Flash Fiction #657 -- More Neko Adventures/5

Neko decided it was best to turn the car over to Colin or Luna since it took too much of his attention. He wanted to know what they might be up against.

Colin drove in silence for a few miles. Then, he took an off-ramp and parked at a deserted truck stop.

"Reggie, tell us everything you remember about the storm and the trouble you felt."

"When I left you, I headed for the mountains where I sensed some sort of power link to the land.  What I found was nothing I'd ever seen before.  At first, the link seemed to dance with the lightning, but I soon felt something beneath my feet. I sensed it did not like the unnatural storm.  It felt Maude's presence and disliked her -- it was an old hatred.  I thought I was with her, but my thoughts convinced them otherwise.  Somehow, we worked together."

"Do you have any idea what they were?" Neko asked.  "I remember nothing like this while Maude held me."

He had been catching more than the words Reggie spoke. There was a sense of ... things coming together to deal with Maude --

"Kachinas," Neko said.  "They are figurines representing items in the real world, or ancestors and gods. She studied them once, but we never got to this area. This is not a surprise, but she wanted to find a way to subdue them and drain their power."

The ground shook.

"Someone is listening," Luna said as she stared out the window.  "Is it her or them?"

"Both," Neko and Reggie chorused.

Colin started to drive away, but they hadn't even reached the on-ramp before another storm was upon them. This one was unlike the others in the storm and the magic that drew it together. The thunder beat like drums, and when the hail came, it sounded like tiny feet on the car's roof.

A Kachina slid down from the roof to the windshield and pounded on the glass. Luna tried to wave it away, but it gave a shout of defiance, and a dozen more joined it.  They pounded against the glass with fists and weapons made mostly of wood.  The glass still cracked despite all the magic Colin had put into the car.

"Stop that!" Luna ordered, sounding not at all like herself. Even Shosha looked startled. "If you keep that up, you will just draw her attention!"

The original Kachina came through the window without breaking the glass. Shosha and Neko both hissed, but the tiny figure stood up to them.

"You cannot order me!" he shouted, his voice reverberating through the car. He pointed to the cats. "These creatures are linked to her. You cannot fool me."

"Her magic trapped us," Neko answered.  "Would the fae stay with us if we were her helpers? She forced you into this battle, didn't she?  Why are you helping her now?"

That caught the Kachina by surprise. Neko realized this was one of those magical creatures that knew the truth when he heard it. That would make it easier to deal with them, but it also raised a question.

"How did Maude lie to you to get your help?" Neko asked.

"She never lied. She told us exactly what she would do to the land and the people if we did not help. We had no choice but to believe her. Your penguin companion saved us all."

"You can see him?" Colin asked.

"He is part of our world, not yours."

"What do we do now?" Colin asked.

"I fear that by interfering with your journey, we have drawn Maude's attention back to you."

"She is getting closer," Reggie agreed.  "And in no better of a mood."

"She has never been happy," Shosha replied.  No one argued. "What do we do now?"

Colin threw open the car door.  "Everyone out.  I am sending the car off on its own.  That should keep her busy."

"We will go with the car," the Kachina added.  Others of his kind seemed to like this idea from how they leaped and shouted.  "That will confuse her as well."

Neko didn't like the idea of heading off into the desert on foot.  Again. Reggie had said little during the first hour of the walk, and Neko wondered what the penguin thought.

"Is there a problem, Reggie?" Neko asked.

"A question that nags at me," he said and frowned up at the sky.  "He didn't say what Maude had told them, only that they believed her. We were quick to assume that she threatened them.  Kachinas are often tricksters.  It is possible that was what we were meant to believe."
They had all slowed down, but Neko was the first to stop and look back.
"The storm is still there," he said.  "It is not moving very fast, but it is still heading our way, I fear."
The others stopped and looked back as well.  Neko could see looks of resignation on all their faces, including Reggie's.   They stared long enough to confirm what Neko had guessed and to note that it was picking up speed.

