Chapter Two

It had been three days of steady walking through that blasted field of endless grass with the fires of hell beating down upon him. Jay had wondered if there was a time differential between this world and his own, but there was no way to know. He only hoped his two best friends and close family did not grieve too long when he was discovered missing. They all cared and would no doubt be distraught for some time, but all of his close relations were tough and would continue moving forward.

At long last, Jay finally spotted what looked to be a forest in the distance. His previous experience with forests told him to avoid at all costs, however practicality won out, as trees meant more water, of which he was now in dire need. Three days with no food or water had left him in a sorry state. The fact he smelled like several week old forgotten meatloaf wasn’t helping his mood either. With nowhere else to go, he entered the tree line.

The change was almost immediate. The towering trees held an immense canopy, blocking most sunlight just a few short steps into their domain. Despite the sudden itch that he was being watched by many hidden eyes, Jay continued deeper and deeper into the forest. He felt no animosity but the silence surrounding him was enough to make him nervous. Even among the grass fields there had been sounds of life. Bugs, snakes and birds, among many other things, all made those fields home. There were none of those sounds in this wood. Jay pressed on despite his misgivings.

He made his way forward as the day slowly melted away. He had yet to come across even a trickle of water as the light slowly faded from sight and with a groan, he hoisted himself up on a low hanging branch before shimmying upward towards the middle of his chosen tree. He would sleep cradled in its branches tonight, hopefully avoiding whatever creatures prowled below when dusk finally set.

The forest came alive at night. The eyes he had felt watching him all day had dispersed, and were replaced by a sense of hunger that permeated the air. Jay was sprawled out in a crook of three intertwining branches dozing when the first calls of the night began. He did not get much sleep that night. Below and all around him, the sounds of large creatures crashing through the underbrush, growling and fighting saturated the previously silent forest. Jay huddled within his crook, refusing to look should the denizens of the night spot him. He was afraid of very few things, but self-preservation dictated he cower and hope to go unnoticed this night.

It was the longest night he ever endured.

When the sun finally peaked above the horizon, Jay was mentally and physically spent. The night had drained away the last of his reserves of strength, yet he still managed to climb down from his perch before slumping against the base of the tree where he fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

He woke several hours later to stomach pains and a mouth of cotton. His lips had long since chapped and started cracking. His brief respite had ever so slightly renewed his mental fortitude as he slowly stood, working out his sore muscles which screamed at the abuse of sleeping on hard packed ground. He once again began his trek east, as he had marked the direction he had been heading with an arrow before night had fully set in.

It had been slightly after midday when he awoke, and after an additional two hours of skirting trees and bushes, something more than the eyes that peered unseen had taken notice of the human that slowly moved through the forest. Jay felt the hunger before he saw the beast. He had stumbled into a small clearing when a sudden impending sense of doom washed over him. Jay ducked and leapt forward instinctively, narrowly avoiding a paw as big as his chest, with claws longer than his forearm, which swept through the space he had previously occupied.

He rolled to his feet facing the direction of his assailant to find a beast the size of a small truck circling him. Its thick fur was blacker than night and rippled with energy, as powerful muscles moved beneath the skin. Jay should have been afraid, but instead was awestruck by the primal beauty of what looked to him like a massive panther. Warily, both combatants circled the other. Jay kept one eye on the edge of the clearing, looking for an escape. There were none. He knew the beast would catch him long before he could scramble high enough among the trees, none of which had enough low branches to speed his ascent. A grim look settled on his face as the dire circumstances sunk in. He would die here and become food for some beast an entire world away from home. Whomever, or whatever, brought him here was a real fucking prick.

Jay crouched down, his eyes never leaving the beast, picking up a nearby stone the size of his palm. If he was going to die, he certainly wasn’t going to make it easy. Armed as feebly as he was, he felt ready. The would-be panther felt the same as muscles bunched. It sprung toward him, covering the feet between them in a single leap, claws intent on ripping this small morsel apart to drag back to its den.

Jay dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the mass of the beast as it barreled past him. Jay jumped forward, slamming his makeshift weapon into the nose of the panther, causing it to flinch back as pain lanced across its face. Jay launched himself atop the towering creature and began hammering at its skull, face, and eyes with the sharpest point of the stone he could find. The beast screeched in protest. This small prey had suddenly become much more than it was worth as the animal floundered and bucked, attempting to dislodge the thing mounted atop its majestic back.

