Nocturnal Insight
By DragonTeenager
The Slayers Vault- http://www.purple-gizmo.com/zelink14/
Chapter 3
Zelgadis felt groggy when he awoke.
The moon by now had descended towards the horizon. The sky now, instead of the dark shades of blue and purple, shown with lighter hues of blue than before. It was apparent that within the next couple hours, nighttime would be no more.
Zelgadis sat up. His head ached as if he'd bumped it roughly.
What happened? he wondered. What am I doing out here?
(He would've spoken outloud if his throat and vocal chords didn't ache so much.)
He knew quite well he needed to remember something. What was it? How had he gotten here?
He was vaguely recalling a dark figure and a dragon - a battle that had occurred. . .
Suddenly it hit him.
Of course! We were all separated by that blast . . . And those stones in his hands . . . they must be what Lina has been searching for.
Wait a minute - Lina!
Gourry! Amelia! Where are they now?
Zelgadis scanned for anything suspicious, but besides trees, bushes, and the growth on the forest floor there was nothing. A bush quivered nearby, but it only turned out to be a small forest creature. In seeing all this, he was suddenly skeptical and how well he was able to see in this darkness. The moon was still out, but . . . Just how near dawn was it?
He began to get to his feet when a rustling sounded from above him in the trees.
A raccoon, no doubt.
Suddenly came a breaking crack and a desperate scrabbling of claws on wood. As something hit the ground, a sharp pain shot up Zelgadis' backside, causing him to cringe.
Wait . . . pain?
To decipher the cause of the pain he turned his head about and looked behind himself.
It was just as he'd suspected. An old decayed branch, obviously unable to support the weight of that animal, had broken and fallen down. But it wasn't nearly close enough to have struck him. What was it, then?
Wait . . . under the branch. What is that?
Is that . . . a tail?
Whose tail is . . .
Zelgadis stopped abruptly.
It couldn't be . . .
Reluctantly, he peered down at his hands.
No, not hands - paws.
It can't be . . .
He pulled out from the branch frantically. Over there - a stream.
He didn't.
He DIDN'T.
He raced over. Glancing into the crystal-like water, he saw what he'd wished not to see.
Slitted eyes. Fangs. Large ears. Whiskers. Fur.
He slumped back in utter disbelief.
He did.
He changed me into a cat.
*********************************
As if being a chimera wasn't bad enough . . . Zelgadis thought with contempt. He was now roaming about, unsure of where to go or what to do.
Suddenly something occurred to him.
. . . chimera? Am I still . . . ?
For the first time since he'd been transformed into this new form, he examined his new features. As far as he could tell in the early morning light, his fur was a dark tint of gray. His paws, on the other hand, were a completely different color. Beige? The under-sides of his back feet and the tip of his tail, too, were that color. And by the darker stripe on his tail, he assumed that all up his spine, possibly up to his forehead, ran that coloring.
Well, I guess I'll just have to wait till daylight to be completely sure.
But... am I still a chimera? And when - or rather if - I ever change back, will I still be?
Well, all this would explain why I can see so well.
Besides his advanced eyesight, his other senses, too, seemed more developed. His hearing had always been very good anyway, ever since Rezo had changed him into a chimera, but his sense of smell seemed much keener than before. He began picking up something lingering on the air - something other than the usual forest smells of fresh pine and decaying foliage. It was hard to determine, but it smelled . . . warm.
What is that?
His curiosity getting the better of him, Zelgadis ventured into the foliage, following the faint scent.
Who knows? Maybe I'll find the others?
The sky was gradually growing brighter, but the roof of branches overhead prevented any light from finding its way through. As soon as the sun rose, though, that would change.
The scent was hard to follow. He kept making wrong turns and losing the scent, so he was forced to retrace his steps until he regained it again. Eventually and ever so slightly the scent became stronger, even until the scent was so strong he couldn't help but wrinkle his nose.
The source must be close by.
For some reason that smell seemed familiar, but . . . why? What was it?
A sense of dread surged through his veins. He really hoped he didn't know.
Now the scent was even stronger than before. No doubt about it, the source was in his proximity.
Up ahead Zelgadis saw something. Even in the shadows he could tell that it was not plumed with foliage. In fact, it wasn't a plant at all. But what was it? He had to get closer.
