All characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyrighted to Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. I've taken the idea for the Unseelie Court from the TGS. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All original characters are the property of SN.
Note: I'm disregarding the events of the "Goliath Chronicles", with the exception of "The Journey" because I do not wish to use the rest of the "Goliath Chronicles" as canon to my story. This story takes place one day after "Return of the Imitators".
Bigfoot
By SN/TVfan
Email: Sam_Nary
Montana, USA
"Well, I just got off the phone with Macbeth," Merlin commented as he returned to the hotel room that he and Rachel had, "They defeated Lucius."
"Good," Rachel answered, "The last thing we need is to worry about a situation we can't help with in any fashion."
Merlin nodded and sat on his bed and resumed his studying of copies of texts that they had found during their brief stay in New York. It had been an interesting visit, although Rachel walked away from it rather embarrassed. Especially after meeting the gargoyle, Elisa. The fact that she and three other females in the clan had once been human was one shock to the female werewolf, but the struggles that Elisa's family had gone through had shamed her to the point where she couldn't complain about her own condition anymore.
"Are you sure this guy can help us, Merlin?" Rachel asked.
"Well, according to what Xanatos told us, the guy has his own extensive library of ancient texts and is no stranger to things related to the occult," Merlin answered, "we may have to do something to prove that we are connected to all that, but I'm sure we can think of something."
Rachel sighed, "I think proving we're 'supernatural' would be too easy for us. Can his library help us find anything about 'Britain's Greatest Hour of Need'?"
"Unfortunately we won't know until we look through it," Merlin answered.
"And if he refuses to help?" Rachel asked.
Merlin sighed, "If he refuses, we will just have to hope that what he has will not help us and move on. Because the only other way would be for you to out muscle him or me to use magic to trick him or force him, and that is something will not do or condone."
"We can't sink to the level of the bad guys, can we?" Rachel nodded, "It's right. I may be getting used to my condition a bit more, but I certainly don't want to go around using it to bully people around."
"Fortunately Xanatos told us that this guy is a rather friendly guy, so I don't think we'll have to worry about that," Merlin sighed as he folded up the pages he was studying, "But it is time to turn in. We'll have a long drive tomorrow."
Merlin then laid back on his bed while Rachel watched as he pulled his blanket over him. She rolled over onto her side and shut off the lights, although she spent most of the night staring out at the window.
The next morning the two left after a rather light breakfast and got into a rental car, which Merlin had rented after their plane landed in Helena, and began to drive in the general direction of a small town called Philipsburg. According to what Xanatos had told them, a rather wealthy man, named Anthony Hiker lived in the mountains nearby and possessed a rather old and extensive library. It was an opportunity that Merlin couldn't pass up.
Rachel meanwhile found herself gazing out at the scenery as it moved by.
"They have some beautiful countryside around here," Rachel commented as she watched pine tree after pine tree go by.
"Yes," Merlin nodded, "one of the best things about the United States and Canada. There are still wild places where animals can live. Wolves and bears are extinct in much of Europe. Of course, werewolf stories helped that cause, but that is a different thing and that isn't the primary reason. The main reason is the loss of habitat. Bears used to live in parts of France and much of Germany. The extensive building of cities in the Roman period helped eliminate bears from France and the Roman trade in exotic animals for the games didn't help either. As more cities sprang up in both the areas the Romans conquered and those that they didn't conquer, animals like wolves and bears were hunted down because of their 'threat' to society or they died off because man began hunting the animals they normally preyed on. The dominant non-human predator in Europe now is probably the Red Fox, and the largest game it'll bring down in much Europe is a rabbit."
"Many people would say that the animals blocked progress," Rachel commented, "Although, I tend to think there had to have been a balance that could have been reached."
Merlin shook his head, "Unlikely. Not in Europe anyway. Britain, France, Italy and many others are all densely populated. A single bear needs a large amount of territory to hunt and survive. There are just too many people in many parts of Europe for these animals to survive. Places like this are only successful in balancing man and nature because there are few men to force the animals out."
