Holly licked her lips at the sight of the pot cooking over the fire, positioning her head just over the opening to catch the smells leaving the hearty soup inside. It was a welcomed distraction from the smell of wet forest, wet hair, and wet old monkey she had been stuck with all day.

As Holly was letting the smells fill her head, a cane dug into her shorts and pulled her away. “Don’t stand so close to the fire,” a voice behind her said. “And leave the pot alone. This kind of fish is nervous and can’t cook right if you’re watching. Hasn’t anyone ever told you that?” Her master, the one called Cass, lifted the pot's lid with her bare hands and dropped a handful of spices inside, dipping her pinky finger into the boiling stew and tasting it. “Needs a few more minutes.”

Holly looked over Cass’ shoulder and caught sight of the cooking meats for only an instant before the lid went back on. “Do you need a second opinion on that?” she asked. Her questioning earned her a smack in the head from Cass’s cane.

“Last time I asked you for a second opinion, you gave me a third, fourth, and fifth opinion for free. Didn’t even leave me a drop. You just sit there and wait. This is training too.”

Holly pulled her head back and raised her fists. “Training? To pass the time?”

“Not that kind of training. This is learning about patience.” Cass returned to the log she was sitting on and patted a spot next to her. Holly sat down and Cass rested her head on her cane. “Let’s you and me sit here, quietly, waiting for our meal to be ready. Patience will make stew taste better.” Holly sat down and put her hands on her lap, watching the pot before remembering what Cass said about the fish and looking at her feet instead.

Her eyes drifted to the forest around them, and what remained of the campground that the two had taken over. There were rusted grills and moss-covered picnic tables in the middle of the clearing, and Holly let her mind wander as to what could have led to a place as fun as a campground being abandoned like this. She quickly got bored and turned her attention to the sky to watch the clouds drift. The seconds felt like they turned to minutes, and Holly could swear she could see the clouds drift and the sun move from its position in the sky. Her breathing became burdened and she scratched at her cheeks like something was biting her. Had it suddenly gotten hotter? She pulled at her top to let cool air in and fanned herself with her free hand. This was taking forever.

“Is it ready yet?” She asked, reaching for the pot, only to have Cass slap her hand away and give her a look.

“Yes,” Cass said. Holly gave her a dirty look. They hopped off the log and Cass gestured to the giant box behind the two. The miniature, portable home that Holly carried around. Cass had everything in there, and from the few times Holly peaked her head inside, she could swear it was bigger on the inside than on the outside. “Go and fetch us some bowls and spoons,” I’ll get the pot.” Holly jumped for the box and rummaged through one of the openings for the cutlery as Cass used her cane to pull the pot out of its restraints and onto the gravel floor away from the fire.

As Holly emerged from the box, her eyes landed on a blue body in the undergrowth staring at her some 40 yards away. It smiled as their eyes locked and it pushed aside tall grass and shrubs to get closer. Holly shrugged and returned to Cass with the bowls and spoons, eager to get a mouthful of stew before this interloper tried to get in on their meal.

As Cass pulled the lid off and wafted the smell of the stew into her nose, she turned back to Holly and held a hand out for a bowl, but recoiled when she too saw the figure approaching them. She pointed over Holly’s shoulder at the blue figure closing the distance. “Holly, there’s trouble!”

“Yeah, I know. Dig your spoon in deep, I want as many vegetables as you’ve got.”

“There are more pressing matters at hand, kid. We’ve gotta deal with this intruder first. They might be an assassin!”

Holly exhaled. “Do I have to? Can’t I just have a bite first?”

Cass smacked her cane on the ground and stamped her foot. “Of course not! How can we eat at a time like this?” Cass said. The the intruder suddenly jumped over the giant box and flew towards Holly, fangs and claws bared, aiming right for Holly’s back.

“I’ve finally found you!” They said. Holly spun on her heels. She clenched her fist. The moment the intruder’s breath reached her nose, Holly let fly her right hand. A mighty uppercut slammed against their jaw. The intruder flew up into the trees and came crashing down through one of the nearby picnic tables. When the dust settled, their body lay through the wrecked table and Holly slapped her hands together to indicate a job well done.

Holly turned back to Cass. “Can I have two servings?” she asked. But Cass was gone. She looked back to see Cass had walked over to the picnic table to get a closer look at the interloper. “More for me.” Holly grabbed a bowl and pulled the lid off the pot, only for Cass’ cane to hook her by the wrist and slowly drag her over to get a better look too. Cass’ cane could extend many times its original length and she used it at every opportunity to make Holly obey her commands no matter how far away she was. Holly reached for the pot like a long-lost lover drifting away at sea.

