Legal Notice: This story and all character are © 2001-2002 by Benjamin Zmoda unless otherwise specified. This story cannot be distributed, sold, or used for commercial profit without written permission from the author, nor may this story be mirrored on any other site without consent.
Of Earth, Sky, and Everyone in Between
Chapter 5
A day passed, but cooped up like he was, memories continued to assault Leo. At first the doctors had been concerned at his behavior, but after Leo had bawled them out, they left him well enough alone.
Once again, Leo felt the strange tingle ripple across his body as he once again sunk into his past.
Memory...
It was dark, but he was awake and alert. He took a quick look around, and easily spotted his quarry: a feral deer, which had paused to take a drink from a nearby stream.
He had been living in the woods for just shy of a month, now. A few years earlier he had learned all the necessary points for wilderness survival and was quick to adapt to his environment. Presently he was 10 feet off the ground in a tree, waiting for the right moment to make his move.
He moved closer, being careful to remain absolutely silent. He crouched on his branch and unsheathed his claws. Hesitating for only a second, he leapt from his perch and buried his claws into the animal's neck.
It struggled for a few minutes, but its throes became weaker with every second that blood gushed from under Leo's claws.
Leo stood back to admire his work. He hade perfected this technique over his stay in the woods. Combined with his diet of plants, this carcass would feed him for several days. However, with winter rapidly approaching his makeshift home would not keep him very protected. He needed matches, and maybe an axe.
He was sure he could steal an axe from the house he had once called home without too much trouble, but he didn't want to risk going inside for matches. He'd probably have to go into town for those.
He made a mental note to prepare for that.
When he snapped back to reality, he was puzzled. This memory wasn't nearly as traumatic as some of the others he had experienced recently. In fact, he could hardly recall the last time that had come up in his thoughts.
He smiled at the fond memories he had living in the forest; much better than the ones he had at "home". A frown found it's way onto his face as he realized that it also meant that he was a killer since age 14.
Well... at least not many people can honestly say the same thing, he thought to himself.
As was becoming custom, his thoughts were once again interrupted by a visitor. He looked to the door to discover an unfamiliar bobcat in scrubs.
"Who are you?" Leo asked skeptically.
"Hey, I'm Jimmy Light. I was just transferred to this branch, that's why you haven't seen me around before. I'm just here to check on your stitches."
"Great! The sooner I get out of here, the better. I'm going nuts stuck in this bed."
"That's the spirit," Jim laughed. "Now just hold still and I'll change the bandage and make sure those little suckers are still intact."
Leo didn't know why, but he was taking a shining to this new doctor. He was thinking about it as Jim was gently peeling off the bandage. Suddenly, it hit him in a flash of insight.
"Hey, wait a minute," Leo said suspiciously.
Jim suddenly tensed up and a look of fear suddenly flirted across his face. Seeing this, Leo felt it would be best to reassure to poor doctor; he was the best of any that had come by so far.
"No, no," Leo said. "I was just wondering why you didn't react to my wings. Even the doctors that were prepared still stared for a little while when they saw me."
Jimmy gave a sigh of relief, then answered. "Well, to tell the truth, I've seen stranger things in my career. Besides, your troop once stopped in my hometown, so I've seen you before."
Leo gave a bark of a laugh. "That explains a bit," he said. "Thanks. Being treated like a normal fur means a lot to me."
Jim dismissed it with a wave. "Forget it. Anything I can do to help is my duty. On another matter, your stitches are holding well, and the muscles seem to be healing together much faster than we anticipated. I'll just slap a new bandage on here and we'll be all set."
"Great. Hey, you gonna be back any time soon?" Leo asked hopefully.
"Hard to say," Jim replied. "Somehow, I doubt it, but I'll try to arrange for us to meet again."
"I'll be looking forward to it," Leo called as Jimmy Light left the room. He was just leaning back to rest as he was interrupted yet again by a knock at his door. He looked up to see his less favored doctor standing in the doorway.
"What is it with you guys?" Leo snapped. "Isn't there anytime when there isn't one of you in here with me."
"Sorry," the doctor replied in a bored tone; he had learned a while ago not to readily fear Leo. "I'm just here to change your bandage and check on the stitches."
Confusion flickered across Leo's face. "But Doctor Light was just in here to do that."
Now it was the doctor's turn to be confused. "Who?" he asked.
"He said his name was Jim Light. He was transferred here recently," Leo replied.
"Leo," the doctor said, a note of disbelief working it's way into his voice, "No one by that name has ever worked here, and no one has been transferred here in months."
