3
Firelight reflected in Hallie's brilliant blue-green eyes, as she opened them. She bolted upright in bed and cried out in pain. The young girl grabbed a hold of her, now bandaged, left arm. Hallie was in her Overlander form.
Hallie tried to move, but her body hurt. Every inch. Finally, after several moments of trying, she managed to sit up. "Man, where am I?" She looked around the room she was in. Looked like nothing more than a cabin. The room was small. A bed. Table and a chair. Not much else. Wait! By the light of the fire, Hallie spotted her pack and her daggers.
Hallie moved the blanket that was covering her, but noticed her clothes were little more than scraps of cloth. "W-what happened?" Hallie wondered out loud. She covered herself with the blanket-no not a blanket. It was a coat. A big coat. Well, whatever it was, it would cover her.
Though weak and dizzy, Hallie made it to her feet. "Where am I? What's going on, here?"
"Wha.? Oh, you're awake?"
Hallie's heart skipped a beat. "W-who's there?"
"Hey, it's all right. No reason to be scared. The name's TJ." TJ stood up from a chair by the door. "This is my cabin." With a word under his breath, a candle next to Hallie's pack light up.
"H-how did you do that? What's going on!? What am I doing here!?" Hallie was panicking. What seemed like only minutes ago, she had seen her friends killed. She had thought that she had died, too. Was that it? Was she dead? Hallie was trembling, now.
"Hey, easy, now. Here. Sit down." TJ pulled a chair up for Hallie. "Would you like something to drink? You've been out most of the day."
Hallie just starred blankly at him.
"Or not." TJ scratched the back of his neck and looked down at the ground. "So.what's your name?"
After a few moments, she replied, "H-Hallie."
"Hallie, eh?" TJ thought for a few seconds. "Well, Hallie, I guess you're wondering what you're doing here in my home."
She could only nod. "Well, this morning, I found you out there in the lake. You were just there floating on your back. You looked like you were messed up pretty badly. I couldn't just leave you there. A curr or something could have come across you. I brought you here." TJ sat back down on his chair. "So, what's your story?"
Hallie just looked at him. Floating in a lake? She looked blankly at TJ for a moment before speaking. "So you mean I was just floating there or something?" She asked.
"Yes," TJ replied. "Thought that a curr was going to come along and get a hold of you so I brought you here."
She shook her head in an attempt to clear her mind. "Curr? What's a curr?" Was she on Mobius? But Knuckles had completely destroyed it! She'd seen the others die with her own two eyes! "Am I in the Great Forest? Knothole? Or the Floating Island?"
TJ starred at the girl, stupidly. "I've never heard of those places. You're about a good eight day's walk from Wyndia Kingdom, though."
"And," TJ continued. "A curr is like a Wolf. They've been gathering in this area a lot lately. Hunting hasn't been too good..."
"Wyndia Kingdom...?" Hallie returned the look TJ had given her a few seconds before. "Is that near the Kingdom of Acorn?" She asked weakly, but already knew the answer. "Am I even on my home planet Mobius?"
Home planet? Mobius? What was she talking about? "I don't know this Acorn Kingdom. Never heard of it. Maybe someone in town has..." The last part was more spoken to himself. TJ eyed the young woman curiously.
"I doubt that anyone knows about Mobius if you don't. Every Mobian would know what Mobius is! So... this isn't Mobius, is it?"
TJ didn't have a clue what she was talking about. "I guess not."
Hallie blew out her bangs in frustration, and looked at him. "Do you know what planet this is, then?"
He didn't seem to understand what she was asking. "What do you mean 'what planet'?"
"Do you know what a planet is?" Hallie didn't mean to sound angry, especially not to this young man who had saved her life, but her temper tended to get the better of her sometimes. "Who doesn't know what a planet is!? Even the Earthlings know what a planet is!" She took her last comment from the time that she'd spent on the planet Earth, not realizing that she was probably confusing him more. Calmly, TJ answered her. "I do know what the world is...But that's all that it is called. The World." to himself TJ wondered if he should get her into town. Perhaps she was hurt. That's why she was asking these questions.