"Hopefully it stays beautiful like this forever," Rachel answered, "New York and London, even York, are all nice places, but for some reason they feel too loud and smelly for me."
"A were's natural affinity for the wild and nature," Merlin nodded, "Not unexpected."
"Either way, whether it's the fact that I'm a werewolf or any 'normal' love of nature," Rachel answered, "I just hope we can make some real progress and perhaps enjoy nature a little bit."
"That will depend on what Mr. Hiker has in mind," Merlin answered her.
Hiker's Mansion, Hours Later
Rachel whistled as Merlin pulled up into the driveway. They were both surprised to learn at the gate that Anthony Hiker was expecting them and they found a moderately sized log cabin with two vehicles parked outside. One an old Chevrolet pickup and the other a more recent Jeep.
"This is somewhat smaller then what I'd expect from a millionaire," Rachel commented.
"At least it's fairly remote," Merlin shrugged, "We shouldn't be disturbed."
"He couldn't keep a staff of servants up here," Rachel said as they got out of their vehicle, "Who do you suppose that voice was at the gate?"
"Actually, the voice is robotic," a voice interrupted from the doorway.
Both Rachel and Merlin looked up to see a middle aged blonde haired man, although much of it appeared to have fallen out, standing in the doorway. He wore a pair of jeans and a button down work-shirt.
"Anthony Hiker," the man said with a smile, "and you two must be Merlin Hawkins and Rachel Winters."
"Yes…" Merlin and Rachel answered at the same time.
"Relax," Hiker laughed, "Xanatos called me two day ago and said you were coming out. I've been expecting you, actually."
"Expecting us?" Rachel asked.
"Yes, I could stand to have some help with a little project I've been working on," Hiker nodded, "Xanatos told me you wouldn't mind helping me with the project, so I've been waiting for you."
Merlin sighed, knowing that the New York businessman had tried to help, and while he knew that he might have to do something, Merlin was not interested in helping him run a major project.
"We're here because we're doing some research that requires the use of your library," Merlin explained.
"Yes, yes," Hiker nodded, "Xanatos told me about that, you're quite welcome to use it, if you help me with my project."
"And just what project are you working on?" Rachel asked curiously.
"Come inside, and I'll show you," Hiker turned and headed back into the house.
Merlin and Rachel slowly followed. Inside, they actually found that the cabin was decorated rather scarcely. Anthony Hiker had not spent much of his wealth on things that one would think that a millionaire would spend money on. There were several cameras and various other pieces of surveillance equipment and video tapes. Hiker eventually lead the into a room that had a row of televisions set up, all of which were on. Rachel could see that they were security cameras, watching the forest around Hiker's cabin.
"Afraid some one is going to spy on you?" Rachel asked.
"No, the cameras are there to hopefully record a very rare, supposedly mythical species of 'animal'," Hiker answered and then pointed to photograph that sat on top of one of the television sets.
Merlin and Rachel took a closer look to see that it was a still photo in black and white of an almost human looking image walking along a stream.
"You're looking for Bigfoot?" Merlin gasped.
"Yes," Hiker nodded, "They found gargoyles in Manhattan, so why not Bigfoot? Besides, they'd be a great value to science."
"How?" Merlin asked.
"Bigfoot is likely only to be some early version of man or close cousin," Hiker answered, "Think what it would mean if we found one?"
"Modern man is more likely to treat it as a amusement," Merlin told the man, "It wouldn't be free."
"I was hopping to avoid that," Hiker answered, "I own much of the land around here as a preserve. If I can find them, and film them, I have a site where they can live without being exploited. I can study them, and if people want to watch them, I can charge them to watch my televisions."
"Sounds like you have everything covered," Rachel commented.
"I made most of my money in business, but I've always been a scientist at heart," Hiker answered, "I don't want to do anything that would hurt them."
Merlin and Rachel exchanged looks.