# # #
Zelda was anxious, but in a strange way, she was looking forward to the visit. She had tried to go over a plan for conversation in her mind, but after an hour she had deemed to the idea unproductive and decided to simply see what came up
Naturally, she had kept Nancy in the dark about her plans. She loved Nancy as she would a sister, but some things she simply didn't want her opinion on.
Before she could think to second-guess herself further she left her apartment and didn't look back. The hospital she was headed for wasn't too far away, so she had decided to walk. Besides, this is good weather, and I need the exercise, she told herself.
As she jogged through the streets, Zelda started to regret her choice in transportation. She didn't live in what some would call a bad neighborhood, but she never felt secure when she was on her own. She forced these thoughts out of her mind as kept jogging, but couldn't help but pick up her pace a tad.
Leo finally found himself alone in his room. After the flurry of activity over the doctor that had visited him earlier, he hadn't thought he would ever have time to himself again. It's amazing what a few well placed threats can do, he grinned.
Wondering what he was going to do, he picked up his guitar, which had taken residence under his bed, and plucked out a few cords. As he plucked faster, and with greater purpose, he found himself settling into an old rhythm he had first played out in the wild. He really didn't care if he was disturbing anyone; he was long since lost in the music.
Zelda was grateful that the commute was over. She was a bit surprised when she realized that she was more nervous of the trip there than she was at the confrontation that lay before her. A bit confused, she wandered over to the reception desk, where an elderly mink looked up at her and smiled.
"Good afternoon young lady. How can I help you?" the attendant asked.
"Hi," said Zelda, returning the smile. "I'm here to visit Leo in room 618."
The mink's expression darkened slightly. "Is he expecting you?" she asked.
"Not really," Zelda confessed. "I thought I would swing by and surprise him."
"Alright," replied the attendant skeptically. "Between you and me, he's been in quite a bad mood lately for some reason. Just be careful not to rile him up, he's a handful as it is."
"Take the elevator to the sixth floor," she continued. "Someone there will tell you how to get to the room."
"Thanks," Zelda said with a small wave as she headed over to the elevators, muttering a few curses to herself. He's in a bad mood... great. You sure have a great sense of timing, she berated herself.
This is stupid, she continued, as she stepped into the elevator with a few others. You're acting like this is a huge event. Just relax and it'll be okay...
Scarlet was lounging around her tent. Due to her disability there wasn't much work she could actually do, but she tried to keep up morale (a losing battle today). Recently, with Arthur's mood and Leo's injury, the entire troop had been in low spirits, and there didn't seem to be anything she could about it. As it was she found it much easier to stay out of the way.
Recently, though, she had found herself unable to settle down. The only times she really couldn't relax was when she was about to see something, an event she never looked forward to. Sure enough, a few minutes of waiting later, she felt it coming.
At first, it wasn't so bad; a slight shiver across her fur. The shiver turned into a spasm, and soon, it felt like something was trying to force its way into her skull. The pain of it all became overpowering, and she let out a small scream as twisted emotions and pictures swam in a jumble through her mind. One thing was clear though... Leo... and the prediction wasn't pretty. Something was about to happen, but she didn't know what, her premonition was of no use in that regard.
With the last of her energy, she staggered over to a chair, and collapsed.
Alerted by the scream, Jessie rushed over from her post and into Scarlet's tent. She was greeted by a sight that she had only seen once before, and it still scared her senseless.
Scarlet was only half conscious. He normally neatly kempt hair was thrown wildly across her face. The face... that was what scared Jessie the most.... Scarlet's features were twisted with conflicting emotion; part of her seemed to be relaxed, but she held almost a feral quality in her clouded eyes.
"Are you alright?" Jessie asked timidly.
"I'll be fine, child," Scarlet replied weakly, trying to clear her head of the still jumbled images.
"I need to get to Leo, fast," Scarlet said suddenly.
Jessie was caught flat-footed by this demand. "What? Why?" she stuttered.
"Don't ask Jess, I don't entirely understand it myself. Go get some keys, we're going now," Scarlet demanded
"Whoa, whoa," Jessie said warily, holding up her hands in front of her. "In case you've forgotten, I'm not your best choice for a driver."
"Not by a long shot, but Leo trusts you."
"I still don't want to get in anymore trouble than I'm already in. Art would have my skin if I was driving again."
"Listen Jess," Scarlet snapped, grabbing her arm, "Either you drive or I do. I don't think we have a lot of time, so listen carefully. Art is out supervising the setup of the big top tent. His office is unlocked, and the key rack isn't being watched. Meet me out near the cars."
