Three days after the supernatural summit, I was going stir-crazy. The cabin felt smaller than ever, even with all the raccoon-friendly modifications. I'd watched enough YouTube to earn a doctorate in conspiracy theories.
I'd even become so desperate for something different that I binge-watched all of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movies. In fact, my recliner was starting to feel like a prison. I felt a rat trapped in a cage.
After that, I ended up watching Alvin and the Chipmunks. However, after watching for a while, I realized my voice was actually quite different from theirs. Finally, I had to admit why I was really watching the show.
I am fricking bored!
Still, at least the movie was distracting. "Now that's a true child of chaos," I muttered at one point. "If only he wasn't a lazy, self-centered, attention-seeker." Then I paused and shrugged before continuing. "Then again, no one's perfect."
The zoomies had hit me hard as soon as it had gotten dark. I'd fought them off for hours by watching shows, but eventually I lost the battle.
Finally, I couldn't stop my paws from doing an annoying twitch thing or my tail apparently deciding to become an independent entity with its own agenda. As soon as the movie ended, I couldn't resist the zoomies any longer.
I made about fifteen laps around the living room and two trips up the bookshelf for no damn reason. I felt like I was losing my mind.
After burning off some excess energy, I clicked on any video that looked even remotely interesting. Then I saw it. Well, I saw myself. Or at least the old me.
What the fuck?!
My eyes were glued to the television as I watched Old Abe talking to a reporter. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
At least I know what happened to my body, I thought as I listened to the interview.
The reporter, a young kid who didn't look old enough to shave, said, "So, Mr. Pratt, I was told that you encountered something interesting in the woods. Please, tell us about what happened?"
Me, or the old me, said, "I was outside when I encountered this young raccoon. He couldn't have been older than a couple of months old. Anyway, I felt sorry for the little guy. I was worried that he might have gotten separated from his mother."
The reporter inched the microphone a little closer to Old Abe while trying to look like he cared. He failed miserably, though. It was probably because he was obviously humoring the old man who he viewed as a senile old man with one foot in the grave.
I shivered at that thought. It was unnaturally accurate. I tried to dismiss my uneasiness and continued to listen.
Old Abe continued, "When I went to give him some food and milk, he gave me a blessing. It turned out he was some kind of nature spirit and rewarded me for my actions."
The young reporter smirked and asked, "What was this blessing?"
Old Abe paused for a moment, and then answered, "He gave me a vision of the future. With the arrival of the mana tide, ancient spirits are waking up. While some of the spirits I saw were extremely dangerous, even apocalyptic, the true threat were the dangerous beings who originated from outside our realm."
"Yep, a stupid kid," I muttered as I saw the young reporter's eyes roll in disbelief. Then I sighed and said, "Then again, that's coming from the Great Trash Panda."
Old Abe didn't seem to notice and continued, "Now that mana is once again coursing through the veins of our world, our plane of existence is no longer an unlivable desert but instead is an oasis."
He paused for a second before continuing, "Prepare yourselves. As the mana tide continues to surge higher and higher, so too will the dangers increase. Pray that we survive the years ahead."
"There you have it, one of the locals telling us about his… experience with one of the strange creatures that seem to be popping up out of nowhere."
A new video started automatically, but my mind was still reeling. That was my body. I had watched my own mouth move as it spoke words that weren't mine, words about mana and apocalyptic threats. The thought sent a chill through me far colder than any Ozark night.
Who stole my body? Was it one of the other tricksters? Or was it something else, something even more sinister?
The idea that my old self was out there using my identity felt like a violation. I had no idea what to do, but I had to do something. My sense of unease had ruined any chance of me being able to deal with my zoomies.
"Screw it," I said, heading for the doggie door. "Time for a nature walk."
The mysterious shadow presence hadn't showed up in days. Just that cryptic 'soon' whisper and some ominous lurking.
Hell, if it wanted to eat me, it'd had plenty of chances by now. And hiding in the cabin wasn't going to save my furry ass if something truly nasty decided to make its move.
As for my old body, I wasn't ready to even think about that matter. Instead, I concentrated on the forest itself. It felt different as I padded through the underbrush.
The mana tide had basically rewired everything. It looked like someone had messed with the contrast settings on reality. Scents carried for what felt like miles and there was this constant electrical hum that made my whiskers buzz. Even the moonlight was off.
After a few hundred yards, I stumbled across my first 'what the actual hell' creature. A rabbit had parked itself under an oak tree. It had sprouted little horn buds that screamed 'baby antlers in progress.'
"I guess jackalopes are real now," I muttered.
After watching YouTube for days, I also learned there was another type of rabbit called almiraj. Apparently, they had a unicorn horn and were common in Arabic folklore.