"If you don't want to help, I'm sure you can find another library around here somewhere," Hiker commented.
Merlin and Rachel exchanged looks again and finally Merlin sighed.
"Fine," Merlin answered, "We'll help you find these Bigfeet.
Hiker smiled, "Great."
"So how are you looking for Bigfoot?" Rachel asked.
"Well, I've set up cameras to try and capture them as they walk by, but I haven't had any luck in finding them," Hiker sighed, "I'm now to the point where we need to start following any and all possible signs of a Bigfoot."
"What if there aren't any in the area?" Rachel asked.
"I've been following the signs for years," Hiker answered defensively, "We are in the home range of Bigfoot. The Rookies and the Pacific Northwest have been where most sightings have occurred…"
"But every supposed sighting was a doctored picture or an obvious lie," Merlin interrupted, "I mean, the photo you have on top of the television there is of a man in a gorilla costume."
Hiker looked back at the photo and nodded, "Yes, this photo is obviously fake, but that is because those people were merely following myth. I'm trying to find scientific evidence. I've seen tracks in this area that are too big to be human and too human like to be a gargoyles'."
"You've found tracks?" Merlin asked.
Hiker nodded, "Yes. Many in this area. At first I thought they were simply left by some kids playing a joke on the people of one of the little towns in the area, but soon I began finding more and more. Now, Bigfoot is currently viewed as myth and legend in the modern world, so it's unlikely that I'd be finding that many large foot prints."
"So how do you want us to help you?" Rachel asked.
"Well, for now, nothing," Hiker answered, "We'll begin tracking them tomorrow. I figured that the two of you would like to relax a little bit, and Xanatos told me you had your little research project to work on."
"Thank you," Merlin answered, "That would be most generous of you."
The two sat quietly in Anthony Hiker's basement library. Merlin sat quietly looking through an ancient text that he held in his lap, while Rachel looked on.
"I don't trust this guy," Rachel grumbled, "I just don't. I saw the news reports when the gargoyles in Manhattan were revealed to the world. I don't know the reporter personally, but something tells me that the guy was not wanting to broadcast the existence of gargoyles out of scientific curiosity."
"And you think that Anthony Hiker is similar to that reporter?" Merlin asked her.
"Not entirely, but I don't think that this quest of his to find Bigfoot is for his own personal interest," Rachel answered, "And even if he does have the best of intentions, I don't think he knows what others will do if he does find Bigfoot."
"I can agree with you there," Merlin nodded, "I don't sense anything truly evil about him, but some of his ideas about what he's doing is a bit misguided. We might simply have find some way to change his mind about what he's going to do after he finds them."
Rachel nodded, "Hopefully we can do that."
Merlin agreed, "Because you know we have to help him if we want to get a look at the texts he has here."
The Next Day
Both Rachel and Merlin were awakened early by Hiker, whom they found to be in full hiking gear.
"Come on, you two," Hiker insisted, "The early bird catches the worm and we don't want to miss it!"
Hiker was very disappointed when he found that neither Rachel nor Merlin were as excited as he was. He paced around their table and outside the doors to their rooms while they got dressed for the day. He finally perked up as the two came out of the cabin into his back yard, and handed them each a pair of binoculars and a camera.
"You'll need those," Hiker said, "Binoculars to see, and the camera to get proof of course."
"I'm surprised you didn't give us tweezers to take hair samples if we come across fur on bits of tree bark or something," Rachel commented.
"No, I'll handle all of that sort of stuff," Hiker answered, "I just need the help looking for their tracks and following them."
Rachel and Merlin exchanged glances for a few moments.
"How can the two of you not be excited about this?" Hiker asked, "You act as if you thought I was some sort of nut!"
"It's not that we don't believe you when you say you've found Bigfoot tracks," Merlin replied, "But we find it hard to believe that man of your status in society would want to find a live Bigfoot."
