Chapter five; Run!

Present…

Amanda

The only sounds I could hear were our feet thudding on the ground beneath me, and the three of us panting, desperate for all the breath we could get. My heart was thudding in my ears, and I was on the verge of panic. I think all of us were.

I heard a tree fall behind us, and the crash as it hit the forest floor. But that was the least of my troubles as I looked ahead, and saw…

"Ithiell!"

"I see it. Jump!"

"Are you nuts! We'll-"

"We can make it! Don't stop running!"

The next thing I felt was myself windmilling in the air. I caught the edge of the cliff, slipping a little. Beside me, Rtaia and Robert hit as well, scrambling up quickly. Ithiell had opened his wings and glided over.

I tried to pull myself up, but I…

"I'm slipping! I can't… I can't hold on!"

"Hang on! Grab my hand!"

I reached for Robert's hand as I slipped more. He managed to grab my wrist, struggling to pull me up. But his hand, and my wrist, were slicked with sweat. I was falling again!

"Got you!" Ithiell grabbed me, hauling me up with relative ease. I landed on my hands and knees, desperate for breath.

"We have to keep moving!"

"No! I say we turn it around here and fight them!"

"Robert, there's too many! We have to find a place that gives us the-"

"I believe this is the place. If they have the same trouble we did, we can dwindle their numbers and this is the best advantage we have for now" Rtaia said as Ithiell helped me up. I could barely stand.

Ithiell thought for a moment, then nodded.

"All right, but we have to be quick. Everyone, shift!"

I focused my mind on the elephant, since I knew we'd need something big if things got bad. I could see the white fur sprouting from Roberts face and neck, and how Rtaia's legs snapped the opposite direction. Ithiell, I saw, was becoming a wolf. His muzzle lengthened and thinned, and his tail shortened, growing fur along with the rest of him.

This isn't going to be enough. Oh god, Jade where are you!

(Okay guys, back into the trees! Hide as well as you can. As soon as they start jumping over, we hit them hard and fast. And if they get too much… become wolves and run)

(All right)

(I'm ready)

(Affirmative)

We only needed to watch for a few seconds before a group of about fifty came through the trees.

(All right, on my mark!)

Closer… closer…

(Steady…)

Closer…

(Almost…)

Two jumped!

(NOW!)

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Jade

We walked through my old town, all of us human again. The place was eerily quiet.

Just how I remembered it.

"Are you sure this is a good starting point?" Jake asked for about the zillionth time since we left the airport. It had taken us almost three days to get here. Now, Tobias had the camping bag (probably much lighter than before) and Jake had the shoulder bag. I'd managed to buy some new shoes in a town not far from my old one.

"Jake, yes, all right? Yes, I do think it's the best place. Now, shut up and follow me for once"

He fell silent, scowling a little as I led them to the forest where my first encounter with Terinans and Chanaibens had been.

We trekked in for a bit, before I noticed something odd.

I kneeled down beside the small fern, pulling off the shredded black part of an old shirt. I spread it out in my hands, and saw a small Jurassic Park logo on it.

"They're here. Somewhere" I muttered, getting up and looking around.

"What? What is it?" Cassie took the strip of shirt I had, looking at it.

"The first day I ever fought the Terinans, I wore a black shirt with this logo on it. It was one of my favourite shirts. Now, only three people know that. Amanda, Robert and Ithiell"

"All right. But… which way?"

I thought for a moment.

"Maybe… we can start near an old cave. Follow me"

I got up, and we trekked further into the forest. After a little while Tobias took to the sky again, and Ax became his wonderfully dangerous self again. At this moment in time, I was glad. I think we'd need Ax if we were suddenly ambushed.

(Wow. This place has really taken a beating) Tobias observed, sticking close to us.

"Yeah. Too many wars have been fought here, and too many people killed" I muttered, the memory of all of them resurfacing as we walked. I remembered screams more clearly, and especially the smells. Blood, most of all.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and when I looked up I was surprised to see it was Rachel. She smiled at me, and I smiled sadly back at her.

We kept going, then climbed the small hill until we reached the small cave. Our true beginning.

Before I knew it, Jake had morphed into a wolf, trotting inside the cave with ease. He sniffed at the small pile of rocks and twigs used for a small fire.

(This smells recent)

"How recent?" Marco asked.

(A day or so. No more)

"So, we're close" Rachel mumbled.

