Mysteries of the Mountain

Chapter 1: Liz

The sun had barely crept over the tip of the mountain as I sat in my tree lost in thought. I had woken up early today like every other day since I had discovered that my life had changed forever. It seems unfair that I never had a say in the matter. I never had the option to put in a vote that would have altered the initial outcome of this whole nightmare. Yet I - one of the few survivors - had to live with the result.

Ten years ago continental drift had sped up and all the continents had joined together to create Mountain Earth. It wasn’t just me who had been affected. Sometimes I felt like it was just me though because I was so alone out here in the wilderness. There were so few of us left that I had nobody else to live with. Yet, although most of the human population had perished, sometimes I felt like the dead were the lucky ones.

Sighing, I jumped down from my tree and picked up the spear that had been leaning against the bark. Deciding it was time for breakfast, I crouched down low and began creeping through the shadows, trying to keep low so as to not scare any prey away. Ten minutes later I spotted the same rabbit that had set off my traps multiple times and not gotten caught, an annoyance nobody would understand but me. I smiled with victory as I realized now it was about to meet justice and become my delicious meal. The fat bunny paused and sniffed the air but I had masked my scent with flowers and so it continued on its way.

I continued creeping forward lifting my bow - arrow at ready - and aimed at the target. At the last second, a stick crunched under my foot and I froze at the same time as the bunny. Cursing, I quickly fired, hitting the target just as it was about to escape. Silently congratulating myself, I picked up my prey to head home.

Ten years ago my perfect little life had been destroyed when my family perished in a fire. The fire had been caused by an earthquake, a side effect of continental drift speeding up to make Mountain Earth. I had been seven years old at the time and had been left to fend for myself in the harsh wild. I still resented that fact, having to live alone with no company and I often even considered moving into a nearby town if the loneliness got even worse.

I squelched through the mud, the rabbit hanging limply over my shoulder as I went. I didn’t like to revel in the past and with what had happened to my family but sometimes it was the only way to remind myself that I was lucky, despite how I might not feel like it sometimes.

I was a few miles from my home and due to the heavy rains last night I was having trouble navigating through the thick mud. Focusing my attention on the ground, I began to gingerly pick my way across the earth. It was then while walking through the marshlands that I saw it. The strange shape of something dangling from a tree, inches from touching the mud.

I cautiously stepped forward until I was nearly directly under the tree and it was then that I realized the strange shape was a net. And inside the net... there was another human. I jumped backwards in shock, nearly overbalancing on the wet ground. It had been so long since I had seen another human... over eight years... and here I was with a possibly dead human on my hands. Who are they? Can I trust them? Should I help them?

I stepped forward cautiously once again and gingerly poked the shoulder of the body to see if they would react. Slowly, the person opened one eye and I froze as we made eye contact. There was so much sadness in that gaze, so much pain and hardship... It seemed like I was not the only one with grief. And I suppose it was for that reason that I cut the person down and untangled them from the net.

Supporting the filthy human against my body, I realized that the person was a boy around my age. Late teenager, early twenties... only a few inches taller than me... and really badly injured. I realized just how dire his situation was and I knew that I was the only one who could help him for miles around. Maybe I wouldn’t have to be so alone anymore...

“H-Hello.” I said hesitantly as the human breathed heavily against my side. I had not held another human this close since before the creation of Mountain Earth and I realized just how much I missed it. Humans were not meant to live so alone for so many years and I was glad that this boy had somehow made it into my life, even if it was only for a short period of time.

“Hi.” The boy replied hoarsely and I was glad that he at least spoke English. I looped my hand under his other arm and supported him better as I started leading him away from the mud. I might as well clean him up and get answers from him before assessing the situation further. Besides, I didn’t think the boy would protest. I had - after all - saved him from an almost certain death. A few more hours up in that net and I didn’t want to even think what could have happened to him.

“What happened?” I finally asked him as we made it to drier ground “How did you get caught in there?”

