ya ya, the storie continues

 

Chapter

3

How can I adapt?

 

 

 

As I kept heading east with the fox in pursuit, I sat down to take a break. I looked over to see the Mississippi river. From what I could calculate I was somewhere near Red Wing. The fox walked towards the river eager to get a drink. “So, do you think I can find any agates in here?” I asked the fox. The moment I had said agate, the fox looked at me and neared me. The memory of when I dislocated his jaw had come to mind… I called him ‘faggot’ he must relate to the name now that I called him that. “Agate?” I asked. The fox charged at me, tackled me and stared at me, unsure of what it would do next. “Is that your name, Agate?” I asked once again. The fox barked really loudly, so I assumed that, that name would fit him. I looked over my shoulder to see a bobcat, he started heading towards Agate, and I started to get scared. The bobcat laid down and Agate on top of the bobcat. Agate looked at me, looked at the bobcat, looked at me, and looked at bobcat again, gesturing he wanted me to approach them. When I got near the bobcat it yowled telling me to back off, but it couldn’t have been a split second later and Agate growled at him showing him I was a friend. I got down to eye level with the cat, and brushed my hand across his cheek. “You’ll be ok. What’s the matter?” I asked in a soothing voice. The bobcat just laid there. I motioned Agate to stand up, I looked all around at the bobcat and it looked fine. “I think you’ll be fine” I reassured it showing it, it could stay with us for a while in the woods and we would share our possessions with it.

When I had finished my fifth of a steak, and the animal’s had finished the rest we all got closer to the campfire. Agate slowly fell asleep while the bobcat just laid on its side. A weird liquid started to drip of its groined, and then I noticed it was female. “Agate!” I screamed waking the fox up and startling the bobcat. He woke up, looked into my eyes and then at the bobcat and once again laid on top of her. I quickly pushed agate off the side of the cat, knowing he might be accidentally breaking her air off. I looked the soon to be mother in the eyes and could see a sense of happiness, fear and the will to die in her eyes all at the same time. I just thought to myself, ‘why are all the animals coming to me?’ the memory of the coyote came to mind again, and I realized I wasn’t going to let another animal die on me. I got out my guitar, and played ‘Shenandoah’ to calm down the pregnant animal. It soon ceased it’s irritation and looked ready to begin birth. I think this was probably the sickest moment of my life. I reached my hand up into the animal and pulled out a little baby, which I quickly put next to the mothers belly, getting it out of the way so I could restart my task. “Ok, did you feel what you have to do when I pulled it out? Push with all your strength or you may never see your babies.” I motivated the mother in the same voice I would have used for a human. The bobcat yowled and I saw a little head pop out. I went over and started “1… 2… 3!” I yelled and the mother pushed as I pulled. Luckily the third kitten came out with the second, and it occurred to me that we were done. The mother started cleaning the kittens and so did Agate.

I awoke in the night to find Agate by my side, the bobcat and two kittens at the side of there mother. I looked around and saw tracks of a canine… yet they weren’t Agates. I snapped my fingers twice, which sounded like gunshots in the silence of the forest we were in. I took out my pocket knife and flint, and followed the tracks side by side with Agate. I heard a growl, and quickly swung around with my knife at hand, thrusting it into the heart of a timber wolf. I looked at the ground and was awestruck it was perfectly shaped as if God had made it, except it had a hole in its ear, as if bit off by another wolf. ‘They don’t usually live south. Or alone.’ I thought to myself. I looked at the animal, and thought ‘What a shame that this perfect dog must lose its life to the hand of a young man.’ The tracks kept moving, a set of three of them. I kept walking with Agate until the tracks stopped at an uprooted tree. There was a short hole below it, where I could see three sets of ears. I whistled three times and threw a rock in the hole, the wolves scattering out and leaving their pray inside. I jumped in the hole finding out that I was too late, they had killed the kitten. ‘How, how am I going to adapt to this new way to live? All these animals needing me and then slowly dieing afterwards?’ I asked my self hearing the scream of Agate. I jumped out of the hole to find three wolves, one that was the biggest sat in the middle while the smallest sat at it’s right hand side and one way on the left, as if he did not belong with them yet followed them anyways had Agate in between his jaws. I took my knife and scraped it against my flint, causing sparks to fly everywhere. The wolf with Agate dropped him and Agate ran to my side. The smaller wolf scattered behind the giant one, and the giant one didn’t even blink. I created more sparks, yet nothing happened. I did it again, except this time, caught a leaf on fire and brought it up to my eye level. All the dogs seemed calm now, but that’s when I noticed something strange. The wolf who was in the middle was all grey and black, except for his forehead where there was a little white patch of fur in the shape of a cross. I closed my eyes and said a quick prayer ‘God, please let them kill me. Agate and the bobcat haven’t done anything wrong. Let them live in peace.’ I pleaded. I raised my head and opened my eyes. They where gone, I looked around and we were still in the forest near the tree, and the kitten was still dead. I slowly walked back to our camp the kitten on my shoulders, missing an arm and half its face.

