CHAPTER 34: MAJESTIC FISH
The sunrise turns the sky orange on this cool autumn morning. I'm sitting next to Mane on top of a stump, observing the lake in silence with him, half asleep.
“That’s a big one,” I point into the water while yawning.
“Yeah, but I’ve caught bigger,” he retorts.
I look over at him, who is observing the still water peacefully.
“I understand why you come here. It’s really relaxing. You should invite the others next time.”
“They don’t want to come down here,” he shoots back.
“Maybe it’s because you’re so hostile. You’re not a very welcoming person.”
“This is who I am, if they won’t accept me, I don’t care,” he replies.
“But the person you are isn’t very…accepting. All you want to do is isolate yourself. Is that how you want to live the rest of your life?”
“I don’t need someone to tell me how to run my life. Okay?”
“Okay, I’m sorry.”
We both shift back to the lake and admire its calmness, listening to the smooth sound of water pouring from a miniature waterfall. The sweet chirping from birds in the background complements this peaceful getaway.
“Seriously, what’s your worst fear?” I ask him.
“I fear nothing,” he replies with total confidence.
“You’re so full of it.”
“Why, because I’m not walking around with my tail tucked in like you?”
“No. I know you fear something. Everyone fears something.”
“I don’t,” he replies.
I suck my teeth and roll my eyes by his stubbornness.
“You know what, it’s my turn,” he tells me.
“Your turn for what?” I reply.
“It’s my turn to ask a question.”
“Okay, go ahead.”
I know he’s about to ask something really personal because he seems way too hesitant to ask.
“So, what happened to your father?” he asks me.
I sigh at Mane’s question.
“He left. He and my mom had problems and he decided to leave. I remember it like it was yesterday. I can hear my mom begging for him to stay. I saw him leave the house and get into a car with one of our old neighbors. I never saw them again. I didn’t understand then, but as I got older, I realized he chose another woman over the both of us. I don’t understand why he would leave me,” I continue with a burning throat. “I loved him so much. I hoped that someday he would come back to us. I had dreams he did, but it never happened.”
Mane shakes his head out of pity.
“Don’t feel bad. He’s cold-heart for that. It appears both of our fathers died while we were young. The only difference is your father is still alive, that’s all. He’s not worth thinking about.”
I smile warmly at his remark.
“You’re right.”
As I continue to search for new fish to learn about, I notice this bright orange one swimming pass us. It almost resembles a large goldfish. It has two miniature fins that look like wings. I stand up and gape at it.
“Wow, what kind of fish was that?” I ask him.
Mane stands up and watches it cruise through the tranquil water.
“That’s strange. It was a koi-fish. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen one of those around here.”
“It was so beautiful.”
Although it’s far gone, we continue to stare down the lake together.
“Well, it’s far gone now,” I say disappointingly.
I lower back onto the stump and continue to stare down the lake. Then I look up at the sky and yawn.
“I can’t believe it’s morning already,” I speak up to the orange clouds.
I shift my eyes down at Mane again, who is still gazing down the stream. He seems to be in defense mode. His senses are a lot stronger than mines, so maybe he heard something in the distance that could spell danger.
“Mane, are you okay?” I follow his gaze but see nothing unusual.
I swallow hard and stand slowly to my feet.
“Wait here,” he orders me firmly.
“What’s going on…?”
Before I’m able to finish he takes off running.
My heart rate starts to incline as I watch him shrink smaller and smaller in the distance. I wait, impatiently, for him to return. I look around at my surroundings with fearful eyes, feeling completely vulnerable.
“Don’t leave me alone,” I say under my breath as I gaze into the darken wilderness.
All of a sudden, this peaceful getaway seems like another horror scene waiting to happen. It’s amazing how quick fear can change someone’s perception of their environment. Below my feet, I spot a rock slightly bigger than my fist. I carefully squat down and pick it up. I then notice Mane charging back this way.
“What’s happening…?”
I stop speaking abruptly and gasp. The rock slips from my hand as I watch him come back with the metallic-orange fish in his mouth.
“Awwww. You didn’t have to do that.”
He steps closer to me and I kneel down with my hands cupped. He tilts his head then places the fish gently across my palms.
“Cool.”
I gaze at the creature in my hands and gently caress its lustrous metallic scales with my thumbs. For some odd reason, it looks a lot brighter out of the water.
“Whoa,” I utter as it wiggles.
I look into Manes eyes, which are no longer harsh.
“Well, you can’t keep it out for too long,” he notifies me.
“I understand,” I say as I marvel at its splendor one last time.
I rise to my feet carefully, walk over to the lake, kneel slowly onto the ground, emerge my hands into the water, and then I finally release my grasp. I stand and watch it glide peacefully down the stream. Mane walks up next to me and watches it vanish from our sight.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I tell him.
He looks up at me and then back at the stream.
“I know,” his words come out with subtlety.
Soon, my little fishing trip with Mane is over. Now, we are hiking back into the dimly lit forest. I hitch another ride on top of Courage’s back. Just as before, we’re trailing behind everyone.
“So, how did it go?” Courage asks me.
“He took me fishing, well, sort of,” I reply to him.
He chuckles mildly.
“At least he didn’t bite your head off.”
I laugh faintly at his joke. We arrive at the small clearing, where I can see Eric and Jessica fully dressed.
"What took you guys so long?" Eric says to us in a sarcastic way.
"Sorry, we don’t have wings, Aero,” Athena argues.
Mane picks up his backpack with his teeth and walks deep within the forest, leaving a trail of black hair behind him. Athena picks up a backpack and goes her own separate way into the woods.
"Try not to stare too much,” Courage says with a wink before he grabs his backpack and walks off.
The thin fur from his back begins to fall off, revealing his human flesh underneath. He emerges into the shadows. The faint morning light cast his silhouette. I watch as this shadow of a tiger gradually transitions into a human form.
"Stop spying on me!" Jason shouts from the darkness.
I laugh and turn my back towards him. A couple of minutes later, everyone emerges from the shadows, dressed in a new raggedy outfit. Together, we make it back to the house in little time. We enter through the back door with our feet dragging. Everyone marches upstairs, say goodnight to one another, and go into our separate rooms. Jason gives me another wink and says "Catch you later" before going into his room.
I’m tired, dead-tired, yet it’s still hard for me to fall asleep. My mind is still a little shocked about everything. But who wouldn’t be? It's hard to believe my life has changed so drastically in a couple of days. One day, I'm at college studying English courses, and the next, I’m running from a demonic werewolf.
As soon as I get a taste of normal, life throws me a curve-ball from hell that I totally did not expect. I can't help but wonder what else life has in-store for me...