What I was really asking was who had set the trap but considering I doubted this boy would know that fact I stuck with the simple questions. I looked curiously at the boy as he staggered along beside me, his brown hair streaked with mud and his face covered in scratches. He looked so bedraggled and dirty... where could he have possibly come from?

“I got attacked by a cheetah.” The boy said, still breathing heavily “And I was running away from it. I wasn’t watching where I was going when I fell into the mud. I was too tired to pull myself out and it wasn’t until my foot sank almost to the bottom of the pit that I triggered the trap. I’ve been stuck up there for hours... thanks for saving me.”

“Yeah... No problem.” I said as we skirted around a final tree and walked into my clearing. My house was inside the trunk of a tree, my door camouflaged by the bark. I had found the tree in a storm during the ‘World Catastrophe’ and had stumbled inside of it to find a cave underneath. I had fallen into the cave and after a while I realized that it would be the perfect home. A few months later my home was complete, bookshelves and all.

I typed in my password (What is one thing Earth has not? Answer: Peace) and helped the boy down the stairs and onto the couch. It was then that I realized just how hurt the boy actually was. He had a deep gash on his forearm and various cuts across his face, as well as a couple broken ribs and a sprained ankle. I sighed and grabbed my medical supplies and different salves from a shelf before kneeling before the boy and starting to work.

It had been a long time since I had seen another human and I was finally relieved that I wasn’t alone, but after living so long in a life of solitude, I didn’t know how I felt about a stranger being in my home. I bandaged up the arm and then worked on his ribs, wondering why a Cheetah had attacked him. I hadn’t seen very many Cheetah’s in these parts and it made me wonder how far this boy had staggered before finding his way to my swamp.

“What’s your name?” I asked the boy quietly, causing him to jump. I had been quiet ever since we had gotten to my clearing and he evidently wasn’t used to my voice.

“Why do you want to know?” The boy finally asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. I gently smiled and continued working. He was certainly a lot like I was now - guarded and curious - and I realized that we weren’t so different after all.

“Because I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to know who I’m saving from Death.” I said it bluntly but with a small smile tugging at my lips as I tried to stay friendly. This was my way of telling him that he owes me and that since I saved him I at least deserved some answers.

The boy sighed and nodded, wincing at the movement “I’m Brian and I’m from Tallahassee, Florida. Well, I was... I lost my entire family in a land slide and now I’m on my own. My sister survived and was living with me up until four years ago. She died from the flu. I couldn’t save her.”

There was only a slight hint of grief in his voice, everything else was hidden beneath a hard shell of no emotion. The wilderness does that to you. I don’t think that I’ve met a single person who hasn’t sounded like that, ever since my childhood. Still it was refreshing to know that I wasn’t the only one who had changed out here.

“I’m Liz.” I said, not knowing what else to say “Been alone for eight years. Lost my entire family in a fire caused by an earthquake. And I’m from here. Haven’t strayed very far from home. Never had a reason to.”

Brian nodded again and we fell into an awkward silence as I tidied up my supplies and put them away. My gaze lingered on the book I was currently reading and with a twinge I realized I almost preferred spending time alone now and almost wished that I hadn’t run into Brian because then I could have finished my book. Oh well...

“Thanks.” He finally whispered and I nodded, glad that at least he was polite. The only other person I had helped in the past had been so rude that it was remarkable I had even put up with him for so long. Although, he had saved my life as well...

“You hungry?” I asked, walking towards the kitchen “I have fresh rabbit that I can cook.”

Brian looked conflicted for a moment - unsure whether or not to accept my offer - but finally hunger won him over and he nodded. I ignored his staring as I picked up a tin can knife and began skinning the rabbit with expert hands. I had done this so many times that it was almost automatic, not taking up too much of my concentration. Soon the meat was cooking over a small fire and I left it to it, returning to the living room.

“Where’d the books come from?” He finally asked and I smiled faintly to myself. I was beginning to see that Brian was a curious fellow who liked asking questions but not answering them himself.

“It’s kind of a long story.” I said “But basically I saved them from a library, right before it burnt down. I couldn’t save any of the people and so I decided to save the books. Stupid really. Risking my life for these precious things, but I couldn’t help thinking that if I’m going to be alone in this world I might as well have something to do!”

