning near me with wide eyes.

"JACK!" I stretched out my arms and screamed into the morning sun. His arms cold yet warm as he caught himself and managed to hug me back as well.