A result of the blast . . . it was a living creature, curled up besides the trunk of a tree. But it had no fur. No horns. No claws. No tail. Instead, a white-looking garb covered it's body, and dark-colored hair topped it's head.
All at once, he realized what it was. And if cats could gasp, he would've.
Amelia!!
He galloped over to her crumpled form. What happened to her?
Amelia was curled so tightly against the tree trunk that Zelgadis had to make his way around just to determine her status. Was she awake? Asleep? Unconscious?
Was she injured?
Her eyes were not open, but even if she was sleeping, it wasn't a restful sleep. Her brow was tensed up, and her eyes were clenched tightly shut. It was a sign that either she was was having a bad dream, if she was asleep, or she was in pain.
At that thought Zelgadis caught sight of her upper arm. The sleeve wasn't the normal white he was used to. It was stained with something dark - and wet.
All at once he realized why he had recognized that smell. All along he had known what that smell was. It was the smell of freshly spilt human blood.
Amelia was injured.
A surge of worry flowed through him, but it failed to overtake his reason. If he was his chimera self right at this instant, he could easily administer a healing spell and take her to a nearby town. But in his current condition - as a cat - he was utterly helpless, and Zelgadis hated that feeling.
He cursed outloud. Actually, he tried, but his human words had been replaced by his new feline voice.
"Mrao!"
He was momentarily stunned. I can't speak? I can't use magic . . .
This is bad.
He couldn't do anything for her like this. He was completely helpless - and pretty much useless. There was but one thing he could do.
He had to wake her up.
Very gently at first he nudged her hand with his paw. No reaction. He tried it again, only a bit harder. Amelia stirred this time, but it wasn't enough to wake her.
Knowing this, Zelgadis moved up next to her discomforted face. It may be more sensitive than her hand, anyway . . . With a nudge at her cheek he let out a deep meow. He did feel awkward actually acting somewhat like a cat, but he knew that Amelia would most likely not recognize him, anyway.
She stirred again - only this time her eyes began to clench tightly. When next he noticed, they had cracked open.
He could tell she was still half-asleep. Her eyes looked glazed over, preventing their usual shine from showing through; they were unfocused, as well.
To speed things up, Zelgadis meowed again.
At that her eyes shot completely open, alert and perplexed.
"Where am I?" she blurted, sitting up with a jerk. Almost instantaneously an intense pain shot up her right arm. She whimpered in a quick, staccato note and gripped her arm. It made Zelgadis' heart wrench.
"What - ?"
She looked over at her hand. At sight of the fresh warm blood on her fingers, her eyes glazed over. But not from sleep - it was sheer horror.
Seeing her in shock, he meowed harshly with a nudge at her leg. She snapped out of it immediately and, paying little heed to the small feline beside her, turned her sight away from the blood and began casting a healing spell.
"Recovery! . . ."
As the stain in her sleeve began to vanish, Zelgadis felt somewhat relieved. Fresh blood, he knew, was possibly the worst thing to have exposed - especially in the middle of the wilderness where wild animals and beasts roamed. Besides this harmless feline, what other creatures might have caught and followed the scent?
The light of the spell soon faded. With a sigh Amelia heaved herself over painfully to lean against the nearby tree. Only then did she fully notice the cat watching her.
Huh? A cat - in the middle of the forest?
"Where did you come from, Neko-chan?" she questioned. "What are you doing in the middle of the forest?"
Zelgadis really hoped she wouldn't recognize him; however, with a second thought he knew that that was completely absurd, and nearly impossible.
"Rrao?"
Amelia smiled sleepily. When she reached out her hand in his direction, he was completely caught by surprise.
Did she want him to come?
Zelgadis cringed nervously. He did not want to budge, but some unknown part of him miraculously forced his legs to carry him over.
He cringed again the instant he felt the weight of her hand on his head. Feeling extremely uneasy, he abruptly pulled away from her reach with a quick growl.
Slightly disappointed at his disapproval, she sighed. "Funny. You remind me of a friend of mine. Pretty pathetic, in a way . . ." she finished in an amused mumble.
He pretended not to hear her. He all but looked in her general direction.
"Speaking of which, I wonder where the others are . . ." he heard her say, but her tone sounded completely abnormal for her. Glancing over, Zelgadis noticed the worried look in her eyes.
