Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound 13

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  Seth looked down the slope to the buckeye and manzanita trees that covered the cliff side. As the fear of heights played on his mind, the mountain lion on the ledge just above his head mewed at him, and he knew that he may be living out the last few minutes of his life trapped by wild animals. Dr. Tatum, who was farther ahead of him on the narrow ledge, had stopped in her tracks as well, and another mountain lion slunk out from the bushes and onto the ledge where she stood. Behind him, Steven found himself boxed onto the ledge by a third lion that seemed to have followed them through the tapered wedge that divided the two mountainsides. Despite all of their best efforts at escape, they were trapped on a narrow ledge with nowhere to go but toward the hungry mouth of a mountain lion.

  Steven pulled out his gun, and he aimed at the big cat that lingered above Seth and pulled the trigger. He missed, and the bullet ricocheted off of the rocks and glanced out into the snowy air that blanketed the earth. Steven aimed again, but before he could get the shot off, the lion, which had previously been many paces at his back, bounded up behind him in a wink. Without even a whimper to give itself away, the lion leapt into the air and landed on Steven’s back, bringing him down face first onto the rocks of the narrow ledge. This all happened so quickly and with such ferocity that Seth feared Steven would tumble from the cliff with the momentum of the collision. As it was, the mountain lion’s graceful and stealthy attack had forced Steven to land on the rocks of the ledge where there had been little room for error. The big cat’s sudden attack had served to doom them in more ways than one. In the fall, Steven’s elbow had struck the corner of a rock, and the hand that held the pistol opened up reflexively to release the weapon from his grip. Just like that, the loaded gun tumbled down the steep cliff into the bushes a hundred feet below. The lion then opened its jaws and clamped its teeth around the back of Steven’s neck as he lay there helpless and bruised on the rocky outcropping. Not thinking of himself, Seth rushed back to help free Steven, and the lion squeezed a little harder on Steven’s neck as it looked up at Seth and dared him to come closer. Steven bawled in agony, though it was clear that he could still breathe in the midst of the feline vise, and Seth stopped for fear of alarming the blood lust of the wild creature any further. Behind him, Seth heard the unfortunate sound of paws landing on the ledge, and when he looked back, the lion that had tormented him from above had climbed down to his level. The muscular shoulders oscillated back and forth as the big cat stalked confidently toward him, and before Seth could steady himself, the lion bounded toward him on two legs and pinned Seth with his back along the wall. Seth shoved the lion’s paws and forelegs in an effort to unbalance the monstrous creature, but the claws had latched into his shirt and tugged him unmercifully with it. At the next instant, he found himself bent forward over the cliff and holding a mountain lion by the paws over the abyss. The creature’s hind legs had dug into the creases of the ledge and were helping to hold its weight, otherwise, Seth would have plunged alongside the lion to his death. It was a wicked dance with death that Seth was entangled in, but he managed to kneel down and shift the weight slightly to his advantage. He felt the muscles of his abdomen strain as the lion struggled against death in its own fear, and Seth nearly lost the battle against gravity there on the ledge. The cat’s paws dug into his arms, and Seth felt his own warm blood trickle down his elbows and drip to the building snow on the ground. The frantic lion screamed in the mingled bloodlust and fear, and the anxious cat sprang with its back legs and pushed down into Seth’s body with its front legs, leaping upward onto the ledge overhead with a wild burst of ferocity. The big cat had survived with Seth’s help, and it had emerged from the brink of death while Seth’s arms were gashed open and bleeding upon the white of the ground.