Scarlet then turned on her heel and walked straight out the small tent, leaving Jess more confused than ever. Jess didn't question Scarlet's knowledge of the events around the circus, and she certainly didn't want to worsen Scarlet's current disposition anymore than it already was. She ran for the keys.
Leo was practically swimming in memories his song had bought to the surface of his mind. Flash, he was at his father's deathbed. Flash, he was leaping from tree to tree simply for the fun of it. Flash, he was on display at his first actual performance, performing aerial feats that kept his audience on its toes the whole time.
In this little reality, he hardly even had a concept of time. All that mattered to him was the song, so it came as no surprise that he was angered when he was disturbed by a knock at his door. He was about to let a rude comment fly out, but stopped dead when he saw the figure standing at the portal.
Zelda didn't know what to expect when she stepped out of the elevator, but a slight strain of guitar music was not on her list. She took a moment to enjoy it before continuing to the desk.
The secretary looked up and smiled. "You're here to see Leo, right? I just got a call from downstairs telling me he had a visitor."
"Yeah, that would be me. Can you tell me how to get to his room, please?"
"Certainly. You got down that hallway there," the secretary replied, pointing, "Then, when it branches, take a left, and his room should be the ninth door on your right." She tilted her head to the side for a moment. "In fact, I think that's him playing. Nice, isn't it?"
"Very," Zelda found herself agreeing, "Sort of haunting."
"Good luck. That guy needs to be cheered up."
"Thanks," Zelda said back as she walked off in the direction indicated. No doubt about it, the music was definitely coming from this direction. She turned and it just became louder. She peeked in the doorway and was treated to a rather odd sight.
It was Leo alright. She stifled an urge to break out laughing when she saw him. He was sitting up in bed. A pair of jeans and the bandage around this chest were the only things he was wearing. Combined with the guitar he almost looked like a hippie refugee. The wings just added a slight surreal quality to the picture.
When she suppressed her laughter, she gave a soft knock on the doorframe. Leo gave a small start, and looked angry for a second as he looked up. When he recognized her, however, he was shocked (at least, she thought he was).
He stared at her a few seconds, trying to remember how his mouth worked, and finally said, "Well... I wasn't expecting this..."
She smiled awkwardly. "To tell the truth, I wasn't either," she confessed. "I was wondering if you were alright. At the circus they said you were banged up pretty badly."
"It's nothing, really," Leo assured her. "My boss just wants me to suffer for acting like an idiot. I really should have known better than to get in a fight in a public place." He grimaced. "I truly hate being confined like this."
Zelda gave a soft laugh. "Don't we all..."
Leo blushed slightly when he realized how casually he had been speaking. When Zelda noticed this, he apologized. "I'm sorry. I'm not really accustomed to talking to such lovely women. Normally, most don't say long enough for me to strike up conversation."
"So now I'm lovely?" Zelda asked with humor in her voice, "You certainly are the flatterer, aren't you?"
Leo's blush only deepened with this inquisition. "It's alright, I understand," Zelda said more gently. Talking to him is almost like talking to a kid, she thought, it's sort of nice to have a guy who doesn't immediately try to put the moves on you.
He smiled embarrassedly. "So tell me..." he said, putting away his guitar, "What brings you to my door?"
"To tell the truth, I'm not exactly sure... It seemed like the right this to do," she replied unsteadily.
He smiled at her more warmly. "Well I, for one, am glad you did. Yet so far, most of my visitors have left me a sour mood. I'm sure the nurse at the front desk warned you about that."
Zelda smiled. "That she did. She also hinted that you might tear me to shreds if I peeved you off any more than you were before."
She couldn't help but burst out laughing at the shocked expression on his face. "Sorry, sorry," she gasped, trying to regain her composure. "I was just kidding you. I know you wouldn't do anything like that." I hope, she added silently.
"You're right about that," he stated flatly. "I may be capable of it, but I've never took aggression towards a lady, I don't intend to start. Jessie pushed the limit a few times, but I she's like a sister more than anything."
The word "sister" brought up a question she had been harboring in her mind. "Speaking of that, do you have any brothers or sisters that are... like you?" she asked.
It would be clear to a blind fur behind a closed door on the other side of the building that this was a bad thing to ask. When the words registered, Leo's body went rigid, but he developed a glazed expression.
"Sorry, I guess I shouldn't of brought that up," Zelda said meekly.
Leo averted his gaze, his body remaining rigid. "You couldn't have known." He looked at her, and the emotion in his eyes shocked her. "My family is something I buried long ago, and hoped never to unearth."
"I really would like to know more about you," he continued, "but right now, that last conversation didn't exactly leave me in the best possible frame of mind..."
