A spirit adventure (part 6)
The vines were long and slim. Filled with powerful sinews that made them twitch. They drew closer. Close enough to brush against a quivering cheek. Making Yee-Li cringe at the mildew wet trail it left behind. How the spirit wanted to reach out and wrap them around such a scrawny neck. See the life go out of those frail eyes. Pay back. Or the feeling of getting it against those who had wronged it. That it felt had wronged it. Taking its land. The island which it had grown up on. Lived on; with only the other wildlife for company. It was peaceful and a content existence. Being alone. Nothing but beauty to marvel at every day.
But his home. Those hideous things that marred his skyline. Once only filled with clouds. Now the temple of man had scarred it.
The tentacle flinched. Disgusted by the trembling human. Sobbing for this momma person.
It's snout lowered. Jowls pulled back into a snarl. "Quiet." The spirit hissed. "Stop your sniveling." A paw, slim and stick like, slapped the ground. Scrapping the earth. Marking the spot. "Get out of my sight." The spirits teeth clicked with an audible sound. As it avoided looking at such a sniveling creature. The thing was so frail.
Yee-Li sniffled. Not moving.
"Well?" The beast questioned. "Leave. And I will let you live."
"I..." Yee-Li wiped snot onto the back of her knuckle.
None too happy with her failure to comply the beast swiveled back. The tentacles curved through the air. Towards her. Were they cracked the ground close to her feet.
"I-i-i." The child continued to babble.
The next strike was close to her arm. Which caused the girl to flinch. As a small pebble hit the side of her face. Something warm flowed out of the cut. Mixing with her tears and turned them into pink drops dotting her torn dress.
"I said..." The spirit meant to strike the earth around her once more. But something funny happened.
As the girl raised her arms. Thinking that this time she would be struck. She was swallowed. Vanished into the ball of earth that now contained her. It slid away. And inside Yee-Li's stomach was dropping like she was being tossed in the air.
The rock moved far out of range.
The spirit raised its head. Tilting it slightly.
A rock whistled through the air. It's intention loud and clear. As the spirit tried to jump out of the way. Using its tentacles to steer the object into a tree. Were it crashed. But the spirit dare not look away to see the damage caused to its home. Not from the beast that was man.
Eyebrows lowered. Lin's neck cricked as she rolled her shoulders. Trying to puzzle out what she was sensing. It's body was blocky. No neck attaching it's head to it. Mostly a mouth that opened to speak.
"Who are you?" It asked.
Her neck retracted as her hands rise. Fists clenched. Lins rear flattened and became perpendicular to the ground.
It was funny to the spirit that the human before it would keep its eyes closed. Didn't they need them to see? "Are you here for her?" Deciding for a change of topic. The spirits head inclined to the dome far away from the two of them.
Lin's response was to tighten her legs. Shoes long since shed for better contact. Toes curled into the dirt. Sending the signal to ready itself for her command.
"Are you this momma that the little human was talking about?" It barked in a gravelly voice.
There was a one word answer. Not much of the response the spirit had been looking for. As Lin confirmed the question. Hissing out a low yes. She had seen it. The white beast she saw without her eyes. What it had done to her daughter.
Her feet twist inwards. Sending a pillar of rock shooting up. Lin struck it with a hard jab. A piece snapped off, about the size of a regulation disk for a bending match, and rocketed ahead.
The spirit roared. Head flailing to whip the remnants of rock off. It began to scream at her. Cursed her in a human tongue. Till the words slowly bleed into growls. It crouched and stiffened it's vines. Curling them closer to its body. Set like springs.
There was no patience in either of them at the moment. No desire to talk this out. They had each offended the other.
Images twitched in Lin's head. The speedy beat of her child's heart made her rabid. Teeth clicking. Her breath hastened till Lin let out a growl of her own. Tensing ever muscle into the earth. Till she couldn't tell if one thing was her foot or a rock.
The first blow came below. The beast had the wind knocked from him. And hovered off the ground. When small fist sized rocks came next.
The vines unfurl with speed. Swatting the air wildly. No aim just a spinning fan to knock them away. The ground was filled with holes around it. Not still for long the spirit leaped when the earth swirled in an attempt to suck it under.
A pillar of rock formed inches from Lins face only to explode when she dived into a roll. The next blow landed near her foot. If he gets my leg I'm done for; She thought as she rose.
Then the spirit is gone. No trace of it around her. There was no choice as to what Lin must do next. The trees were so fuzzy and gray they seemed to blend into one another. Not clear like before when she had her eyes closed.
It took a moment to lock onto the growl. Teetering on a branch the spirit bounced up and down. Watching her. Ready to see what her next move would be. It didn't have to wait long.