"The world is changing, Mr. Hawkins," Hiker answered, "Before the gargoyles were discovered in Manhattan, I thought that Bigfoot was just another urban legend. Something to tickle the fancy of science-fiction writers, but the discovery of living gargoyles has changed the world. I mean gargoyles were considered to myth at one point, right?"
Rachel and Merlin nodded.
"Well, since that myth is now proven true, who's to say that Bigfoot is only a myth?" Hiker said, "There are many things in the world that we've considered to be myth, and gargoyles were among them. Now gargoyles are real, so many of our other myths might be real. Bigfoot, King Arthur, the wizard Merlin, maybe even werewolves are real."
Rachel and Merlin both glanced at each other again.
"We have to see what myths are true and which are merely myths," Hiker continued.
"What if these creatures don't want to be revealed to the world once we find them?" Rachel asked, "I mean, from the news reports I've seen, the gargoyles in Manhattan are very intelligent. Smarter then some people even."
"Well, I've never had the opportunity to interview one of them, so I don't know what their opinion on the matter is," Hiker answered, "If we find a Bigfoot and he says he doesn't want to be filmed, then we won't film him."
"Suppose they don't speak in a language that we understand?" Merlin questioned.
"I understand both French and Spanish, the only other languages that they are likely to know, as the Canadian province of Quebec speaks French and Latin America speaks Spanish," Hiker answered and pressed on, "No problem. Now the closest tracks are this way…"
Hiker then began to walk down a hiking trail while Rachel and Merlin slowly followed.
"So, does Bigfoot truly exist?" Rachel whispered as they followed him.
"In all probability, yes," Merlin answered quietly, "The Unseelie Court used yetis, creatures that are like Bigfoot, but are native to the Himalayas originally. It is possible that there are Bigfoot creatures in North America."
"Can you make sure that his camera doesn't work if they don't want to be filmed?" Rachel whispered again.
Merlin nodded with a confident smile, "all too easily. The problem will be in translating whatever language they use. I doubt it would be anything that humans know."
Merlin and Rachel followed Hiker as he walked along the hiking trail for almost a mile before he stopped and kneeled down on the middle of the path. As Merlin and Rachel approached they found that he was looking closely at a set of footprints in the dirt of the path. They were very human-like, except for the fact that they were at least a foot longer and six inches three wider. Merlin also noticed that Rachel's face had suddenly changed, as if she had smelt something that wasn't very good.
"These are Bigfoot tracks," Hiker explained.
"What's that smell?" Rachel asked.
"Hmm?" Hiker asked.
"Can't you smell it?" Rachel asked, "It has to be the worst case of body odor I've ever detected."
Hiker then did something that Merlin didn't expect. He smiled.
"It's a Bigfoot's scent," Hiker smiled, "I've had to train myself in order to smell their scent and even with that, I can't smell it all that well."
"It reeks," Rachel commented.
"You have quite the sense of smell," Hiker replied.
"I've always had a very sensitive sense of smell," Rachel answered, covering the fact that her it was her werewolf sense of smell that she was using.
"That is good," Hiker answered, "But it will be better if we follow the tracks. I will go back along the trail to see where he came from. You two, should follow the trail."
Merlin and Rachel nodded and then looked carefully at the ground. Through the aid of magic, Merlin was easily able to see where creature had stepped once it had gotten into the taller grass. Hiker meanwhile followed the tracks in the opposite direction going much more slowly.
"How long do you think it will take to find out what you need from his library?" Rachel asked.
"I don't know," Merlin sighed, "It will take time. Hiker has not cataloged his library the same way Xanatos did his. I've mostly been having to do a lot of sorting to find what I want."
"Meanwhile, I'll just follow my nose," Rachel answered, "These bigfeet do not smell good."
"Neither did the Unseelie's Yeti," Merlin commented, "I think that the two species do not have the same technological know-how that humans and some gargoyles do."
"So they don't shower?" Rachel asked.
"Not in the way you and I would assume," Merlin answered, "They probably use streams and creeks or even lakes and ponds, but since they don't have access to soap the way we do, well… you already know."