"They are sometimes tricksters," Reggie mumbled to himself.  "You just can't trust tricksters, especially when they are being helpful."

"We can't outrun it," Luna added while Shosha tried to burrow into her jacket.  "And I have the feeling that now that we noticed, we aren't going to  have much time to prepare."

Wind whipped dust up around them and Neko swore he could hear the echo of Maude's laugh. He spun and would have run if Reggie hadn't gotten in his way.  Colin swept him up and protected them all with a wall of air that blocked the sand, dust, and debris that flew straight at them.

Neko could tell that Colin couldn't hold it for long.  He hoped that Dorian had sensed that they were already in trouble.  The power of the wind doubled and the wall was not holding back everything.

He saw Maude walking toward them.



 

Flash Fiction # 656 -- More Neko Adventures/4

 

The fae didn't drop the invisibility shield until we were all in the room.

By then, it was too late.

Someone- or something- stood by the window.  The shape moved aside, and a corner of a curtain fell back into place, covering the storm.

"You did an excellent job," Dorian said.

"Reginald," I said, jumped onto the bed, and leaped closer to my spirit animal.  "I should have realized that you had powerful magic."

"Friends," he said and blinked as the light came on.  He looked ruffled and unsteady. "I wish I'd had a chance to talk to you about it first."

"You did the right thing. None of us could have used magic against her," Dorian replied.  He went to the window and stared out between the curtains. "We are lucky in our choice of refuge.   I see several restaurants within a few blocks."

"Luck?" Colin asked.  "When Luna made the choice of where we stay?"

"I did foresee food," Luna admitted with a laugh.

Luna and Dorian went out to find food and other supplies. Neko tried not to worry.  He paced for a little while, then curled up on one bed and slept.

Neko ignored that there had only been one bed and the room had been smaller when they arrived.  No one had used strong magic to make the changes, but he still worried that Maude would sense it.  Was the storm worse?

Shosha climbed up on the bed and snuggled in next to Neko as though she'd always slept that way.  Neko almost protested, but she was warm and soft.

The food arrived somewhat later. They had managed a good selection of types, including sushi for Reginald.

"I hope it is suitable for you, Reggie," Dorian said.  "Can I call you that?"

"The food is quite wonderful. You must ask Neko about the name, though."

Neko swallowed a bite of baked fish.  He shook his head. "You can decide-"

"Actually, I can't.  Once we meet, everything that affects your impression of me has to be your choice. That includes name, voice --"

"Shape?" Neko asked.

"Oh yes.  I am a penguin because I assumed such a creature wouldn't be out of place on a beach. I have learned quite a bit about penguins since I arrived.  Luna has been considerable help."

"So you could be anything I want?"

"There might be limitations, but I don't know them," he said.  "What is your preference?"

"Let me consider it.  Since others can't see you, it won't matter if you are unusual."

"Humans don't see me under most circumstances. I don't know if I would take a chance at being a dragon, though it might be interesting."

I saw Colin looking at me with a shake of his head.  "Don't get into trouble."

Neko shook his head.  He would have thought Colin would know better by now.  A line like that was a challenge to a cat. Although thinking about it, he got along so well with Colin because of the fae's cat-like attitude toward life.

They ate almost everything, and even the fae, who rarely slept, settled on their beds to rest. Neko woke often expecting disaster, but they made it through the night with no trouble.  The storm faded away before midnight, and it looked like a calm, normal day by dawn.

None of them trusted it.

"We can't stay here any longer," Colin admitted with a sigh.  "She is bound to be looking for us, and we'll be easy to find if our magic accumulates anymore."

"We would get bored anyway," Neko offered, though he burrowed farther into the blankets.  

Shosha, who had been under the covers, peeked her head out. "Maude tried to find us through my dreams," she said. Don't worry. Dorian kept by me the whole time, and together, we sent the witch into the Amazon basin.  She'll be lost for a while."

"What can we do with this time?" Luna asked.