  Through all of this turmoil, there was little that Dr. Tatum could do as the third lion carefully crept toward her along the narrow ledge, trapping her on the niche with nowhere to go. She felt the need to hurry to Seth’s aid, and she felt sick to her stomach that he had been hurt so severely. In her heart, she comprehended her own fragile humanity, and she decided that if she were going to die here on the cliffside, she would do it with dignity. There was no value in contemplating the use of the charm. If she used it now, she could only save herself, and she would have to suffer watching the other two men die. She raised her arms above her head to make herself appear larger to the stalking lion, and she braced herself for what would surely be a quick and nasty end to her life. The prowling menace crouched down low to the ledge and became wary of the doctor’s flailing arms. The pink, rough tongue flicked out and licked a snowflake from its nose as it whiffed the scent of the fearful prey. The big cat was within pouncing distance, and Dr. Tatum closed her eyes for fear of seeing the end. She prayed a quick prayer of repentance and thankfulness for the life she had lived, and she steadied her body and mind for the end. A few seconds later when nothing had happened, she opened her eyes, and there she saw that the big cat had sat down on its hindquarters in the most brilliant and charming of poses. As if to hold up a regal feline head, the front paws were positioned in a straight and statuesque pose, and the lion tilted its head to the side and squinted its eyes as it watched the young lady pray for help. Carefully, Dr. Tatum turned her head backward to find that the other two lions had trained their eyes on her, and miraculously, or dreadfully, depending on how one feels about three large predators watching oneself, the fighting on both sides had ceased. Dr. Tatum could hardly believe her eyes, and she hesitated for a moment at how to proceed until she heard Seth gasp in pain. He leaned his back against the cold stone, and his blood leaked out onto the ground as she watched in shock. With a snatch of recognition, she woke from the surprise, and she quickly and carefully walked over to her friend to bind his fresh wounds. The big cat that loomed above acknowledged her with a short mew as it looked down questioningly at her, but the fear of death had left her conscience, and Dr. Tatum ripped off her own shirt to bind the fresh wounds on Seth’s arms. When she had finished wrapping his arms with the torn pieces of cloth, she shivered at the cold snow that melted on her bare shoulders, and silently, she wished that she had chosen to resign several days ago instead of following along with Director Roosevelt’s bidding. She looked up at the dangerous animal that was perched above, and then at the cat that held Steven to the surface of the rocks. She then peered her eyes around at the third cat, and she saw someone that she did not recognize, a man with long hair and a short sword, standing with his free hand rubbing the head of the mountain lion. The beast purred with contentment, and while she shuddered in the cold wind and flurries with only a sports bra to cover her chest, she wondered who this man was and how he had tamed the big cat to his touch.

  “Come, weary travelers,” the stranger said as he waved for them to come toward him and the lion. There was a circle of light which rested in the palm of his hand, and Dr. Tatum wondered what sort of person this man really was. Then he spoke to the cat which he had petted. “Pueblo, lead the way home,” he commanded curtly, and the mountain lion slunk by him along the tapered trail and passed by into the bushes at the end of the ledge. As if to check, the sly head with pointed ears popped out above the shrubs and waited for the others to follow.

  Dr. Tatum and Seth hardly knew how to act, but rather than spurn the stranger’s aid, they chose to hike their way toward him. When they drew close, the stranger turned and paced with great agility toward the end of the ledge, and he disappeared along with the lion into the forest, leaving a thin layer of fresh footprints behind in the shallow snow. The last two cats folded in behind, and Steven looked up in disillusionment. The lion had let go of his neck, and he was by himself now. The trail led two ways: backward to where they had fallen from the sky, and forward into the unknown. He had lost his gun in the struggle, his only real protection in the Sierra Nevada wilderness, and he justly perceived that his future lay ahead and not behind. Steven staggered to his feet, and h
e called out for the others to wait for him. When he did, the last of the lions, the one that had stationed its jaws around the back of his own neck, stopped and glanced back at him. Perhaps, it was considering the meal that was lost, or maybe it was just ready for a nap, but in any case, its mouth gaped wide with a yawn, and the sharp yellow fangs were bared menacingly to its former prey. The curious beast then appeared to lose interest and ambled on ahead with the others, blending into the grey and brown neutrality of the forest. Thanks to the stranger, Steven had escaped death that day, and he kept his curses to himself for the rest of the frosty hike along the mountainside to shelter.