Rachel sighed and followed Merlin along the path. It twisted and turned around several large rocks and came fairly close to a large cliff, which ran for miles. Rachel noted that the scent was getting stronger, but it wasn't strong enough to say that they were close.
Elsewhere
Anthony Hiker paid sole attention to the tracks he was following. While he was truly curious as to whether or not Bigfoot actually existed, he hoped to make a little money off of his discovery by using his land as a zoo. He was somewhat surprised that Merlin and Rachel almost seemed to voice concern for the creatures he was tracking, but he shrugged it off. From what Xanatos had had told him over the phone, their little research project was very important, and he had the library that they needed. What they were researching, however, Hiker could only guess. He had bought the books online when they came up off an internet search for 'myths', and he had only kept the ones that said something about Bigfoot creatures. The other books he put back up on E-bay.
He continued to focus on following the tracks, putting his hands down to feel the outline of each footprint as he went. He paid little or no attention to a large cliff that he was near, or the fact that he wasn't entirely alone. The sudden snapping of a dried tree branch caught his attention to the fact that he wasn't alone and he looked up to see a yearling mountain lion watching him rather intently. Seeing the cat startled him and he jumped up and began to back away with a very nervous look on his face. The mountain lion simply followed him, pressing him toward the cliff's edge.
"Stay back!" Hiker yelled at the cat while waving his camera.
His actions made his situation worse, as in his waving his arms in the air, he lost his balance and his camera and fell backward off the edge of the cliff. The camera bounced off the ground at the mountain lion's feet while Hiker crashed into the trees a short distance from the edge of the cliff. He blacked out as he felt branches hit his back, arms, and legs.
Two heads turned when they heard a soft thump about five feet away from them. The two beings moved over to the location and found it to be a man, laying on the ground unconscious. He appeared to have fallen from the cliff above them as there were bits and pieces of branches in his clothes and as they looked up they saw several broken branches. One bent down to check the person and found that he was barely clinging to life. What followed was a series of grunts in what sounded like an argument. Eventually the one that checked the life signs of the fallen person, lifted up the man and began to slowly walk away with him.
Evening
It was late evening when Merlin and Rachel paused to look up at the cliff they had just taken a small foot path down a much less steep then the cliff.
"Whatever we're following, they have a larger territory than I would have thought," Rachel commented as she looked up at the cliff.
"Yes," Merlin nodded, "Which may be good for the bigfeet. Three people aren't likely to find something that has a large territory, unless it wants to be found."
"Should we go back to the cabin?" Rachel asked
"We'll need to find Hiker, first," Merlin said, "Let's go around the cliff to the other side. He went in that direction."
Rachel nodded and the two kept walking, despite the fact that both were beginning to feel a little footsore from all the walking. After a few moments, Rachel suddenly stopped.
"What is it?" Merlin asked, as he looked back.
"I smell Hiker," Rachel began, "and what has to be two bigfeet."
"What?" Merlin gasped.
"Just as I said," Rachel answered, "I can smell two bigfeet, and I can smell Hiker. He is with them."
"He found them?" Merlin wondered.
"It has to be, but why did he go with them?" Rachel asked back.
"I wouldn't know, but we need to investigate this," Merlin said, "Can you follow the scent?"
"Easily," Rachel answered and began to walk along a different route.
Hiker felt as if he had been run over by a semi truck pulling a trailer full of cement bricks. His head hurt, and he guessed that both legs and at least one arm was broken.
"Dang lion," Hiker mumbled weakly, not even trying to sit up.
He heard the surprised sound of grunts as his words were heard in the area. Suddenly a large furry head came into his line of sight, it large lower fangs protruding out of its lower lip. Hiker feeling very delusional only mumbled at the sight of the creature.
"Mom, tell dad he needs a shave badly," Hiker said weakly.
