Fan Fiction / Zoids Fan Fiction ❯ Run With Me ❯ Chapter 2

Ehhhh...here's part two of the weird fic. Things just seem to get weirder and weirder, I guess. Although I do try to explain some of it in this part, but other things are more confusing...>_< (at least you'll have more explanations to go with the confusing bits in later parts...or something like that...>_<)

And many, many, many thanks to the people who took the time and effort to comment on the first part of this fic or email me about it...it makes writing it that much more gratifying, knowing that other people like it. ^_^

Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids or any other Zoids characters, much to my sorrow. ^^;;

Anyhow, feedback is greatly appreciated!

//Italics// is mind speech...(>_<)

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Run With Me - Part 2

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//A jackal?//

Brad took a step back as the tiger approached him, something distinctly predatory in its eyes as it began walking around him in a slow circle.

//Jackals are misunderstood creatures, Brad. They are feared, hated, and revered all at the same time. They are loyal to their family and mate for life. They protect what is theirs, to the death if need be. They are sly and cunning as any fox, and are accomplished hunters. There was once a God of the Underworld, Anubis, who took the form of a jackal-headed man when he weighed the hearts of the dead. That is you, Brad. You are a jackal. Loyal, noble and cunning. Not quite wolf, not quite fox, but a blend of both.//

One thing stuck in Brad's mind, and he was startled to discover it was something that struck him to the core of his being. It was something he had never been consciously aware of.

//Misunderstood creatures?//

The tiger paused, watching him with those too-human eyes.

//They were thought to be vermin by some people. Worthless scavengers. A blemish upon the perfection of the world.//

A whimper escaped Brad's throat, his ears pressed against his skull as the tiger's words slammed home with ruthless efficiency.

//Worthless...//

He knew that word. Had been called that too many times to count in the past. He knew what it was to be considered worthless. Knew what it was to given so little consideration because of who and what he was.

Mercenary.

He' been used like a weapon in the past. Treated as though he were expendable. As though his zoid had held more value than his life. He'd let others use him as long as he served their purposes, only to be discarded once he became a hindrance to them. He'd let it happen, because he'd had no other choice. No other path had lain before him.

For him there had been no path paved of gold. No pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. No fair princess whose hand he could take in marriage.

There were those who didn't understand what it meant to be a mercenary. That didn't understand the reasons behind his decision to become one. He knew that. But knowing a thing and understanding a thing is something completely different. He'd chosen a path, and if others couldn't understand it, that was their problem. Or so he'd told himself, to the point where he almost believed it himself.

Almost.

There was still a part of him that hated to see the loathing in other people's eyes when they realized what he was. A part of him that cried out as they turned their backs on him because he fought for the money, not the thrill of the battle. The part of him that died a little more each time a cold gaze was turned on him. When harsh words were spoken to him.

The tiger moved, pressing up against Brad, holding him up with one broad shoulder. Nuzzling Brad's face, the tiger offered silent comfort.

//They, like you, are misunderstood, Brad. Few have taken the time to look behind appearances to see what lies beyond. Few enough care to see the things that make you who you are. Few enough care to understand you. But those that do...they are the ones who a jackal would die to protect.//

//Why?//

Sensing that Brad would be able to support himself, the tiger moved away.

//Why am I so misunderstood? Is it wrong to want money to put clothes on my back and food in my stomach? Is it wrong to want money so that I don't have to feel hunger or cold ever again? Why is that so wrong?//

Brad's eyes closed in pain as he remembered the long nights he'd gone without food. Huddling in the cockpit of his zoid, the only shelter he'd had. He remembered the disgust he'd felt from other zoid warriors, the ones who looked down on his kind. The ones who battled because they had the luxury to do so out of lack for anything else to do to pass the time. The ones that hissed the word 'mercenary' as though it was something dirty. Something to be despised. Hated.

//It's not wrong, Brad. It's what everyone wants.//

Brad whirled, baring his teeth in an angry snarl, his eyes snapping with blazing fury.

//Then why don't they understand?//

//They don't understand because they can't. They haven't been where you are, Brad. They've never had to fight over the last scrap of food. Never had to struggle to find a warm place to sleep for the night. They just don't understand what living like that is like.//

Hearing the tiger's mental voice filled with such sorrow, Brad felt something in the back of his mind click as his anger faded. He knew that voice. Knew those eyes. But he didn't know how he knew.

//I know you, don't I?//

The tiger made a soft sound in its throat, green eyes speculative.

//You do. Can you name me?//

Brad frowned, felt his lips peel back from sharp fangs as he did.

//Name you?//

The tiger took a step forward, green eyes boring into his.

//Name me, and I'm yours. Body, mind, and soul.//

The words sent a shiver through Brad. They held both promise and longing, as thought the tiger wanted something of him, but was loathe to ask.

Brad felt lost. He could feel the tiger's yearning like a physical thing. He could see it in those green, green eyes, but he didn't know what to do. Didn't know what to say.

//How can I name you? Don't you already have a name?//

The tiger looked at him a moment longer, then turned to go, brushing against Brad as it did, forcing him back a step.

//You'll understand in time. But for now...run with me. Run with me, Brad. Run with me.//

Brad felt panic as the tiger bounded away, muscles rippling beneath the sleek coat. He didn't want to be left alone in this strange place. Didn't want to be left alone, bereft of the blazing warmth and familiar sense of safety the tiger radiated.