  **********

  Dr. Tatum clinched her hands around her midsection as she followed the stranger and the three big cats through the forest for the better part of a mile, and she frequently turned around to check on Seth to make sure he was keeping up with them. Seth was maintaining pace with her on the mountainside, though the angles could be treacherous in places. With good reason, she was worried because his skin color had turned rather pale, probably from his injuries and the loss of blood. In a couple of instances along the steeper steps in the mountainside, Dr. Tatum reached out her hand to help lift her friend from one step to the next, and each time, Seth winced with the stretch that was exerted on his wounds. Swelling was setting in, and soon he would need to rest. The rocky trail itself was a narrow path much like the cliff ledge, and there was little room for them to walk side by side. For this reason, Dr. Tatum was resigned to keeping a careful watch on his progress so that he did not pass out in his weakened state and stumble down the steep incline to the chasm below.

  As would be expected on a long walk, her mind wandered. She was thinking about Seth, and she did not want to admit it, but she had developed a small crush on her courageous partner. That was a boundary that was not allowed to be crossed while in the Secret Service. An agent was allowed to be romantically involved with regular citizens or even other federal employees laboring in other organizations, but it was unacceptable for coworkers to be amorously linked. Dr. Tatum was resolved to keep her feelings of adoration to herself and to remain forever a ‘friend’. Her conflicting feelings of admiration for him had all started back when they had worked together on the haunted sawmill in North Carolina. That one accidental kiss which he had bestowed upon her, while entranced by the lingering spirits of the long-since shutdown wood mill, had made her remember the excitement of youthful infatuation, and though it was all a pleasant accident on his part, her emotions had been awakened from a dull sleep. Though he had initiated the kiss, Seth had believed himself to be someone else in another time and that she was his lover, or so he had convincingly explained to her when he had come out of the trance. It was complicated, but based on the circumstances and the way the case had turned out, she believed him and did not think that he had meant to kiss her. It was just a happy accident that she had best forget about while stranded in the wilderness of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and freezing her assets off with only a sports bra to keep her warm.

  As she shivered and her fingertips started to lose feeling, Dr. Tatum was suddenly jealous of the mountain lions, covered in fur and built for the cold, harsh winters of the higher altitudes.

  “How much further do we have to go?” she called ahead to the stranger, and he merely pointed his hand over his head, never looking back to acknowledge her. He turned a sharp corner in the trail and passed out of her sight with the three lions close behind. When she reached the sharp corner in the trail a few moments later, she found herself facing the opening to a great cave in the mountainside. She then craned her head around to observe the countryside from the strategic vantage point, and she observed an outcropping of tents and burned out campfires on the many mesas that jutted out of the side of the mountain below. Cold and numb from the swirling snow and icy wind, Dr. Tatum watched the desolation of the tiny village below, and she shivered with a chill. If she did not seek the warmth of shelter soon, she believed that she would not see tomorrow. From behind, a warm cloak of fur was wrapped around her as she stood there freezing, and she looked around to catch the stranger regarding her with quiet curiosity.

  “T-t-thank y-y-you,” she stuttered in the frigid climate. The stranger knew that she required warmth, and he tightened the cloak around her waist with a leather sash. Contented with her appearance, he nodded once with approval, and he drew in her gaze. Something came over her, and she marveled at his strong face, wondering how old he was as she observed the lines around his eyes and lips. His lips were a deep and fascinating red, and she caught herself fixedly staring at his features. He returned a smile which she found unsettling, and the look of his eyes intensified suddenly. It was a chilling look, a study of her that commanded control, and she sensed that he was a man who always obtained what he was after.

  Just then, Seth turned the corner, and the scuffling of his feet on the gritty surfaces of the rocks awakened her and broke her concentration. Though the stranger and Dr. Tatum stood face to face, together they turned their heads to look at Seth at the same time, she with a slight bewilderment, and he with a minor perturbation and annoyance that passed quite quickly. The makeshift cloth bandages were soaked through with the red blood from the horrible scratches on his arms, and Seth’s face had whitened with the exertion of the steep hike along the mountainside. Dr. Tatum rushed to his side, and she placed her arm around his midsection to steady him. Then she helped him climb to the entrance of the cave as the stranger remained discreet and unobtrusive; yet one might even say unhelpful.

