How could I get across the river? Think. Even if there was an elven command I could use, I might not have enough mana to get to the other side. I could alter the water's surface to ice, but that would probably crack and break and I’d fall in. Altering myself had had disastrous consequences. I would need to be smart about my magic. I looked down at my feet and my eyes went wide. I wouldn't have to alter myself… I would just need to alter my sandals!

I thought about exactly what sylvan words to say. I eventually decided on: “No matter where my sandal trods, the object will act as solid ground.”

I said the line, and could instantly feel the mana depleting. It was very little at first, because the reality was consistent. The mud I was standing on was relatively solid. I stepped out and touched the water with just an inch of ground under it. It dug in slightly, that was reality colliding with my magic spell, but it held. Awesome… this would work. The mana inside of me starting pouring, like an hourglass whose mouth just widened. I began running as fast as I could toward the other side of the river. It had fanned out since moving up river. I saw the crocodiles keeping to themselves, not finding me very interesting at all as I ran the river like a basilisk lizard. The magic was draining pretty fast and I wanted to be sure I would make it so I decided to use one of the pact paladin spells I was granted by Seshat.

“Stride.” I said. Suddenly, my run was doubled. My gait was twice as long and I could cover the ground in less time. It was a different feeling than my elvish magic. For that, I would ‘hold on’ to the mana dripping away. This spell felt like it used a chunk of my mana, but as a kind of ‘flat fee’ rather than a running total the elven magic was doing. I made it to the other side and released the spell. My feet fell through the two inches of water, causing a loud splash in a halo around me. The agitation scared a crocodile, causing it to skitter into the water.

Fuck, that was close, I thought, I didn’t even notice that one.

My kid-like eyes could still see a lot of light. I wondered for a second if I would need glasses like I did in the last lifetime. I caught the hellcattail, sticking out of the reeds and swaying among the grass. I reached over, grabbed it and pulled.

A large meow pierced my ears. A bright orange feline the size of a large mastiff leapt into the air, terrifying me. I let go, screaming as well, and landed with my butt in the mud. The cat crawled forward and turned around to face me. Hestana didn’t mention anything about a tiger. I took out my sword from my hilt but my hand’s injury prevented me from gripping it properly. I placed it in my left hand, and kept my right hand free, the red of the blood leaking through the makeshift bandage I had made.

“Nice, kitty?”: I whispered, “Don’t make me fuck you up, kitty.”

Then, to my surprise. The cat spoke.

“Can you tell me exactly what it is I did to you?”

“Huh?” I was expecting this thing to talk. Its size was like a cross between a cat and a tiger but no markings except for the back of its head, which had what resembled a black mask of an angry glare.

“I’m sorry,” I said, “I didn’t know you were the kind of cat that spoke.”

I could hear the purring coming from deep in the cat’s chest. When I looked at his face, it appeared oddly human-like. He had a look of mild annoyance. And his fangs looked like they meant business.

He curled his body back around to face me, still on all fours. His tail waned and danced in unpredictable movements, “Oh, are you one of the monkeys who uses tools?”

I kept a tight grip on my wooden sword, not knowing if this cat was a friend or foe, “As I said, I’m really sorry.” I repeated, “I was looking for Hellcattail for my mother. She’s-”

“Why do you smell funny?”

“I do?” I asked, sniffing my armpit, “I shouldn’t really get too bad until my teens. I still have that new baby shine on me.”

His head cocked very slowly like he was still studying me. He stepped forward again, he had ten fingers on each paw, “A little child shouldn’t be out here late at night,” The cat said, “You’ll never know what kind of creature is looking for a meal.”

His amber eyes glowed brighter and brighter as the sun got lower and lower. His orange body sunk back into the reeds, coupled with the falling night, it looked like his eyes floated in the darkness.

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“I appreciate that, kind kitty,” I said, “I know a predator when I see one.”

This cat was giving me angst. I kept my sword in my other hand. The blood from my bandaged wound plopping droplets into the mud.

“I don’t think I caught your name,” I said, trying to be polite.

The cat slunk around me, occasionally his writhing tail would poke through the curtains of reeds. He circled me, I made sure I kept my front to him.

“You don’t know me?” He asked, “Surely your mom has told you stories.”