Jay held on for his life, squeezing the sides of this massive predator with his legs and gripping the fur of its neck with his free hand, as he slammed the stone down again and again onto the head of the beast. After what seemed like hours, yet was only several seconds, Jay once more struck the animal on the head. This time the beast tumbled forward, as the impact stunned the creature into brief unconsciousness. Jay was flung off as the panther unexpectedly toppled over. The beast slowly heaved to its feet, shaking its head, spraying the area with its blood as it stumbled slightly, growling all the while.

Jay was crouched nearby, at the ready should it move to attack again. He wasn’t sure if he would survive another attack. He had been immensely lucky to have survived this long after pulling such an idiotic stunt. His body was still on its adrenaline high, as he slowly stalked to the rear of the beast. It looked as though it had received enough abuse however, as it attempted to escape back into the trees with a severe limp in its step. The tumble had broken its front right limb, ripping out one of its retractable claws before snapping the bone in half.

Jay noticed the glint of the dark claw on the ground and scooped it up as he trailed a few feet behind the hulking animal. The hunter had become the hunted, and Jay was a very, very hungry predator. He had acquired a feral glint in his eye as an equally feral smile stretched across his face, lips bleeding from cracks as he smiled. He was weak, hungry and thirsty, and here was the first meal he could catch in several days. He stalked his prey as it slowly made its way through the forest, the blood and sounds it made as it passed through the underbrush made for easy tracking as he crept along at a safe distance. Jay knew he had not inflicted enough damage to kill the beast outright, but the broken limb tipped the balance greatly in his favor.

They trudged through the forest for an hour, man stalking beast, before the animal slipped into a large, inconspicuous crevice between a few boulders. Jay knew better than to follow an animal into its lair. That would be akin to asking for death. Instead, he lay down in the dirt surrounding the hidden cave. Removing his t-shirt, he rubbed the dirt into his body, masking as much of his scent as he could before finding a good vantage point from which to watch the entrance.

As the sun began slipping lower in the sky, his patience eventually won out, as the panther limped back out of the cave, before collapsing a short distance away. Jay watched cautiously as it struggled back to its feet. He could not possibly fathom having inflicted enough damage to the beast to cause this current state. As the creature limped its way back into the forest, Jay followed once more at a short distance.

It was not long before they arrived at a nearby stream. Jay nearly groaned with delight. Finally, something had gone right. The panther had stopped to quench its thirst, lapping up the shallow water that flowed gently past. Jay used this opportunity to silently approach from the side where he struck quickly at the unaware creature. Holding the claw tightly in his hand as he would a knife or dagger, he quickly slid the point into the beast’s jugular and ripped it across, severing its major arteries before leaping out of range again of deadly teeth and claws.

The beast slumped after a brief attempt of retribution, the life draining from its body stained the ground, causing the stream to run red. Jay watched from a safe distance, the ice blue eyes of the beast met his own dark hazel as the light behind them dimmed. They spoke not of anger but of sadness before the light was slowly snuffed out of existence.

Jay looked down at his blood stained hands. He figured he should feel something but all he felt was relief. He now had food and water to last him a few days while he planned his next move. The cave would become his own lair, a safe haven until he had built up his strength again and scouted the area. With these thoughts in mind, he drank deeply of the now pure stream of water before setting to the task of skinning the beast and preparing the meat in large chunks.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Daphenious had kept a close watch on Shira’s new mortal toy. When his younger sister took interest in a man, it was his duty as the older brother to keep tabs on them, whether they be immortal, mortal or otherwise. He had thought the man was to meet his older brother for sure when the Drenz had attacked, and was glad Shira had been occupied during the encounter, otherwise she might have done something rash to protect the mortal. The whole event was immensely stressful for Daphenious but he was even more shocked when the mortal had not only fought off the beast at least twice his size with nothing but a rock, but then proceeded to stalk and kill the animal after the fact.

It was an amazing feat for any mortal. Most men would piss themselves in fright at the mere sight of a Drenz a few times their size, yet this one had not even batted an eye at the fact that he could have died. He simply accepted it as a likelihood and then did everything he could to deny his brother his due. He could see why Shira would hold interest in such a man, even if he was a mortal. Daphenious was the god of interesting things; alcohol, women, partying and general debauchery were his usual staples, similar to the other world’s Dionysus. However, this human qualified under the category of ‘interesting things’. Shira, the goddess of knowledge, justice and protection had started a very interesting event, and he wouldn’t miss a second of it.