  “Is there warmth inside?” she asked the stranger, and he simply walked on in ahead of them where he led the way deeper into the cavern. When he turned the first bend, the stranger took a flaming torch which was suspended from a hanger on the rough stone wall, and he soldiered on ahead down a series of steps and into a wide opening in the grotto. He then lowered the torch into a circle of rocks containing a dry pile of kindling in the center of the room, and a warm blaze rose quickly. There was a small hole for a chimney in the peak of the rounded stone ceiling, and the thick smoke that rose layered in the upper level of the room rather quickly. Dr. Tatum and Seth sat down near the fire for warmth, and the stranger walked back out to the entrance of the cave to await the arrival of the last straggler in their group.

  “I don’t feel so good,” Seth said as he rested and closed his eyes, and Dr. Tatum supposed that he was in shock as well as low on blood.

  “Lay back and get some rest,” she said, and he looked around to find nowhere soft to lay his head. “Here, lay your head on my lap,” she suggested tenderly, and she let him lay his weary head on her legs. The stranger came back around the corner into the room, and he noted Seth’s poor condition and shook his head.

  “Ah, it is a pity that one of my children has hurt your friend. I am afraid that even in their gentleness, they can be quite perilous to handle. You will forgive us our trespasses then, my lady?” the stranger gracefully requested her forgiveness.

  “My name is Dr. Theresa Tatum, and I accept your apology and hospitality, though it may do Seth no good without proper medical care,” she said as she pointed to the bandaged gashes on his arms. “Do you have any medicine for his wounds?” she asked just as Steven walked into the room closely behind. The STUN agent seemed less concerned with everything else going on around him when he spotted the warm fire, and he quickly slipped by the stranger and warmed his frigid hands by the radiant blaze. The stranger seemed to take very little notice of his new company, and he continued his conversation with Dr. Tatum.

  “Let me introduce myself. I am Lord Felino, ruler of the forests east of the valley. I will see about medicine, my dear,” he replied with a bow. “Please make yourselves at home,” Felino added as he looked rather crossly upon Steven’s silence. Then Lord Felino dismissed himself and left the chamber. Steven jumped to his feet and stepped around the corner to follow him, but he immediately backed into the room and ran to
the far side of the warming fire as a healthy-sized mountain lion stepped into the room and posted himself watchfully at the entrance.

  “Great!” Steven exclaimed, and he stood tensely by the fire as he warmed his hands. “You see what you’ve gotten us into now, don’t you,” he told Dr. Tatum, and she simply rolled her eyes in exasperation. She was not about to get drawn into a silly argument with him about the circumstances that he had helped to instigate in the first place. The way Dr. Tatum saw it, they were very fortunate to be alive. She thanked heaven that they were in the shelter of a warm cave when they could be stranded out in an extremely harsh environment that would easily claim their lives. Yes, she had to agree that they were no longer free to wander the snowy mountainsides, but right now, she really did not want to be back outside in the cold, even if she had to give up her freedom for a short time. She was content to sit by the warmth of the fire and give Seth a few days for his wounds to heal.

  Instead of arguing with the agitated enemy agent, she tuned Steven out and focused her mind on her new surroundings. She discreetly felt the outside of the pockets of her pants for the magical charm, and when she was satisfied that it was still there, she examined every corner of the room for any clues regarding their savior, Lord Felino. There were no loose trinkets laying on the dirt floor, not even in the natural nooks where the various sections of stone wall of the rounded room met like shingles and folds. She did take notice of cave writings and drawings that seemed to surround them along the smooth sections of stone, and she began to take careful note of one set of drawings in particular. The drawing seemed to show a Native American teepee turned upside down in the sky. There were scrawny stick figures pointing to the plummeting teepee in the sky, suggesting that the tent may have been a meteor or falling satellite of some kind. In the following scene, the teepee appeared to be resting sideways on the ground, and there were childlike sketches of cat faces peeking out of the bottom of the tent with a man stretched out on the ground as if he had crawled from the tent.