Me, too, he thought.
Standing up on all fours, he began pacing about. What was he supposed to do now? With Amelia healed and safe - for the meantime, anyway - should he actually go searching for Lina and Gourry? Could he actually leave her alone in her state?
"Zelgadis-san . . ." she whispered. "Please let him be alright!"
Silence.
Zelgadis was utterly shocked. Why would she care? In fact, why should she?
Zelgadis turned around, not expecting to see what he did. Amelia, sitting next to the same tree, was hugging her legs against herself and rested her head on her knees. Her eyes were clouded up with moisture.
What's wrong with her?
"Myaa?" he spoke with slight irritation at the voice that came out.
Her eyes moved up in his direction. "What's the matter, Neko-chan?" she asked in a softer voice. ""Haven't you ever been worried about someone before?" With a sniff she suddenly laughed weakly at herself. "What am I thinking? Of course not. You have no need to worry . . . In a way, you're lucky, too . . ." she trailed off.
"I just wish I could help him . . . and my other friends, too, but . . . I don't know where they are . . ." She hid her eyes beneath her hair.
Zelgadis' heart wrenched again with dismay. He wished he wasn't a feline. He wished he could speak - to tell her he was just fine. He even wished he was just a chimera again.
He walked over to her slowly and silently. (With his new padded feline feet he had the ability to travel completely soundlessly.)
He tried to say it. He tried to say it so hard. It's ok, Amelia. I'm fine. But it was useless. When the words reached his throat, they only came out in his feline language - a language she couldn't understand.
Zelgadis settled on the soft earth beside her. He didn't know what to do.
It was almost as bad as when he'd first become a chimera.
Zelgadis was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts by the hand on his back. He was beginning to flinch and pull away, but he immediately restrained the gesture. What Amelia needed most right now was comfort; he knew that. Being in the form he was now, he knew also, this was probably the best comfort he could offer.
It made him tense being caressed. It was completely unfamiliar to him, but he tried his hardest not to bolt away. He had to stay. It bugged him to see her upset.
Ever so gradually he strained less. He began to relax under the strokes on his fur. Soon enough, a rumbling he didn't know arose from his being. A humming sang through his bones and settled his soul. It sounded as a song that was now lulling him to sleep. As his limbs relaxed, his small body leaned against Amelia. It wasn't long before the song had affected her, also.
Soon both were asleep.
*********************************
Zelgadis was awakened by voices calling from the distance.
"Amelia!! Zelgadis!!"
His ears perked up, completely alert. Lina! Gourry! They're alright!
In his eagerness he attempted to get to his feet, but something rendered him.
He suddenly discovered the arm holding him down and, much to his embarrassment, the sleeping Amelia curled up around him.
He squirmed from her grasp as though a shower of arrows were being fired at him. You should be ashamed of yourself! he shot at himself ruthlessly.
Dismissing the thought, he concentrated on the voices.
I have to lead them here. With Amelia asleep, they might never find her . . .
He glanced at her sleeping soundly and recalled what she had said to him earlier unknowingly.
You may not be able to help me, but at least I can help you, he thought at her.
He embarked into the forest, following the voices of their searching friends.
*********************************
"Amelia!! Zelgadis!!"
Silence.
"There's no answer . . ." Gourry commented.
"They've got to be in this forest somewhere!" Lina fumed. "They just can't hear us, that's all . . ."
"Of course! They wouldn't just . . ." he cut himself off, knowing it was for the better. "I'm sure they're fine!"
"I sure hope so . . ." Lina sighed.
The calling commenced.
*********************************
Lina was absolutely exhausted.
"I can't call anymore," she gasped, plopping down onto the ground. Gourry remained standing.
"Then, what do we do now, Lina?"
Lina took a few breathes before replying.
"I'm not sure. Maybe they're actually just fine and went to a nearby town . . . Amelia might, but," she looked up, "we still don't know what's happened to Zel."
Gourry smiled as best he could. "Knowing Zel, whatever's happened to him won't stop him. And Amelia isn't known to give up, either . . ."
"Boy, you've got that right," Lina laughed weakly.
She got to her feet. "Well, I refuse to just give up! If they're out here, we're going to find them! And we will before that other guy does!"
