Finding Monsters (22 page)

“She tried to escape,” Saal mumbled like a scolded child.

Paloma removed the bandage from Missy’s neck and e
x
amined the wound. “She has a lot of the venom in her system.” She rose to find something she needed. Missy’s fear continued to raise, her breathing beco
m
ing shallow and labored.

“Stay calm, she’s going to help you,” Saal told her. Paloma returned with crushed plants in a jar. She a
p
plied some of the herbs to Missy’s neck and re-bandaged the wound. Paloma then pulled another herb from the pot and held it to Missy’s lips.

“This needs to go under your tongue. It will help flush the poison out of your system.”

Missy’s gaze shifted from her face to Saal’s.
Saal gathered the girl into his arms and held her head up. He helped open her mouth as Paloma worked to get the herb into place. Missy felt nothing and couldn’t stop the juices the herbs produced from dripping from her mouth. Saal lightly stroked her throat to i
n
duce swallowing. With the medicine gone, Paloma added anot
h
er herb under her tongue. This one produced a tingle in her mouth. Missy inhaled sharply and gasped for air. This time the air produced a sound. When tears of frustration rolled down her cheeks,
they also produced
shudd
ering
erratic sobs. It took several m
i
nutes before the crying subsided.

“Give me some time with the human,” Saal said.

Kell ushered everyone from the home. Dozer was partic
u
larly reluctant to leave Missy but Kell forced him out as well. When they were alone, Saal turned back to her.

“You will stay here with my sister. She will take care of you until you are well.”

“And you?” Missy croaked.

“I have to go see Anukhan, the bull will come with me.”

“No, please don’t,” she whispered.

“You saved us back in reptile country, and for that I am grateful.” He said, “I will try to keep you from Anukhan for as long as possible.” She didn’t respond.

“Why are you here, child? Why did you come to this world? You could have lived a normal life in the human realm, free from the dangers encountered here,” Saal said.

Missy’s harsh laugh burned in her throat. She tried to read Saal’s expression, dread or guilt or maybe even pain. He seemed different, not like the threat she’d heard the jackals to be. Missy sighed once then began her story.

“I was dying in my world. I’d been sick all my life. The disease, the cancer, would have eventually killed me. My mo
n
ster, Charlie, would call to me; we would talk sometimes. A few days before my body would shut down completely, he beckoned me to him. I used the last of my strength to get out of bed and when I looked under it, I saw his hand coming from a beautiful shimmering blue light. I reached for him and when our hands touched, I was transformed. We became butterflies. Without the constant pain, we spend the day flying, playing and laughing. The next day, after much discussion, we became humans,” Missy’s eyes welled with tears. Saal wiped away the ones that e
s
caped.

“Your monster weakened himself, he probably wouldn’t have enough energy to get home,” Saal su
r
mised.

“Yes that’s right but he said he wanted to do it, for me. As humans, we ran, played, danced. I guess I died the next day, or was in an unconscious state, I don’t know. Charlie told me he waited for my human body to be buried, before he carried my butterfly self to a large tulip. He was dying too. In the end, his pa
r
ents found him and brought him back to this world. They got a surprise two instead of one. He was so weak, they feared for his life. They kept me in sleep until he recovered then Cha
r
lie came to awaken me.”

“He had no idea he linked to you, did he?” Saal asked.

“No, he didn’t know. One night after I’d recovered suff
i
ciently, his mother told me everything. That’s when I decided to go through the quest to become a monster. I didn’t want Cha
r
lie to be weak or sickly as I had been. So here I am,” she co
n
cluded. Saal looked away, his head low.

“I’m sorry I brought you here,” he said as he stood and started to pace, agitated and restless. Missy could tell he had a plan. “I’ll just tell Anukhan you escaped or something. He doesn’t have to know you’re here, and once Paloma has healed you, we can get you back home,” Saal said mostly to himself.

“Won’t he punish you for it?” Missy feared for him now.

“I’ll be fine,” he said, rushing back to her side. “Listen carefully, do everything Paloma tells you and you should heal quickly. I’ll visit every couple of days to check on you. Do not try to escape on your own! I will get you out.” He pulled her to his chest and rocked her for several minutes before he lay her back down. He fluffed the pillows and tucked the fur skins around her before he rushed out the door.

T
he structure Saal led Dozer to resembled an old medi
e
val castle. Guards stood sentinel at the drawbridge. They lo
w
ered it when they caught sight of Saal and his captive. Dozer’s arms were bound behind him with Kell keeping his weapon aimed at the huge bull’s back. The guards saluted as Saal e
n
tered. He simply nodded and kept going. He knew Anukhan would be in his temple with the peculiar machine. They fo
l
lowed the corridors around and down until they came to anot
h
er guarded door. Saal snarled as the guards took their time opening it, raising his hackles as anger ri
p
pled through his tense muscles. Kell stepped in and backed the guards away with his own warning display. Saal pushed through the door and us
h
ered Dozer inside and down the stone steps. Anukhan waited p
a
tiently inside.

“Well done, Saal. I see you have brought me a fine spec
i
men. He will serve my purposes well,” Anu
k
han said as he came forward and greeted Saal.

Saal said nothing as he acknowledged his leader and placed Dozer in the clear cylinder prison the device would b
e
come to him. He secured the lock and stepped away as Dozer pounded on the walls and snarled trying to break free. The walls held against the massive attack the bull unleashed. An
u
khan smiled.