She continued a bit in explanation, calming down a bit. "A planet is a world. The world that everyone lives in... 'The World'?" She winced in pain. Her shoulder throbbed from the cut that she had. 'What's going to happen to me?' she wondered to herself.
The two sat in silence for a few minutes, each collecting their thoughts. Finally, Hallie spoke. "I'm sorry... But I'm not from around here," she said, still looking at TJ. "I'm not from this world. I'm from an entirely different world. A world that we named 'Mobius'."
From another world? The idea seemed impossible to TJ. But sure, there have been stranger things... "Were you brought here by the gods? How did you get here?" He was becoming more curious of the girl every minute.
After a long silence, Hallie finally spoke, although quietly. "I... I don't know," she said. "The last thing that I remember... My friends and I were on a mission. You see, there was this evil Overlander named Dr. Robotnik. He enslaved my people, and turned them into heartless machines. Monsters.
"We sort of went on a scouting mission, because we were worried of an attack by him. He attacked my best friend," after a pause, she added, "well actually, he was like a brother to me after my parents were taken. He turned my brother against his other friends... My brother became power mad, and-"
Hallie couldn't continue. Tears began swelling up in her eyes. After a few deep breaths she finished her story. He killed my friends. Julie-Su, Mighty, Espy, Vector... After that there was a sound of an explosion... And, then I woke up here."
TJ listened to what Hallie said, thoughtfully. Her friends were dead. Her brother turned power hungry? Overlander? A word he'd never heard before. "What's an 'Overlander?'"
"Overlander? Oh, you must have a different word for it. You see, you're an Overlander." Hallie explained. "I'm glad you're not like all the others. Overlanders are a vicious species that hunt us Mobians down. We tried to get along with the Overlanders peacefully, but they've tried to overcome us again and again." Hallie's eyes flared with anger as she spoke of the hated species, although not realizing that in appearance to TJ, she was an Overlander as well.
TJ looked down at himself. He was in his human form. Though he had blue hair, a symbol to anyone who could remember the old stories, which should have given him away for what he truly was. "So, you would be an Overlander, too?" "Eh?" Hallie looked down at herself. She blushed and jumped to her feet right away, but the sudden action caused her arm pain. "I am not!" She said heatedly. "Looks can be deceiving but please believe that I'm not one of those... those... monsters!"
"Oh? So what makes me an Overlander and not you?"
"Because you are one and I'm not," she shot back.
TJ sighed and shook his head. She was making no sense. "I'm not human, if that's what you're calling me." He still didn't know what an Overlander was. The only thing he could guess was a human.
"Human? Yes, that must be the word you use for Overlander. I've heard others refer to themselves as 'human,'" Hallie said softly. "But I am not one. I'm just... cursed to live in this body," she wailed, tears beginning to stream down her face. "I really hate it! I'm really a Mobian Angora Cat! I'm not an Overlander!"
Puzzled by her sudden outburst, TJ didn't know what to do or say. "Angora Cat?"
"Yes," she replied. "I am a cat. I fell into a cursed spring not too long ago. It was on a planet called earth. The name of the place was Jusenkyo, or some weird name like that. Well, stupid Vector, a friend of mine, pushed me in a spring known as 'Spring of Drowned Girl.' The dummy didn't even look at the signs. So now every time I get hit with cold water, I'm this way. Only hot water turns me back."
TJ was completely at a loss. A cat that turns into a human with water? A spring that did that to people? More planets? It was all he could do to keep listening to this. Hopefully there was a doctor in the village. "So you're just really a little cat?"
She nodded. "Yeah, 'little' is right. I'm just a tiny little puny cat." Her comment was dripping with sarcasm. Hallie glanced up. "Hey, you don't look so well, TJ. Are you all right? Hey! You never told me. If you're not an Over... I mean, 'human,' than what are you?"
