Chapter Thirty-Four
A Curious Quadruped
What happened next occurred rather quickly – perhaps in the span of a second or two. But to Maria and Sara, whose senses had been elevated by the extreme peril, it seemed to be a much longer period of time.
The Guardian Lion came at them like a bullet… a bullet that was enormous, furious, and apparently quite hungry. They saw it coming, but there was little they could do. Though they were possessed of great dexterity and quick wits, the girls felt as though their sneakers were cemented to the floor, particularly with the burden of supporting the semi-comatose Evelyn.
They could only watch, dumbfounded, as this supernatural creature leaped at them, with a roar so profound that it made the blood in their bodies boil with agitation.
With a sound like thunder, the beast landed mere inches in front of them, all four paws colliding with the tile floor. In the shadow of its awesome presence, they had never felt less significant. It towered above them, radiating animal ferocity and an ancient, intangible power… if Pan Gu was likened to a hurricane, this beast was of similar stature, and was a force of nature unto itself.
The sisters could feel the heat of its breath wash over them like an industrial pizza oven, and they felt the spatter of drool upon their faces. They were quite certain that their eyes had never in their lives been wider. Their attention was focused, to say the very least.
As if in slow motion, they saw the beast rear back with one forepaw, its entire body twisting with the effort. It was gathering the entire, formidable strength that was at its command. The sisters saw the sinews of its heavy muscles rippling and shifting, and they witnessed the claws become even more terrifying, as they further extended from those mammoth paws.
“Duck!” Sara screamed.
“Well said!” Maria replied, even as she hurtled her weight to the floor (and even as her eyes remained in a state of what might best be described as bulged-out wonder).
They dove to the floor as one, their grip tightening upon Evelyn as they did so. In this moment of supreme terror, as their very lives were balanced upon the most fragile of outcomes, they would not abandon the person for whom they had assumed responsibility. She was three times their own age, but this mattered not. Evelyn was in need of help, and they would not desert her during her hour of need.
Collectively, they lunged toward the tile floor, screaming with a combination of exertion, alarm, and panic. The three of them collided with a thwump upon the unforgiving surface, and they could hear the swish of the Guardian Lion’s clawed paw, as it screamed through the air above their heads – the air which they had so immediately vacated.
From their place upon the floor, where they pressed their bodies low and attempted to shelter Evelyn, Maria and Sara peered up. As improbable as it might seem, they could witness the Guardian Lion’s claws rip apart the air itself… and in that moment, they could have sworn that the beast tore the very fabric of existence into pieces.
They saw what looked like particles splinter apart before their very eyes, skittering across the three dimensions that were readily available. Such was impossible… yet, this was no ordinary creature, and its abilities perhaps went beyond what was generally considered to be within the realm of the possible.
Pressed upon the floor, jointly sheltering their adult cargo, the sisters gaped at the towering Guardian Lion. Thanks to their quick reaction, it had completely missed them with its first swipe. But the beast was quick to recover its balance, and in what seemed to be no time at all, it was rearing back for a second go with its alternate paw.
This time, however, the sisters were immobilized by their previous efforts. Hugged against the floor, there was little they could do to evade the fury of the Guardian Lion.
The beast lunged forward, its forepaw rushing at the three prone, helpless humans. This was a monster like none other, and surviving its wrath seemed doubtful, at best.
It was a beast born to roam the plains of the earth, reigning supreme, exerting its dominance over anything that lay in its path. This was a king… forced to hibernate for centuries, but now awakened and irritable.
The paw came forward, claws glinting, their sharpness unparalleled. Maria stared. Sara stared. They hugged each other, and they hugged Evelyn.
This was something for which they were utterly unprepared, no matter the extent of their experiences in weirdness. It was a moment so unique, it literally robbed them of their breath. The grips with which they held onto one another, fingers upon shoulders, simultaneously tightened.
But as doom drew upon them, there came the most unexpected of interventions. There was a blur of apricot-colored fur… and then, despite the implausibility of the matter… Nibbler had arrived.
Maria and Sara stared at the Labradoodle in disbelief, unable to process what they were witnessing. How on earth was Nibbler here? They were flummoxed, utterly flabbergasted. Their brains, already weighted with so much stress, could not quite process the sudden, inexplicable appearance of the exuberant canine.
Nonetheless, no matter how impossible it might seem, it was true. The happy, furry dog skittered to a stop before the girls, woofing with excitement. The Guardian Lion, taken aback by such fearlessness, was startled into averting its attack, and it took an involuntary step in reverse.
With no trepidation whatsoever, Nibbler stared up at the much larger creature, continuing to bark. He bravely faced the beast, heroically raising his head and releasing a series of woofs that were clearly meant to convey the sentiment of: “back off!”
Amazingly, the Guardian Lion did back off, taking another step away from Nibbler and the humans. It could have easily crushed the Labradoodle, but it seemed to be startled (and perhaps even impressed) by the audacity with which it had been faced by this furry critter. It did not go far, only taking two steps backward, but it was a clear acknowledgment of Nibbler’s warning.
“I think I might be suffering from dehydration,” Sara said. “Am I hallucinating, or is that Nibbler?”
Maria nodded, her expression one of equal parts bafflement and joy. “Yep, that’s Nibbler alright. He’s one incredible dog, isn’t he?”
“And he also has impeccable timing,” Sara added.
There was a sudden change in the air pressure of the museum, as the fires raged and destruction continued to sprinkle down upon the floor. Pan Gu had lunged across a great span, its tail thrashing wildly, and the displacement of so much air had created a shifting of the winds.
The smoke that had surrounded the sisters was dispersed, and their visibility was vastly improved. They could once more see what was around them, and though the museum was undergoing an alarming state of deterioration, they felt confident that they could find a way out.
Nibbler had never removed his eyes from the Guardian Lion, but his demeanor had done a complete turnaround. No longer was he barking, nor was his posture one of rigid aggression. His head was low to the ground, placed between his front paws, and his rump was high in the air, shaking from side to side with the motion of his fiercely wagging tail. Unbelievably, Nibbler was trying to befriend the monster.
The Guardian Lion began leaning forward, stretching its neck so as to get closer to Nibbler. It sniffed inquisitively, nostrils flaring and flickering. Its huge, golden eyes studied the Labradoodle intently, trying to make sense of this curious quadruped.
When the Guardian Lion’s face got sufficiently close to his own, Nibbler reached up and delivered a sloppy kiss. To the creature’s astonishment, Nibbler’s tongue slurped across its nose.
Leaping up from his pose, Nibbler barked once, and then sprinted off. Without hesitation, the Guardian Lion gave chase. The sisters were not sure if the ancient beast was playing with Nibbler, or trying to run him down and eat him.
Whatever the case, Nibbler had just given them a second lease on life. He had saved them from the wrath of the Guardian Lion, and they were indebted to their furry friend.
But just when it seemed that thi
ngs were improving, their luck turned decidedly sour. For as they gazed up at the shaking, shuddering museum, they realized that they had drawn the attention of something even worse than the Guardian Lion… peering down at them, its lips pulled back to reveal fangs and smoke and fire, was none other than Pan Gu.