I had an idea at that point. I hardened. I wanted to make a move for my shield but wondering if that would be the opportunity for him to attack.

The cat slunk closer, his body more visible, “What an interesting boy you are. You smell odd and I've never seen a child as polite as you. Not to me at least. Most are too terrified of my fangs.”

And with that, he smiled. Revealing rows of teeth each the size of my thumb, “Well… I am getting herbs for my sick mother. Doesn’t get more boyscout than that.”

“Boy Scout?” He asked.

“I am sorry I was out past sunset. I will happily be on my way.”

The cat turned around, the markings on the back of his head that made up the face on stared back at me. Was this my chance? I gripped my sword more tightly wondering if this would be the only time I could sneak up on him. No… this was bait. There was no way Shifu the child-eater would let me have such an easy shot. I would play this defensively.

The configuration of stripes squirmed on the back of his head. The mouth opened and said, “I can tell you’re at least thinking about it. But you’re a smart boy, I’m sure.”

One of the eyes winked at me. I forced a smile and said, “Thank you so much. I suppose I'll be getting back to my mother and father now. They’ll probably be out looking for me.”

I bowed as respectfully as possible. Knowing that some malevolent spirits liked to be sucked up to. It put a menace in my stomach to do so. Shifu turned around and pounced at me. I was caught off guard as I fell back. His head held over me and his ten fingered-paws pressed on my chest, making it impossible for me to stand up and very difficult for me to breath.

“Well? Smart little boys like you know what comes next. How will you act as I eat you up?”

I looked up at this fairytale. I remember my mom telling me about him the moment I could start to listen. Never be out past the reeds at sundown. Shifu the child-eater would gobble you up. He took the form of a cat, but was too big to fool children, and too cowardly to eat adults. He had two heads and ten fingers on each paw. I looked up at him, scared for my life. This motherfucker was making me scared for my life? My fear suddenly turned to disgust with myself, then to anger at him.

Shifu’s open mouth flared his teeth at me. There were two rows, supposedly one for each head. I stared up at him, as his slobber dropped on me. Each strain reeking of stomach acid. I dared not give my killer the satisfaction of my fear. This would be the end of my short life? I knew my mana was still recovering from that hop along the river. I breathed out and in. This was the creature that was going to kill me?

“I can feel your heartbeat through my paw.” He placed more pressure on my chest, my diminutive chest cavity felt immense weight on it and it became impossible to breath, “It’s like a hummingbird.”

“Kill me.” I said hoarsely.

“What was that?” He let his paw come up, giving me enough air to say it again.

“I said go ahead and kill me. No use in dragging it on.”

He released even more pressure, clearly taken aback.

“Look,” I started, “You want to eat me because you’re not big enough to go after adults, fine by me. I totally get being scrawny and underappreciated. It makes you mean. Makes you want to take revenge on people who had nothing to do with it. If you want to eat me, I understand. But if you want me to be terrified? To fight or to make this fun for you? I’m not going to give you the satisfaction. So eat me or don’t. But if you do,” I handed him the satchel around my chest. “Make sure these get to Mala Eres of the Copper Ring. Call it a dying wish.”

Shifu stared at the pouch I was handing him, then looked back at me. Even though he could feel my heartbeat pounding, my face was putting on the best performance of my admittedly short life. I waited for him to make his decision. He released my chest and turned around, “You’re no fun, kid.”

As he walked into the reeds, his mask said to me, “I’ll wait for you to get good and scared and I’ll eat you then. Until that, ta ta for now. And wish your mother a very happy illness.” His mask winked one last time. It walked fully away, his tail still swinging until it stood straight up and looked just like the hellcattail I had seen before. I got up and brushed myself off. I kept my eyes on the direction it went and saw the tail still hanging there. I took a step closer and… it was a real hellcattail! Was it always there… or had Shifu given it to me as a gift? Was this some kind of test I passed? I plucked it and placed it into my bag. It was time to rush back home. I started running as fast as I could back down the river, the last remnants of the sun set and enveloped my pathway with darkness. I stuck my sword up and said “Knowing light!!” Seshat’s power granted a small orb of light that hung directly above me, giving me enough light to see the snake face with cheetah legs pounce at me from the front.

The Dreaded Hfabu Attacks!