"Of course!" Gourry agreed.
Even in their fatigue, they continued the search. Lina brought her hands up to her mouth to call again, but upon pronouncing the first syllable she was interrupted by an unusual sound - a sound completely alien to the forest.
"What the - ?"
They both turned about and saw a small cat standing there in determination.
"Eh? What's with the cat?" Lina questioned. "Cats don't live in the forest."
The cat meowed again.
"I think I'm hallucinating . . ." she groaned, grabbing Gourry's sleeve roughly. "Let's go, Gourry."
"W - wait! But I see it, too!"
Zelgadis (the cat) just had to get Lina to follow him. He had a last-moment plan formulated.
The unsuspecting sorceress was pursued from behind. With a spring the cat landed on her shoulder, and biting into her bandana, he snatched it from over her head.
"Hey!!" she cried, flailing her arms about to catch him, but by this time he'd already jumped to the ground and was beginning to dash away from her.
Sorry about this, Lina, but you leave me no choice!
"COME BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE THIEF!!"
"L - Lina, wait!"
He raced as fast as he could to keep ahead. He could hear their rough footfalls behind him, and her bandana was wiping against his sides as if trying to punish him.
It's not far. So close!!
BOOM.
What was that?!
Zelgadis felt something singe the hairs on the tip of his tail.
BOOM. The heat again. It was way too close for comfort.
What the heck is that?!
Suddenly he heard exactly what it was.
"FLARE ARROW!!" Lina cried, mercilessly barraging the cat with spells. It singed the ground right at his heals.
"Lina! Don't you think you're ::huff huff:: overreacting just a tad??"
"NO! I don't have time for silly games! I WANT MY BANDANA BACK NOW!! FLARE ARROW!!"
Again, the spell raced at the feline, but right before it struck, the cat jumped to the side into a patch of foliage.
"Oh, no you don't!" she cried again, running around the brush. Gourry followed close at her heels.
Abruptly, much to Gourry's surprise, Lina halted. Unlike her, he had more difficulty stopping at his momentum. Inevitably, Gourry flew face first into the dirt.
"What's the deal?!" he shouted angrily, wiping the soil off of his face.
Lina didn't reply right away. She was hunched over, completely out of breath. She only pointed in reply.
"Huh?" He looked. ". . .your . . . bandana?"
Indeed. On the ground not far in front of them lay nothing other than Lina's bandana.
"Wh . . . Where's the cat?"
"Who . . . knows . . ." she breathed.
Gourry got up and brushed the dirt from his clothes. Walking over to retrieve her valued possession, something caught his eye.
"Lina! Look over there!"
Instinctively reacting to the alarm in his voice Lina shot up from her hunched position, preparing for the worst. Looking ahead, in an instant she saw what he had.
"Amelia!"
They raced over to the small, curled up form of Amelia, and with relief realized that she was only sleeping.
Lina wasted no time. "Amelia!" She shook her shoulder. "Amelia, wake up!"
"H - huh?" Amelia replied sleepily. "Li . . . Lina-san?"
"Lina-san! Gourry-san! You're alright!"
"Of course we are!" Lina replied. "What did you expect?"
"Aa - I don't know . . . I was worried . . . that . . ."
"Nevermind. Are you alright, Amelia?"
"Yeah . . ." she replied while trying to stand. "I'm just . . . a bit sore."
"We all need rest," Lina exclaimed. "Let's go back to the inn."
"But Lina-san . . . what about Zelgadis-san?"
"We won't find him right now. I have a feeling that we won't find him unless we find that cloaked sorcerer first . . ."
"Lina," Gourry interrupted, "That man . . . do you think - those stones -"
"Most likely," she replied solemnly. "Let's go."
As they walked away, the pair of glowing feline eyes continued watching them from the trees.
Zelgadis was completely out of breath. The combination of the running and the adrenaline rush he'd gotten completely wore him out.
I can't believe her! he thought, referring to Lina. She could've killed me! She's crazy!
Well, he changed his thoughts, at least the three of them found each other and are alright. But as for me . . .
He rested on the branch on which he was perched. It seemed much safer up in the tree then on the ground, so Zelgadis decided to sleep up there. Laying his head on his front paws, he barely had time to let his mind wander before sleep overtook his senses.
