Cassie

We finally landed on dry ground, that ocean a world away.

“Bathroom break,” Rana said.

Daniel made an announcement as the others prepared for the next leg of our journey. “We’re going to fight the Black Dog.”

“About time, Dan,” Kenta said, pleased.

While somewhat nervous about the prospect, the others were eager to stop running and turn the tables on our pursuer. As Daniel explained the plan, I got to thinking. :Hey,: I sent him in a private message. :I’ve been meaning to tell you something.:

Interested, he asked, :What is it?:

:My nightmares always follow the same patterns, repeating themselves. But, this time, it was strange. I… I saw something that didn’t fit. Something that wasn’t there before.:

:And?:

:It was… a light. I think I have to try and find it. I need to sleep again.:

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He pondered. :We can tell the others you want to be at 100%. We’ll give you another dose if you need it after, so you’re ready to be our emergency getaway.: He meant if I failed again.

We switched to riding Wendi. Daniel had brainstormed some interesting maneuvers for this arrangement. Kenta needed to rest, but his hair could work while he slept. Given Wendi’s horns as a braiding anchor, the strands formed a bird’s nest for the kids and acted as shock absorbers for a smoother ride.

Lea lounged in a foam encasement elbow to elbow with Rana, careful not to touch anyone else. Wendi sat legs-folded while Kenta built his hair structure and lifted us aboard.

The caprid girl planted her palms on the ground and extended her arms. Wendi’s incredible strength raised Kenta’s hair and everyone as passengers, including Paul’s metal body. Meanwhile, Daniel rode piggyback, head between her horn spirals.

Shifting their weight to her right hand, Wendi ‘stepped forward’ with her left hand, then moved her right, picking up speed, then her left again, right, left, right-left-right-left faster and faster like a freight train building from a slow start to a high speed. Soon she trotted on her hands faster than Lea could have carried them on her caramboles, quicker than Kenta’s tank-tread braids.

I don’t know how Daniel managed it. He spent hours like that over uneven terrain.

Sitting in the hair nest, we traded sandwich ingredients for a ‘picnic’ lunch. Lea used her caramboles to pass the bread and various spreads between kids who weren’t too seasick to eat. Rana gulped down three sandwiches to fuel her metabolism while Lea and Kenta nibbled at theirs. Anticipation and unease didn’t improve our appetites.

I managed a few bites before burrowing into a patch of Kenta’s hair to sleep.