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29
NIGHT OF THE CHIMERAGOR
Stationed far from the combat zone.
Oh no, not me alone.
The life of a pet shall serve as my disguise,
Safely hidden from prying eyes.
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Mewwood’s unrestrained smile and weightless walk gave way to her racing heart.
“Such fun, fraught with hazards, eludes our precarious world, Mandagral.”
“Judging by the heat from your body, peril over-excites you, my wild friend.”
“In that case, you should examine me to determine if I’m feverish.”
Clearing her throat, an unsettled awareness gripped Mewwood when she heard Bob’s thousand-meter snarl.
“Something wicked our way comes. Your chimeragor senses the emerging threat.”
With a wink, she slipped up through the branches with acrobatic finesse.
Like a ferret, I discovered her. The aroma of lavender drew me into her dimmed domicile, covered with plush kodobar rugs.
“Sex is so perilous, like between my mommeo and your predecessor, Mandagral. Hidden from them, I stared as my parent’s hearts raced, and their blood vessels expanded. Insatiable hormones erupted.
My mommeo’s muscles spasmed and stretched. With their talons extended, they tore long wounds across each other’s backs.”
A rise in her temperature deepened her breath as she glanced outside.
“Flirting with a dreaded enemy stirs up my primitive instincts.” As though I lived with her, I reclined on her rug’s growling head pose and taunted Mewwood, with a roar.
“Let me assure you, an enemy, a demon, Bob is not. Would you prefer to provoke my beastly heart?”
Abandoning any hope of security, Mewwood bounced on me like prey. Every risk either of us ever ran in the woodlands took on a new meaning in our flesh-ripping sexual exploit. Once released, our apprehensions of death gave way to bloody contentedness.
Like a horseback rider, she spread herself on the saddle formed by my lap. With patience, she undulated above me like a metronome. Over the next thirty minutes, her rhythm quickened to a crescendo of ecstasy. like an actor, she dramatized the memories of her formidable encounters in all their gory detail. Witnessing her impregnation on my contorted face, she relaxed, taking me with her.
With her arms crossed, she growled, victorious. “Do you surrender, chimeragor?”
“My Bwana.”
Replete with rendezvous, the eerie night sped past faster than a cheetah. Finally, to the calls of the uneasy Rucaberras, I thought about Pushiri and sought her out.102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8f7tsp7DWJ
With each step I reflected on her ways. As waves respond to the wind above and currents below, Pushiri had always moved with each rise and fall of my decisions, steering me toward a new life. I needed her.102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6N14MlAh9
Casting grave shadows, a storm crept into the valley as though its lifeless clouds tracked us, east across the plains to Foremura. The chimeragor remained wary.
Near the end of the night’s journey an improbability foretold to us became a reality. Encircled by giant buzz stingers, a kodobar beast stepped on the mangled frame of a gorilladon. Embossed in the dirt like a skeletal doormat, the once-dominant primate appeased the hungry brute’s stomach days earlier.
The mass of black billows swirled in place like a starved crouched predator studying its prey.
Gatta boasted an intellectual grin.
“These voracious carnivores hunt in the woodland surrounding Foremura.”
Thick, reddish-fur with patches of toxic porcupine-like quills froze me in my tracks.
Aware of us, the monstrosity snarled and backed into the shadowy camouflaged foliage to gain an advantage. Notwithstanding his power, he did not stand an ant’s chance on an active volcano against the ferocity of the Mandragora.
In a whisper, prodded me. “Name earning time?”
An expectant expression brightened Pushiri’s sideways glance in my direction.
Without a sound, without a warning, Bob bolted into the woods.
“Come back!”
“No!”
“Stop!”
Rather, he disappeared into the shadows. Frightful noises disturbed the birds into flight. As sudden as the savage struggle began, the terror ended—without a triumphant cry.
Khatool hurried ahead of us. In the thicket, the chimeragor stood with his eyes locked on the kodobar’s lifeless corpse.
When the Mandragora rushed in, Sinnawar grinned. All right, skin the kodobar first. The rug will cushion my new cottage, so Bob can sleep with me... Pull the quills like this...”
Grabbing a broken limb, she aimed for the barbs, straight on, so they would not collapse or break.
With a loud slap, they embedded in the wood. A forceful tug yanked them out.
Sinnawar cuddled up to Bob’s soft stomach. “No prickly bedding for my buddy.”
Slicing the Kodobar down the middle of the chest, Kattur drug out the guts. According to the age-old methods, she separated the hide with her file sharpened weapons while the newneyow peeled the prize like a tangerine, revealing the muscle underneath. The newly named ones took turns urinating on the inside to begin the tanning process. Holding my nose, I rolled the pelt up, and lifted the prize single-armed over my shoulder, so I could heave the bundle the grueling distance to the village.
