Direct Confrontation - Animal Metamorphs (3)

Author: (American) Apgar
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: In Chapter 10, my four friends stood motionless, staring intently at the other five wolves. The two packs had encountered each other. Between them lay a dead rabbit, the prey of the other pack. My friends stumbled upon them by chance. At this moment, the two alpha wolves were destined for a fight to the death. One of them was Jack. The other was a true wolf. Jack possessed human wisdom, but if they fought, the other wolf had more experience. He had become alpha after countless victories. If possible, I would have laughed. It was absolutely hilarious! But at least it distracted me from thinking about that female eagle and the urge to approach her, even as the ship soared through the air. Suddenly, I jolted in shock: Time! The time left for them to return to the lake shore was already running out. How much longer had passed? I descended abruptly. "What are you guys doing?" I asked. "Shut up, Tobias." Jack said sharply, "We're in trouble." "Yes, I can see that. Leave them." "I can't. If I retreat, I'll lose." "Lose what?" I yelled, "You're not a wolf; it's the other one. Let it be the alpha. You guys don't have much time left!" "It's not that simple," Cassie said, "If Jack looks weak, the other wolf will attack. We need to stay strong. We're on their turf. And they think we're trying to steal their prey." The big alpha wolf suddenly growled and took a step forward. Jack bared his teeth immediately, unafraid. The dead rabbit lay between them, just a few feet away from their fierce jaws. "Is this fight over the rabbit?" I asked. No one answered. They were all tense and trembling. Any second, the entire pack could erupt into a brawl. I knew what I had to do. But it had nothing to do with any instinct in an eagle's brain. And as Tobias, I wasn't frightened either. I flapped my wings, striving to fly higher. I needed speed. Then, I locked my eyes on the rabbit and prayed I could move as fast as I imagined. "Oh my god!" I dived down, my eagle talons extended. "Grrr!" I shrieked. Whizzing past! One wolf on one side, one on the other, and a dead rabbit in the middle. Snap! My talons hit the rabbit, trying to grab its fur. I flapped my wings—once, twice—and lifted the rabbit off the ground. The big wolf suddenly lunged forward, and I felt its teeth graze my tail. I flapped my wings frantically, skimming the ground and dragging the rabbit halfway, with the wolf right on my tail, just inches away. "Tobias!" Rachel shouted. "Get out of here!" I yelled, "I have to drop this rabbit—it's too heavy!" Fortunately, when Jack wasn't being a foolish wolf, he reacted quickly and decisively. "Let's go while we can!" Just as the wolf lunged for me, I dropped the rabbit. Thump! The talons that could kill a moose were only a tenth of an inch away. Believe me, I was so close that I could almost count the teeth on its jaws. I felt a tiny breeze, but it was enough. I spread my wings and let the wind lift me, flying away. "Oh, this isn't fun." I said. "Are you okay?" "I think I lost a few feathers on my tail." I replied. The feathers on my tail would grow back quickly. I caught up with the others. The wolves ran as fast as they could now. Time was slipping away. I couldn't be sure how much was left. That had always been a problem with shapeshifting. Even if you could carry a watch, you wouldn't want to. Wolves or eagles with watches—now that sounded a bit suspicious. "Let me see if I can check the time." I said. I was tired. I'd flown for so long, and been chased twice instead of once. I was really exhausted. The eagle part of me desperately wanted to find a branch to rest on, but I knew I couldn't. I flew a little higher—without going too high—until I could see a park ranger's truck. The controllers had disappeared somewhere, but the dashboard of the truck had a clock. I stared at the numbers on the dashboard, suspiciously. No, that must be wrong. P91-95