by Tara Maya, Elle Casey, J L Bryan, Anthea Sharp, Jenna Elizabeth Johnson, Alexia Purdy (epub)
I walked over and sat down next to her, taking her hands in one of mine. I put my other hand into the earth next to me. "Thank them yourself."
I connected to the trees, allowing them to feel Becky's gratitude. She closed her eyes, tears coming out of the corners to track down her face one after the other. She smiled, though, and sighed with a happy tone. "Gosh this feels good."
Tony was looking at Becky with a funny expression on his face. "Becky, do you feel okay?"
She laughed. "Well, everything considered, I guess so. At least I'm alive."
"I'm asking because your eyes aren't as swollen as they were, like, five minutes ago."
She opened them, now actually able to expose both of her eyeballs. And they weren't bloody-looking anymore. "Hey, I can see you guys now." She smiled and turned her head back and forth. "And my face and neck don't hurt as much."
I could feel a vibration in our connection - an energy thrumming through my body, going from the trees, through me, to Becky.
"Guys, I think the trees are doing some kind of healing thing on the Beckster."
"Okay, stop now," said Becky, a little breathless, severing her connection to me by pulling her hands away. "Wow. That's some pretty powerful stuff." She put her hand up on her chest.
"What happened?" asked Tony.
"I don't know. The feeling got too intense. It started out as a fluttering, then grew into a humming and then the vibrations started getting, I don't know, more vibratie ... too vibratie. My heart is still racing."
"Vibratie? I'm pretty sure that's not a word," said Tony.
"It's the only way I can describe it. The vibrations were too vibratie."
I hadn't felt what she was talking about. The vibrations just hummed along quietly for me. But I was glad that she was able to heal at least a little. I had been afraid she wouldn't even be able to walk, and that would have caused us a ton of problems to add to our already mountain-sized pile.
I stood and brushed myself off. "So, what's it going to be? Going back to Becky's camp or getting to waypoint number three?"
"Becky, did you guys get to waypoint two yet?"
"Yes. We saw your flags on one and two, so we knew you were ahead of us."
"How did Jared take it?" I asked.
Tony shot me a dirty look.
"What?" I said, innocently.
Tony shook his head, saying nothing.
"He didn't say anything. Are you still hung up on him, Jayne?"
"Yeah, maybe. Can you blame me? There you are, getting your ass handed to you last night by a ... lightning boy or whatever, and Jared takes off to save his own ass. And I'm sure you noticed the old yellow flags already there on the waypoints - yellow, same as Jared's flags. Coincidence? I think not."
"I ran away, too," said Becky, softly, guilt lacing her voice.
"Yeah, but that's different. You hung around a while and tried to help, and you're half the size of Jared. He's a big enough guy. He should have stayed to help Chase and Spike ... and you too."
"No use arguing over it now," said Tony. "I think we should go back and check on the others. I wouldn't feel right just walking away, knowing they could be hurt like Becky was."
I sighed loudly. "I had a feeling you were going to say that. Fine, let's get going. Becky, can you walk? If not, we can leave you here. I'll ask our friends to watch out for you." I glanced up at the trees.
"No, I'll come. Like Tony said, I wouldn't feel right staying behind. But can I eat one of your crackers or something? I left my bag back there and I'm starving all of a sudden."
Tony dug out a package and handed it to her.
Becky scarfed the food down without even stopping for a breath.
"Wow, you really were hungry," he said, impressed.
"I know. I don't know why, though. I ate dinner last night, not that long ago."
"I'll bet it's the healing stuff. The trees probably sped up your metabolism or something," he suggested.
We nodded. It made sense.
"Come on, guys," I said, walking now. "We're burning daylight. Let's go."
***
Becky was able to lead us back to the spot where she had been pummeled by the boy-thing, as the fog lifted from her memory. The trees kept clearing a path ahead of us, helping Becky show the way.
