Silent Heroes: Wildcat

Chapter 40: Escape

Reza shifted into his lion form and bounded past Kerry, who still appeared to be frozen in place. 

Come on, Eve!  Let's get outa here!

I hesitated for a faction of a second, looking into Kerry's stiff, frozen expression.  I didn't know what form I would take if I shifted: my usual cat form, or the huge, saber-toothed tiger. The saber-tooth was dangerous.   I had absolutely no control over it.  And the last thing I wanted was a repeat of the night before.

Kerry's eyes flickered, like she was about to come out of her furious trance.

 Eve, hurry! Reza shouted.

I focused on my usual form and shifted almost instantaneously.  I was relieved to find that I was back to my normal size, with no twelve-inch canines to speak of.

I bunched my powerful muscles and sprang forward, following Reza.  We sprinted across the sand, shooting up and down the white dunes, kicking up tiny particles that glittered in the sun.  Behind me, Kerry shrieked. "What are you imbeciles waiting for?  Get them!"

Air rushed past me as at least five people shifted form.  A volley of hooves pounded the sand, coming after us.

With Reza in the lead and the horses in hot pursuit, we raced off the beach and into the forest.  I took a sharp turn, following a winding dirt path through the trees.  I didn't dare look over my shoulder, but it sounded like a whole pack of horses were on my tail.

SPLAT! SPLAT!

As we ran, water balloons began to rain down from the sky.  They shattered at our feet and bounced off our shoulders.  I heard laughter.  The people on the boardwalks were trying to soak every one of us.

Stop that, you fools! Kerry's voice echoed furiously inside my head.  This is not a game!  These two wildcats have violated the rules and undermined my authority!

SPLAT!  SPLAT! SPLAT!  The water balloons continued to fall.

I will have you all thrown in detention for this! Kerry raved.

We emerged in a deserted section of the village.  Although by the looks of things, it hadn't been deserted for long.  The street and the buildings and even the trunks of the trees were speckled with colour.

With Reza still in the lead, we blasted across the main road and into a narrow alley between two buildings, the horses thundering after us.  They were gaining on us.  I sensed them moving in closer.  My heart thumped wildly in my chest.

I have an idea, Eve! Reza said.  Follow me!

He picked up speed, his muscles bunching together and surging outward like a coiled spring.  They alley came to a dead stop right ahead.  Reza barreled toward the wall of bamboo like he was preparing to jump right through it.  Then, at the very last second, he slammed on the breaks and made a sharp, ninety-degree turn.  I dug my paws into the ground and did the exact same thing, turning millimeters from the wall.

Two of the horses weren't so quick.  They crashed head first into the building at the end of the alley, unable to slow their own momentum in time.

Reza laughed.  They might be bigger and stronger, but they don't have our reflexes.

We kept running.  We weren't out of the woods yet.  The other three the horses were only seconds behind us. 

We twisted and turned through the narrow streets, constantly changing direction in an attempt to throw the horses off our trail.  I found myself focusing hard on Reza's back legs.  It was the only thing that kept me from getting completely disoriented.  Everything looked the same in here.  It was like being in a maze.