Land Of Beasts

Beyblade and all likeliness is © to Takao Aoki

Chapter 5: Rei

'Rei Think-talking'

'Other things'

(Is that confusing? You'll understand later on X3)

Rousing from a light, long sleep. The boy lifted his head, it was dark, slowly becoming light and the deer herd was at his little stream. He quietly picked up his spear and walked out of his cave, looking down on the gorge. He had moved up the hillside after his old 'home' had been threatened to flood as the rain made the stream rise.

Without a sound he crept down, slow enough that the deer didn't notice him. They were larger than the creatures back on earth, making them more dangerous, but with more meat. Step by step he made his way down, looking up slowly; he tested the wind and then quietly moved upstream. Leaping across the river, he stalked back to his prey. Down close to the ground, almost on all fours. His amber eyes scanned the group of creatures as he slowly inched forwards, searching for the weakest. Though the one he went after was the weakest, there was a large chance it could still, get away. He would have to work quickly an injure it enough that it would die within a day or two, tracking it all that time, because he knew no sure way to kill them. Slowly, ever so slowly, he slipped forwards until he was a few meters away. With an alarming cry, he sprang from hiding and was upon the deer closest to him in an instant. It screamed and tried to run, but he gouged his spear into its side and continued hacking at the thigh and chest as it stumbled and tried to flee.

Rei no longer cared for the anguished cries it made, he had to eat and this was his food. It was simple as that. He stabbed again and again at the neck, until it fell back onto the grass. The others had fled already, but he was still quiet. One did not know what beasts could be around. Hands shaking with excitement from his first, instant kill, he hoisted the deer over newly muscled shoulders, tanned from the sun, and nimbly strolled back to his old 'home' He quickly took his knife of stone, handmade, and cut open his prey, discarding nothing, for everything needed to be used. He finally built his fire and smoked all the meat, adding crushed leaves and dried herbs for flavor. Smiling, he cleaned the fur in the water, now used to and unfazed by the cold. He then hung it over the overhand to tan in the sun.

Smiling, Rei took a bite of his newly smoked meat, then spat it out in alarm and quickly added some more herbs to the rest of the batch and to his own before daring to take another bite. He smiled in content and took a drink from the stream. Rei cleaned his spear and then quickly went back up to his cave. He slipped through the opening; he had closed it off with rocks so it was somewhat difficult to get in for larger animals. Inside, he checked to make sure everything was in order and then tended to his fire. He went back a bit further, checking his bed of furs and branches and leaves and moss he had dared to collect from the outskirts of the forest on the other side of the ravine. He still hadn't been able to climb up the one side of the gorge, but he didn't want to anymore. Quickly, he leapt out and slid down the hillside, going back to his 'kitchen' and taking the smoked meat and ran back up to his cave. He placed the meat in a small hole he had carved out and then sealed it up again, so that no beast would scent it. Next, he slipped down again and put out the fire and checked on his new fur. It was still drying, and would continue for the next couple of days at least. Then he ran across the river and plucked a number of fruits on the other side.

Grinning, he ran his tongue across his red-rimmed lips as he savored the taste of the fruits. He lay them down in his cave and selected another and ate it. Then, he put them in another hole below the meat storage. He went out of his cave again and worked with the fur for a while.

As the sun began to sink in the sky, Rei took the fur and brought it into his den. He then set it by the fire and tied it up with reeds so it would flatten out while it dried.

He wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand. Rei turned and took one last survey of the area, hopping from rock to rock along the cliff-side and checking for unwanted trespassers. His feet missed no stone, nor fell on any that were lose. He was in perfect tune with his surroundings and his own self. Except, the gnawing of loneliness that nibbled at his soul. He had not spoken, except to cry out in pain or utter a curse in frustration, for nearly a month or so. That caused something to happen to one's mentality. Rei now believed every rock to be his friend, as if it spoke to him personally. Everything around him spoke, softly or not, Rei felt he had no control over it.

He went back to his cave and slipped in, dropping down beside the fire and warming his numb hands. Winter was coming, the plants had told him. Suddenly, Rei heard a 'coo' coming from nearby. He grabbed his spear and was on his feet in an instant.

'Hello.'

'Who… what are you?' Rei 'said' quietly.

A small, tawny-colored fox-like animal crawled in through his 'door'. Rei narrowed his eyes suspiciously at it. It looked at him for a moment with gold-green eyes, then trotted over on black-tipped paws and seated itself by the fire.

'I need a place for the night.'

'I've never seen a creature as bold as yourself. What are you?'

'What will you call me?'

'You look like a fox… or maybe a cat, to me.'

'And what would those things be?'

Rei was silent for a moment. He seated himself down again, still watching the creature, but thinking carefully. Where had those names come from? It had been so long he had almost forgotten! Blinking a few times, he slowly remembered a bit of his old home, but it all seemed so strange, compared what he was now used to.