“All right, everyone, tare off a hunk of the carcass. Beyond the southern glen, our destination awaits us.”
"Finally, Gatta. Thank you.”
Bob ripped off a hind quarter and took the lead and the menacing gusts overhead trailing his movement.
A sinking sensation in her chest prompted Shawmaow to dart after him.
“I’ll stay nearby him, Sinnawar.”
“Don’t let me down, Shawmaow.”
At the Village
A familiar face ran out to meet our curationist. “Why is your chimeragor dragging a Kodobar shank, Shawmaow?”
“He’s such a thoughtful date, Puku.”
“You don’t mean he’s humping you!”
“I’m kidding, my naive sister.”
“Phew, you hooked me, Shawmaow, always the clever one in the family. And speaking of dates, will you introduce me to the Mandagral?”
“The burden he carries slowed him a bit. Show him the tanning rack when he arrives please, Puku.”
“Very well, I will start roasting the kodobar while we wait for him.”
An hour later, after all the introductions, the cook roared. “Rare kodobar is now being served.”
The villagers savored every mouthful, purring with contentment, but a single bite twisted Puku’s body in agony.
“Help me, Shawmow!”
“The healer clutched her medicine bag and mixed the Kiiro geoscalus serum with powdered dragon bell. Not wasting any time, she poured the cure down Puku’s convulsing throat. The chanted recitation of the Earth Goddesses’ poetry rose to a climax, eight times over: “Oh, formula of vigor. Oh, elixir for life. Revive this inflicted one from her strife...”
Numb now, Puku exhaled, and the pain subsided.
“A faceless death grabbed at my spirit, but you recovered my life, Shawmow.”
“Relax for a while. No one had ever ate food killed by a chimeragor before. Unwittingly, you saved the rest of us from a fatal piece of food. All right, the plan is to extract Bob’s neurotoxin and make an antitoxin. Give everyone some in case anything like this ever arises again.”
From the back of the crowd, one anxious soul spoke for the rest.
“Are we poisoned?”
“No, Puku consumed the remnants. The grave would have already overtaken you. For safety’s sake, let’s dispose of tomorrow's leftovers. Khatool, will you coax your friend to pierce a drum for me?”
“May Sora guide my feet.”
Darting toward the lagoon, the devious one slithered into the brush. Stroking the demon worm to release the skull cap, she channeled half of the toxin into an inconspicuous container.
If ever she found cause for prayer, this time outweighed the rest of them.
“Let my paws cling steady, so I do not spill any on myself.”
With a breath of relief, she squeezed the supernatural, legless creeper, causing the miniature horror to grip the vile tight. Shrouded, she waited long enough to avert any suspicion.
“Here you go, Shawmow.”
“Perfect, you drained enough for me to make the counteractant. Thank the Throne, Bob did not witness this incident. Regret would no doubt seize.”
The walking, talking miracle handed Puku a tempered bottle of luminous yellow liquid affixed with the Terradon Goddess Symbol.
“Is this the Chimeragor Venom Antidote, Shawmaow?”
“Yes, I distilled the deadly fluid with vivical bloom and dragon’s bell powder. Please dip a nebula charm in the remedy and wear the pendant next to your skin, so you will develop an immunity!”
“Your life radiates the miraculous, Shawmaow. Impossible is a word of resignation Mandragora toss around. To exist in our struggles takes no effort compared to discovering the ability to alter them. Unlike us, you never faced a hopeless circumstance. The unattainable dares you. An insurmountable task ignites your potential to mold life.”
With closed eyes, Shawmaow gazed into her distant past.
“My mommeo said, ‘the barriers we encounter occur for a reason, to give us the prospect of victory. They hinder anyone who doesn’t seek to triumph with her whole heart.’ The passion inside me burns brighter, so I may hurdle through life.”
“So, must I beg, Shawmaow?”
“No, Hi Gami fashioned these on his anvil from the core of a meteor propelled through the Cat’s Eye Nebula. Look at the luminous cloud,” pointing to the Southern skyline, “in the constellation of Draco.”
“Only seven charms remain.” Shawmaow took one from her pouch.
“In less than one week, your constitution will strengthen enough to absorb the poison without harm.”
Minutes away, the thunder clouds funneled, cold, grey, and empty. Like a ghost, the Chimeragor faded at their sight, unobserved, laying claim to the night. A vague air of impending doom filled the sky.
From the North, a faint, glowing entity descended, imperceptible to the Mandragora. The foreign essence darted like a night flicker on steroids, commanded by the sky-bound barrage.
From out of nowhere, the throbbing stinger sack at the end of the Chimeragor’s tail pulsated with a sanguine light and struck. His target dropped, disturbing a brittle leaf on impact. After the apparition’s core dimmed for the last time, the night air absorbed the thunderhead like a sponge.