TJ ran his hand through his blue hair and sighed. He could see why she had taken offence to being called a human. He wouldn't have taken to kindly to it, either. "I-I'm just not human." For some reason he couldn't bring himself to give his secret away. A few months ago, it wouldn't have made a difference. But after his village--All the dragon villages--were destroyed, he didn't trust many people. "And," he continued, "I'm all right. Are you? There's a doctor not far from here. If you think you need to see him..."
Hallie blinked. TJ had changed the subject so fast that she didn't know how to respond at first. Then, she shook her head violently. "No, I'm fine!" Even though she looked down at her arm and knew that she'd need stitches. But she didn't want to put herself in a vulnerable position to anyone she didn't know, even though she had already done that in front of TJ. She made up her mind. It wasn't going to happen again. She had yet to trust him. She was even chiding herself for telling him as much as she told him. After all, maybe he WAS an Overlander, just trying to get her to trust him so he could catch her off guard. The species were known for their trickery to her own kind, after all.
With a sigh, TJ had made up his mind. There was no use keeping the truth from her. He had no reason not to trust Hallie. TJ sat down in the chair he had been sitting on ever since he brought the girl in. "Well, The truth is, Hallie..." He tried to think of a way to best say this. "I'm a dragon." The moment the words came out, he knew they would not be believed.
"A... dragon?" Hallie gasped. "You mean you can take human form? Why?" He was a dragon. A dragon, like her friend, Dulcy. Dulcy, who was gone from her life as well. "Oh, I see... But why wouldn't you tell me before? Are your species hunted by the humans... as well?"
"No," TJ said honestly. It wasn't humans after all who were killing off the dragons.
After talking a little more and hearing more of each other's stories, they were silent for a moment, until Hallie spoke up. "Why do those people fear you? You haven't harmed me in any way. You saved me! Someone like you shouldn't be feared at all." She turned her aqua eyes to him.
TJ looked at Hallie. She had suffered greatly, as had he, but he still saw youthful innocence in her eyes. She was young, and maybe couldn't grasp the concept of their fears. "It doesn't matter who we save," he started. "People are afraid because we have powers they don't understand, and fear. They believe that we will use our powers to overcome them. When we were attacked, many of us were killed. I don't think there were any of my kind who survived."
"That's terrible," Hallie whispered, and looked away as fresh tears fell from her eyes. TJ had been through many of the same experiences that she had. The pain he must have been feeling was probably similar to hers. "I think it's evil to do anything like that!"
He looked at Hallie and smiled ruefully. "Of course it's evil, Hallie. But, it happens. Take your case, for example."
She met his eyes with a determined look. "That's why knuckles and all of us fought against! We fought evil for the greater good!"
"Truth and justice, eh?" TJ shook his head. "Well, my family and friends just fought for each breath we took. We didn't really have time for good and evil."
"Really!" Hallie said. "It was quite different in our case. We had no choice but to fight evil, or it would overcome us all." She stared hard into the hot coals of the fire. TJ watched her for a minute, and then rose. "Well, it's getting late," he said. "We've both had a long day. I hate to cut into our discussion, but we both could use some rest. You can take the bed; I got the mat in the other room. "
Hallie shook her head. "I don't want to impose. I'll take the mat. Anyway, I wasn't going to bed yet."
"It's no problem. Why aren't you?" TJ was already grabbing an extra blanket.
"Well," Hallie started, blushing. "I was wondering if I could head up some water for bathing. I feel awful like this.
"Oh." He said. "Oh, uh.Sure." TJ had spent the last month alone, so he wasn't used to company. He wasn't sure how he was going to handle it. She was female and he wanted to be courteous and respect her bounties. He then noticed her arm was bleeding again. "After you get out of that, I want to take a better look at that. Okay?"
She nodded. "I'll go get some water from the lake," she said, and jumped to her feet.
"Oh, no you don't," TJ said, stopping her. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Where else? To the lake for water," Hallie answered.
The young, blue-haired man smirked. "Uh-huh. Let's see you try to carry those buckets with that arm or yours. If that doesn't stop you, the currs will. I'm telling you, they can smell blood from a mile away. Stay here, okay?"
