4.4 DOG BRAIN

  Using his hand to shield his eyes, Tikum leaped out the tunnel's portal, leaving Si-an Usong and the rest behind him. The flight was short but unnerving as he landed, rolling to a stop atop a flat cold stone as white as a slab of marble.

  "I really hate this place, now," he said, rubbing his eyes before opening them again. The glare made him wince, blurring his vision for quite a time. He had to take it slow, he reminded himself. So, like someone who had just seen the morning sun for the first time, he squinted, adjusting to the harsh brightness outside the tunnel.

  "This is just great," Tikum finished as the bizarre view unfolded above him. Floating in place, a few thousand feet, was a leviathan that inspired terror in its vastness.

  For a moment, he was awestruck, barely comprehending the fantastic display before him. This was so out of his league. Yes, he'd heard of things like this before but only in stories, in old epic chants. He'd seen his fair share of strange things before but not at this scale. Not like this.

  Tikum shook his head. What did he expected? Just a moment ago he met a demi-god. Not to mention the strange company that same deity kept. Now, this? Really?

  Tikum took a closer look. He could barely see where one end started and where the other end halted. The purple clouds drifting around the gigantic creature did not help either. Staring at it made him feel dizzy. And what he could see of it made him feel so puny. He swallowed a clump on his throat, mouth parched. The thing's glinting scales were the size of vinta sails. And as if noticing the mortal man struck by its sublime beauty, the leviathan shifted its serpentine silhouette. The movement flowed through out its body and every scale rippled and changed its color. With the light striking it in different angles, the creature shone like a majestic rainbow.

  Strangely, the floating behemoth was held in place by a thousand black chains coiled around its bulk. He could not believe that it stayed aloft with only those chains to hold it. Clearly magic was at play. He shook his head. Deep inside Tikum prayed it would stay up.

  Tikum could also not fathom where the iron binds were anchored. All he could see was that it wound around the great beast, ending through multiple slits in space. For the time being, it looked like it would hold.

  Curiously, it made him think. Some powerful entity must've strung the moon eater here for some reason. And whatever purpose he had must've been for the greater good. Something this big should not be left unleashed. Havoc would rain if this thing was let out into the open. It would surely flatten a town or two with ease.

  Tikum's gooseflesh stood as the creature gave out a prolonged deep groan followed by a violent gust of wind. For miles and miles, the force shook the ground, making the trees quiver. The portal inside the tunnel behind Tikum looked more enticing than ever. He could go back there. But... He sighed.

  Flooded by the sensory detail Tikum shook his head. Things were getting more weirder by the second. A breath later he realized he was standing on a tall and narrow plateau several feet above the ground– floating. Flying fucking rocks. Why didn't he even noticed it earlier? He shook his head. This was not here when he met the demi-god. It was as though the terrain just decided to change overnight. But whatever the case, the view around him was simply overwhelming and outstanding to take in.

  Oddly, the bright light that pained Tikum's eyes earlier did not come from the sun, but from the myriad stars that dotted the red horizon. Even the trees below him were different. They had leaves of gold and silver, dancing and swaying with the fickle wind like courtesans to an excitable datu. While looming beyond the distance, he could see mountain upon mountains with jagged peaks, all the color of obsidian and ash.

  Tikum took a step towards the edge of his perch, long hair wafting with the breeze. The wind was dry as it sighed in his ears, having the faint smell of burnt wood. A flash of memory greeted him as the familiar scent lingered. He thought of Ukok– the last time he saw her was when he fought the macupo with fire. The memory tugged at his heart. He wished he was on her side right now.

  Tikum closed his eyes and prayed to no one in particular for Ukok's safety. Then, he opened his eyes and leaned closer, taking the view all in, looking for a way back to his daughter.

  Below, a winding river with the color of pale blood cut through the forest of gold and silver leading down a valley. Tikum sighed. My only escape, he thought. Straining his eyes, he saw something alongside it. He smiled when he realized what it was. He quickly checked the wak-wak talisman and it confirmed his guess. But before he could take another step, Si-an Usong pushed him off the edge.

  ***

  "What did you do that for?" Tikum said as he dug one hand on the crevice on the cliff wall just a few feet below his previous perch. He scowled as his other arm held on to Si-an Usong's thin forearm. "I could have fell to my death!"

  She flashed him a smile. "We could've, but we didn't." Their hands clasped together.

  "You should've! Gi-atay... And why would you bring me with you? I mean, I know you're bored but I didn't thought you were this bored."

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  "Look up, dimwit," Si-an Usong answered, pointing at the sky with her free hand. Above them, casting a tiny shadow was the minokawa, circling the plateau looking for them. "I want a race not a murder."

  "Race? You know I could drop you right now, right?" Tikum said, face twisted in pain. His arms were equally strained and fatigue was not doing him any help. Tikum hissed as he adjusted his handhold. "I'm starting to really hate cliffs right now."

  "I'm hoping you wouldn't drop me." Swinging herself to the side, Si-an Usong grabbed a protruding rock to relieve Tikum's arms. "After all I just saved you."

  Tikum started to climb on a narrow ledge the moment he was free of the woman. He rolled to its surface, panting. "By pushing me off a cliff?"