As soon as we got there, we could see that something bad had happened. Becky walked over to where a bunch of plants and ivy had been trampled. "This is where Finn was." There were brown stains on the ground, but no Finn. "That's his blood," she said, starting to cry again.
"Well, he's not here, so that's a good sign," I said. Dead people didn't get up and walk away, even in the forest - or at least I hoped so. I ignored Becky's tears. We didn't have time to wallow in her pain right now. I was very nervous about being here at the scene of the crime. Whatever they had done to set that creature off might be something we were doing right now. I didn't want to face that thing, whatever it was, if we could help it. I liked my face the way it was.
"They're not here," I said, stating the obvious. "What next?"
Becky looked around, a forlorn expression on her face.
"Let's go to waypoint three," said Tony, the voice of reason. "I'm sure that's where they're headed. We'll meet up with them there or on our way to the last one."
"Fine. Let's go."
I walked off with Tony, the way we had come, but Becky stayed put. I went back to her, taking her by the hand. "Buck up, little camper, we'll find 'em."
"But what about Finn?" she said, staring down at the stained forest floor.
"I haven't given up on him yet, so you shouldn't either."
Becky looked up at me, tears in her eyes again. "Did the trees tell you something?"
"No, it's just a feeling I have."
I was glad she didn't ask for any explanation because I really didn't have one. It's not that I was totally bullshitting her, but whatever it was that was bothering me, giving me these feelings of doubt, was too deep in my subconscious to come to my thinking, rational brain right now. Something, something, something, was just not right about this whole thing, and I wasn't talking about the fact that we were in a totally bizarre forest with supernatural creatures trying to kill us. Something bigger than all of this was going on. I just didn't know exactly what it was. Yet.
Chapter Twenty-One
We reached the lake around midday. It was gorgeous. Sunbeams hit the surface of the water, intersecting with its still surface to create random patterns of diamond-like sparkles, flashing and twinkling in the light. The water's edge was ringed with a narrow shore and trees. On the far side stood the waypoint obelisk - this one topped with a silver point that shone brightly, reflecting the rays of the sun. We stood at the edge of the trees on the opposite side of the lake.
"Thar she blows," I said. "And when I say she blows, I mean, she blows. This whole thing blows. It blows the big honkis."
"What exactly is a honkis?" asked Becky, sounding a little more chipper now that we'd actually succeeded in reaching our nearest goal.
"A honkis, my little friend, Beckster of the Land of Tampa, is a penis - a dick ... a prick ... a schlong, a dong, a wanker ... a johnson, a trouser trout, a ... "
"Um, excuse me? Jayne?"
"Yes, Tony?" I asked innocently.
All I got was expectant bug-eyes in response.
"What? Does my penis talk bother you?"
Becky giggled and said, "Dong."
I couldn't help but laugh. "Dong? That's all you got is dong?"
Becky stuck her chin out. "No, I got more. How 'bout ... wiener."
I shook my head. "Pitiful. You and Tony are perfect for each other."
Becky looked over at Tony shyly, her face going red.
Tony pretended not to hear us, walking out of the trees towards the lake shore; but I saw the back of his neck going red too.
Hmmmm. Maybe when we were done fighting for our lives and getting our asses kicked by supernaturals, they could go to the movies or som
ething.
My matchmaking was suddenly interrupted by a howling coming from the trees on the other side of the lake. We all stopped walking towards the obelisk, and instead, carefully and slowly regrouped back at the edge of the woods.
I shook my head angrily. "Motherfucker! If it's not one thing, it's another. Did that sound like a wolf howl to you guys? Because it sounded like one to me." I was pissed. We just couldn't catch a break.
"Yeah," said Tony, quietly and intensely, "that definitely sounded like a wolf howl."
Becky just nodded her head up and down quickly, her eyes big and round and looking particularly gruesome with remnants of bruising around the edges. She looked like she had done a particularly bad job applying some goth makeup.
"And what are the chances that this wolf is a garden variety wolf? Anyone?" I looked at Becky and Tony for feedback.