The head turned away and there were more grunts as whatever put its head in front of him turned away to look at something else. Hiker lay there quietly until a root was shoved into his mouth. He choked on it for a few moments, but a large furry ape-like hand prevented him from spitting it out. He slowly managed to chew and swallow the root that was fed to him. It tasted horrible, but with the large hand over his mouth he couldn't do anything else. After he swallowed the last bit, Hiker drifted off to sleep.
Rachel and Merlin pressed on through think undergrowth in their attempt to locate the lost Anthony Hiker. They had crossed at one stream and had come down to a small valley. There were several small aspen and birch trees that appeared to be growing in such a way that they created a wall around the valley. The two had found an area where the trees seemed to have been bent to make a narrow path.
"This must be their dwelling," Merlin commented, "The trees seem to go around the valley."
"Will they see us?" Rachel asked.
"More then likely," Merlin sighed, "Hopefully I can figure out a spell that will translate their language into ours… although I'd need to hear their language first."
Rachel glanced up at the sky and then at Merlin.
"Should I change?" Rachel asked.
"No," Merlin shook his head, "At least not right now. If they start to attack us, then change, but we don't want to start a fight."
"Okay," Rachel nodded, "Let's go."
The two slowly walked through the path and were astounded by what they saw. Two female creatures, each about seven feet tall and standing on oversized hairy feet, which resembled human feet in terms of structure, were grunting back and forth at one another while Anthony Hiker lay unconscious close to where Merlin and Rachel had entered. Both Rachel and Merlin dropped down so that neither would be seen. Merlin quietly began to work on a translation spell, while Rachel watched the two creatures seem to argue. It took a couple of seconds for Merlin to get the spell right, but both were soon able to understand what the two creatures were arguing about.
"I can't believe you brought that man here!" the first Bigfoot screamed at the other, "That's they guy that wants to profit off of us!"
"He was badly hurt," the second argued, "We needed to take him back here so we could give him our medicine to dull his pain."
"You should have left him where you found him," the first growled back, "what do you think will happen when he recovers and sees us? We will have loud noisy people around here all day and they will not treat us well. We will be exhibits to them, and your brother will not like it."
"He can move the band if that happens," the second answered, "The moment we forget to treat all creatures with respect is the same moment we become as bad as those we oppose."
"Our safety is more important!" the first said firmly.
"Where is his camera then?" the second questioned, "He didn't have a camera with him when we found him, and we haven't found one on him now. He'll have no evidence if he tells anyone and most won't believe him."
"That won't stop him from coming back and revealing our secret to the world," the first answered, "He is not to be trusted."
"Isn't there something that can be done to make sure he doesn't reveal us to the world then?" the second asked, "since his near death experience is not enough to convince you that we can't let people die when we can save them, what can we do?"
"I don't know," the first sighed and looked over at the unconscious man that she and her sister had found.
"If I may," Merlin spoke as he stepped forward, interrupting the two and surprising Rachel, "I believe I can help…"
"More humans!" the first screamed while the second looked on with nervous fear.
"Relax we mean you no harm," Merlin spoke.
"Only our exposure," the first answered, pointing at his camera.
Merlin held up he camera, and destroyed it in a blast of magical energy in one swift motion. Rachel crushed hers.
"Our intentions were only to photograph you if you gave consent," Merlin said plainly, "Since you do not, we will not be taking any pictures."
Both of the creatures were startled by what they saw.
"You're magicians!" the first gasped.
"It's sorcerer," Merlin corrected, "And yes I am a sorcerer. My name is Merlin Hawkins. This is Rachel Winters."
"She is not a sorcerer?" the second asked.
"I'm a werewolf," Rachel answered, "both of us have plenty of practice in keeping our identities hidden from those who would give us trouble."
"You would not expose us?" the first asked.
"Not unless you wanted us to," Merlin answered, "We're only here to help you with the man you rescued."
"Can you make him not expose us?" the first asked.
"I need to find out the truth of what he was intending to do here," Merlin answered, "He told us that this was only for a personal mission of discovery."