30
DREDGING UP THE PAST
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At Rachel’s house
The children’s animated chatter from the roof reassured the detective before she knocked.
From behind the unlatched door, Rachel revealed her downcast face. Strewn with clothes and toys, the living room confirmed the distraught wife’s mood.
“The frenzy of activity on your upper deck intrigues me. Does all their preoccupation distract them from their sorrow?”
“Sort of, they’re playing with Janus’s telescope. The little one believes she can find him by using his prize possession. In her simple logic, ‘if no one can locate him on Earth,’ pointing to the heavens, Rachel stepped into her daughter’s shoes, ‘where else?’ My daughter inherited her father’s uncanny instincts. But enough about the children, should I dread or seek hope in your words, detective?”
“Well, I investigated his old cases to determine if his enemies might involve themselves. How ironic! Everyone one he investigates drops off the map.”
“A dredge brought up a fugitive’s skeleton near a storage building where Janus indicated he lost her. The Bureau wanted her for a string of serial killings. Before your marriage, this notorious executioner captured your husband and his now-deceased old friend, Malcolm. The forensics lab matched the DNA from the remains to fourteen other crime scenes today. Malcolm’s testimony indicates his partner witnessed her flee from the scene.”
“The statement and the evidence disagree. First, we discovered Gabrielle La Borg’s bones at the end of the same pier the perpetrator escaped from. Second, the forensic team guessed a slug blew off half her head. The clues suggest our missing friend shot her and cleaned up. Any plausible deniability disappeared with him.”
Dismay subdued Rachel’s face.
“Such a damned incredible story. I reject any hostile conception about him. This is not a criminal’s house. Can a leopard change its spots?”
Unwilling to tell Rachel what she discovered, Daniella mirrored her skeptical body posture.
“No worries, I’m filing this case closed. Anyway, no jury in New Orleans would fault him for alleviating their fears. Moreover, the State of Louisiana would not complain about the fortune they would save in court costs and confinement. The recovery from hurricane Katrina put the city in debt.”
On the roof, Karyl confidently addressed her brothers.
“Check out the last place daddy searched, a nebula. The gaseous anomaly gazes back at me like the eyes of a cat.”
With a voice of certainty, “I found him.”
Across the street, shadowed in the shrubbery, a patient killer focused his binoculars.
31
MINDBOGGLING MISCHIEF
My mākutu had grown stronger under Pushiri’s tutelage, but still felt unnatural to me. The sight of my quarry caused my heart to race. Oblivious to my presence, they basked in the moonlight. Bursting from my concealment, I lunged in front of them and growled.
Both giggled.
“Should we run for our lives, Mandagral?”
“Despite you’re appeal to my hungry eyes, young newneyow, no.” If I realized anything at all about mākutu, one aspect mattered to me. Although other forms exist, I favored perceptive reasoning,
and informed speculation.
How about a lick to taste you, my delectable Minkku?” Without giving her a chance to answer, I smoothed the fur of her cheek with my tongue. “And this mischievous faced feline must be your sister, Bushi.”
“Very clever, Mandagral. Not unlike your obvious intuition, our instinct drives us, Mandagral.”
Without concern for the time, we shared our hopes, dreams, and expectations for the new village. They listened and observed my body language, intent on understanding me. At one point, Minkku ended the conversation.
“Give us a chance, Mandagral and we will unfold before you more spectacular than you imagine. As for me, I cherish my magical home with its enchanting creatures. The vast scenery fills me with an inner peace. Who would not embrace our planet’s simple pleasures? Indeed, I dwell in a world of dreams.”
While Minkku gazed into the distance with longing, Bushi’s wild, dominating, yet simultaneously submissive posture captivated me.
“Quiet One, you remind me of Katnis of Leopardmura, such a driven soul, determined to ascend above your ordinary existence.”
“My silence hides the jealously that overcame me when word reached my ears of the way you dominated her. Grant me the same thrill. Not now though, surprise me and I will put up a greater struggle, fitting of your attention.”
“Understood.”
“In the meantime, I enjoy a bit of harmless disruption, Mandagral.” With her right eyebrow raised, she drew a line in the sand.
“Are you in or out?”
“So, you challenge me to discover If I’m worthy of your friendship. Do not doubt, I will care for you, unburdened. Please, in return, vow endless, hair-raising mischief with me.”
Raising her paw beside her head, her face beamed.
“With ever cunning fiber of my body, I promise mischievousness. Let’s be cohorts, you, and I. Now, come with me.”
Minutes later, we hid in a well-positioned leafy tree overhanging the trail. My partner in crime held out a small croaking amphibian, dipped in juice.
“Do you recall what likes dribbits almost as much as trulu berries, Mandagral?”
“No, Maow did not teach me zoology.”
“Well, the correct answer is, every feathered creature nesting in these trees.”
“You wouldn’t?”
“Oh, wouldn’t I?”