  “Those cave drawings bring up even more questions,” she thought to herself as she looked for more answers on the ancient wall. There were no other such drawings in the room that she could see, and as she looked around the curved walls, a strange noise began to rise throughout the space. It began as a low humming noise, a regular vibration, and Dr. Tatum felt along the earth for tremors, but none could be found. She looked down at Seth’s face, and he was asleep for now. Then she caught Steven’s gaze and asked a silent question with her eyes and brows.

  “Do you hear it?” her facial motions quietly indicated, yet he simply shrugged his shoulders in reply.

  “What?” he asked, as if he were irritated with her unspoken inquiry. The enemy agent was proving himself to be difficult in every sense of the word, but it was not in her nature to give up on him so easily. Together, they were lost in the wilderness, probably fifty to a hundred miles through the mountains to the nearest civilization, if they did not take a wrong turn, and she would need all of the help that she could get to transfer Seth to safety in the declining wintry weather.

  “Do you hear that sound? What is it?” she clarified and returned her questioning gaze to Steven, and he pointed one hand toward the resting mountain lion. The big cat had laid down with its head on its paws, and its eyes were now closed. Suddenly, she realized where the sound was coming from. “It’s purring,” she said aloud with startled wonder, and though the feline’s resonance dominated the space of the room, the purring seemed to ease the troubles from her mind. She started to feel limber and loose as she sat there listening to the vibrations, and it was not long before her eyelids grew heavy and the weariness of exhaustion crept into her limbs. She laid her back onto the ground, and she stared at the orange reflections of the light on the ceiling as the burning wood popped and crackled nearby. Then she closed her eyes and pushed all of their worries to the back of her mind. The makings of dreams nipped at her mind, and soon she was asleep.

  Thoughts of the dark stranger, Lord Felino, crept into her visions, and he stood far away and pointed his finger toward her. The shadows of a hulking beast crept up behind him, and the beast passed by him and followed the master’s direction by stepping forward into the dim light of her dream. She saw that it was a mountain lion that stalked her where she lay frozen in a dream, and when the big cat had wandered to her side, it craned its thick neck down so that its cold, wet nose touched her forehead. The cat sniffed the scent of her skin from her cheeks, and Dr. Tatum laid still in cold dread as the animal licked her once on the neck with its abrasive and wet tongue.

  “Is it tasting me?” she wondered, and her mind’s eye drifted to the cat’s big eyes. There was no hunger trapped within its consciousness that she could see, and so her eyes wandered around the cat’s face. With fascination, she regarded the fuzzy skin between its two eyes and at the top of its nose. The furry patch of skin there began to fold, and a singular curved line of hair grew from the new wrinkle. A reflection from a drop of moisture appeared along the line as she floated helplessly in the dream. Worry edged into her thoughts, but she could not move as she watched the new third eyelid that was mounted in the lion’s forehead open. The pupil shrank in the dim light of the campfire, and the yellow iris grew and filled the void made by the shrinking black spot. Dr. Tatum found herself captured in the reflection of the new eye, and she was astounded to find that she was being examined so closely by the strange three-eyed creature. She was paralyzed by the power of her own mind while she slept, and the lion’s three eyes scanned her over from head to toe while she laid numb and motionless on the cool slab of cave floor. The mutated creature then observed and sniffed Seth from head to toe as he moaned from the pain of his injuries in his sleep. The feline creature then hovered over his bleeding limbs, and its tongue came out and tasted the dried scabs of blood that marred him. The lion repeatedly licked the man’s wounds with its tongue, and despite her desire to break free of the dream state, there was nothing Dr. Tatum could do to rise to her feet and shove the lion away from her friend. Even if she could have, she knew that the mountain lion would win the struggle by overpowering her, maybe even killing her. It was a horrible circumstance, but all that she could do was watch helplessly as the big cat tasted Seth’s blood. After a few minutes of licking the wounds on each arm, the lion did not proceed any farther however. In fact, the lion placed its own head next to Seth’s cheeks, and it nudged him gently as if to wake him. When Seth finally stirred, the lion turned its head to look back at Dr. Tatum, and the third eye winked at her. The big cat then ambled over to where Steven lay on the floor, and it turned its haunches toward him and sprayed his clothes. Then she remembered no more.