“Yes, he will be useful for some time. So where is the h
u
man?” he asked.

Saal couldn’t hide his expression fast enough. He had not said anything regarding the human, how? Anukhan read his face.

“Oh yes, I know you captured the human as well. I have many eyes and ears everywhere. You were not trying to keep her from me, were you?”

“No, Anukhan, the human suffered injury while traveling through reptile territory. Once the human is well, I will bring her to you, Sir.” Saal didn’t make eye contact as he spoke.

“Very well,” Anukhan said, clearly reading Saal’s hesitance about the human. “You’re dismissed. Well done, Saal,” he added.

Saal set out to visit Missy a few days later. When he e
n
tered the house, he found her sitting on her own on the be
d
ding. She smiled when she caught sight of him.

“I see the paralysis is decreasing,” he noted.

“Arms and upper torso. Legs are still not moving,” she commented.

“It will take time, human,” he said.

“By the way, my name is Missy,” she told him.

“It is much more enjoyable to simple refer to you by your species,” Saal said, a smile twitching at his lips. Missy rolled her eyes as Paloma came over.

“Missy is doing well. She should have full feeling in a few days.” She glanced nervously at Missy then back to Saal before she continued. “The next phase may not go as well,” she fi
n
ished.

Missy caught the exchange. “What? What comes after the paralysis?” she asked.

“Normally, if you escape the snake and manage to stay hidden during the paralysis, they find you in the next phase. The venom puts the animal in a sort of withdrawal state and induces pain from lack of venom. Usually the cries of the animal lead the snake back to its prey,” Saal explained.

“How painful is it?” Missy asked.

“Not something I would wish on anyone. Grown jackals howl in agony for days until the effects wear off.”

Missy nodded and took in the new information. “And the little wonder leaf, will it help?”

“Not much,” he said.

“Ok, anything after that?” Missy asked.

“That’s about it,” Saal said watching her face. She smiled and accepted fruit from Paloma, un-phased by the news.

“Come. You need fresh air,” Saal said as he lifted her from the floor and walked out into the warm su
n
shine. He carried her to the little creek that ran near the house. Jackal cubs played in the water and splashed about. Saal set Missy on a large stump then sat beside her. They watched as the young ones tried to catch fish with their teeth. They were quite young and didn’t have the hang of it yet.

“Maybe you should give them some pointers,” Missy said.

“Ump,” he said as he stood then transformed into a full jackal. He jumped into the water and howled at the cubs. Their ears perked up in attention as he demonstrated the correct way to catch the fish from the rushing waters. After the demonstr
a
tion, the young ones, tried again. They didn’t catch fish but they were getting closer. Saal shook the water from his fur before he transformed. He sat back on the stump a little damp but tho
r
oughly satisfied with himself.

“They’ve got the hang of it now,” he said.

“When are they able to transform like you?” she asked.

“After they reach adolescence,” he said. They sat watching for a long quiet moment before he spoke again. “Anukhan knows you’re here.” He didn’t look at her as he spoke but kept his eyes trained on the cubs. “He apparently has spies ever
y
where. We should be careful when we speak.”

“You never know who is listening,” a voice behind them finished. It was Kell. Saal growled and bristled as he rose and confronted the other jackal.

“Calm yourself, Saal, you have more to worry about than me,” Kell said, ignoring his friend’s heated stance. He walked over to Missy and examined her broken leg. The splints had been replaced and neatly re-bandaged. He probed near the breaks and seemed satisfied with the progress. “She is mending well. P
a
loma is a very good healer.”

“What are you doing here, Kell?” Saal snapped.

“Aside from spying on you and the human,” Kell began with a smile curling his lips. “I live here, r
e
member. And, I came to warn you. Anukhan is eager to have the human; he will not wait for long. If you do not present her as soon as she’s well, he will send someone else, less involved to do it. Others are watc
h
ing you too,” Kell said. He rose from before Missy and walked over to Saal leaning in to whisper, “I know what you are pla
n
ning. He won’t let her get away. Watch yourself, Saal.” He turned and left the two of them there as he made for the house. Kell glanced back at them once more before he went inside.

“I must go,” Saal said after a several minutes. He wor
d
lessly carried Missy back to the house and left her on her cus
h
ions. “I’ll return in a few days.”

“Won’t others get suspicious?” Missy asked.

“No, I am following a routine, checking on your progress. It will seem normal,” he said. Saal spoke to his sister briefly b
e
fore he left with Kell.

When Saal returned days later, Missy had been moved outside to sit on a blanket with the cubs ru
n
ning around her. They jumped into her lap then stalked each other. Saal noticed she had full use of her legs. Even the splints were gone. He went over and sat beside her, shooing two of the cubs out of his way. They jumped into Missy’s lap and growled at him. Missy picked up the cubs and kissed them.

“Oh, he’s harmless,” she told them.

“You are becoming quite the den mother,” Saal teased.

“It is easy to do here,” she laughed.

“How’s the leg?” he asked.

“Stiff but moving. I don’t know what Paloma is giving me, but it is working wonders,” Missy said.

“Paloma thinks phase two will start sometime t
o
night. The venom is completely gone from your system,” Saal said. “I thought I should be here.”

Missy looked puzzled. “Why should you be here, Saal. There’s nothing you can do to make it any be
t
ter.”