~oOo~

"Run, Blair, run!" His daddy words thundered in his ears, as he ploughed aimlessly and without direction through the thick undergrowth. Bracken lashed at his face, stinging his cheeks, while vines entwined his ankles to make him stumble and fall. His knees scraped the ground and his hands fell on to his lap. They were covered in blood – his daddy's blood.

Tears trickled down his cheeks and muted sobs wracked his small frame. The man with the black eyes was real and, at the tender age of three, Blair knew full well what he wanted. "No more." His voice broke and his sobs became uncontrollable. "I don't want that no more."

Without warning he was lifted off the ground, but gave no resistance. He wrapped his arms around the body that now engulfed his and held on for dear life. "You're safe, little one," Incacha crooned, softly. "You're safe."

~oOo~

Two feet and eight paws tracked a weary, tiresome path back and forth across the smooth floor of the shallow cavern. The wolf pup, hot on Blair's heals, never missed a beat as its oversized paws followed in the boy's footsteps. The young cougar, resigned to third place, appeared agitated and restless, bound and held back by rules it did not want to obey.

Blair stopped suddenly, the pup and the cougar ploughing into his legs like a vaudeville clown show. "If you not want to come with me, Bagheera will." Steadfast and determined blue eyes bore into the Indian's. "He will come and he will gobble the man up."

Incacha flashed a sad smile. "Little one, I cannot. We cannot yet interfere with the path that has been laid out in front of us."

A rogue tear trickled down Blair's face. "But my daddy's hurt." He held up his fingers, still stained red by the blood of his father. "Please help him."

"Come." Incacha beckoned with an outstretched hand and a soul heavier than he had ever known. Of all the guides he had tutored and nurtured, this guide, his littlest of guides, had left his mark on his heart and on his spirit.

Blair took hold of Incacha's hand, a sense of calm descending over him as his fingers were engulfed within the warm palm. "Will he die?"

"Do you trust your Guardian ... your brother?" Incacha asked.

Blair nodded. He did trust Lucas, he trusted him more than anything, but the black-eyed man ... there was something about him, something that went way beyond scary.

"The man is very big," Blair whispered.

"I know," Incacha answered.

"He hurt Lucas."

"I know that as well."

"Lucas is afraid."

"He is, but he has strength. A strength he will find for your father and for you." Incacha cupped Blair's cheek. "But he needs your help, little one."

"Me?" Blair responded. "I can't help. I'm too little."

Incacha smiled. "You may be little, young guide, but if you search deep enough you will find the heart of a lion waits within."

From the back of the cavern, the jaguar snarled. Incacha gave the animal a sideways glance. "I correct myself." He smiled faintly. "You have the heart of a jaguar, young guide."

"I'm as brave as Bagheera?" Blair asked, astonished.

"If you choose to be."

"How do I choose to be brave?"

"Tomorrow, when the sun rises over the first mountain peak, you will have a choice to make."

Blair listened carefully.

"You can choose to stay here with me, here with the animal spirits, or you can choose to go back to your father and to your brother."

"I not need to make a 'cision." Fear, apprehension and a smattering of courage rolled through Blair's stomach. "Daddy and Lucas need me." He pulled at Incacha's hand. "You take me now."

"At first light, little one. First you need to eat, sleep and regain your strength."

"Incacha?" Blair whispered

"Yes?"

"I trying not to be, but I think I scared."

"Being scared is what makes you so brave, little one." The warrior got to his feet, Blair's hand still within his grasp. "Come, you must eat and sleep. Tomorrow brings us another step closer."

With a full belly, and a soft, furry mattress beneath him, it didn't take long for Blair to fall into a deep slumber. He laid his head down on the body of the cougar, quiet purrs becoming his lullaby, a young pup his teddy bear. A jaguar, strong and wilful, lay down beside him, licking his fingers, erasing all traces of blood.

"You know you cannot yet interfere," Incacha intoned.

The jaguar continued to lick.

"If you intervene before the Guardian has a chance to prove himself, you will give the council the grounds they need to remove him."

The jaguar continued to lick and this time it ignored Incacha completely.

"You are a stubborn creature, Mischi, Misi." In annoyance Incacha turned his back on the cat and poked at the fire. He huffed, shaking his head. "But then, you and I have always been made of the same cloth."

When Blair left tomorrow, he wouldn't be leaving alone. The jaguar would be by his side and, in reality, Incacha wouldn't have wanted it any other way. While he placed his faith in the hands of the Guardian to take care of the Sentinel and the Guide, the boy's foe possessed an evil that one so young should not have to face alone. But if the rules of the council were broken, Incacha would deal with it like any warrior would – in battle. If the powers that be wanted his tribe, they would have to fight for it.

~oOo~

Have to run and do a few things now but I won't leave this story hanging for too long!