"Go for a ride," Colin answered.  "We still don't want to stay too long."

"I am going to Faeland and see what I can learn," Dorian added.  "She has been kicking up too much trouble and using too much magic to go unnoticed, but we've had remarkably little help from there."

"Move carefully," Colin advised.  "It is hard to guess what they might be thinking there.  Fae can be remarkably blind to human trouble.  We might get lucky, though.  They were already interested in Maude."

Dorian nodded.  "All of you, be careful.  I still have a thread linked to the group, so I should know if you run into trouble."

He turned and walked toward the door but disappeared before he got that far. The others were already packing up and preparing to leave. They said very little. The morning had brought the reality that nothing had changed.

Neko, Luna, and Shosha went out the side door and waited for Colin. He arrived in a fancy sports car, which cheered Neko, especially when Colin arranged the front seat so that Neko could stand and work the steering wheel while Colin took care of the gas and brake pedals.

Neko had never had so much fun.  He swerved in and out of traffic on the freeway while the others talked around him.

"Why are we heading back into the desert again?" Neko finally asked.

"Maude had more power here than she should have held," Colin explained.  He slowed the car as they started around a semi. "Our job is to find places she's linked to and cut the threads.  It is not going to be easy.  Besides, the desert is between us and getting home.  We'd have to face it sometime."

"From what I could feel," Reginald began, "I thought I could sense an ancient force that was feeding the storm.  It felt like something akin to the land, a power that belonged here -- and was not happy about waking up."

"Wonderful," Colin said.

Flash Fiction #655 -- More Neko Adventures/3

 

"What do we do?" Shosha cried. Her fur had fluffed out, and I couldn't find her head. She had moved into Luna's arms and was now trying to burrow into Luna's jacket. She pulled it open, and Shosha disappeared, but I could still hear her.  "Where can we go?"

Reginald moved to block some of the wind and leaned close to Colin.  "I am pure magic.  I am too much of a beacon to her. Send me on somewhere away from you!"

Colin touched the penguin, and he disappeared. Neko felt his heart thump, hoping the penguin had found somewhere safe. He wasn't safe with them—no one was.

"Where do we go?" Neko asked and feared he sounded too much like Shosha.

"Into the storm!" Colin shouted.

They were all so surprised that we followed without thinking.  A few steps later, I realized we were in the monster's heart.  Colin grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and then held me close while Luna and Dorian moved closer.

Dorian even grabbed Colin by the shoulders and shook him.  "Are you crazy!"

 Colin pulled away and held me closer.  "Too much magic.   She can't find us here. That is why the storm is still heading toward the town. It is the only logical direction for us to go."

"You are spending too much time with the cat." Dorian looked at me as though he thought I would argue. "Where do we go now?  We don't want to be standing here when the storm passes."

There were few choices and not much time to decide.  I left it to the others and snuggled in closer to Colin. The rain had not lessened, but the lightning and thunder had died down. The wind, however, had become chaotic.

Why?

"Head to the town!" Neko shouted.  "Hurry!"

"Neko!" Colin exclaimed.

"She can't find us.  That's the chaotic wind.  She already checked the direction of the town --"

They were already moving back into the heart of the storm. Although Neko hated it, he believed this was the only safe direction.  The others agreed, or they wouldn't be plowing through this gale and using very little magic.

Colin had made a small magic chain that hooked them together. Neko caught the links with claws and clamped on as tightly as he could.  Shosha did the same -- he could feel her through the magic.

Oddly, he missed Reginald.  Maybe having such a strange suited him after all.  They hadn't been together long, and Neko still had no idea what a spirit animal should do. However, to be fair, he couldn't say he understood the work of a magical cat, either.

Those were not questions for now.  Neko added it to a long list of 'later' subjects that he had been collecting and just did his best to hold on to the chain and keep track of the others.

They had almost reached the edge of the storm when something drew the clouds off to the left and away from them. They were at the edge of a small town and, amid the locals, within a few steps.