This one definitely had antler buds, though. The thing turned its head around and eyeballed me. Then it took off in physics-defying hops that covered ten feet easily. Apparently, nobody had told it that rabbits were supposed to obey the laws of gravity.
Further down the trail, I discovered a squirrel. It definitely wasn't Tala since she went on some type of mission. She hated leaving me, but thought it was necessary. She'd even told me to stay inside.
Of course, I'd agreed. However, I didn't promise how long I would stay inside. For a second, I thought Tala had caught me, but this squirrel was just your average gray fuzzball. What was strange was that it was arranging acorns in patterns so complex they could've been alien crop circles.
The second it spotted me gawking, it went ballistic and launched an acorn at my skull with the accuracy of a trained marksman. I barely avoided it by ducking at the last second.
Damn, are all squirrels marksmen? I wondered. Then I grumbled, "Yeah, thanks for the warm welcome."
Another acorn exploded when it hit the tree behind me. I gawked and made a mental note, The local wildlife have definitely been hitting the gym.
I hadn't even seen it when it was thrown. Not wanting to risk another attack, and also with it apparently not wanting to waste any more acorns, I managed to escape.
That was when a nightingale dropped onto a branch overhead and started belting out what sounded like grand opera. The whole forest went silent to listen. More birds chimed in until the place sounded like Carnegie Hall had relocated to the Ozarks.
I plopped down and soaked it in for a minute. The music was gorgeous and completely batshit impossible, but that pretty much summed up my life lately.
The mana tide wasn't just stirring up ancient nasties. It was giving everything a supernatural upgrade, intelligence boosts, weird new abilities, quirks that shoved regular animals way past their normal limits.
I wonder what fresh hell is on the way for me, I thought as I kept walking. If bunnies are growing horns and squirrels are developing sniper training, what kind of cosmic weirdness am I evolving into?
I'd been so busy adjusting to my new life that I hadn't really spent a lot of time exploring the woods. As it was, I was already starting to regret my decision.
Rustling in the bushes up ahead made me stop cold. My ears swiveled around like satellite dishes, hunting for the source. Something big was bulldozing through the undergrowth while trying to be sneaky about it.
Tala would be chewing my ass out right about now, I thought.
Then the noise cut off abruptly. Whatever it was had either lost interest or decided to play the waiting game. I figured discretion beat getting eaten and veered toward some pine trees where the shadows could hide a tank battalion.
That's when I face-planted into something that sure as hell hadn't been there five seconds ago.
Invisible threads snagged my snout, then wrapped around my whole body. I'd walked straight into the mother of all spider webs, except there'd been jack shit visible to walk into. The strands only showed up after they grabbed me, silver lines that shimmered and felt stronger than steel cable.
"Oh, come on," I groaned through the webbing. "This is exactly the kind of dumbass move Tala warned me about."
I thrashed around, but fighting just made the web squeeze tighter. My raccoon muscles were useless. The strands felt like steel wire dipped in silk, and they kept adjusting to counter whatever I tried.
Okay, dial back the panic and think like a prepper.
I forced myself to quit struggling and size up the situation. This web was obviously magical. No regular spider could spin something like this. The threads were warm and had this steady pulse, like they were breathing.
I tried shifting to coyote form and then to mouse form, thinking the size change might help me escape. The web just stretched and contracted to keep me locked down. When I attempted going invisible, the damn things lit up like Christmas decorations, probably built specifically to screw with shapeshifter tricks.
"Alright, now you're just being a smartass," I said.
The web pulsed again, and I swear I caught amusement in the rhythm. Whatever had built this thing was getting entertainment value out of watching me flail around like an idiot.
This is what I get for not listening to Tala, I thought.
Three days ago, she said something about coordination between all the supernatural groups. She was going to visit each community and help them get their plans rolling.
Apparently, she was also building some kind of communication network. It made perfect sense to me since she was a divine messenger, after all.
As for me exploring, it had seemed like the right call at the time. Now I was having second thoughts about that decision.
"Damn it," I muttered to nobody. "I really need to start listening to others."
The shadows between the trees started condensing. Soon, a figure emerged from the darkness. It wasn't a welcoming sight either. It was a spider, a big-ass spider. It was easily three or four times my size.
Her body was sleek black with silver markings that flowed and shifted like living star maps. Eight legs carried her with perfect grace. When all those eyes locked onto mine, I damn near pissed myself.
When she opened her mouth, her voice didn't just hit my ears. It went straight through my bones like a tuning fork. "I told you we would meet soon."
Well, I thought, trying to keep my heart from exploding, This isn't good.
It looks like Abe needs help. Try hitting the Favorite and Follow buttons. Maybe that will help him out.