She stared speechless for a moment, then blocked his way. "Wait a sec. Are you saying I can't handle myself?"
Shaking his head and pushing her aside gently, he replied, "No. Now, though, in the condition you're in, you wouldn't last ten seconds out there. I'll be back in a few minutes.
As TJ left, Hallie stood there, open-mouthed. "He thinks I can't handle myself? I'll show him!" she crabbed a bucket and opened the door. She stepped out into the night. "If it's the last thing I do, I'll prove to him I'm not one to be taken lightly!" the wind blew, bringing with it the chill of the night air. It also carried the sent of her blood along with. "Now where's that lake?" a minute passed and Hallie realized that she didn't know the way. "Well, I can go back and he'll never have known I was gone," she reasoned with herself. But the light in the cabin was dim, and from the distance she was, she couldn't see it. "I think.I'm lost!"
A low growl made her gasp. Stepping out into the moonlight, she saw a vicious wolf-like creature. It took a step toward her, and she took a step back. Then, without hesitation, it leapt at Hallie. She moved with inhuman agility and swung the bucket over its head before the curr could do any damage. "Ha, no sweat," she said as she watched it yelp as it ran away. She picked up the bucket, which had fallen to the ground. Then, Hallie heard a louder, more venomous growling. She turned slowly, and saw the curr she had fought moments ago. And at its side, two much larger and more powerful- looking currs. "Don't tell me it was a baby," she shrieked. At this point, Hallie used her most useful cat-like quality, her speed. She ran.
"Here's the water," TJ said as he walked in through the door. "Hallie?" he frowned when he saw no Hallie, and a missing bucket. "I thought I told her to stay put!" he grabbed his katana and raced out through the door. Soon, he heard a ruckus through the woods. He followed the sound until he reached a clearing. TJ arrived in time to see a large curr bite into Hallie's arm.
"Hey!" He shouted. He ran at the beast and impaled his blade through the creature's chest. The animal cried out in agony, releasing its grip on Hallie, who slumped to the ground.
Seeing it's mate dead on the ground, the other curr urged its offspring away and the two fled.
Hallie looked weakly up at TJ. "I can so hold my own." She grabbed her arm and cried out in pain.
"Come on," he said, as he lifted her up and carried her back to the cabin.
Taking a bowl of hot water with a cloth, TJ sat down next to Hallie. "How hold still, this'll sting a bit. Give me your arm," he said. When she reached her had out to his, he couldn't help but notice her hands. "You only have four fingers? That's weird. You did have five fingers in your cursed form, right?"
"Right," she answered. "You know, I'll bet I'll think you're weird, too, once I see more of you."
"Probably," TJ replied. "If this hurts, I'm sorry."
She winced as he tended her wounds. "Thank you," she whispered. "I shouldn't have run off after you. But thank you for saving me, again. I suppose I'm too stubborn for my own good."
"That was pretty reckless," TJ agreed. "But, you'll be okay. I guess you can beat up as many currs as you want when you're well, but now you're in no condition to fight."
"Before TJ could stand, Hallie said, "TJ? I was wondering.May I travel with you?" He stood. "I don't know. We'll see in the morning. I'm going to be heading to Wyndia."
The girl looked pleadingly up at him. "Please! I don't know anything or anyone here! I won't last a day alone. Not yet, at least."
"You can come," TJ said. "But no more, and I mean no more, stunts like tonight. All right?" we work together, not apart. Got it?" he waited for her to answer.
"Yes, I understand," she said. "I promise I won't get in your way and I won't be a bother."
TJ delicately wrapped her are in a bandage. "If we're working together, how can one be a bother?" TJ asked. "They strive for the same goal, or help each other fulfill their individual goals."
She was silent as his words sunk in. "Well, then I guess we should get some sleep."
"Yeah," TJ agreed. "Good night." He headed for the spare room.
"You, too," she replied, with a yawn. Hallie lay down on the bed, drawing the blanket around her tiny body.