Brian smiled faintly before settling down and closing his eyes, falling to sleep. It had been a long day for both of us and we were both exhausted. I finished cooking the rabbit and then ate a small portion myself before leaving the rest out for Brian to eat when he awakened. After making sure everything was in place, I yawned and headed up the stairs towards my room to get some sleep. It was then, lying in bed many hours later, that I realized that I had smiled today for the first time in years and with that thought in mind, I fell asleep...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I awoke in the middle of the night to a large crashing sound coming from downstairs. Without thinking, I darted out of bed and slid down the banister, landing in the living room with a loud THUMP. Heart pounding, I crept forward and pushed open the door to the living room, wondering what was going on. It was then that I remembered the events of yesterday and realized that Brian must have made that noise.

“Brian? Are you okay?” I asked as I walked into the room to find Brian on the floor beside the couch. He was still filthy from yesterday but through the flaking mud I could see that there was a healthier tinge to his skin which meant that he was healing from his injuries.

“Bad dream.” He muttered and looked away “I fell off the couch.”

“Oh.” I said in surprise and after a moment of awkward pause I quickly added, “I’m sorry. My nightmares stopped years ago but I know how you feel. Let me help you up.”

I offered Brian my hand and with a shaky smile, he pulled himself up and flopped back onto the couch. It seemed that he had decided to start trusting me more over the course of the night and for that I was glad. As long as he wasn’t dangerous to me I was definitely determined to enjoy his company while he stayed here.

“Ouch.” He winced and touched his ribs, grimacing from the pain as he shifted into a more comfortable position.

“Here. Let me change the bandages.” I said and began unwrapping the gauze around his ankle. The swelling had gone down now and his ankle looked the same as the other one, much to my surprise.

“So... you’re a quick healer?” I asked, still confused. Even if you could heal that fast, his ankle should still look at least a little bit swollen!

“I guess...” Brian said, looking away and I realized that he was more surprised than I was. Frowning, I unwrapped the bandages around his waist and pressed my fingers to his ribs.

“AH!” He yelled and jumped from my touch. I wasn’t quite sure whether it was from pain or from the surprise of being touched by another human being. Probably a little bit of both now that I thought about it.

“Sorry.” I mumbled but didn’t lift my hand from his chest. Instead I slowly traced my fingers along the bones, feeling for the breaks I had felt yesterday. But the bones weren’t broken anymore, in fact they had almost completely healed!

I was beyond confused, did Brian have some special powers or something? I shrugged and unwrapped the bandage around his cuts on his forehead to find that they were completely gone.

“This is too weird.” I said out loud, a little bit scared now. I wouldn’t say that I didn’t believe in magic but I had always thought it was too far from my reach, that I would never have to deal with it in my lifetime. There had been rumors that humans were evolving to have powers and I had read about it in my books but now that I was facing something that could only be explained with magic... I didn’t know what to think.

“Ouch. I already knew that I was weird but did you really have to say it out loud?” Brian said and it took me a moment for me to realize what he meant. Was he really joking with me now? Was he starting to consider us as friends? Looking at him in surprise, I faintly smiled before continuing to trace the skin that only hours before had held scratches.

I stared at the scar on his arm, the blank spot across his forehead where a scar should have been and at his not swollen ankle before letting my gaze linger on Brian’s bare chest. There was something not right about everything, almost as if something Brian had said earlier was the answer to all of my questions.

“What are you staring at?” Brian asked and I jumped, having forgotten that he was there.

Blushing with embarrassment I realized I had been staring a little too long and quickly pulled my gaze away before saying, “I was wondering... What animal hurt you again? You said it was a Cheetah? What did it look like?”

“It was kind of strange looking, now that you mention it. I think the Cheetah was a female, but what surprised me was the fact that her spots were triangular shaped and huge. Like, maybe only fifty covered her entire body because they were so big! And when she attacked, she could have just killed me but instead she just sunk her teeth into my arm, scratched me up a bit and then threw me to the ground, leaving me to fend for myself.” Brian said and I realized that he was telling the truth.