Later, as she expected, Bob ambled down the trial beneath us. Clamping my paws over my face, I tried with all my might not to make a sound.
Like an angler without a line, she dropped the squirming creature on his plated tail, unnoticed.
When the oblivious chimeragor wandered further into the village, a flurry of wings whirled closer with each pass. His futile ducks and dodges around the cooking fire entertained his onlookers. To his relief, one of the birds snatched the delectable snack. The unsympathetic crowd laughed so hard they split the seams of their meager attire. To avoid detection, Bushi and I rushed into the forest and burst in amusement for twenty minutes.
32
MEWMEW
With Bob none-the-wiser, our band of leopards headed southeast around Lake Tranquil toward Tigramura. The moon light reflected off the surface of the shimmering water like a million glittering sapphires.
Breezia, trilacs and cardenia perfumed the cool night breeze.
“This is what I told you about, Mandagral. The landscape is wonderful!”
“To call Terradon Prime home would please me, Minkku. Trying to discover a forgotten past tortures me. I cannot imagine living anywhere else.”
Pushiri’s thoughts raced. “This task of mine, to guide him from one life to the next and back again, reminds me of washing the dust from my paws. The next trail I take makes the bath an exercise in futility, even on a pleasant day.”
“Life is a remedy we take one day at a time, Mandagral. Who, well, besides me, knows what tomorrow might bring? We will not spend the day at our next way point, where Mewmew and Moonai will join us.”
“Wow, so many names now, Pushiri, I hope I can keep them straight.”
At the meadow near our destination, Shawmaow started off, targeting Bob. With a leap into the air, he batted with his multipurpose tail toward the challenging team. A sweet little cub, Giata, sprang to intercept the soft sphere. She tossed the leafy knot, mid-air, to Mewmew, who hurled the round toy to Necko, catching her off-guard. Her awkward toss plopped on the ground. In a valiant effort, Khatool slid to a stop two inches short her prize, chuckling at the mishap.
Near the end of the game, Mewmew slipped up next to Necko, giving her an affectionate side-rub. “Let’s be friends.”
Necko raised an eyebrow.
“How about we cross our tales along the way to Abramura, Necko?”
Inside, Necko’s self-restraint kept her from reacting. Instead, she flashed an unamused smile.
“You’re an intelligent feline, Necko. Without a doubt, taking charge would pose no problem for you.”
The shy feline’s defenses relaxed.
“Thank you. Honestly, I’m glad my seriousness doesn’t daunt your fun-loving introduction. Such a refreshing, cub-like view of life as yours relaxes me. Now, I prefer your playfulness over the Mandagral’s understanding.”
“Opposites, like he and I, baffle my reason, Necko. If I released a cave full of monsters by accident, I’m sure he would comfort me to do better next time.”
Necko laughed at Mewmew.
“Come here, Mandagral. Meet my rib-tickling friend.” Mewmew crossed her arms.
“Focus your superior perception on me, Mandagral. The experience will thrill me.”
Massaging my chin, I studied every aspect of her and recalled interaction with Necko.
“All right, Mewmew, first, you speak to yourself so you can empty your head, which brims with ideas. Let the Mandragora live their own lives, yes, you would. Furthermore, you want the same respect. Even so, helpful criticism sickens you. Most of all, you hate making quick decisions.”
“Public knowledge, try harder, Mandagral.”
Hiding my grin with my paw, I giggled to myself.
“Do not blame me if you cannot own the truth. A rare group Mandragora involuntarily change their hair with their mood like a drameleon lizard. Despite your mindfulness, you made an incredibly senseless blunder with a friend. On one of her moody days, you ignored the color of her hair.”
Astonishment froze Mewmew’s face. “My transgression occurred years ago. In secret, she swore her silence on the pain of death. Now, the incident occupies a nameless grave.”
“Do not fear, the details of your foul up will remain buried.” Containing my laughter never took so much effort because I never perceived what happened. An out-spoken, interactive personality like hers, and the type of Mandragora she preferred to befriend, spurred my insight.
My provocative playmate rubbed up to me with a seductive, drawn-out meow.
“So, this is what happens when an unstoppable force like me encounters and immovable object like you. Indeed, you unearthed my secret thoughts and keep them safe. Perhaps, I might let you probe my mind later.”
“Oh, my goddess, Mewmew, mights infest your hair.”
“Where, Moonai? No itches raid my fur.”
With a dead-pan delivery, Moonai assumed a relaxed posture. “You might cross tails with Necko. Hmm, you might raise your
favorite appendage for the Mandagral. Or you might wrap all your fluff around your chores someday.”
Pausing for affect, “Perchance, you might come here and let me brush your hair for mites.”
“Dang, Moonai, I’m trying to imagine you with a sense of humor, because this isn’t funny.”
“So why is everyone laughing, Mewmew?”
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