Firelight reflected in Hallie's brilliant blue-green eyes, as she opened them. She bolted upright in bed and cried out in pain. The young girl grabbed a hold of her, now bandaged, left arm. Hallie was in her Overlander form.
Hallie tried to move, but her body hurt. Every inch. Finally, after several moments of trying, she managed to sit up. "Man, where am I?" She looked around the room she was in. Looked like nothing more than a cabin. The room was small. A bed. Table and a chair. Not much else. Wait! By the light of the fire, Hallie spotted her pack and her daggers.
Hallie moved the blanket that was covering her, but noticed her clothes were little more than scraps of cloth. "W-what happened?" Hallie wondered out loud. She covered herself with the blanket-no not a blanket. It was a coat. A big coat. Well, whatever it was, it would cover her.
Though weak and dizzy, Hallie made it to her feet. "Where am I? What's going on, here?"
"Wha.? Oh, you're awake?"
Hallie's heart skipped a beat. "W-who's there?"
"Hey, it's all right. No reason to be scared. The name's TJ." TJ stood up from a chair by the door. "This is my cabin." With a word under his breath, a candle next to Hallie's pack light up.
"H-how did you do that? What's going on!? What am I doing here!?" Hallie was panicking. What seemed like only minutes ago, she had seen her friends killed. She had thought that she had died, too. Was that it? Was she dead? Hallie was trembling, now.
"Hey, easy, now. Here. Sit down." TJ pulled a chair up for Hallie. "Would you like something to drink? You've been out most of the day."
Hallie just starred blankly at him.
"Or not." TJ scratched the back of his neck and looked down at the ground. "So.what's your name?"
After a few moments, she replied, "H-Hallie."
"Hallie, eh?" TJ thought for a few seconds. "Well, Hallie, I guess you're wondering what you're doing here in my home."
She could only nod. "Well, this morning, I found you out there in the lake. You were just there floating on your back. You looked like you were messed up pretty badly. I couldn't just leave you there. A curr or something could have come across you. I brought you here." TJ sat back down on his chair. "So, what's your story?"
Hallie just looked at him. Floating in a lake? She looked blankly at TJ for a moment before speaking. "So you mean I was just floating there or something?" She asked.
"Yes," TJ replied. "Thought that a curr was going to come along and get a hold of you so I brought you here."
She shook her head in an attempt to clear her mind. "Curr? What's a curr?" Was she on Mobius? But Knuckles had completely destroyed it! She'd seen the others die with her own two eyes! "Am I in the Great Forest? Knothole? Or the Floating Island?"
TJ starred at the girl, stupidly. "I've never heard of those places. You're about a good eight day's walk from Wyndia Kingdom, though."
"And," TJ continued. "A curr is like a Wolf. They've been gathering in this area a lot lately. Hunting hasn't been too good..."
"Wyndia Kingdom...?" Hallie returned the look TJ had given her a few seconds before. "Is that near the Kingdom of Acorn?" She asked weakly, but already knew the answer. "Am I even on my home planet Mobius?"
Home planet? Mobius? What was she talking about? "I don't know this Acorn Kingdom. Never heard of it. Maybe someone in town has..." The last part was more spoken to himself. TJ eyed the young woman curiously.
"I doubt that anyone knows about Mobius if you don't. Every Mobian would know what Mobius is! So... this isn't Mobius, is it?"
TJ didn't have a clue what she was talking about. "I guess not."
Hallie blew out her bangs in frustration, and looked at him. "Do you know what planet this is, then?"
He didn't seem to understand what she was asking. "What do you mean 'what planet'?"
"Do you know what a planet is?" Hallie didn't mean to sound angry, especially not to this young man who had saved her life, but her temper tended to get the better of her sometimes. "Who doesn't know what a planet is!? Even the Earthlings know what a planet is!" She took her last comment from the time that she'd spent on the planet Earth, not realizing that she was probably confusing him more. Calmly, TJ answered her. "I do know what the world is...But that's all that it is called. The World." to himself TJ wondered if he should get her into town. Perhaps she was hurt. That's why she was asking these questions.
