Wild Tiger Chase | Book #2 (Complete)

25: and I ran

— Léon — 

Léon hated to say this, but perhaps Modraniht was right.

Maybe he should talk to himself to understand exactly what he was feeling—because the cold something spinning in his stomach like a black and white spiral in an 80s music video was starting to make him sick.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and shivered. His body felt warm—too warm—but a single drop of cold sweat sprouted in his right temple and slid down his face.

"Are you sure that's what Cae said?" Rafaela asked. She stood on the tip of her toes and looked down the slope at the entrance of Caidara's pocket dimension.

It was a narrow and rocky passage; a cave that looked as cold as it was dark. It was also uninviting and smelled like minerals, whatever minerals smelled like.

"I'm not seeing anything shining in there." Rafaela sighed, turned her phone's flashlight off, and stepped back so Léon could take a look himself.

He raised a hand and shook his head, feeling the waves of nausea once more. "I believe you."

"What did Cae say again, Pipo?" Rafaela turned around and rested a foot on a rock beside her. She bent her knees to pick up momentum and sprung up the face of the cave, climbing the two meters to a narrow, flat surface above the cave entrance.

Pipo clicked his tongue and massaged his chin while Rafaela crouched and studied the rock. Her fading tattoos assumed a faint shade of green.

"Cae said all the caves in these parts had some of these, uh... purple rocks. I, hm, forgot the name." Pipo peeked inside the cave and narrowed his dark eyes. He smiled when Rafaela offered him her hand. He took it. "Cae also said the rocks can help with our powers, but he didn't say how." Pipo squealed and laughed when Rafa hoisted him up and onto the flat rock. "And... and I thought we'd find some here, because this is the only cave around here, right?" He gasped. "Whoa. Leo, it's beautiful up here, you need to see this!"

Rafa chuckled while Pipo curled his fingers like binoculars and looked through them.

"Be careful, Pipo. Stay close to Rafa, did you hear me?" Léon said.

"Look! It's Granny Caicai! Granny! Ooooi!" Pipo shouted, waving a hand. "She's so small from up here."

Rafa laughed and crouched down again to offer her hand to Léon. "I don't think I can lift you, but I can help. Come." She jerked her chin towards the rock she had used. "Maybe we can find some of the purple rocks your brother wants." Rafa smiled, her eyes losing focus for a moment. "Can you imagine? Having your powers back and feeling whole again? What a feeling."

Léon's mouth dried; his head weighted as his thoughts sped up, each of them leading to another.

We'll find those rocks and I'll have my powers back. All of them.

"Léon?"

But what if I lose control? What if I try to kill people again? I don't want to hurt anyone.

"Léon."

And I think—I mean, I know—I'll hurt someone. Maybe Rafa can't help me. Maybe I'm better off like this. Maybe I deserve to be like this.

"Léon!"

He looked up at Rafa with a start. There was a crease between her eyebrows and she looked ready to jump down.

"Léon, you're shaking," she said. "Are you unwell again? Are your powers causing this?"

In a way, yes.