I had read so many magic books over the years, especially considering that scientists had been researching magic right before the ‘Great World Catastrophe’ had happened. I had been fascinated with it as a kid and now I realized maybe my fascination hadn’t been for nothing. An idea hit me as I quickly darted over to the book shelf and ran my fingers along the spines, looking for the book that might be able to help us.

“What’re you doing?” Brian asked, looking confused. I could tell that he wasn’t used to relying on books like I was, especially considering he probably didn’t own any since most of them had been lost or destroyed.

“Shut up.” I snapped, impatient with myself for not being able to find the book. Where was it? I liked my house and book shelves to be perfectly organized and now - when I needed a book the most - I couldn’t find it? That was beyond frustrating to me. Finally I spotted it at the far end of the row and I quickly flicked it open. Skimming the pages, my breath caught in my throat when I read the one I wanted.

“What’d you find?” Brian whispered, sounding slightly afraid. Wordlessly, I handed over the book and waited as Brian began to read.

"There are many common ways for people to get powers, one of which is through scars. Certain animals have the ability to give people magical powers themselves, usually on an unsuspecting victim. These animals have been genetically changed by illegal organizations all over the world and it has only recently come to light just how much experimentation with magic like this has been going on. The rarest magical animal that is able to transmit some of their magic into humans is the Triangular Cheetah, which attacks not to kill but to spread its unique powers so that its magic doesn’t become extinct. When it attacks, it goes for something easy - like an arm - and leaves its front tooth mark before running away, leaving the victim wounded and unprotected. But the victim always survives because its powers allow them to continue living and in this way, the magic of the Triangular Cheetah is spread.”

“I’m still confused. How does this explain anything?” Brian asked, looking slightly spooked out. I didn’t blame him really considering not many people I knew shared my views on magic. Even with scientists experimenting before the ‘Catastrophe’, hardly anyone had believed them at the time and most of them were probably dead now, their research probably almost entirely lost.

“Read the next page.” I simply said and sighing, Brian did as he was told.

“The scar doesn’t always do anything but it can sometimes do a lot of things. The following are the probabilities of what will happen:”

1. 50% chance that it will do nothing

2. 10% chance that it will make you stronger and heal faster

3. 40% chance you’ll be luckier

“So does that mean... I got number two?” Brian finally asked after a moment of silence. I wasn’t sure if he believed me or not.

I nodded and sighed, “It seems to me that you were attacked by a Triangular Cheetah and given the rarest of its magical abilities, the ability to heal faster and be stronger.”

“What if I don’t want to have powers?” Brian moaned, covering his face in his hands. He - like me - must have realized that any normal person probably would have died or at least spent weeks recovering from what he had gone through. And yet, he had healed in a single night.

“I’m sorry.” I simply said and put the book away on the shelf. I was slightly excited that I had finally come in contact with some kind of magic and I wondered how many other people out there could say the same thing.

“Aren’t you creeped out about... everything?” He asked after a few minutes of silence. He was staring at the wall with an unsettled expression on his face, fear and sadness. I realized that he thought I might not want him around after this and I knew that I needed to at least put him at ease.

“Not really.” I said and shrugged “I’ve always believed in magic. I’m actually kind of excited.”

“Okay.” Brian said and started staring at me with a peculiar expression on his face “As long as you’re sure.”

“’Course I am. What did you expect? You’ve only been polite to me ever since I saved you, I could hardly kick you out now without finishing what I started!” I said and smiled at him but Brian didn’t seem to share my enthusiasm.

“I’m all alone then, aren’t I?” He mumbled miserably “I finally met up with another human being and we’re not even the same. I’m never going to fit in anywhere! I’m always going to be alone.”

“You’re wrong.” I told him, crouching low so that we made eye contact “You’re never alone as long as you have friends.”

Slowly Brian smiled and took my hand in his. Despite everything that happened in the last ten years, at least we weren’t alone anymore...