By DragonTeenager
The Slayers Vault- http://www.purple-gizmo.com/zelink14/
Chapter 3
Zelgadis felt groggy when he awoke.
The moon by now had descended towards the horizon. The sky now, instead of the dark shades of blue and purple, shown with lighter hues of blue than before. It was apparent that within the next couple hours, nighttime would be no more.
Zelgadis sat up. His head ached as if he'd bumped it roughly.
What happened? he wondered. What am I doing out here?
(He would've spoken outloud if his throat and vocal chords didn't ache so much.)
He knew quite well he needed to remember something. What was it? How had he gotten here?
He was vaguely recalling a dark figure and a dragon - a battle that had occurred. . .
Suddenly it hit him.
Of course! We were all separated by that blast . . . And those stones in his hands . . . they must be what Lina has been searching for.
Wait a minute - Lina!
Gourry! Amelia! Where are they now?
Zelgadis scanned for anything suspicious, but besides trees, bushes, and the growth on the forest floor there was nothing. A bush quivered nearby, but it only turned out to be a small forest creature. In seeing all this, he was suddenly skeptical and how well he was able to see in this darkness. The moon was still out, but . . . Just how near dawn was it?
He began to get to his feet when a rustling sounded from above him in the trees.
A raccoon, no doubt.
Suddenly came a breaking crack and a desperate scrabbling of claws on wood. As something hit the ground, a sharp pain shot up Zelgadis' backside, causing him to cringe.
Wait . . . pain?
To decipher the cause of the pain he turned his head about and looked behind himself.
It was just as he'd suspected. An old decayed branch, obviously unable to support the weight of that animal, had broken and fallen down. But it wasn't nearly close enough to have struck him. What was it, then?
Wait . . . under the branch. What is that?
Is that . . . a tail?
Whose tail is . . .
Zelgadis stopped abruptly.
It couldn't be . . .
Reluctantly, he peered down at his hands.
No, not hands - paws.
It can't be . . .
He pulled out from the branch frantically. Over there - a stream.
He didn't.
He DIDN'T.
He raced over. Glancing into the crystal-like water, he saw what he'd wished not to see.
Slitted eyes. Fangs. Large ears. Whiskers. Fur.
He slumped back in utter disbelief.
He did.
He changed me into a cat.
*********************************
As if being a chimera wasn't bad enough . . . Zelgadis thought with contempt. He was now roaming about, unsure of where to go or what to do.
Suddenly something occurred to him.
. . . chimera? Am I still . . . ?
For the first time since he'd been transformed into this new form, he examined his new features. As far as he could tell in the early morning light, his fur was a dark tint of gray. His paws, on the other hand, were a completely different color. Beige? The under-sides of his back feet and the tip of his tail, too, were that color. And by the darker stripe on his tail, he assumed that all up his spine, possibly up to his forehead, ran that coloring.
Well, I guess I'll just have to wait till daylight to be completely sure.
But... am I still a chimera? And when - or rather if - I ever change back, will I still be?
Well, all this would explain why I can see so well.
Besides his advanced eyesight, his other senses, too, seemed more developed. His hearing had always been very good anyway, ever since Rezo had changed him into a chimera, but his sense of smell seemed much keener than before. He began picking up something lingering on the air - something other than the usual forest smells of fresh pine and decaying foliage. It was hard to determine, but it smelled . . . warm.
What is that?
His curiosity getting the better of him, Zelgadis ventured into the foliage, following the faint scent.
Who knows? Maybe I'll find the others?
The sky was gradually growing brighter, but the roof of branches overhead prevented any light from finding its way through. As soon as the sun rose, though, that would change.
The scent was hard to follow. He kept making wrong turns and losing the scent, so he was forced to retrace his steps until he regained it again. Eventually and ever so slightly the scent became stronger, even until the scent was so strong he couldn't help but wrinkle his nose.
The source must be close by.
For some reason that smell seemed familiar, but . . . why? What was it?
A sense of dread surged through his veins. He really hoped he didn't know.
Now the scent was even stronger than before. No doubt about it, the source was in his proximity.
Up ahead Zelgadis saw something. Even in the shadows he could tell that it was not plumed with foliage. In fact, it wasn't a plant at all. But what was it? He had to get closer.