"Not good," said Tony.
At least I could count on him to be honest, even if it wasn't really what I wanted to hear.
"Can the trees help us?" asked Becky, looking up.
"I don't see how," I said. They could communicate feelings to me and respond to my requests doing plant stuff with their branches and leaves, but as far as I knew that was the extent of their capabilities.
"We need to get to that waypoint," said Tony, frustrated.
"Let's just go, then. We'll keep our weapons out and our eyes open. Stick close to the trees.
"Shouldn't we stick close to the water?" asked Becky.
"Yeah, that way we have more room to maneuver, and we can see anything coming out at us from the trees," said Tony.
Any other time I would have agreed with them, but based on my newfound relationship with the green stuff in the forest, I was feeling much more secure being with them.
"I feel more comfortable with the trees; I can communicate with them." I looked out over the water. It seemed so beautiful and peaceful - just like this forest had looked on our first day in it. I continued, "Not to mention the fact that the Loch Ness Fucking Monster could be swimming around in that lake looking for its next meal."
Becky and Tony looked at the lake with new eyes. They both turned back to me, nodding reluctantly in agreement. If nothing else, this forest had made us a lot more open-minded about what could be. Never say never in the Green Forest.
"Let's go."
We took our weapons out and circled the lake, staying just inside the edge of the trees. We got halfway around before we encountered problems.
"Jaaayyyyne," said Becky nervously, her eyes on the lake to our right.
"What?"
Becky grabbed my arm. "There's something moving in the water."
I looked at the lake but saw nothing. "Where?"
"There," she said, pointing to the center, directly across from where we were standing.
A wolf howl split the silence around us. It came from inside the forest, just to our left, and it wasn't far away. We weren't quite surrounded yet, but we had only two directions left to choose from - forward and back.
"Jayne, it's close," said Tony.
A second howl pierced the air, this one of a different timbre.
"There's more than one!" said Becky, panic in her voice.
Then a chorus of howls split the air.
"There's a whole fucking pack! Get up in the trees," I urged.
I glanced towards the lake, second-guessing myself, wondering if we should go in that direction; but then I saw something just barely cutting through the surface of the water - a long trail of something, coming towards the shore, just next to where we were.
Trees, I need you. Help me and my friends get up in your branches. We need to go very high in one of the Ancients.
I decided that the old trees, the ones that had super big trunks, were going to be called the Ancients from now on. It just felt right. I didn't have much time to think about it, though. I was too busy trying not to get mauled by wolves or eaten by Loch Ness monsters.
The branches of a huge nearby tree leaned down.
"Grab onto the branch!" I yelled.
Becky and Tony obeyed at once, tucking their weapons into their clothes and taking hold of the tree's limb. We could hear something crashing through the forest, coming towards us. I shoved Blackie into my waistband.
Once we had grabbed hold, the tree lifted us up to the next branch.
"Get on!" I yelled, panic in my voice. At this distance above the ground, which was still too low, I could see gray and black shapes darting between trees deeper in the woods, coming in our direction. "Faster!"
Another branch lowered to meet us, and we all grabbed on desperately. We were lifted up again, now about twenty feet off the ground. I didn't know if it was going to be high enough.
More.
Another branch came down and we all climbed aboard. Becky didn't get a good grip though, and started to slip. She screamed.
"I'm falling!"
Tony grabbed her wrist and pulled her hard. She used the leverage to get a better grasp on the branch.
"Thanks," she said breathlessly, lifting herself up, once again secure.
Now that we were higher up, but still not so high that the view below was obscured by other branches and leaves, we could see what we were dealing with. A pack of wolves reached our tree and circled below.
But of course these weren't normal run-of-the-mill wolves. They were wolf-people. Wolves in as much as they had fur everywhere, wolfish looking heads, tails and big fucking teeth - people in that they stood on two legs and had hands - but with sharp claws on them. Werewolves. They were snarling and jumping up on the side of the tree, trying to grasp the lowest branch.