“Quit being so dramatic,” Cass said. She pushed the hair out of the intruder’s face with her cane. Nothing familiar, but the weird headband raised her eyebrows. It was different from Holly’s headband but something about it made her feel uneasy. The intruder’s facial features told Cass that this was a dingo, but this only raised further questions. “I don’t know who this is. Holly, look, do you recognize them?”

Holly looked down at the crumpled body, at her orange hair, strange blue outfit, and headband. “No.” She bluntly said. She grabbed Cass by the collar and dragged her back to the pot. “But maybe a quick bite will jog my memory.”

Cass dug her heels in the ground to stop Holly but to no avail. “This is serious,” Cass said. “She might have friends waiting to ambush us.”

“Well then we’d better eat fast, shouldn’t we?” Holly said. She sat Cass down on the log and stuck a spoon into the pot. She filled up a bowl and handed it to Cass, who kept her eye on the intruder in the wreckage. “If they get up, I’ll put ‘em down again. And if anyone,” Holly raised her voice and looked into the sea of trees, shrubs, and grass surrounding them, where anyone else could be hiding to attack. She filled up a bowl for herself and sat next to Cass. “And I mean anyone, interrupts our meal! You’ll regret it until your dying day! Which won’t be too far off if I have anything to say about it!” Holly pat Cass on the head and rustled her hair. “There, we’re safe now.”

Cass gave her a look as Holly took her first bite and savored it, chewing for what felt like an eternity to get a taste of every flavor brought to the table by the ingredients. Raising an OK symbol with her fingers, Holly proceeded to gobble up the soups gleefully. Despite her years of cooking, Cass couldn’t help but still feel a tinge of pride as Holly took in her meal. “Still got it.” Finally, she took a bite herself and her face twisted as she registered her flavors. She lowered her bowl to her lap and shook her head. Needed a bit of salt.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Some time had passed, and Holly and Cass found themselves locked in a battle of wills on opposite sides of the now-cloth-covered picnic table. Checker pieces sat in front of them on a grid and Holly stared at them confused and rustling her hair. “You know the rules, now think carefully about your next step. Whatever move you make will have an impact on the moves you make 5 turns from now so consider them before you move.”

Holly looked up at Cass, who smirked like she knew a secret she was keeping to herself. Grabbing one of her red pieces, Holly moved it over one of Cass’s pieces and picked it up from the board. “Ok, that’s my turn.”

Cass’ smirk exploded into a wide grin as she grabbed one of her black pieces and skipped it repeatedly over the board, collecting 6 of Holly’s pieces in one go. “Ha! I told you to think before you moved, didn’t I?”

Holly scowled but did not lose her cool, she saw her opportunity open up on the board. Grinning in response, she skipped over two of Cass’s pieces and collected them for herself. “That was all a part of my plan! See? Who needs to think now?” Holly raised her two secured pieces and stuck her tongue out at Cass.

Without missing a beat, Cass skipped across the board and collected the last of Holly’s pieces as she could only stare in bewilderment. “Good plan,” she said, piling up the pieces on the table and resting her head in her hands. “Down for another rematch?” Holly knocked the board to the ground, sending Cass’s remaining pieces rolling across the campground. “You’re picking that up,” Cass said.

One of the pieces rolled over to the broken picnic table, where the intruder in blue was finally standing up again. She smacked her head and looked at the monkeys on the bench, snarling and blowing hard out of her nose.

Cass grand her cane. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” she said.

“Funny, funny. I’ll deal with you later,” the intruder said. She cracked her knuckles and approached Holly again. Holly stood up from the picnic table and cracked her knuckles in response. “I’ve finally found you, Holly Mars.”

“You already said that bit,” Holly responded. “Why are you after me? Who do you work for?”

The dingo laughed. “People like me don’t work well with others. I’m here on my own to test myself against you.”

“You did so well last time,” Cass interjected.

“Yeah you didn’t do good on your last test, you should study more,” Holly added. The monkeys chuckled as the dingo raised her claws and charged toward Holly again.

“Laugh it up, you’ll be sharing that laugh with the devil soon!” The dingo went for a swipe. Holly was quicker to turn around. She delivered another mighty punch to the forehead. The dingo collapsed among the dirt and leaves. Holly stared at the dingo’s unmoving body, nudging her with a foot before backing away to rejoin Cass.

“I don’t feel right knocking her out so many times,” she said. “I don’t think she works for Kanyon anyway, she doesn’t have any robotic stuff on her.”

“Means you have a conscious, kid. Come on, let’s get out of here before she wakes up again.”