A result of the blast . . . it was a living creature, curled up besides the trunk of a tree. But it had no fur. No horns. No claws. No tail. Instead, a white-looking garb covered it's body, and dark-colored hair topped it's head.
All at once, he realized what it was. And if cats could gasp, he would've.
Amelia!!
He galloped over to her crumpled form. What happened to her?
Amelia was curled so tightly against the tree trunk that Zelgadis had to make his way around just to determine her status. Was she awake? Asleep? Unconscious?
Was she injured?
Her eyes were not open, but even if she was sleeping, it wasn't a restful sleep. Her brow was tensed up, and her eyes were clenched tightly shut. It was a sign that either she was was having a bad dream, if she was asleep, or she was in pain.
At that thought Zelgadis caught sight of her upper arm. The sleeve wasn't the normal white he was used to. It was stained with something dark - and wet.
All at once he realized why he had recognized that smell. All along he had known what that smell was. It was the smell of freshly spilt human blood.
Amelia was injured.
A surge of worry flowed through him, but it failed to overtake his reason. If he was his chimera self right at this instant, he could easily administer a healing spell and take her to a nearby town. But in his current condition - as a cat - he was utterly helpless, and Zelgadis hated that feeling.
He cursed outloud. Actually, he tried, but his human words had been replaced by his new feline voice.
"Mrao!"
He was momentarily stunned. I can't speak? I can't use magic . . .
This is bad.
He couldn't do anything for her like this. He was completely helpless - and pretty much useless. There was but one thing he could do.
He had to wake her up.
Very gently at first he nudged her hand with his paw. No reaction. He tried it again, only a bit harder. Amelia stirred this time, but it wasn't enough to wake her.
Knowing this, Zelgadis moved up next to her discomforted face. It may be more sensitive than her hand, anyway . . . With a nudge at her cheek he let out a deep meow. He did feel awkward actually acting somewhat like a cat, but he knew that Amelia would most likely not recognize him, anyway.
She stirred again - only this time her eyes began to clench tightly. When next he noticed, they had cracked open.
He could tell she was still half-asleep. Her eyes looked glazed over, preventing their usual shine from showing through; they were unfocused, as well.
To speed things up, Zelgadis meowed again.
At that her eyes shot completely open, alert and perplexed.
"Where am I?" she blurted, sitting up with a jerk. Almost instantaneously an intense pain shot up her right arm. She whimpered in a quick, staccato note and gripped her arm. It made Zelgadis' heart wrench.
"What - ?"
She looked over at her hand. At sight of the fresh warm blood on her fingers, her eyes glazed over. But not from sleep - it was sheer horror.
Seeing her in shock, he meowed harshly with a nudge at her leg. She snapped out of it immediately and, paying little heed to the small feline beside her, turned her sight away from the blood and began casting a healing spell.
"Recovery! . . ."
As the stain in her sleeve began to vanish, Zelgadis felt somewhat relieved. Fresh blood, he knew, was possibly the worst thing to have exposed - especially in the middle of the wilderness where wild animals and beasts roamed. Besides this harmless feline, what other creatures might have caught and followed the scent?
The light of the spell soon faded. With a sigh Amelia heaved herself over painfully to lean against the nearby tree. Only then did she fully notice the cat watching her.
Huh? A cat - in the middle of the forest?
"Where did you come from, Neko-chan?" she questioned. "What are you doing in the middle of the forest?"
Zelgadis really hoped she wouldn't recognize him; however, with a second thought he knew that that was completely absurd, and nearly impossible.
"Rrao?"
Amelia smiled sleepily. When she reached out her hand in his direction, he was completely caught by surprise.
Did she want him to come?
Zelgadis cringed nervously. He did not want to budge, but some unknown part of him miraculously forced his legs to carry him over.
He cringed again the instant he felt the weight of her hand on his head. Feeling extremely uneasy, he abruptly pulled away from her reach with a quick growl.
Slightly disappointed at his disapproval, she sighed. "Funny. You remind me of a friend of mine. Pretty pathetic, in a way . . ." she finished in an amused mumble.
He pretended not to hear her. He all but looked in her general direction.
"Speaking of which, I wonder where the others are . . ." he heard her say, but her tone sounded completely abnormal for her. Glancing over, Zelgadis noticed the worried look in her eyes.