I had moved to the inside part of the branch so I was against the tree's trunk. I hugged it for all I was worth. Don't let the wolves in the trees, don't let the wolves in the trees; protect us, protect us, protect us.
"Jayne, what are you doing?!" Tony shouted in full freak-out mode.
"She's talking to the tree, dummy!" retorted Becky. "Give her some space!"
I opened my eyes in time to see Tony looking sheepish.
"I'm just asking it to keep the wolves out of the trees and to protect us," I explained. I didn't want Tony to feel bad. This was a lot to process, so I was totally cool with any one of us losing our minds.
"How's it going to keep the wolves out of the trees?" Tony asked, looking down.
One particularly persistent wolf was jumping up, over and over, trying to reach the lower branch. He was coming disturbingly close.
"I'm not sure; hopefully we won't have to find out."
No sooner had I said that, than the wolf succeeded in grabbing that friggin' branch, to the absolute jubilation of his pack mates who were now snarling and howling all at once. The wolf on the branch fixed us with a hungry look, saliva dripping out of the corners of his mouth as he flexed his biceps, slowly lifting himself up and hooking his arms over the branch.
"Jayyynnne!" moaned Becky, near hysteria.
I could tell that the wolf thought he had it in the bag, a savage smile curling up the edges of his mouth, when all of a sudden the tree next to ours swung one of its branches over and whacked the ever-loving shit out of that wolf, right on its stupid wolf head. The blow momentarily stunned him. He looked around not realizing where the assault had come from, naturally assuming it was from us. He roared his displeasure and doubled his efforts to re-establish his hold on the branch and continue his upward movement.
But my lovely trees had other ideas. Now two large branches from neighboring trees swung over, their wood protesting with groans and cracks that rang out through the forest. They were beating him about the head and shoulders, causing him to yelp and snarl in frustration. Then our tree shook its branch up and down, making it impossible for the carnivorous beast to hold on, especially when combined with the beat-down from the other trees. The wolfman fell to the ground, landing on his back, stunned.
The other wolves stopped their snarling and growling for a minute, gathering aroun
d their fallen pack-mate, sniffing the air above him. He sat up and shook his head, trying to get rid of what I hoped was one hell of a headache. Then he looked up at us with the most malevolent stare I've ever seen. He was even madder than that hag had been when I stole her boyfriend away.
He growled at the group and they renewed their efforts to get us down from the tree; only this time, they were more subtle. They just circled it, growling. The look their bruised leader gave us said it all: they were going to wait us out. We had to come down eventually.
It was then that I realized how bad I had to pee. This was going to be a long friggin day.
Chapter Twenty-Two
"What time is it, Tony?" I asked. I knew he didn't have a watch, but that didn't stop me from expecting him to know the answer.
He looked out over the calm water of the lake, gauging the sun's position by the reflections he was seeing. "About five o'clock, give or take."
"I have to pee like a friggin' racehorse," I said to no one in particular.
"Me too," said Becky.
"Me three," said Tony.
I looked down. All of the wolves were still there. "At some point I'm just gonna have to pee on those fuckers."
"That'll make 'em happy," said Tony, tiredly.
I'm pretty sure he thought I was joking, but I wasn't. I really had to go.
"Jayne, you probably shouldn't," cautioned Becky.
I sighed. I didn't even know how I was going to work it, mechanically speaking. At the least, I'd have to pull my pants down and dangle my hoo-ha over the branch, giving the wolves a perfect view of the Golden Palace of the Himalayas. That was just too embarrassing, although there was a sort of poetic justice to peeing on your enemies when they weren't able to get to you. And it wasn't like they would kill me less painfully if I didn't pee on them. Either way, I was going to die if they got their paws on me. Might as well pee on 'em, I decided.
I started to unzip my pants.
Tony went into panic mode. "Jayne, do NOT wiz on the werewolves."