'Never mind.' He finally said.

'Such strange things you beasts do. I don't think I'll ever understand.'

'I- I'm not a… beast. I'm a human… only.'

She briefly looked up to him, but then settled down once more and tucked her forepaws gracefully beneath her.

'What… is a human?'

Rei was silent for a moment.

'A human… well, the mostly look like me, but there are a lot of differences, like in the hair, the eyes, the size, the voice, the skin and all that.'

'I see. How many humans are there? I have never heard of you.'

'Millions… Billions! Maybe even trillions! I'm not really sure.'

'Where do you hide, for surly such a large race should not be unheard of unless it is hidden?'

'We… we don't –hide-. We live in a different dimension….'

'What race governs you then?' she asked, seemingly unfazed by his reply.

'We aren't' ruled by anything else. In my world, we're the strongest creatures there.'

'Then you must be the immortals of your world.'

'No… Immortality is… not –possible- in my world.'

The fox-cat leapt to her feet and hissed in confusion.

'What type of world does not have immortals? That is the way of things, it always has been! But… that- that would make you a… a mortal!'

'Yes… what is wrong with that?'

'You… you look like the beasts, when they are in their other form. They will be angered… never before has a… a human come to our land before… I remember now! I remember! I have been told stories of your type, destroying forests to make way for your own greed, killing on another for jealousy or reasons unknown! You filthy beasts will only bring us our demise!' she turned, and with a flick of her tail, was gone.

Rei was… stunned for some time. He sat, cross-legged with his fingers folded together and his chin resting on them, for quite a while. He stared aimlessly into the flames and pondered on what the little creature had 'said' to him.

Still wondering, he stripped out of his clothes, and folded them and neatly placed them all by his bed and crawled under the furs as he soon fell asleep.

The next morning, Rei crawled out of his furs at dawn once more, stumbling tiredly as he put his clothes back on and loosely tied his long hair up with what was left of the cloth he had always used.

He took a small handful of meat and stuffed it into his pockets, grabbed a fruit and quickly ate it. He untied the fur and carefully took it down the cliff and soaked it in the water so that it wouldn't be stiff as a board. He shook it out and laid it on the rock to dry again. He worked with the fur for a few hours, stretching and bending it to keep it flexible, and getting rid of the leftover blood and skin. (I have no clue how to actually make furs and skin things and junk, so I'm making this up) Once done, he took the meat out of his pocket and slowly ate it, enjoying the taste and feeling of content in his belly.

Rei dragged out the rest of the deer carcass from below and cut it up as much as he could. His arm began to throb and protest against all the blows and hits he was making, and he finally had to stop. Right arm hanging limp and throbbing, Rei lit a fire, wincing at the slight pain when he had to use both hands to do so, then used his left hand and set everything up and smoked the meat. He yawned tiredly and thought about what had happened last night, with the cat-fox… what would he call her other than cat-fox or fox-cat? Rei snorted and shook his head, suddenly springing up in alarm as the meat fell into the flames. As he leapt up, he hit his head on the low overhand above him and cursed loudly, kicking his fire in an attempt to save his food. He gathered up what he could, but much of it had been destroyed or was beyond saving. Rei growled and muttered a few more curses under his breath and set the next bit of meat sticks upon the small, sharpened branches and stuck them into the ground to cook.

After he had cooked all he could without cutting up any more meat, Rei took it all back up to his cave and put it in his meat hole. He needed to stock up all he could, no telling how tough the winters might be here, nor how long they would last.

Rei then went across the stream and plucked as many ripe, red fruits as he could, when he felt no one was looking- he ate a few of them- and then ran back across the river and placed them in his fruit storage.

Smiling at the mornings work, Rei decided to take a bath, so he gathered up the furs he had fashioned into slight clothing and his spear and went upstream from his cave. He came to a deep area, large, but not like a lake. It was fed by a few waterfalls that came down from the rocks and fed his life-giving stream. He stripped down, taking off every last bit of cloth and leapt into the water, gasping in shock of how cold it was on his entire body.

He paddled around a bit, loosening up the tense muscles in his right shoulder and floated in the water. His hair floated around him and he couldn't help but let out a slight gurgle of laughter as it tickled his back. Suddenly, he heard a purr from the shore and looked over to see the cat-fox from last night. With a squeak, it leapt into the water and swam over to him. Rei laughed out loud as it batted at his hair, mistaking it for some strange water animal.

Rei swam over to the waterfalls, the cat-fox following as close as it dared for its small size would mean it would only be crushed and dragged under by the falling liquid. Rei sat under one and washed his hair with it, using his fingers to comb out the knots and pluck out twigs and dirt. He stood up and rubbed himself down as if he were in a shower and then fell back into the 'lake'. The cat-fox quickly swam up to him, purring. It sneezed suddenly as it took in a mouthful of water. Rei wiped his face off, and with a smirk, splashed it back.