When we got to camp, the mother was there staring at us, as if she knew what had happened. I laid the kitten at her feet, left her half of a steak and left. Hoping I would never have to see her or her babies again, knowing I would never forgive myself for what happened tonight. I figured it was about 9:00 so I started walking southeast alongside the Mississippi getting ready to go another 60 miles.

It was about 9:00 in the morning when I saw a silhouette in a dress pass around a bend surrounded with trees. Agate rushed to it at a supernatural speed, as if he where running in slow motion. ‘Sapphire!’ I thought to myself hoping I was right. When I got around the bend I was amazed to find a bald man in a brown robe sitting with agate sharing what seemed to be a piece of fish. I looked at the man, mid thirty’s and giving me the silence treatment. “Hello, in what direction must I head to get to Winona ?” I asked the man. The silence preceded, all he did was stared at Agate, like in a trance. I snapped my fingers twice, and Agate growled at me and the man frowned at me, as if they had an empathy link. I haeard a short little shake and a hiss. Looking behind the strange man I saw what seemed to be a stick, until it started to move.

“Dude, watch it.” I partially yelled lunging at the snake attempting to clasp the snakes throut. My attempt failed and instead of me grabbing the snake, the snake grasped my arm injecting poison down my veins and then jumped off leaving me be. “Seriously?!” I shouted at the sky “Don’t you have someone else to pick on?!” I shouted listening to the deep, dense echo that trailed afterwards.

The man grabbed my arm and started to suck on it. He sucked out a greenish-yellow liquid and spit it on the ground at the snakes face. The snake retreated into the river floating down it as the current stole it’s will of mobility. The bare headed gentlemen got up and started walking southeast a ways and so I followed.

When we stopped walking before us rested a small stone structure, with a cross on top of it.

“A church?” I asked.

“No” the monk said, his voice raspy and low “a monastery, a house in which we practice the worshiping of God.” he informed me.

“Why have you been so silent until now?” I asked once again.

“Because of the practice in which I participate, I am not allowed to speak, unless I am within 200 feet of the house of God.” He let me know, sounding as if I would need to know this.

“Why, from the house of God?” I asked “Isn’t the whole world his property?”

He laughed at me. “Awww you do not understand, I love the lack of knowledge the youth has these days.” He said in a jolly voice.

I just thought to myself ‘I thought monks where suppose to be respectful.’ I followed him into the monastery and saw the 5 room stone structure filled with about 30 monks. I looked around at them, they seemed to be from all over the world. They all stared at me like they could tell what had happened to me my whole life. One of the monks kindly approached me.

“Hello,” He said, his voice deep yet soothing. “My name is Jamal, and I am from Kenya.” He informed me, even though I could’ve cared less. Then the next one approached me.

“Hello,” He also started with a high squeaky voice that reminded me of a pig “My name is Pepper, and I am from France.” He informed me.

And so the cycle went on monk after monk after monk. At the end they all stared at me and I realized I should tell them about myself.

“Hey, my name is Dallas, and I come from Maple Grove, Minnesota.” I laughed finishing it feeling like a dumb ass, because they just looked at me like I should get a life. Then I heard a bark and a whine of an animal that sounded like a goat. I looked over my shoulder and looked out a hole in the wall that looked like it was suppose to be a window, to find Agate playing with a goat that looked like it was getting ready for death. I ran over to Agate and the goat,

“Agate get off of that poor animal.” I demanded him “It’s ok little fella,” I looked at the lamb “He wont hurt you, he’s a nice fox”

I looked around me and saw a giant wooden fence. And I noticed that one section was completely destroyed by Agate. I looked at the lamb, patted it on the head and whistled at Agate to follow me. I went to the monks

“Guys, I promise I’ll fix that fence, but I’m gonna need some materials.” I promised