(Seems like it)

(Prince Jake? Look) Ax pointed to the ground, freshly disturbed by many feet.

(I thought I smelled something strange) he said as he came over to where Ax was pointing, and I kneeled down to get a closer look.

I saw shoe marks, as well as footprints from what I thought could have been from Rtaia or Ithiell. And quite a lot of much bigger footprints, which could only mean one thing.

My friends had been ambushed in this cave.

"Terinan" I snarled, the rage I felt for them rekindled.

"We'll find them Jade. We're already this close, so…"

"It might be too late by then" I stopped Cassie, speaking of my worst fears. I got up and followed where the shoe and Chanaiben foot marks were going, and the others followed.

If they were dead… I'd never forgive myself.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Past…

I stared at the ground. A small bug with funny blue wings was walking across a twig. It fired its wings and flew off. I sighed.

Robert, after another hour of waiting, showed up just as I was about to get up and leave. He looked around in the small meadow, only seeing me and Amanda.

"Where's our alien friend? Or has he finally decided to skip town"

Amanda and I shook our heads, smiling and pointing up behind him. He looked…

And cried out as Ithiell jumped down from the tree he'd been sitting in. Amanda and I burst out laughing.

"He got you. He got you good!" I laughed. Now, Ithiell looked confused.

"How did I… 'get him?'" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"You scared him, that's how" Amanda said, calming down faster than I was. I was still laughing my head off.

"I… I apologise. I did not mean…"

"Forget about it. Can we start now?" Robert asked, looking as red as a beetroot.

"Yes. Now sit, sit" he motioned for us to sit in a circle and we did. I was beside Amanda, and was fairly close to Ithiell. I was glad. Robert was giving me death stares.

"Now, I do believe… I apologise if I cannot do this right… I do believe we will start 'small' and work our way up. First, I believe we will start with a part of your bodies you can see" He held up his right hand, and we held up ours.

"Now, you must focus very hard. Clear your mind of everything else, and keep your mind on the change"

I took a deep breath, trying to clear my mind. The others did the same, and we all looked at him.

"Now, I would like you to turn your right hand… into my hand"

"Say what!"

"We can… do that?"

"Yes. Now, remember, focus is essential. Do not think of anything else"

"I'll try" I muttered, I looked at his hand, then at mine.

"I apologise. Focus on my hand, then imagine your hand becoming mine. The change will come"

I did what he said, but it was so hard to concentrate!

Seconds later I felt a cold tingle run through my hand, and then it started to change. My hand turned blue, and my fingernails became more like claws.

"Ah!" I cried. I couldn't only see it, I could feel it too!

"Not quite Jade, but it's a start" he said, then turned my hand over. It was like flipping a page in a magazine! One side had the evil looking nails and the blue skin, but the other side was me! My hand! With my chewed down nails and everything.

"Ahh" I moaned, wanting to run. But Ithiell kept my hand in his, reassuringly. Even though his own nails looked like he could slice and dice me. Yet, the clawed hands didn't even make an imprint, and he let go of me, looking over at Robert and Amanda.

Robert had the same problem I did, and looked like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Amanda however…

"That is amazing!" Ithiell exclaimed, going over to her and taking her now deformed hand in his. It was almost completely changed, and looked so close to Ithiell's I thought she had a gag-hand on or something.

"Wow, Amanda! How'd you do that!" I cried as I looked closely at it, ignoring my own hand. The blue was just right, but the nails were a little short. Other than that…

"I just… I thought of what I did the other day, and…" She held up her hand proudly "I got this"

"That's very good for a beginner. Not even I was that skilled when I first began"

"How old were you?" I asked.

"Hmmm… I would guess the human age of two"

"Two! No way!"

He nodded "Yes. By that age we are able to comprehend as much as a human six year old would"

"Wow, that's cool"

"All right, now how do I get my real hand back?" Robert asked, looking slightly annoyed. I guessed he was a little jealous too.

"Think of your real hand. The change will come. And do not forget… focus!"

So we did, and soon we were staring at our own hands again. Like it had never happened. I flexed my fingers, then shook my hand. Yep, all back to normal.

"This is only the start of your training though" Ithiell warned us, taking a seat slightly apart from us again. Like he didn't feel like he belonged. I kinda understood where he was coming from.

"And so it begins" Robert sighed.