"I think that's what we both wanted that night at the restaurant," Zelda replied softly. "Look, if you want to get together later, you can find me here." She reached into her pocket and took out a piece of paper.
Leo took it. It contained an address, apartment number, and a short list of directions from a few landmarks. "Thanks," he smiled. "I'll be sure to stop by if they ever let me out of here."
Zelda smiled and waved, as she exited the room. As she rounded the corner, she breathed a sigh of relief. That wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be, she thought, but I'd feel safer knowing more. I wonder why he reacted like that when I asked about his family...
She gave a nod to the secretary at the desk when she walked out, then made haste towards home.
Leo stared at the doorway for a while after Zelda had left. Finally, he took another look back at the paper she had left him. He was a bit startled when he realized that he wasn't too far away from the address she had given. I'll definitely take you up on that offer, he thought.
He wasn't exactly sure what had happened in the conversation, but he had felt something he hadn't ever before. He wasn't sure what is was, exactly, but he wanted to pursue it. It was a shame my family came up, he thought darkly. His family life had never been more than unsteady at best...
He shook away those thoughts and came to a decision. He reached into the bag Scarlet had brought the first time she had visited and threw on a shirt. He then tied the bag onto his guitar case (cloth), used his belt to secure the case to his stomach, and strode over to the window.
Fortunately for him, the windows were large. He threw it open and crouched through. Standing on the ledge outside, he got a familiar rush and leapt forward into open space. For a split second he let himself freefall, then he spread his wings wide, locked his joints, and glided to the next building, a good 20 yards away.
He landed none too gracefully, then snuck over to the edge of the building. No one had noticed his escape. Leo thanked his lucky stars that no one bothered looking up these days. He peered down at the street signs a few floors below him, checked it against the paper, but took a moment to relax.
He hadn't realized how much he had missed the feel of a firm breeze in his fur, or how much he needed exercise. He could hardly remember the last time he had done something like he was doing now. He slid his guitar from his stomach to a comfortable position along his spine. He wouldn't be making any very long jumps for a while, so it was all right if his wings were hindered a little.
It was only then that the significance of what he had done dawned on him. No one knew where he was, he didn't have any money on him, and he was quite a long distance from home. He decided it was best if he started on his way. Taking a running start, he ran to the opposite side of the building, spreading his wings as he jumped to catch a little extra height and distance.
He repeated this process until he was a block or two down, out of sight of the hospital.
"Would you please tell me what the rush is?" Jessie demanded as Scarlet pulled her into the hospital elevator. Scarlet didn't say a word, so Jessie just followed her. She found it amazing how a female like Scarlet, while half-blind, could move so quickly and accurately.
The two of them rounded the hallways and barged directly into Leo's room. Scarlet didn't express any surprise when they found it empty, but Jessie nearly threw a fit.
"What the f-!"
# # #
Zelda was in good spirits as she jogged back towards home. She kept running over the conversation in her mind, pleased in the overall message that had been produced between them.
The streets were empty, but she didn't really notice. She was so distracted; she didn't even notice the figure in the shadows in a nearby alley. That is, until it leapt out at her. She tried to react, but was too slow. The figure clubbed her in the back of the head with something that sent her reeling and she felt herself being dragged backwards into the alley. Panicking, she tried to call out, but could not find the strength to do so.
Leo had paused for a break in his flight across the rooftops. He was about to continue when he heard the sounds of a scuffle beneath him. Curious by nature, he had to take a peek. It was lucky he did.
A few floors down he saw two figures, one he recognized. His fur stood on end when he saw that Zelda was the target of the assault. Without a thought he launched himself into the alley.
Later, the fur in question wouldn't believe his own story. Alerted by the sound of a large object falling fast, he looked up in time to see great avenging angel swooping down at him. He had only a second to think before contact was made with the heavenly body... its foot, in his upturned face.
Leo gave a short grunt as he made contact, the force of the blow sending a shockwave through him. He supposed he should have made an attempt to slow his fall, but all he could think about was what was happening before he had shown up. He stepped off of the fur (some variety of wolf, he didn't stop to check) and knelt to check on Zelda; she was conscious, but just barely.
"Are you okay?" he asked her softly.
Zelda's eyes fluttered slightly, and upon recognizing him, threw her arms around his neck and whimpered. In an awkward position, he stroked the back of her head, trying to comfort her. After a minute her whining subdued, and he chanced talking again. "Come on, we're not too far from your home," he whispered gently in her ear.
Supporting Zelda, Leo made his way out of the alley, and towards her apartment, leaving only a few blood covered feathers on the unconscious body of Zelda's attacker as evidence of what had conspired there.