She continued a bit in explanation, calming down a bit. "A planet is a world. The world that everyone lives in... 'The World'?" She winced in pain. Her shoulder throbbed from the cut that she had. 'What's going to happen to me?' she wondered to herself.
The two sat in silence for a few minutes, each collecting their thoughts. Finally, Hallie spoke. "I'm sorry... But I'm not from around here," she said, still looking at TJ. "I'm not from this world. I'm from an entirely different world. A world that we named 'Mobius'."
From another world? The idea seemed impossible to TJ. But sure, there have been stranger things... "Were you brought here by the gods? How did you get here?" He was becoming more curious of the girl every minute.
After a long silence, Hallie finally spoke, although quietly. "I... I don't know," she said. "The last thing that I remember... My friends and I were on a mission. You see, there was this evil Overlander named Dr. Robotnik. He enslaved my people, and turned them into heartless machines. Monsters.
"We sort of went on a scouting mission, because we were worried of an attack by him. He attacked my best friend," after a pause, she added, "well actually, he was like a brother to me after my parents were taken. He turned my brother against his other friends... My brother became power mad, and-"
Hallie couldn't continue. Tears began swelling up in her eyes. After a few deep breaths she finished her story. He killed my friends. Julie-Su, Mighty, Espy, Vector... After that there was a sound of an explosion... And, then I woke up here."
TJ listened to what Hallie said, thoughtfully. Her friends were dead. Her brother turned power hungry? Overlander? A word he'd never heard before. "What's an 'Overlander?'"
"Overlander? Oh, you must have a different word for it. You see, you're an Overlander." Hallie explained. "I'm glad you're not like all the others. Overlanders are a vicious species that hunt us Mobians down. We tried to get along with the Overlanders peacefully, but they've tried to overcome us again and again." Hallie's eyes flared with anger as she spoke of the hated species, although not realizing that in appearance to TJ, she was an Overlander as well.
TJ looked down at himself. He was in his human form. Though he had blue hair, a symbol to anyone who could remember the old stories, which should have given him away for what he truly was. "So, you would be an Overlander, too?" "Eh?" Hallie looked down at herself. She blushed and jumped to her feet right away, but the sudden action caused her arm pain. "I am not!" She said heatedly. "Looks can be deceiving but please believe that I'm not one of those... those... monsters!"
"Oh? So what makes me an Overlander and not you?"
"Because you are one and I'm not," she shot back.
TJ sighed and shook his head. She was making no sense. "I'm not human, if that's what you're calling me." He still didn't know what an Overlander was. The only thing he could guess was a human.
"Human? Yes, that must be the word you use for Overlander. I've heard others refer to themselves as 'human,'" Hallie said softly. "But I am not one. I'm just... cursed to live in this body," she wailed, tears beginning to stream down her face. "I really hate it! I'm really a Mobian Angora Cat! I'm not an Overlander!"
Puzzled by her sudden outburst, TJ didn't know what to do or say. "Angora Cat?"
"Yes," she replied. "I am a cat. I fell into a cursed spring not too long ago. It was on a planet called earth. The name of the place was Jusenkyo, or some weird name like that. Well, stupid Vector, a friend of mine, pushed me in a spring known as 'Spring of Drowned Girl.' The dummy didn't even look at the signs. So now every time I get hit with cold water, I'm this way. Only hot water turns me back."
TJ was completely at a loss. A cat that turns into a human with water? A spring that did that to people? More planets? It was all he could do to keep listening to this. Hopefully there was a doctor in the village. "So you're just really a little cat?"
She nodded. "Yeah, 'little' is right. I'm just a tiny little puny cat." Her comment was dripping with sarcasm. Hallie glanced up. "Hey, you don't look so well, TJ. Are you all right? Hey! You never told me. If you're not an Over... I mean, 'human,' than what are you?"