Me, too, he thought.
Standing up on all fours, he began pacing about. What was he supposed to do now? With Amelia healed and safe - for the meantime, anyway - should he actually go searching for Lina and Gourry? Could he actually leave her alone in her state?
"Zelgadis-san . . ." she whispered. "Please let him be alright!"
Silence.
Zelgadis was utterly shocked. Why would she care? In fact, why should she?
Zelgadis turned around, not expecting to see what he did. Amelia, sitting next to the same tree, was hugging her legs against herself and rested her head on her knees. Her eyes were clouded up with moisture.
What's wrong with her?
"Myaa?" he spoke with slight irritation at the voice that came out.
Her eyes moved up in his direction. "What's the matter, Neko-chan?" she asked in a softer voice. ""Haven't you ever been worried about someone before?" With a sniff she suddenly laughed weakly at herself. "What am I thinking? Of course not. You have no need to worry . . . In a way, you're lucky, too . . ." she trailed off.
"I just wish I could help him . . . and my other friends, too, but . . . I don't know where they are . . ." She hid her eyes beneath her hair.
Zelgadis' heart wrenched again with dismay. He wished he wasn't a feline. He wished he could speak - to tell her he was just fine. He even wished he was just a chimera again.
He walked over to her slowly and silently. (With his new padded feline feet he had the ability to travel completely soundlessly.)
He tried to say it. He tried to say it so hard. It's ok, Amelia. I'm fine. But it was useless. When the words reached his throat, they only came out in his feline language - a language she couldn't understand.
Zelgadis settled on the soft earth beside her. He didn't know what to do.
It was almost as bad as when he'd first become a chimera.
Zelgadis was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts by the hand on his back. He was beginning to flinch and pull away, but he immediately restrained the gesture. What Amelia needed most right now was comfort; he knew that. Being in the form he was now, he knew also, this was probably the best comfort he could offer.
It made him tense being caressed. It was completely unfamiliar to him, but he tried his hardest not to bolt away. He had to stay. It bugged him to see her upset.
Ever so gradually he strained less. He began to relax under the strokes on his fur. Soon enough, a rumbling he didn't know arose from his being. A humming sang through his bones and settled his soul. It sounded as a song that was now lulling him to sleep. As his limbs relaxed, his small body leaned against Amelia. It wasn't long before the song had affected her, also.
Soon both were asleep.
*********************************
Zelgadis was awakened by voices calling from the distance.
"Amelia!! Zelgadis!!"
His ears perked up, completely alert. Lina! Gourry! They're alright!
In his eagerness he attempted to get to his feet, but something rendered him.
He suddenly discovered the arm holding him down and, much to his embarrassment, the sleeping Amelia curled up around him.
He squirmed from her grasp as though a shower of arrows were being fired at him. You should be ashamed of yourself! he shot at himself ruthlessly.
Dismissing the thought, he concentrated on the voices.
I have to lead them here. With Amelia asleep, they might never find her . . .
He glanced at her sleeping soundly and recalled what she had said to him earlier unknowingly.
You may not be able to help me, but at least I can help you, he thought at her.
He embarked into the forest, following the voices of their searching friends.
*********************************
"Amelia!! Zelgadis!!"
Silence.
"There's no answer . . ." Gourry commented.
"They've got to be in this forest somewhere!" Lina fumed. "They just can't hear us, that's all . . ."
"Of course! They wouldn't just . . ." he cut himself off, knowing it was for the better. "I'm sure they're fine!"
"I sure hope so . . ." Lina sighed.
The calling commenced.
*********************************
Lina was absolutely exhausted.
"I can't call anymore," she gasped, plopping down onto the ground. Gourry remained standing.
"Then, what do we do now, Lina?"
Lina took a few breathes before replying.
"I'm not sure. Maybe they're actually just fine and went to a nearby town . . . Amelia might, but," she looked up, "we still don't know what's happened to Zel."
Gourry smiled as best he could. "Knowing Zel, whatever's happened to him won't stop him. And Amelia isn't known to give up, either . . ."
"Boy, you've got that right," Lina laughed weakly.
She got to her feet. "Well, I refuse to just give up! If they're out here, we're going to find them! And we will before that other guy does!"