A leg swept itself around her. And as she spun the earth spun too. Parting like a wave around the rock at the edge of the battle. Leaves fell. Branches crunched as trees were sucked into the current. Knocked down. Dragged to an early grave. Till nothing remained. Lin had created a horrid pimple on the island.
"How dare you!" Shouted the spirit. Now in the middle of the barren plot of land. "You've ruined it." Running at her. Drooling at the mouth. The vines trailing behind it like dead weight. The large fangs bubbled with spit as it snapped at the air.
Lin nostrils expanded wide. It was harder to clear her head and think nothing but airy thoughts. But soon her legs skipped over the ground. Hovered as she bounced on the balls of her feet. Dodging left as the spirit tried to puncture her neck. It's mouth clamped shut with a bone crunching snap. Only succeeding at biting the air with each recurring attempt there after too.
Fingers weaved through the turbulence created by their fight. No longer clenched they danced to the tune of the earth. Smaller rocks, nothing bigger than a fist could be moved, shot from the ground. Striking anything it could. Body. Legs. The spirit was barraged from below.
Till its feet began to grow sluggish. It's breathing more harsh. Not only could it not close its mouth anymore but it would do so only by biting off its tongue; which hung languidly out. So the spirit simply swung its head in a attempt to knock her down. This last strike missed by a wide margin.
Lin raised her arms as her footwork stopped. The ground thrust upward and overtop the spirit. Unable to escape the spirit had to settle down less its body be crushed. Its vines pinned helplessly against its body. They wiggle and slap itself stupidly.
Lin's fingers close; and so does the earth. Pressing it further into the ground. It had begun to pant. Cough in pain. Then laugh.
The hold loosened; and the spirit began to speak. "You seem less intelligible than the small one. But that's what you humans are: Beasts. Taking what isn't yours at any cost to others." It wheezed. "You've taken my home. It only seems fit that you should take my life."
"This is not your home." Lin said.
"I have lived here..." It began.
"You haven't lived here for over ten thousand years. This isn't your home. Not anymore. Now you can either make do with what you have. And live with the people of this island." For a moment the spirit felt as if its eyes were going to pop. "Or I will make you leave. Your choice."
An offering of good faith. The earth lost its hold. Pouring off its body as loose dirt as the spirit rose.
"Tell me. Why should I keep this promise?" It cackled. The vines had shriveled and wrapped themselves around its body. To help keep pressure so the pain was more bearable when it breathed.
"I know the avatar." Was her solitary threat.
"Why should I believe you know such a person?" The spirit pondered. The first steps it took made the limp fairly obvious. So rather than suffer for pride the spirit showed its pain. As it moved away from the woman.
At the tree line. The spirit placed a paw on the bark of one tree in particular. Leaning half way out of the ground. It's outer layer had been peeled off like a banana. Seeming to caress it for a moment. The spirit turned its head to Lin in a demand for an answer.
The women was already near the dome under which her daughter lay safe and deaf to the whole conversation.
"I'd say I know her fairly well." The confidence spilling out as she smirked. "She's my wife."
"She has chosen a strong mate."
Oxygen wanted to fill her lungs more so then she would allow. Lin was trying to keep her breaths as shallow as possible to look less winded. But her legs hurt to stand. And as the spirit disappeared she fell. Taking in air. Gasping. Drooling from the mouth. As it stayed parted to drench her lungs and stop them from burning.
Yee-Li heard the heavy breathing. But mostly the continuous whisper of her name. She sank deeper into herself. As her momma padded over to her. The name calling did not stop. It was harsh on her tongue. Momma is angry; she thought. Expecting trouble when the woman was overtop her; then grabbing her and pulling her close.
The warmth helping keep the chill of the night at bay made the child snuggle into her chest. Her mother had always been such a strong presence in her life. Hard headed. Stubborn. Like Yee-Li.
"Tell me your fine." Lin gasped. Running shaky hands over her shoulders. "Please..." The desperation made Yee-Li look. "Yee-Li, tell me your fine." Poking her stomach and looking for any signs of distress. Making sure the scrapes were not still bleeding. Pushing the twigs and dirt deeper into her hair as she combed through it. Looking for bumps. "Tell me your fine." She hiccupped.
The child mumbled. Lin choked and shook the child's body till Yee-Li cried out.
"I'm fine! I'm...fine, momma."
Lin broke down into a sniveling, drooling, mess. With her daughter held tight enough like Lin had become a brace to keep her safe.
She doesn't cry because she had to be strong for her momma as she was for her. Protecting her from that thing. So Yee-Li hugged her back as hard as her little arms could. Putting all the love she could. Before placing a kiss to her forehead. "Thank you for finding me momma." She whispered.
The kind words gave the woman her strength back.