  Before he could continue the minokawa screeched above them, shutting him up. Below, Si-an threw herself on the same precarious ledge where the Black Dog stood, landing just beside the scoundrel with a smile.

  "Now, no more false starts, Mr. Kadlum, " she said, with an an awful impression of Damgo's voice.

  "I think we should cancel the race... unless of course you have a way out of this?" Tikum said.

  "Ha, I always have a way out," she said, unsheathing? her dagger and whispering something on Silver Fin's pommel. "Now, we start the race," she added.

  As she spun the dagger, silvery orbs of werelight began to float around them. Slowly two became ten and ten became a hundred and soon the space in front of them was covered with the glowing orbs appearing from thin air. And right before Tikum's eyes, the were-lights dispersed and exploded, turning into faux copies of them, littering the side of the cliff. From afar they looked like them, but upon closer inspection their copies were twisted versions of them. Some lacked normal features, only having one eye, one ear, or no nose at all. While others were twisted, having too big ears, slightly longer arms, or too many mouths.

  Tikum slowly shook his head in disbelief. "Interesting."

  "Yeah, it is. Not just a fancy blade too. This actually has a neat trick... it learns with its wielder." Si-an smiled as she shimmied her way down using the thick protruding vines and roots all over the cliff wall. "Better start moving. Silver Fin's illusions don't last that long. And I think the little bird there is really hungry now!"

  She paused just in time as the minokawa swooped down talon-first towards one of Tikum's faux copy. The Black Dog's bucktoothed duplicate didn't even flinch as the giant bird's claws sliced it in half, carting its upper body in the air. But instead of a feast, the minokawa got nothing when the faux copy disintegrated into silvery ribbons. Then it flew up, shaking its enormous beak as it tried to dislodge the ribbons out its orange eyes. Angered by the trickery the flying menace started attacking the twisted imitations around Tikum, impaling them with its steel wings and flinging them away even before they turned into silver confetti.

  Seeing enough examples of how vicious the minokawa could be, Tikum began his journey down the cliff's base as fast as humanly possible, swinging from one root to another, ignoring the mangled remains of his and Si-an Usong's duplicates as the bird of prey went on its aerial rampage. Reaching the base, he ran to the canopy of bizarre trees, using it for cover against the minokawa who was almost through disemboweling their mimics. He took the talisman out and placed it on his palm. Halmista said it was better than a map. And that it would point him to the thing he desired most. Which in this case was out of this nightmare. As soon as it was out, the crystal's glow narrowed into a thin staff of blue light, pointing his way.

  With a brisk pace, Tikum made good progress but his journey through the forest was hard. And it wasn't because of the whispering brush who tried to entice him to stay. Nor were the spear-like spikes that covered the trees around him or even the serpentine vines who had a bad habit of entangling themselves on his foot. It was easy to ignore them. What slowed his pace was the shadows between the tall trees. He could see them shift and change at the corner of his eyes, twisting and morphing into grotesques forms. He felt as though they were stalking him like Amburukay. Apart from the terrifying prospect that one of the shadows may actually come for him, the minokawa who circled the forest was another thing to worry about. Occasionally, it would descend through the canopy, plunging its claws on whatever it mistook as prey. Tikum had to pause for a few times to avoid it.

  He cursed. His pace was too slow and Si-an Usong was clearly ahead of him in this race. He gave out a long sigh. He didn't want to lose this. He didn't want to stay here any longer. So, he hastened his pace, thinking of Ukok every step of the way. As he continued his trek he noticed that the trees were slowly opening up, scattering from each other as the terrain rose. Losing his cover the minokawa almost spotted him as it dove close to the ground. Thankfully, the scattering trees was replaced by thick black shrubbery. And so, using his agile frame he dove through the cover. As soon as he was there the minokawa showed no interest in him. Instead it just went straight ahead of the Black dog, leaving him behind.

  Getting the much needed break, Tikum scouted the land before him. From a distance, he saw two enormous pillars linked together by a slab of rock above it. It looked as if it was a gate of some kind. And the glow of his talisman kept pointing towards it. He reckoned it was the finish line. But halfway through the path towards the odd-looking gate he spotted the metallic-feathered fiend hovering above two boulders, occasionally raking its smooth surface with its saber-like talon. It was struggling, turning its head from side to side so its orange glowing eyes could see better. But it was simply too big for the narrow opening.

  Tikum was about to circle around and ignore it when a familiar voice screamed between the two boulders. As he moved closer, he saw Si-an Usong, trapped and trying to defend herself with a piece of wood against the keen claws of the giant bird of prey. Tikum smiled. "Oh, justice finally served. Now, let's see you find your way out of that." His smile faded when one of the minokawa's raking talons went through the narrow space and a cry of agony echoed out.

  Tikum sighed.

  He didn't need to help her. All he needed was to go back home... but it didn't feel right. Whether it was guilt or not, something was tugging at his insides to stay and help. Arriving at an impasse, he paused and took the talisman out. It was still glowing but it no longer pointed at the gate. His mouth hung open as a look of surprise settled on his rough face.

  Instead of pointing to his way out and back to Ukok, the blue beam of light was now pointing at the boulders where Si-an Usong was trapped. Tikum took a deep breath. It was decided. So, he took a knee and started to formulate a plan.