"Of course!" Gourry agreed.
Even in their fatigue, they continued the search. Lina brought her hands up to her mouth to call again, but upon pronouncing the first syllable she was interrupted by an unusual sound - a sound completely alien to the forest.
"What the - ?"
They both turned about and saw a small cat standing there in determination.
"Eh? What's with the cat?" Lina questioned. "Cats don't live in the forest."
The cat meowed again.
"I think I'm hallucinating . . ." she groaned, grabbing Gourry's sleeve roughly. "Let's go, Gourry."
"W - wait! But I see it, too!"
Zelgadis (the cat) just had to get Lina to follow him. He had a last-moment plan formulated.
The unsuspecting sorceress was pursued from behind. With a spring the cat landed on her shoulder, and biting into her bandana, he snatched it from over her head.
"Hey!!" she cried, flailing her arms about to catch him, but by this time he'd already jumped to the ground and was beginning to dash away from her.
Sorry about this, Lina, but you leave me no choice!
"COME BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE THIEF!!"
"L - Lina, wait!"
He raced as fast as he could to keep ahead. He could hear their rough footfalls behind him, and her bandana was wiping against his sides as if trying to punish him.
It's not far. So close!!
BOOM.
What was that?!
Zelgadis felt something singe the hairs on the tip of his tail.
BOOM. The heat again. It was way too close for comfort.
What the heck is that?!
Suddenly he heard exactly what it was.
"FLARE ARROW!!" Lina cried, mercilessly barraging the cat with spells. It singed the ground right at his heals.
"Lina! Don't you think you're ::huff huff:: overreacting just a tad??"
"NO! I don't have time for silly games! I WANT MY BANDANA BACK NOW!! FLARE ARROW!!"
Again, the spell raced at the feline, but right before it struck, the cat jumped to the side into a patch of foliage.
"Oh, no you don't!" she cried again, running around the brush. Gourry followed close at her heels.
Abruptly, much to Gourry's surprise, Lina halted. Unlike her, he had more difficulty stopping at his momentum. Inevitably, Gourry flew face first into the dirt.
"What's the deal?!" he shouted angrily, wiping the soil off of his face.
Lina didn't reply right away. She was hunched over, completely out of breath. She only pointed in reply.
"Huh?" He looked. ". . .your . . . bandana?"
Indeed. On the ground not far in front of them lay nothing other than Lina's bandana.
"Wh . . . Where's the cat?"
"Who . . . knows . . ." she breathed.
Gourry got up and brushed the dirt from his clothes. Walking over to retrieve her valued possession, something caught his eye.
"Lina! Look over there!"
Instinctively reacting to the alarm in his voice Lina shot up from her hunched position, preparing for the worst. Looking ahead, in an instant she saw what he had.
"Amelia!"
They raced over to the small, curled up form of Amelia, and with relief realized that she was only sleeping.
Lina wasted no time. "Amelia!" She shook her shoulder. "Amelia, wake up!"
"H - huh?" Amelia replied sleepily. "Li . . . Lina-san?"
"Lina-san! Gourry-san! You're alright!"
"Of course we are!" Lina replied. "What did you expect?"
"Aa - I don't know . . . I was worried . . . that . . ."
"Nevermind. Are you alright, Amelia?"
"Yeah . . ." she replied while trying to stand. "I'm just . . . a bit sore."
"We all need rest," Lina exclaimed. "Let's go back to the inn."
"But Lina-san . . . what about Zelgadis-san?"
"We won't find him right now. I have a feeling that we won't find him unless we find that cloaked sorcerer first . . ."
"Lina," Gourry interrupted, "That man . . . do you think - those stones -"
"Most likely," she replied solemnly. "Let's go."
As they walked away, the pair of glowing feline eyes continued watching them from the trees.
Zelgadis was completely out of breath. The combination of the running and the adrenaline rush he'd gotten completely wore him out.
I can't believe her! he thought, referring to Lina. She could've killed me! She's crazy!
Well, he changed his thoughts, at least the three of them found each other and are alright. But as for me . . .
He rested on the branch on which he was perched. It seemed much safer up in the tree then on the ground, so Zelgadis decided to sleep up there. Laying his head on his front paws, he barely had time to let his mind wander before sleep overtook his senses.