this little expedition so we stopped.
“You ready?” She asked, as she got down off her horse. She produced a lantern from the back of Tommy’s cart and with a one -word incantation we had light.
“Cavemen would have loved you,” I told her as we followed her into the woods on the d aoods onright side of the path.
The sun had just about set when we finally got to where we were going.
“Help me,” I heard a weak voice utter.
“Who was that?” I asked looking around.
Azile strode a couple of paces further to a large iron cage , made with columns and cross sections as thick as a man’s leg.
“What the fuck you got in there , elephants?” I asked as I approached.
“Please help me, sir,” an ancient man asked. He was huddled in the far corner of the cage, shying away from Azile’s lantern.
“How did you know he was here?” I asked her.
“I put him there,” she replied calmly.
“He’s almost as old as I am, Azile. What the hell are you doing?” Then it dawned on me. “Oh…I get it. Old guy, probably has no family no one will miss him. I told you I AM NOT going to sustain from humans!” I was bellowing.
“Oh, he has plenty of family. When he grew too weak to keep up with them, they abandoned him. I found him.”
“And then stuck him in a cage? What happened to the Azile I knew?” I asked.
She went to the large lock. “If you can kill him,” she said, talking to the old man and then pointing at me, “I will set you free to roam the wilds as you please.”
“You speak the words of the Moon, Spirit Woman?” he asked her.
“I do.” She nodded.
What happened next is almost beyond description. As she removed the lock, the man began to transform. I don’t know if it was a trick of the light, but he seemed to double in size. Silver hair sprouted from every part of him. His mouth elongated, as did his arms, legs, hands, and more importantly, claws. A snarl pulled his lips back to reveal fangs a Saber-toothed tiger would have been proud to display. He stood on two legs but that was now the only thing he had in common with man. Tommy moved away, he grabbed Oggie who was barking wildly. The old man-slash-wolf-thing lunged at me, a backhand from its right hand/paw sent me sprawling, and I found myself sliding on a bed of wet leaves, moss, and broken branches.
“What the fuck?” I asked, trying to shake the cobwebs from my head. The thing was already in the air. I turned to my right and his claw cut a swath in the forest floor. The same leaves I had taken a joy ride on most likely saved my life as the beast slid away from me, giving me time to regroup.
It wasn’t long – not by any stretch of the imagination – but at least I was able to get up on my own two feet. I was aware of the penetrating stare Azile was giving me and the look of hope and sadness on Tommy’s face; he was fighting savagely trying to keep Oggie out of this fray, I sincerely hoped he succeeded.
I ducked as a massive paw swiped above my head, pain flared from my crown as at least one claw had found purchase, blood began to flow freely from the wound. As it encircled my face. I must have looked savage as I flashed my canines. The Yeti before me didn’t give a shit as he plunged in trying to get his snout wrapped around my neck, which wouldn’t hastaouldnve so much been a bite as it would have been a beheading. My arms corded as I tried to keep him at bay. His mouth was opening and snapping shut with a loud cracking sound. Drool puddled on my chest as I fought desperately and seemingly on the losing end to keep him away. I felt his hot nose press up against my carotid artery.
“Azile?” Tommy begged.
She did not reply. Her eyes burned fiercely at me, this I could tell as I craned my head trying to pull away. His arms had wrapped around me in a cruel embrace, the power that he used could have crushed a Yugo. Although, to be fair, they’re mostly made of tin cans. I was going to lose, of that I was sure; the animal
“You ready?” She asked, as she got down off her horse. She produced a lantern from the back of Tommy’s cart and with a one -word incantation we had light.
“Cavemen would have loved you,” I told her as we followed her into the woods on the d aoods onright side of the path.
The sun had just about set when we finally got to where we were going.
“Help me,” I heard a weak voice utter.
“Who was that?” I asked looking around.
Azile strode a couple of paces further to a large iron cage , made with columns and cross sections as thick as a man’s leg.
“What the fuck you got in there , elephants?” I asked as I approached.
“Please help me, sir,” an ancient man asked. He was huddled in the far corner of the cage, shying away from Azile’s lantern.
“How did you know he was here?” I asked her.
“I put him there,” she replied calmly.
“He’s almost as old as I am, Azile. What the hell are you doing?” Then it dawned on me. “Oh…I get it. Old guy, probably has no family no one will miss him. I told you I AM NOT going to sustain from humans!” I was bellowing.
“Oh, he has plenty of family. When he grew too weak to keep up with them, they abandoned him. I found him.”
“And then stuck him in a cage? What happened to the Azile I knew?” I asked.
She went to the large lock. “If you can kill him,” she said, talking to the old man and then pointing at me, “I will set you free to roam the wilds as you please.”
“You speak the words of the Moon, Spirit Woman?” he asked her.
“I do.” She nodded.
What happened next is almost beyond description. As she removed the lock, the man began to transform. I don’t know if it was a trick of the light, but he seemed to double in size. Silver hair sprouted from every part of him. His mouth elongated, as did his arms, legs, hands, and more importantly, claws. A snarl pulled his lips back to reveal fangs a Saber-toothed tiger would have been proud to display. He stood on two legs but that was now the only thing he had in common with man. Tommy moved away, he grabbed Oggie who was barking wildly. The old man-slash-wolf-thing lunged at me, a backhand from its right hand/paw sent me sprawling, and I found myself sliding on a bed of wet leaves, moss, and broken branches.
“What the fuck?” I asked, trying to shake the cobwebs from my head. The thing was already in the air. I turned to my right and his claw cut a swath in the forest floor. The same leaves I had taken a joy ride on most likely saved my life as the beast slid away from me, giving me time to regroup.
It wasn’t long – not by any stretch of the imagination – but at least I was able to get up on my own two feet. I was aware of the penetrating stare Azile was giving me and the look of hope and sadness on Tommy’s face; he was fighting savagely trying to keep Oggie out of this fray, I sincerely hoped he succeeded.
I ducked as a massive paw swiped above my head, pain flared from my crown as at least one claw had found purchase, blood began to flow freely from the wound. As it encircled my face. I must have looked savage as I flashed my canines. The Yeti before me didn’t give a shit as he plunged in trying to get his snout wrapped around my neck, which wouldn’t hastaouldnve so much been a bite as it would have been a beheading. My arms corded as I tried to keep him at bay. His mouth was opening and snapping shut with a loud cracking sound. Drool puddled on my chest as I fought desperately and seemingly on the losing end to keep him away. I felt his hot nose press up against my carotid artery.
“Azile?” Tommy begged.
She did not reply. Her eyes burned fiercely at me, this I could tell as I craned my head trying to pull away. His arms had wrapped around me in a cruel embrace, the power that he used could have crushed a Yugo. Although, to be fair, they’re mostly made of tin cans. I was going to lose, of that I was sure; the animal
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