Morningstar: Chapter 25 Animal Spirits

Chapter 25: Animal Spirits

 

          Sometime in the night I awoke from a dream with an overwhelming urge to tell my friends.  I needed someone to listen.  Someone to talk to.  Overpowering feelings of agitation and fear were wringing my mind and every part of my body.  I was completely covered in sweat.  Cold, chilling sweat.

          “Amanda, wake up!  AMANDA, AMANDA, WAKE UP!”  I shook her harder and harder; but she didn’t or couldn’t move.  Turning to my other side; “D’Lisa, D’LISA!”  I couldn’t shake her awake either.  Beth was on the other side of Amanda and was so still I couldn’t even tell if she was breathing.  I reached to touch and shake her, but quickly withdrew my hand from her cold skin.  I started screaming.  Something had happened to my best friends.  Suddenly something was happening to Amanda.  She started changing, slowly changing.  Amanda was gradually shrinking.  I called her name over and over again as she went through some kind of metamorphosis, turning into a hummingbird then flying in place, just staring at me.  Both D’Lisa and Beth then started changing like Amanda, so very slowly.  D’Lisa into a big horn sheep and Beth into an Irish Setter.  They all awoke and rose from the bed, with Amanda flying from me to Beth to D‘Lisa and back around again.  The hummingbird, Amanda just staring at each of us.

          Suddenly we were all outside.  Somewhere, someplace, far away from any homes or civilization.  In the distance I could hear Bekah screaming and running towards us.  This was no controlled, confident stride.  She would trip over clumps of grass or sod and fall.  Still shrieking really, she would pick herself up, in a panic and run towards us and the very large green stone I now realized we were standing on.  Her face was filled with revulsion, horror and sheer terror.  Then I saw him, or we saw him.  It was Sid.  He kept changing between the appearance of a Komodo dragon and a king cobra.  There was still some distance, but he was gaining on Bekah.      

          Two other figures then appeared from different directions.  One was another Irish Setter and as it approached, I knew it was Jason; who first ran up next to Beth and then looked at Amanda as she flew down to him and rested herself on his nose looking into his eyes for a brief second.  I didn’t know the other figure at first and thought it might be a wolf then realized it was a coyote.  It was still in the distance, running towards us; but I knew it had to be Bobby.  For some reason it seemed like I could see Bobby, not running towards us, on top of the ground, but somehow through the stone from another world or dimension.

          The stone we were standing on then started trembling and a fissure opened, leaving a wide crack or hole. … Just as it was opening Bekah arrived next to us, panting, out of breath, followed almost immediately by Sid, who as a cobra, struck and bit me, then as the Komodo dragon shot his long tongue out at Bekah, wrapping it around and seizing her.   Bekah and I were the only ones who looked human by then.  I fell to the ground in convulsions.

          Out of the opening in the stone came two grizzlies.  I knew they were grizzlies because of the distinct humps on their back.  Amanda was poking at Sid’s eyes, Beth and Jason were baring teeth and just about to lunge and D’Lisa had her head down just about to butt into Sid…

          Before my friends could do anything, the two grizzlies who had just emerged from the stone, grabbed Sid and we all fell through what was now a large fissure into a different world.  It was cold, very very cold.  There was snow on much of the ground with some deciduous trees close by, and a mountain forest in the distance… surrounding us on three sides.  I was too ill to stand; but more bighorn sheep came running towards us and a black eagle which somehow, I knew was Charlie calling even more bighorn sheep, flew to help us.  Charlie picked me up with his talons and placed me on the back of one of the rams.  By this time, the grizzlies had finished Sid, tearing his head off with its enormous claws.  One of the grizzlies had been wounded by Sid and was dragging a hind leg.  The other grabbed Bekah.  The two grizzlies left towards the north, dragging Bekah with them.  I don’t know how I knew it; but somehow, I knew they were traveling north.  More cobras started appearing behind us and on both sides as we traveled north, following Bekah.  Beth, Jason, Amanda, D’Lisa and Charlie were all fighting the cobras.  Three or four more grizzlies appeared behind the snakes which were attacking us from behind.  By this time Bobby had caught up to us and was helping fight off the cobras and keep the grizzlies at bay.  Charlie, seeing how sick I was and knowing I was about to die, directed us to stop by another large stone protruding from a hill and struck it with a stone he was carrying in a bag around his neck.  All the rest continued to fight the cobras who were now also fighting the grizzlies in their rear.  More snakes, rattle snakes began to appear.  They made the sound of terrifying loud rattles, vibrating in unison, almost surrounding our little group.  More snakes then began to appear, I thought this was it, all hope for our little group was lost.  I didn’t recognize these snakes, but they were a yellowish color with black or reddish blotches.  Instead of attacking us, they helped to defend us from the rattle snakes.

