Flights of Fancy
Disclaimer: I deny any ownership of any adolescent transformed shadow warrior chelonians.
Chapter Four – Up A Tree
Raph glared at the beasts that had surrounded him, he couldn't possibly have heard right the black wolf creature, couldn't have laughed at him and yet it had sounded very much like it to him.
Raph quickly looked up at the trees overhead and leaped as high as he could from a standpoint and grabbed a low hanging branch swinging effortlessly up on to it before turning to jeer at the creatures below.
" Bakas, pity you mutts can't climb trees."
The battle scarred veteran narrowed its eyes and crouched sprang up into the air snapping its teeth just under the branch Raph was on.
The other creatures milled around at the base of the tree whining and looking plaintively up at their vanishing prey one of the smaller grey creatures stood up on its hind legs with its forepaws resting against the tree trunk it turned it's head in a questioning pose and gave a few short barks, as if to say " Now where is our dinner going?"
The old grey veteran finally sank down to his haunches and let loose a long wailing eerie drawn out howl that sent shivers up Raph's back.
Raph laughed " Dumb mutts can't get me up here."
The old grey growled and leaped again this time his teeth closed on the underside of the branch Raph was standing on and the rest of the pack suddenly began to take turns leaping up and trying to grab a hold of Raph or the branch whatever they felt capable of reaching.
" Oh crap remind me to keep my big mouth shut" Raph muttered as he hastily began to climb the tree to get away from the leaping snapping beast below.
While Raph climbed he considered his options and he felt that the one sure way of escaping these creatures was to make like a monkey and jump from tree to tree he could quickly get past this tree and down while the mongrels were still focused on this one.
It was a good plan though he knew that he had to be careful not to jump to an unknown and unfamiliar tree like some of the odd species he had seen thus far, and he would also have to make sure that he was only jumping to branches that could support his weight other then that it really shouldn't be that different from jumping rooftops back home.
However Raph learned on his first jump there was a lot more to take into consideration then there was in rooftop jumping where one only had to gauge the distance between the two.
He could only walk out so far on the branches that could support his weight and in the thick undergrowth of the forest there was still a plethora of smaller branches and sticks to interfere with his jump, also while he was only jumping to what he felt were safe branches he didn't always end up near a strong point in that branch and had to grab at whatever he could or plummet to the ground below.
It was slow going and even worse was the fact that the pack of wolf like creatures seemed to still be following him he heard their excited shrill yips and barks some where under him every time he did fall even a little, as if the creatures below anticipated his plunge to their open and welcoming mouths.
Raph knew night had to be closing in for while the woods were natural dark even the dim light that penetrated the woods seemed to be growing fainter and Raph realized that he wouldn't be able to continue in the dark. While he was quite accustomed to seeing in the dark he didn't want to risk miscalculating a jump and end up on tonight's dinner menu and that could be a real possibility.
Raph peered down at the forest floor and saw one of the shaggy beasts following close behind him " Why don't you mutts just go home all ready?" Raph yelled.
The only response was a savage growl.
Raph paused and made one more jump typically he ended up coming up short and not quite reaching the thickest part of the branch he was aiming for, his fingers grabbed hold and the branch bowed under his sudden weight there was a loud audible snap.
" Aw crap," Raph fumed, " this is not my day."
With that said the branch broke off and Raph was sent falling and twisting doing his best to grab hold of a branch that would hold him and stop his fall while the wolf like animals below him let loose a volley of wild howls in anticipation.
" I am not going to end up as dog food" Raph hissed as his fingers managed to snare a possible branch, his arms jerked suddenly as his momentum was slowed and the branch bent bouncing a bit with the movement.
With aching throbbing arms that hurt from fingertip all the way up to his shoulder joint Raph wearily heaved himself up and to safety heading higher up into the tree to find a spot to rest for the night. He found a likely place where a few branches divided and settled back to try and rest ignoring the rumble of his stomach and his driving thirst he yawned closing his eyes to sleep.
Raph quickly learned that wanting to sleep in a tree and actually sleeping in said tree were two different things for the branches made it almost impossible to get comfortable no matter how he positioned himself some branch was poking or sticking into him and the rough bark against his skin felt prickly and irritating. He spent most of the night awake and looking up at the few strange stars that he could see through the treetops.
He wondered where, his brothers were and if they were even on this world. He hoped that the creatures that had hunted him so persistently would grow bored and decide to hunt elsewhere.
By morning he was feeling far more irritable and exhausted then he had before and he was ready to get out of the tree and start traveling on foot again but as he descended he noted the canine shapes that were lazing around at the base of the tree, some of them just starting to get up and stretch and yawn, the black one scratching at it's neck with a hind leg.
The sight did little to improve upon Raph's mood and he let out a long string of curses that drew the attention of a few of the beast below.
Raph grudgingly headed back up the tree " I can't stay up here forever. Why the hell can't those dumb mutts just move out of here?"
" Because this just happens to be their home and the toshe do not care to be insulted in their home" came a voice off to Raph's left.
The voice startled Raph so much he almost slipped off the branch that he was sitting on " Who said that?" he barked looking around startled for while he heard a voice he didn't see anything near that could be speaking to him.
" I spoke" came the same calm voice as a large owl winged easily through the branches and came to rest on a nearby branch.
" No flippin way birds can't talk!" Raph insisted sharply.