"I have never seen a storm act like that!" a woman said nearby. "I was just going to jump in the car and drive as fast as I dared."

"A wise human," Colin mumbled.  "But what did pull the storm away?"

There was a question Neko hadn't thought to ask yet. He watched the storm continue to turn and retreat, heading toward some barren hills a few miles away. None dared to use magic to discover what might be happening.

Better, he thought, to just get away while they could.  But how? They couldn't use magic to conjure a car. They might have to find a place to stay and just hold out until they were certain Maude had lost interest in the area.

She was a stubborn witch. They might be stuck for a long time.
Something brightened, and Neko looked upward with shock, but it was not the sky. A bubble of blue light rose from the hills, split into countless smaller bubbles, and threw themselves at the clouds.

"I'm out of here," the woman said and hurried away.

She was not the only one.  Few remained to watch the second blast of blue light.  By then, the new magic had torn the storm to shreds, and the magic that had controlled it dissipated along with the clouds.

Neko would have liked it better if he had known where Maude had gone or even who their new allies might be. That had been powerful magic to toss around, but Neko had felt nothing like it before. Neko knew enough about magical beings to realize that even if one had helped them, it didn't mean they were on the same side.
The fae must have thought the same thing.  Neither had used any magic to get them somewhere else or to look for friends or foes. They remained watchful, though.  Luna, however, looked around the area and then pointed down a busy street behind them.

"I see the sign for a hotel down there," she said as she squinted.  "If we stay here, maybe we can get a room."

"Yes," Neko agreed.  "I am soaked.  But what if they don't allow animals?"

"I think it best if they don't see most of us," Colin replied, walking away.  "I can find nothing of Maude nearby, so we would be wise to take cover while we have the chance."

Colin arranged for a plush room while the rest of us stayed behind Dorian's invisibility spell.  We were fine until the manager began sneezing.  She looked suspiciously at Colin and his two pieces of conjured luggage."

"Cat?" she asked and sneezed.

"No.  But I visited friends who had a few cats."

"That's it.  Stupid allergy.  Have a good stay."

Neko hoped for one night's sleep. He ignored the distant flash of lightning.

Flash Fiction #654 -- More Neko Adventures/2

 

The ocean was cold, loud with the pounding surf, and powerful. The water caught hold of me, dragging me away from the shore and downward toward the seabed. Small shapes scattered through the murky water.

I gathered all of this in a couple of heartbeats, along with the realization that something large and dangerous lurked nearby. And my head would explode --

Something huge rushed at me.  I made my peace with Bastet just before Reginald caught my right front leg in his beak and dragged me up to the surface.  I gasped for air -- and saw the shark propelling toward us.

"Shark," I gasped and got more water than air.  Thunder boomed around us.  "Let go, Reginald!  You can get clear --"

He grunted something and didn't let go.  I could barely see the shore, there and gone again, between each break of a wave over us.  But the good news was that Reginald could swim fast, even dragging me along.

The shark could swim even faster, but we had the fae on our side.  As I was making peace with Bastet once more, the shark lunged forward --

And then it was up and flying over the top of us as Colin gave the creature a lesson in being a bird.  I watched as he disappeared into the clouds.  I think the creature wasn't impressed.

Reginald and I liked our ride in an air bubble back to the car.  The vehicle had grown a bit to accommodate more passengers. Luna was in the driver's seat, and Shosha sat on her shoulder. I sensed Darion's magic there.  The kitten would not fall off.

I threw myself into Colin's lap and snuggled in -- then lifted my head.  "Thank you, Reginald."

The penguin looked startled, and I realized how rude I'd been since his arrival.  I still couldn't reconcile myself to having a penguin as a spirit animal, but that wasn't Reginald's fault.  I would have to talk to Colin about how this worked.  Maybe we could find Reginald a better partner.

Luna had no trouble handling the car as we raced away from the ocean.  It had been nice while it lasted, but the storm grew larger, brighter, and louder as it followed us.