TJ ran his hand through his blue hair and sighed. He could see why she had taken offence to being called a human. He wouldn't have taken to kindly to it, either. "I-I'm just not human." For some reason he couldn't bring himself to give his secret away. A few months ago, it wouldn't have made a difference. But after his village--All the dragon villages--were destroyed, he didn't trust many people. "And," he continued, "I'm all right. Are you? There's a doctor not far from here. If you think you need to see him..."
Hallie blinked. TJ had changed the subject so fast that she didn't know how to respond at first. Then, she shook her head violently. "No, I'm fine!" Even though she looked down at her arm and knew that she'd need stitches. But she didn't want to put herself in a vulnerable position to anyone she didn't know, even though she had already done that in front of TJ. She made up her mind. It wasn't going to happen again. She had yet to trust him. She was even chiding herself for telling him as much as she told him. After all, maybe he WAS an Overlander, just trying to get her to trust him so he could catch her off guard. The species were known for their trickery to her own kind, after all.
With a sigh, TJ had made up his mind. There was no use keeping the truth from her. He had no reason not to trust Hallie. TJ sat down in the chair he had been sitting on ever since he brought the girl in. "Well, The truth is, Hallie..." He tried to think of a way to best say this. "I'm a dragon." The moment the words came out, he knew they would not be believed.
"A... dragon?" Hallie gasped. "You mean you can take human form? Why?" He was a dragon. A dragon, like her friend, Dulcy. Dulcy, who was gone from her life as well. "Oh, I see... But why wouldn't you tell me before? Are your species hunted by the humans... as well?"
"No," TJ said honestly. It wasn't humans after all who were killing off the dragons.
After talking a little more and hearing more of each other's stories, they were silent for a moment, until Hallie spoke up. "Why do those people fear you? You haven't harmed me in any way. You saved me! Someone like you shouldn't be feared at all." She turned her aqua eyes to him.
TJ looked at Hallie. She had suffered greatly, as had he, but he still saw youthful innocence in her eyes. She was young, and maybe couldn't grasp the concept of their fears. "It doesn't matter who we save," he started. "People are afraid because we have powers they don't understand, and fear. They believe that we will use our powers to overcome them. When we were attacked, many of us were killed. I don't think there were any of my kind who survived."
"That's terrible," Hallie whispered, and looked away as fresh tears fell from her eyes. TJ had been through many of the same experiences that she had. The pain he must have been feeling was probably similar to hers. "I think it's evil to do anything like that!"
He looked at Hallie and smiled ruefully. "Of course it's evil, Hallie. But, it happens. Take your case, for example."
She met his eyes with a determined look. "That's why knuckles and all of us fought against! We fought evil for the greater good!"
"Truth and justice, eh?" TJ shook his head. "Well, my family and friends just fought for each breath we took. We didn't really have time for good and evil."
"Really!" Hallie said. "It was quite different in our case. We had no choice but to fight evil, or it would overcome us all." She stared hard into the hot coals of the fire. TJ watched her for a minute, and then rose. "Well, it's getting late," he said. "We've both had a long day. I hate to cut into our discussion, but we both could use some rest. You can take the bed; I got the mat in the other room. "
Hallie shook her head. "I don't want to impose. I'll take the mat. Anyway, I wasn't going to bed yet."
"It's no problem. Why aren't you?" TJ was already grabbing an extra blanket.
"Well," Hallie started, blushing. "I was wondering if I could head up some water for bathing. I feel awful like this.
"Oh." He said. "Oh, uh.Sure." TJ had spent the last month alone, so he wasn't used to company. He wasn't sure how he was going to handle it. She was female and he wanted to be courteous and respect her bounties. He then noticed her arm was bleeding again. "After you get out of that, I want to take a better look at that. Okay?"
She nodded. "I'll go get some water from the lake," she said, and jumped to her feet.
"Oh, no you don't," TJ said, stopping her. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Where else? To the lake for water," Hallie answered.
The young, blue-haired man smirked. "Uh-huh. Let's see you try to carry those buckets with that arm or yours. If that doesn't stop you, the currs will. I'm telling you, they can smell blood from a mile away. Stay here, okay?"