Last night's event seemed to have been forgotten as the two played in the water like good friends would.

Finally pulling himself out, Rei shook himself off and dressed in the furs he had brought, but while looking for a moccasin, he found it missing. An energetic 'coo' beside him took his attention and he found his 'shoe' running to and fro, the cat-fox inside. Rei let out a merry chuckle and ran after it, and gave it a slight scolding once he had gotten his foot piece back.

The cat-fox stayed with Rei after that, following him everywhere, and serving as he only ties to sanity- for the human mind cannot live alone for too long without loosing what and who it is. He eventually named her Keena.

Winter came quickly, without warning or mercy. Rei and Keena were trapped inside the cave for nearly three days before the first blizzard finally stopped enough to venture out and get fresh water and explore their changed surroundings.

Everything was trapped within a snowy white envelopment. Nothing was left untouched. Rei noticed some paw prints running across the snow, meaning some form of life had been out here already, but they weren't very large so he dismissed the subject. Keena cooed and chirped as she ran around, tumbling over and through the snow and leaping at the snowflakes still falling from the sky.

Rei found his beloved stream had frozen over, meaning they might not have any water! But Keena, being smarted that she seemed or wanted to be at time, showed him an area where the ice was very thin, and when Rei broke it, he realized that only the top layer of water had frozen, the cold water beneath still ran down the gorge.

He filled his carved rocks with as much water as he could, then went back up to his cave and set them just outside the entryway- so that they wouldn't evaporate inside. He took a meat stick and carefully ripped it in two, giving half to Keena who happily chewed on her piece. Maybe, just maybe they'd make it through….

One morning, Rei awoke to find that Keena was nowhere to be found! He was worried sick for her, but could not go searching for fear of getting lost. She did not return for two days, and when she finally did, she ran and curled up right in his lap and purred loudly.

While throughout the winter, Rei ate less and less, he became skinnier. He avoided eating at any cost, for fear they would run out of meat and the fruits and he had yet to find some other source of food in this white land. While he thinned, Keena seemed to fatten.

It wasn't till nearly a month into winter that Rei finally realized why. Keena was going to have… kittens! He almost slapped himself for being so stupid, that's why she had been gone for two days, probably some sort of mating time for her type.

A week or so later, Keena had her kittens, three of them. A tawny-beige colored girl with a white-tipped tail, a ruddy-brown colored girl who looked much like her mother, and the third was a white boy, black paws and black-tipped tail. Rei adored all three of them, though Keena never let them away from her for long.

The deer cautiously came to the stream, their ears flicked about nervously. They were weary of all surroundings now, anything could be hiding in the snow or behind a rock they had failed to notice because of the white powder everywhere.

They went down to the stream and broke it open with their fore-hooves. One by one, they drank quickly and were continuously looking up, ears swiveling round, for any sign of danger.

Suddenly one of the doe's bucked and the whole herd bolted. They raced up the gorge, their hunted now following them at a maddened pace, spear in his hand.

Rei followed at a pace maddened by hunger. He, Keena and the kits were almost out of meat now and winter showed no signs of letting up. His feet never slipped in the snow, nor did he skid at all. With a cry closer to some sort of animal than man, he leapt forwards and threw his spear into the haunches of a trailing deer. It bellowed and fell, but then struggled up and began running again.

Rei growled and picked up his spear that had fallen from the deer and began running again, following the hoof prints and trail of blood.

He trailed the deer for nearly a day and a night before it finally died. Rei was far too exhausted once he had finally dragged it over by a small overhand in which he rested. He decided, after snuggling back as far as he possibly could, that he would spend the night out here. He gathered wood and things to burn from that of which he found in some bird nests, long abandoned.

Rei awoke the next morning and stretched out, feeling quite numb, but otherwise alright. He got up and stretched, looking around as he got his bearings and went to pick up the deer carcass, when something caught his eye.

A piece of white fabric lay on the snow, standing out due to its now slightly faded gray coloring. Rei walked over and picked it up curiously. Running it between his forefinger and thumb, he tried to remember where he had seen something like this before, it was not form his clothing, he knew.

Suddenly it struck him. Rei leapt back and let out words that were cracked and foreign to him, after not speaking for many, many days.

"Kai! Kai is nearby!"

OOOOOOOO! How's that? Cliffy enough for you people? Hope you enjoyed this X3 was hell trying to write. But I don't think there'll be so much angst now, cause things are gonna start to get better for Kai and Rei! D As for Tyson, we'll have to see. R&R please and thank you! I love you all, my wonderful reviewers! You keep this story alive!

p.s. for once, I know what I'm gonna call the next chapter, it will be: Kai

Love you all!

Demenior