"No," the first said in a low voice, "He intends to expose us and profit off our images. He has set up cameras throughout our forest, and is constantly adding more and never taking the old ones down. Our band is being forced out of our homes just to maintain our privacy."
Merlin sighed and walked over to where Hiker lay. He was obviously injured badly from his fall, and after a quick examination, Merlin found the man barely clinging to life, and that was slowly fading away. Merlin gasped in surprise.
"What is it?" Rachel asked.
Merlin turned to the two bigfeet standing near them, "Where did you find him?"
"He fell off of a cliff," the second answered, "We… I brought him hear to heal the worst of his wounds."
"What is it?" Rachel asked in a firmer voice.
"He's dying," Merlin answered, "Magic won't heal him, at least not in the way one would think. The only way I could think now, would be to transform him into something that has a much more robust nature…"
"He'd have to wait until the full moon for the werewolf 'curse' to fully take effect on him," Rachel pointed out.
"And it's nighttime," Merlin answered, "A gargoyle transformation is out because dawn and therefore a gargoyle's stone sleep is too far away. Not to mention the fact that he's in such a condition that the transformation alone could kill him."
"Isn't there a way you could save him?" the second Bigfoot asked.
"I could set his bones so that they would work," Merlin sighed, "But the sheer trauma of his fall is killing him. I can't do anything for that."
"Trauma?" the first Bigfoot asked, "From what?"
"From falling off of the cliff," Merlin explained, "The human body is not designed to fall several feet, and I'd presume that it was only the tree branches that prevented him from being killed instantly."
"We've never had to worry about such 'trauma'," the first Bigfoot commented, "We could heal from such a fall."
"But the change in his internal organs could aggravate the problem to the point where it could kill him," Merlin pointed out, "Your anatomy and human anatomy are very different."
"Only in terms of size and durability," the second Bigfoot commented, "the outer similarities between our races are quite obvious."
"How would you…?" Rachel began to ask.
"You have no idea how careless human campers are, were," the first Bigfoot answered, "various bands have found all sorts of literature and garbage around their camp sites after they left."
"Do you still have the books?" Merlin asked.
"No," the Bigfoot answered, "Our policy is to make sure that they end up in proper human waste facilities, although they have always helped our bands understand your languages."
"Amazing," Merlin commented.
"It is," the first Bigfoot nodded, "And if humans were more tolerant of things that weren't human we might be willing to try and live with them, but it has been our experience that they either wish to kill or profit off of oddities."
Merlin only sighed.
"What about saving the man?" the second Bigfoot asked.
"Heal his bones and since he's had such 'love' for our kind, let him live with us," the first Bigfoot instructed Merlin, "It would also protect our secret."
"I don't think he would want this," Merlin commented.
"I don't think we have a choice," Rachel commented, "if he is dying, we have to do anything we can to save him, even if his actions weren't entirely good. We can't sink to his level."
"You're right," Merlin sighed and raised one hand.
Morning
Hiker felt like hell when he finally woke up. He found himself laying in a valley surrounded by a wall of trees. He looked over to see Merlin and Rachel laying in two sleeping bags nearby, and to his surprise, he also saw two hairy creatures laying on the opposite end of the small clearing he was in.
"I knew it!" Hiker exclaimed loudly.
That woke up everyone else in the clearing.
"He's up," Rachel commented as she sat up.
"I knew it!" Hiker exclaimed again, "I found Bigfoot!"
"His attitude hasn't changed," the first Bigfoot commented sourly in its grunting type language.
"Merlin, do you have your camera?" Hiker asked.
"They do not want to be exposed," Merlin answered.
"How do you know?" Hiker demanded.
"I asked," Merlin answered.
"They told you?" Hiker asked.
"The sorcerer used his magic to understand our language," the first Bigfoot answered.
"Sorcerer?" Hiker asked.
Merlin sighed, "Your earlier comment on myths being real was accurate. I am Merlin Hawkins, advisor to Arthur Pendragon of early Medieval Britain. I know sorcery and am a fey halfling."