She stared speechless for a moment, then blocked his way. "Wait a sec. Are you saying I can't handle myself?"
Shaking his head and pushing her aside gently, he replied, "No. Now, though, in the condition you're in, you wouldn't last ten seconds out there. I'll be back in a few minutes.
As TJ left, Hallie stood there, open-mouthed. "He thinks I can't handle myself? I'll show him!" she crabbed a bucket and opened the door. She stepped out into the night. "If it's the last thing I do, I'll prove to him I'm not one to be taken lightly!" the wind blew, bringing with it the chill of the night air. It also carried the sent of her blood along with. "Now where's that lake?" a minute passed and Hallie realized that she didn't know the way. "Well, I can go back and he'll never have known I was gone," she reasoned with herself. But the light in the cabin was dim, and from the distance she was, she couldn't see it. "I think.I'm lost!"
A low growl made her gasp. Stepping out into the moonlight, she saw a vicious wolf-like creature. It took a step toward her, and she took a step back. Then, without hesitation, it leapt at Hallie. She moved with inhuman agility and swung the bucket over its head before the curr could do any damage. "Ha, no sweat," she said as she watched it yelp as it ran away. She picked up the bucket, which had fallen to the ground. Then, Hallie heard a louder, more venomous growling. She turned slowly, and saw the curr she had fought moments ago. And at its side, two much larger and more powerful- looking currs. "Don't tell me it was a baby," she shrieked. At this point, Hallie used her most useful cat-like quality, her speed. She ran.
"Here's the water," TJ said as he walked in through the door. "Hallie?" he frowned when he saw no Hallie, and a missing bucket. "I thought I told her to stay put!" he grabbed his katana and raced out through the door. Soon, he heard a ruckus through the woods. He followed the sound until he reached a clearing. TJ arrived in time to see a large curr bite into Hallie's arm.
"Hey!" He shouted. He ran at the beast and impaled his blade through the creature's chest. The animal cried out in agony, releasing its grip on Hallie, who slumped to the ground.
Seeing it's mate dead on the ground, the other curr urged its offspring away and the two fled.
Hallie looked weakly up at TJ. "I can so hold my own." She grabbed her arm and cried out in pain.
"Come on," he said, as he lifted her up and carried her back to the cabin.
Taking a bowl of hot water with a cloth, TJ sat down next to Hallie. "How hold still, this'll sting a bit. Give me your arm," he said. When she reached her had out to his, he couldn't help but notice her hands. "You only have four fingers? That's weird. You did have five fingers in your cursed form, right?"
"Right," she answered. "You know, I'll bet I'll think you're weird, too, once I see more of you."
"Probably," TJ replied. "If this hurts, I'm sorry."
She winced as he tended her wounds. "Thank you," she whispered. "I shouldn't have run off after you. But thank you for saving me, again. I suppose I'm too stubborn for my own good."
"That was pretty reckless," TJ agreed. "But, you'll be okay. I guess you can beat up as many currs as you want when you're well, but now you're in no condition to fight."
"Before TJ could stand, Hallie said, "TJ? I was wondering.May I travel with you?" He stood. "I don't know. We'll see in the morning. I'm going to be heading to Wyndia."
The girl looked pleadingly up at him. "Please! I don't know anything or anyone here! I won't last a day alone. Not yet, at least."
"You can come," TJ said. "But no more, and I mean no more, stunts like tonight. All right?" we work together, not apart. Got it?" he waited for her to answer.
"Yes, I understand," she said. "I promise I won't get in your way and I won't be a bother."
TJ delicately wrapped her are in a bandage. "If we're working together, how can one be a bother?" TJ asked. "They strive for the same goal, or help each other fulfill their individual goals."
She was silent as his words sunk in. "Well, then I guess we should get some sleep."
"Yeah," TJ agreed. "Good night." He headed for the spare room.
"You, too," she replied, with a yawn. Hallie lay down on the bed, drawing the blanket around her tiny body.