Without a second thought, Brad gave chase, the steady rhythm of his feet pounding the earth matching that of the tiger. He reveled in the wind rushing through his fur, the tall grass that brushed against his belly, the scent of sun-baked earth that called to him.

He lost himself, giving over to that primal side of him as he ran, leaping over fallen logs and half-buried boulders as he raced to catch up to the tiger.

//Run with me, Brad. Run with me.//

He could hear the tiger's voice in his mind like a soothing caress, urging him on to greater speeds. Teasing him. Taunting him like an older brother would a sibling learning how to ride a bicycle or throw their first pitch. Driving him forwards with no thought except to succeed out of sheer perseverance or stubborn persistence.

//Run with me, Brad. Run with me.//

They ran through flat plains that gave way to thick forest and rocky mountain paths. They ran through darkened caves so ancient Brad could feel the weight of millennia pressing down on him. They ran through streams of icy mountain snowmelt, through puddles left by rain. They ran over massive sand dunes, through cactus-filled desert. And still they ran.

//Run with me, Brad. Run with me.//

They ran until the sun set and the moons rose. They ran until stars fell from the heavens, leaving a weeping trail of fleeting brilliance in their wake. They ran until they could run no longer, footsore and weary. Their souls filled to bursting with what they had seen, what they had felt. What they had known.

Fur caked with mud, exhaustion written in their every line, they came to rest at the side of a lake so clear and still that it seemed made of the finest of glass. Sweet birdsong filled the air, accompanied by an occasional rustle of wings as the night birds flitted from branch to branch in the forest surrounding them.

Watching the tiger with wary respect, Brad glanced back the way they had come. Amazed at the distance they had covered that night. Amazed that they had been the only living things there, until he'd heard the birds at the lakeside. Amazed that they had not stumbled over some forgotten human dwelling.

//Where are we?//

It was a question he knew he should have asked earlier, when he had first awakened. A question that would have given hi some clue as to where he should go next. What he should do.

The tiger turned to him, green eyes seeming to smirk at him as though it knew his thoughts.

//Don't you know, Brad? The Dreamscape.//

//Dreamscape?//

The word felt alien in his mind, unwelcome. It conjured up thoughts that left Brad shaking. Memories he'd thought best forgotten.

Seeing this, the tiger shook itself and headed for the lakeshore, its steps measured and even.

//A place where your mind goes to Dream. Sometimes to hide.//

Brad watched as the tiger waded out into the lake, leaving not so much as even a ripple in its wake. Casting a glance over its shoulder, the tiger flicked its tail gently, sending a sheet of water at Brad, a playful glint in its eyes.

Growling deep in his chest as he shied away from the spray of water, Brad paced along the water's edge, ears pressed back against his head. The tiger watched silently as his movements grew increasingly agitated.

//Dream? Why would I dream?//

//I never said you were here to Dream, Brad.// The tiger said mildly, wading deeper into the lake until the water reached up to its chest.

Brad froze, ears pricking forward, fur bristling. He could hear his heart thundering in his chest. Feel the blood rushing through his veins, laced with adrenaline.

//Then why am I here?//

Snorting, the tiger dove under the water, submerging as it swam out further, a pale shape beneath the water.

//You know the reason, Brad. I can't tell you.//

Furious and filled with primal fear, Brad ran to the edge of the water, fangs bared in a silent snarl.

//Why? Why can't you tell me?//

Backing up a step as the tiger appeared before him as though a phantom, water and mud sluicing off it, Brad forced himself to meet the tiger's gaze.

//The human mind has many defenses to protect itself. It shuts down, blocks off sections of memory. Sometimes those sections of memory remain sealed off. Too much knowledge too early can harm it. Too little knowledge too late can harm it. And on, and on. You, Brad, are hiding from reality at this moment. The reason 'why' is something only you know.//

Brad stood unmoving as he mulled over the tiger's words, not even flinching as the tiger shook itself, cold droplets of lake water striking him and seeping through to his skin. Not even blinking as the tiger moved beside him, green eyes staring down at him, willing him to remember. To understand.

//If...If this is the Dreamscape, then my body... My human body...?//

Taking pity on the confusion and fear it saw in Brad's eyes, the tiger rested its cheek against his, green eyes sliding closed.

//Was never here. It was another manifestation of your mind. A way to make you feel grounded in a place that makes its own reality. The moment you chose to follow me, it vanished. The moment you allowed yourself to feel instead of think, your mind no longer felt the need to protect you in that manner.//

//But...but it felt so real! I could feel the ground beneath me. I could feel your body heat, the softness of your fur! I could - //

//And what do you feel now, Brad? What do you see? What do you smell? The Dreamscape is a reality in itself. Everything here can be as real as you want it to be. You can be anything you want to here. Anyone you want. The only thing holding you back is you. Those mountains we crossed, weren't they familiar? Those caves...that desert? Don't you remember them?//

Brad's eyes went wide in stunned realization.

//They were all places I'd been to before. Places I'd fought.//

Opening its eyes, the tiger moved away, padding towards the trees.

//Are you real?// Brad asked, fighting to keep the fear from his mental voice.

Pausing, the tiger flicked an ear backwards, although it did not turn to look at him.

//I am as real as you want me to be, Brad.//

And then it was gone. Gliding silently into the forest without a sign to prove it had ever been there.

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To be continued...

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