The Air Dancer

Chapter 5

The earth moved below Inte'kunda in a tremor so great that she may have thought the end of the world had come right at that moment. She would have no time to think, though -- no time to fear -- as the entrance to her cave was suddenly filled by a figure that she had never seen before and did not recognize. It was not the figure of any creature that had ever set foot in the river Xichaqa, or even any river close to it.

In fact, it had never set foot in any river in Inte'kunda's world.

With a mighty roar, it showed her why.

"Run!" Kidala growled. The jaguar was nowhere in sight, but it was easy for Inte to hear the urgency in his voice. She also did not need to be told that facing this threat was a poor choice as every hair on her neck was already standing on end.

The creature that filled up the entrance to her home was like nothing she had ever seen. The thing -- whatever it was -- was man-shaped, but could no more be called a man than could a shadow, or a snake. It stood tall on its two spindly legs which bent backwards at the knee, jutting upward, then curving down to the ground to give it the appearance of lightning: jagged and forked, and looking just as deadly.

Stretching out of its sides were arms that were long enough to touch the floor, with seven claws on each that probed the sides of the rocky walls as it came closer. It stood on two legs, but as it crept inside the cave, it lowered itself onto all fours, looking very much like a spider stalking prey. Its dark brown coloration only added to the effect.

Inte'kunda was frantically looking for the creature's eyes, thinking that she could throw something at them to distract it. But when she finally realized why she couldn't see them, she gasped in fear.

Where the creature's neck and head should have been -- and more than that, its eyes -- was nothing more than the jagged spines which lined the creature's length from tip to toe. Instead, to Inte's horror, the creature's chest opened up into what she realized was a great fanged mouth, big enough to swallow her whole. She pressed her back against the cold stone of the cave wall, having no idea if the creature could even see her without eyes.

"Inte, can you hear me?" Kidala shouted from somewhere outside.

Shakily she replied, "Yes."

"Good. It already knows you're there, but it can't see you," said the jaguar.

"How do you know?" was all she could think to ask.

"I will explain, but for now you must hurry! You are quick, Inte'kunda. I have seen how quick you have become, and you must use that quickness now!"

The words were true, and Inte knew it. The jungle that was her home had its own dangers that she defied daily, with every breath she took. The only difference now was that she could see the danger coming toward her. Sometimes she was not afforded that luxury. She watched the dark terror creeping closer, blindly groping with its pinching hands, and she saw her chance. She couldn't risk running underneath it -- that cavernous mouth and its grasping claws would make quick work of her. Instead, she shut her eyes for a brief moment and remembered the time that she had come across a nest of crocodiles.

She had been exploring far to the south -- much further than she normally strayed. Kidala often warned her not to wander too far away from home, especially at night, but Inte was never one to say no to adventure. Jumping from branch to branch in the high trees, all it took was one weak vine that looked strong to send her crashing to the ground. When she did, she was met with the hungry eyes and teeth of a dozen crocs looking for their next meal.

Just as she did then, she now saw but one way out: over.

With blinding speed, Inte was off. Her bare feet floated above the floor as she ran, light and agile, a stone skipping across a pond. She bore down on the dark intruder that seemed to sense where she was despite its disturbing lack of eyes. It was meeting her head on, no doubt aware that its prey was close. A long, armored hand reached out to grab her.

And, like the sun at night, Inte was simply not there.

She was on the creature's back in an instant, dodging seeking claws, while her feet made footholds of the grooves between the many jagged spines. She reached forward with both hands and vaulted herself forward, propelling herself off its back and right to the entrance where the only thing before her was cascading water and open air. She gave one glance back to her home, now sullied by a loathsome fear, and knew that she was no longer safe.

Whatever this thing was, it had found her somehow, and it knew what it was looking for. If it could find her at home, it could find her anywhere she might run.

The only question that passed through her mind as she leapt from the rocks and onto the muddy banks below was this: are there more?

She was afraid to find out the answer.