          Then he appeared.  Tye.  It was the first time I’d seen him clearly, grown, almost to manhood.  He was gorgeous, an African, Asian Adonis.  I was totally and completely enraptured and desperately desired to reach out and stroke his perfect face; but knew I wouldn’t have dared even if I had the strength.  Swiftly but gently, he swooped down and picked me up from the ram’s back and carried me in his arms, leading us down another path.  We were no longer following Bekah and those two grizzlies but were still being chased by three or four grizzlies and now scores of cobras and what seemed like hundreds of rattle snakes.  As we ran down the path being led by Tye, the big horn sheep, and by now there were many, were holding off the grizzlies.  Bobby, Jason, Beth, Charlie, and even Amanda were fighting the cobras.  The yellowish snakes were mostly fighting the rattlers.  Amanda would stab a grizzly or cobra in the eye with her beak.  Charlie used his sharp talons, and the razor-sharp teeth of the rest were brought to bear against the cobras and grizzlies all around us. 

          As we moved along the path we came to an area of steep mountainous cliffs.  On our right, a sheer wall and on the left, a steep drop, hundreds of feet to the bottom.  The path was only a few feet wide and very dangerous; however, it kept us from being attacked from either side.  The grizzlies, rattlers, and cobras were only able to press us from behind; but we had the advantage of the air as both Amanda and Charlie could fly and attack our pursuers from above.  Hard to believe, a little hummingbird defending me and attacking creatures much much larger than she.  On the other side of the deep ravine on our left was a mountain, steeped in mist with what looked like a thousand chimneys nestled into the mountain canyons, crevices, and ravines, with wisps of mist rising gently in columns towards an ominously dark blue sky.   Just as I felt all would be lost, that there was no hope for our tiny group, the path opened into a field, an orchard of some kind.  The sun was becoming brighter and the sky a lighter blue.  Tye, beautiful Tye, carried me, and led the rest of us through the orchard towards a clearing.  By this time, I could see what I had previously sensed that both Beth and D’Lisa had been badly hurt.  Jason and Bobby were also wounded, but it didn’t seem near as serious as it was for Beth and D’Lisa.  I didn’t know if they had been struck by the snakes or mauled by the bears, but both Beth and D’Lisa were now carried by rams.  Bobby and Jason were limping and slowly dragging at least one leg.  I also realized they had all, at least partially returned to human form. 

          As we approached the clearing there was a very large white dragon, flying in place, in midair.  It’s underbelly and body were in full view as it flapped its enormous wings.  I was frightened at first and made a pleading look at Tye, wondering why he brought us here. 

          Sensing my fear, Tye looked into my eyes and said; “it’s fine, you’ll be ok.  Everyone who comes here will be ok.”

          Soon I started feeling life return to my body.  The radiance of the sun and the fire of the dragon covered me like a warm soothing blanket that healed and gave me energy.  I was regaining my strength and after just a few moments Tye put me down.  I was able to walk again.  We had all slowed to an almost casual walk.  Everyone had completely returned to human form.  The snakes were gone, except a few of the yellowish ones, most of the grizzlies had turned another direction; but one was still with us and had also changed to human form.  I watched him change, slowly and what even appeared to be, painfully.  And as he changed my fear of him dispersed.  Once changed, he seemed almost jubilant.  D’Lisa and Beth were now whole again, completely human, completely healed.  Bobby had returned to human form and was healed; but said he had to leave and returned back in the direction from which we had just come.  Back through the danger on his own.  I tried to call out to him to not go; but he just waved and said it was something he must do.  Everyone was back to human form; though I noticed Charlie still had his prosthetic leg.  Many of the bighorn sheep were still with us and had also changed to humans.  Many others had been wounded; but all were healed or were in the process of healing and growing in strength.

          The dragon continued to flap its broad white wings, then rose straight into the sky and disappeared into the sun.  Soon after the departure of the dragon, the group started talking, arguing a little about where we needed to go and what we needed to do from there.  With urgency, I declared we had to save Bekah.  After some more discussion everyone agreed and we turned north again, hoping to find her and bring her home.  Charlie sent some of the rams, now men, to search ahead of us.  Some followed after Bobby, others in a more northerly direction.

          The next thing I remembered was being in my bed again trying to wake everyone up.  The clock on my bed stand said: 7:30. I started shaking each person individually.

          “Guys wake up.  I’ve got to talk to you.”

          Beth woke up pretty easily, rubbing her eyes.

          All Amanda said was “what?” then sat up half asleep.

          “I’ve got to tell you guys about the weirdest dream I just had.”

          D’’Lisa just groaned and turned over.

          “Hey, you’ve gotta wake up too.  You were in it.”

          “Was Tom in it?”

          “No silly; but please wake up anyway.”

          All four of us were finally sitting up and I began at the beginning and told them everything I could remember, exactly as I remembered it.