Holly and Cass packed away their game, their pot, their plates, and their cutlery before Cass climbed into the top compartment of the box. Holly put the straps on her shoulders and effortlessly raised the giant box on her back, ready to head back down the path and continue their quest. Cass popped her head out of the door over Holly’s head and dropped a map over her eyes. “If your senses aren’t fooling us, our next destination shouldn’t be too far. Go down the path and we should hit the road soon.”

“The only road… you’re walking… is the highway to hell.”

Holly turned around to see the Dingo back to her feet, wiping the blood off of her forehead. Holly whistled, impressed. “You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you?” The dingo licked the blood off her hand. “I still have a lot left in the tank.”

Holly dropped the box but the dingo zoomed in to close the distance. She fired a right hand into Holly’s face. It collided with a thud. Holly did not react as the Dingo pulled back her aching fist. A look of rage and excitement spread over her face.

Holly reared her fist back and stomped the ground hard. “My turn,” Holly said. She returned the punch into the Dingo’s face. She was down but, this time, not out. The dingo scrambled to her feet and laughed in response.

Her eye was bloodshot, and she grinned to show her crooked teeth. “You just sealed your fate,” she said. “You won’t be able to knock me out anymore. Not with your power.”

Holly looked down at her fist and charged to meet the dingo for their next clash. The Dingo threw the first punch again. Holly didn’t bother dodging, but when this punch struck her, she felt her head knocked back a little. Compared to the attack she effortlessly shook off a moment ago, it was like night and day.

But the punching game had gone on long enough. Holly grabbed the Dingo by the arms. Raising her overhead, Holly slammed her over her shoulder into the ground, with only her kicking legs sticking out. Keeping her grip tight, Holly raised the Dingo into the air and slammed her into the ground again, and again. With her breathing heavy, Holly looked down at the Dingo’s body and gave Cass, a look. “We should get out of here.”

“I’ve been saying that from the start, come on before she wakes up. Something’s strange is going on and I’m not in the mood to figure it out.”

Holly only took one step before the dingo exploded from the ground and grabbed her by the tail. She pulled Holly backward, with more force than Holly was expecting, and delivered a mighty blow to the back of Holly’s head. Holly went down, grabbing her head like a bowling ball crashed into it. How had she gotten so much stronger already? The last few punches barely left a scratch but now a welt was beginning to grow on the back of her head . She turned to her back to try and get up but was met with the Dingo’s foot kicking her chest and pushing her back down.

The dingo straddled Holly and raised her fist high into the air. She unleashed a flurry of fast punches as Holly raised her arms to defend. Laughing all the while. Barring her claws, the dingo switched to swiping with both hands at Holly’s armbands, slicing them and cutting into her forearms with each strike.

“Come on, I heard you were way tougher than this,” the dingo said. “I hear you’re a real monster! Let’s see that power of yours! Quit holding back!”

“If you insist.” Holly reached out both hands and grabbed the dingo by the neck. The dingo tried to return the favor and choke Holly but Holly rolled over to get on top and put even more force into throttling the dingo with all of her might. The color faded from the dingo’s vision as she tried to scratch Holly’s hands off her neck but to no avail. Within seconds, she was out cold and blue in the face to match her outfit. Holly scrambled to her feet and threw the remaining picnic benches on top of her body into a pile. “This should save us some time.”

Picking up the box, Holly ran down the path as Cass applied an ointment to her wounds. “She comes back stronger every time she’s beaten,” Cass explained. “There’s some dangerous magic at play, something that might rival the Monkey King’s artifacts.”

“Let’s hope we don’t find out. I don’t think those picnic tables will hold her down for long.”

A picnic table flew past the two and skipped along the path in front of them. Cass retreated into the box and opened a compartment on the back end, looking back to see the Dingo on all fours, chasing Holly down with a steady stream of drool pouring out of her mouth. Cass locked the box’s compartments tight and held on. “She’s coming, kid!” Her muffled voice said to Holly. “I’ll only slow you down, you know what to do.”

Holly nodded and skidded to a stop. Undoing the straps, she dropped the box to the ground before squatting down and getting her fingers underneath it. Heaving with all her might, she raised the box with her bare hands and launched it into the air like a caber. Before she could catch where the box flew, the dingo filled her entire line of sight with her fangs and claws bared, ready to slice through Holly.

The dingo swung a punch at Holly’s face. “I haven’t had a good fight in days, I might’ve died of exhaustion if I didn’t find you out here!

Holly threw a punch of her own at the Dingo's face. “You’ll wish the exhaustion got to you,” She said. “I’ll make you regret the day you ran into me!”