"Wait till the press hears this…" Hiker commented to himself.
"Unfortunately, you do not have that option," Rachel commented, "Not unless you want to reveal yourself to the world."
"What?" Hiker asked.
Merlin raised one hand and suddenly a large glass mirror appeared in front of Hiker and he slowly looked into it. He soon backed away in shock at what he saw. His whole body was covered in thick fur, with the exception of his face and the palms of his hands, and apparently the bottom of his feet. He seemed to have developed a slight brow-ridge over his eyes, but his eyebrows were still there. His lower canines had lengthened into fangs and poked out over his upper lip. He ran his tongue over the rest of his teeth and found that his upper canines had become a much smaller set of fangs.
"What's happened to me?" Hiker asked in a shocked voice.
"These two found you lying on the ground after you fell off of a cliff nearby," Merlin explained, gesturing to the two bigfeet, "When Rachel and I arrived, you were already dying from the trauma caused by the fall. The only thing that I could do to save your life was to cast a spell that would turn you into a Bigfoot."
"Change me back!" Hiker exclaimed.
"I'm afraid I can not," Merlin sighed, "While it was successful in preventing your death, my spell was altered somewhat by the trauma that you had suffered. In order to save you, the spell was made permanent."
Hiker looked down with a very depressed look on his face.
"And given what we've been told, that might be a good thing," Rachel commented.
"What?!" Hiker roared, jumping to his feet.
He flinched when he saw the woman's eyes flash yellow for an instant before returning to normal.
"We were told that you sought to profit off the bigfeet living here," Rachel answered, "That you intended to put them in a 'zoo', so to speak. You lied to us about your intentions."
Hiker found himself at a loss for words they had caught him.
"Their secret is now, your secret," Rachel finished.
"We are sorry that things came to this, but there was nothing else that we could have done," Merlin commented, "Hera and her sister Shera will help you adjust to everything."
"You could stay with us until you're willing to move into your own little valley," Shera, the second Bigfoot, spoke.
"I still have my home," Hiker said quickly.
"And what happens when you run out of food there?" Hera, the first Bigfoot, questioned, "You can't go into a human grocery store like that. You will need to learn to hunt and live with our band."
Hiker only looked down and said nothing. There was an awkward silence as Hiker only cried. Merlin was about to say something when Hiker raised a hand and stopped him.
"Just go," Hiker said weakly, "Stay at my house until I can come home."
One Week Later
Rachel sighed as she finished looking through the last book that she and Merlin had looked through to try and figure out what the prophesy concerning Britain's Greatest Hour of Need in Hiker's library. The two had not found anything that would give them any more information as to who and what it would maintain. Most of what they found simply what they had already read. Merlin sighed heavily as well.
"Nothing," Rachel sighed.
Merlin nodded, "I'm beginning to wonder if we will ever find out what this threat to Britain will be."
"I'm sure we will," Rachel commented, "hopefully we find out in time to stop it."
Merlin nodded as he heard a door open elsewhere. The two then heard footsteps around the floor above them. The two walked up the stairs to find that Hiker had returned with Shera close behind him.
"You're back," Merlin commented.
"For now," Hiker commented, "Once tax time and house bills come around I'll have to move out into the forest, but for now, this is my home."
"There are some crevices in the cliff that he fell off of that he could live in, if he wishes to remain on his own," Shera grunted, "Or he could move in with Hera and I."
"But I had to come here for now," Hiker grunted weakly, "Get everything in shape and say my goodbyes to my old life."
"We understand," Merlin answered.
"Did you find out everything you needed with your research," Hiker grunted.
"Unfortunately your library didn't help us," Merlin answered, "But we must thank you for letting us use it."
"What will you do now then?" Shera grunted.
"I think we'll head towards Asia," Merlin commented, "See if we can find any clues to what we are looking for."
"Good luck," Hiker grunted.
"Thank you," Merlin answered weakly.
The End