"We need to do something drastic," Colin shouted.  The wind had caught up to us, and the car, magic or not, could not keep steady.  "We need to be somewhere else."

Darion agreed.  "Out of her sight.  No magic when we get there --"

They didn't bother to talk to the rest of us.  One moment, lightning struck a tree a few feet away; the next heartbeat, we were sitting on the ground in the middle of nowhere.  I couldn't see a single light or hear anything man-made. The sun was about to disappear behind a distant mountain range, but for a moment, I could see the cacti everywhere.

"Desert," Reginald said in utter astonishment. "I am sure I am not supposed to be in a desert."

"Colin and Darion are gone," Luna added.

I looked around and nodded.  "They are trying to lead the trouble away from us.  There is our storm off to the northeast."

Lightning obediently flashed in that direction, a shot of red fire through the clouds. That was not a natural storm.

"What should we do?" Shosha whispered.  "I don't enjoy being out here."

"We head west," Luna replied, putting Shosha on her shoulder. "And no, I haven't had a vision. I can see the lights of a town in that direction."

Luna had the advantage of height.  All I could see were bumps of cacti and ridges of rock and sand.  I couldn't see the lights, but I trusted Luna.  Reginald and I followed at her heels when she started in that direction.  The penguin was less happy about our location than me.  I didn't mind the place because it was still somewhat warm, and there were no sharks.

Then I considered snakes and wished one of the fae was around to carry me. I looked back and found the storm had grown noticeably larger and closer.  I worked at being annoyed rather than afraid.

"Why is it after us?" I finally asked.  "It is Maude's storm, right?"

"Yes," Reginald said.  "And it is not us she wants; it's you.  As her familiar, she invested you with a lot of her power.  She wants it back now."

The truth shocked me.  I had never considered that my previous link to Maude might still be reason enough for her to come after me.  I could believe she would do anything for vengeance, and she had to hold a grudge against all of us by now.  Probably even Reginald.  But she was coming specifically for me?

My presence put everyone in danger.

From one step to the next, I changed direction and speed, heading first to the left and then straight for the storm.  I didn't know what I could do, but there had to be something that would help.

Luna shouted my name a few times, but I ran fast, mindful of those snakes that lurked in the growing darkness. I thought the storm would scare them back into their holes.  I might join one at this point.  The lightning no longer danced across the sky.  It forked down to the ground, stabbing so close that I could sometimes feel the tingle of power.  I stopped behind a slightly higher ridge to catch my breath and try to make plans.

"What do we do now?" Reginald asked.

"MEOW!"

"Are you alright, Neko?" he asked, sounding sincerely worried.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded. Too loud.  Maude might hear us.

"I'm your spirit animal.  Where would you expect me to be?"

He had a point.  I hadn't yet taken in the idea of a spirit animal.  I suspected I could force him to leave, but it would take power that I didn't want to waste and might draw her attention.

Lightning struck closer to us.

Flash Fiction # 653--More Neko Adventures/1

 

(Continued from Neko's Trip Home/18 10/25/24)

I tried to ignore the giant emperor penguin as I turned and headed toward Colin.  Unfortunately, the big guy talked a lot.  Constantly.  I wanted to strangle him before we reached the blanket where the others sat enjoying the ocean sunset.

"Neko," Colin said with a smile.  "Chase all the gulls -- oh."

"I seem to have a problem."

Colin nodded and waved his hand through the air. In that moment, the others saw, and heard, my talkative new companion. Shosha squeaked and threw herself into Luna's lap while Colin and Dorian stared, both looking confused.

"And this is?" Dorian asked, his voice not quite calm.

"Reginald," the penguin answered.  "I am Neko's spirit animal."

"Neko is a cat," Colin replied.

"That presents a certain challenge, don't you think?" Reginald smiled.  I wished he wouldn't do that.  "It's hard enough to find someone who believes enough to see a spirit animal, let alone accept our help. Neko sees me, accepts what I am, but still won't believe I am his spirit animal."

"Neko is a cat," Colin repeated.