" Perhaps that is so where you-hoo come from but on Necron most the animals, at least those who-hoo possess magic are capable of speech in some form or another" the owl replied opening and closing it's beak in time with the words it spoke and ruffling it's brown feathers. " Some creatures are telepathic like the unicorns and dragons, others like myself and the cataflys can make their normal sounds understandable to-hoo anyone they speak to-hoo through magic." The owl explained " But even the creatures like the toshe and the ramda can make themselves understood though they lack magic of any kind."
Raph stared in awe of the bird it was huge for an owl, and it had two small horns that protruded from either side of its head.
" Toshe?" Raph asked puzzled because it was the second time the bird had said that particular word.
The owl sat up straighter " Toshe a relative of the canine family known for its cunning and high intelligence, its vicious anger and venomous bite. Has a small curved horn on the forehead and hates to be called a dog or anything similar." It informed him in a very schoolteacher like way.
Raph grunted, " It's related to em though" he protested.
" A dog will serve man a toshe would never stoop to such things." The owl stated as it turned to preen the feathers under one large wing.
" Great if that is what they are what the heck are you?" Raph wondered.
" I'm the great horned owl known as Merlin and am one of the oldest inhabitants of Necron." The bird declared giving Raph a piercing gaze from out of red eyes. " You-hoo need wisdom and guidance ought not to-hoo go chasing it away."
Raph snorted contemptuously " You're trying to tell me those things don't want to make a meal out of me, or that you are so smart for a bird brain I shouldn't go chasing you off?"
Merlin blinked a few times and seemed set to take off but Raph reconsidered his position and decided that the bird since it could talk just might know something of value that is if it wasn't full of hot air. Either way it couldn't hurt to hear it out.
" Look I'm sorry I'm just a little out of sorts here" he apologized quickly.
Merlin beat the air with his wings a few times and lifted off the branch hovering for a moment or two before settling down on the branch and turning his head to fix a strange glassy eyed stare on Raph.
The look of the glowing eyes, and the turned head seemed very unsettling and Raph suddenly had a sinking feeling that Merlin might be far more than an average bird brained bird, in fact the wisdom of the ages seemed to shine in Merlin's eyes.
" You-hoo and your brothers are strangers here and each of you-hoo are exactly where he needs to-hoo be at this time."
Raph inhaled sharply " You know about my brothers? Can you tell me where they are? I have to find them," Raph demanded quickly.
" The way home is longer then you think
Like to Like the guides you must seek
Follow your guide true or in danger you'll sink
Dangers great will bar the gate demanding your retreat
True guides one and all follow their call
To unite four in faith, yet not alone
For stronger you'll stand
With your guide at hand
Then challenge the dark wall
With the strength of all
Then the four
May pass through the door
Their journeys end." Merlin let out a loud screech and then blinked a few times " Dark times are near."
Raph wasn't impressed by the nonsense rhyme the bird had spoken he considered just killing the bird and sending it down to the pack of creatures below hoping to satisfy their hunger.
Merlin turned his head all the way around and screeched glaring at Raph until the turtle thought better of it.
" That was a nice bit of poetry too bad it doesn't do me a damn bit of good." He commented.
" You-hoo must find your guide before you-hoo seek your brothers or you-hoo will surely perish. Fool that you-hoo are I suggest you-hoo seek something strong and powerful. One who-hoo can work as a team or work alone as well."
" That's just great and where might you suggest I start looking? Never mind why I should waste precious time looking for this guide instead of my brothers" Raph snapped sarcastically.
Merlin gave Raph the sharp penetrating stare " You-hoo might start at where you-hoo are."
Raph snorted in disgust if the bird thought that he was going to guide Raph, he had a few choice words to say about that!
However before he could even voice one of them Merlin the great horned owl took flight leaving Raph alone.
" Ah good riddance to bad rubbish" Raph decided " Crazy bird didn't know what it was talking about."
Raph sighed a guide on this world though, might not be such a bad thing especially as he really had no knowledge of this world or the dangers that might inhabit it.
Merlin had mentioned a guide with power and strength that could work alone or in a team.
" Yeah right and you gonna believe every word that birdbrain said, hell Leo makes more sense then that" Raph grumbled.
Still he couldn't help but think of the wolf like creatures below they knew how to work in a pack displaying teamwork on a hunt but Raph was pretty sure any one of them would be fairly efficient on its own as well.
Raph had all ready seen the intelligence these toshe had displayed while hunting him, stalking him silently, fading easily into the shadows of the trees. Raph hadn't seen any thing yet of their anger that Merlin spoke of, nor had he seen any thing to prove they had a venomous bite but that was one thing he really wasn't in a hurry to test out.
Raph shook his head " No damn way am I going down there to let them rip me a part."
Far below at the base of the tree the pack set up its long mournful howl as if to remind him that they were still there and still waiting with no desire to move on.
Raph gave a low animalistic growl of his own as he realized that he couldn't stay up in the tree for the rest of his life.
" What are you a ninja or a worm?" he asked himself.
He had faced many dangers and perils, he had lost many battles and won more then he lost and in the end he was too stubborn to ignore a fight not even one that would probably lead to his inevitable death. He was a ninja and if he was going die here he might as well do it fighting a pack of toshe then starving up in a tree.
Worse comes to worse he was going make this pack pay dearly for their meal of turtle and Raph was ready to give them a taste of his sai along with a good dose of ninja justice.
With that decision made Raph began his way down the tree towards the pack.
It was time to face these beasts and just see who was left standing when all was over and done.
TBC