"I mentioned that to Sister Spirit," Reginald replied.  "However, Sister Spirit felt that since we'd all had encounters with Maude --"

I don't know what reaction he'd expected it, but it clearly was not seeing the fae and human surge to their feet. The penguin leaped backward, wobbled and fell on his face. Dorian helped him back up.  The rest of us waited, rather impatiently, for Reginald to explain himself.

"I can see you all know who Maude is," the penguin said.

"We had hoped she was dead," Colin replied, his voice unexpectedly laced with anger.  

Shosha hissed.  Luna stared out at the waves, but I had the feeling she saw something more.

"Luna?" I whispered as I nudged her leg.

"Not dead," she agreed, and shook her head in disgust.  "I should have realized the traces I keep seeing aren't from the past."

An inordinate amount of cursing followed Luna's statement, and spoken in several languages. Reginald had a moment of shock. I wondered if we could trust him, though.  He had said the magic name, but that could be a trick to get us to take him in.

I looked at Colin and could tell he wasn't completely taken in, either.  I didn't know what we could do to test him, either.  Could we contact Sister Spirit, whom he had mentioned?  And if we did, could we trust her?  Had Maude touched them all and they were now untrustworthy?

And what did that mean about me?

There had to be another answer.

I still felt a chill and shivered -- and saw Luna do the same thing.  The cold wasn't in my thoughts.  It came from the storm blowing in over the ocean. A real storm, too.  People who had paid no attention to us quickly packed their seaside belongings and headed for their cars.

"Colin," I said.

"I am getting the car ready," he said.  He looked troubled, which was no help at all.  "Dorian --"

"Getting everything ready," he replied.  I could feel his magic sweep around me.  I felt safer.  "Reginald will have to go with us."

"Of course," Colin agreed.

And now not so safe.  I almost protested, but it would have been rude.  Besides, the storm was almost on us, and I figured we could settle this matter somewhere else with less wind and rain.

Reginald moved closer and blocked the worst of the storm.  I still felt uneasy, but it was nicer.  I gathered up Shosha so that she didn't get blown away and she settled between my front paws. Luna saw her and nodded, but the seer seemed distracted.  I didn't take that as a good sign, as though the storm itself wasn't trouble enough.

The storm was magnificent and I would have liked to watch it if I hadn't suspected it was aimed right at us.  The clouds had spread from north to south and were pillowing upward as well. Lightning flashed from cloud to cloud and then speared down to the sea. The storm grew larger and closer with each wave.

I could feel Maude in it, and more powerful than I had hoped.  Dorian and Colin seemed to feel the same way.  They murmured to each other about something dire.  I wanted them to get moving --

Colin nodded and disappeared. This wasn't what I wanted at all!

Dorian pulled us all into a tighter group.

"Colin has gone to the car," he said. He still looked troubled.  "The rest of us need to get there with as little magic as possible. The only magic I'll use will hide Neko, Reginald, and Shosha.  Luna --"

"I can make it," she said.  "Do you want me to take Shosha?"

"I will take her since I need the three of them with me," he replied.  "Go ahead of us so I can watch you.  Let's go!"

The crowd who had been here a few minutes ago had disappeared up the stairs to the road.  All I could see of them were footprints in the sand, and a few small pieces of trash.  They had been remarkably good about cleaning up.

I looked back when we reached the stairs and wished that I hadn't. The clouds had obscured the sky and the ocean had grown to cover all but a small portion of the sand.  Waves rose higher with each strike.

"Go!" I ordered to Reginald.  Dorian held tight to Shosha just as a wave hit the bottom of the ladder. They were almost at the top.  "Get moving, Reginald!"

"I can't!" The words sounded both angry and anguished.  "I can't climb stairs!  Not in weather like this!"

I snarled and then did something stupid.  I used just enough magic to send Reginald up the steps to the roadway above.  He made an odd shout and then Dorian yelled.  I started up --

But the next wave caught my legs and dragged me away.