“Is that so?” I raised an eyebrow, finding it hard to believ
e that she had surpassed Roman. “Show me what you’re made of then.”
In a flash, she was a ball of fur. I barely had time to blink before she started to fly through the forest.
“Wait!” I shouted in her direction but she didn’t slow down. How was I supposed to show her to Cynthia’s place if she kept running in the opposite direction?
“What are you waiting for you slowpoke?” She had doubled back. Her tail wagged as she sat on her haunches right in front of me. When she said that she was fast, she wasn’t lying. Roman was training her exceptionally well. By comparison, I was slacking in the weapon’s department.
It was time for that to change.
“Landon?” She nuzzled my hand, trying to get my attention. “Are you okay?”
“Follow me, okay?”
She nodded in understanding and waited for me to make my transformation.
“And stay close.”
Getting to Cynthia’s temporary home was no easy feat. She had hidden herself well within the forest and for good reason. Over the years, she had grown her list of enemies. There were plenty of wolves that wanted her dead. Honestly, I was surprised she had survived thus far.
“Where are we going?”
“You wanted to know what I do with Cynthia, well, as I said, it would be easier to show you.”
“Jeez, does she live in Timbuktu?”
“Something like that.”
We came upon a river and without a second thought, I leapt across it, landing effortlessly on the other side. A quick glance over my shoulder assured me that Jane had succeeded in doing the same. Satisfied that there was no need to worry, I continued on my way.
Cynthia’s scent became thick in the air. It awakened old memories but did nothing to invigorate my pulse.
I sniffed the air and followed the path. From here on out, things got even trickier. Cynthia had a knack for setting down traps and one wrong move could result in my sudden death. I paused and cocked my head to the side, listening.
“What is it?” asked Jane. “Is something wrong.”
“Just follow me exactly,” I said. “And we’ll make it through this.”
“I don’t know if I like the sound of that…”
The wind whistled through the leaves, causing a few to flutter to the ground. Underneath them, something shimmered against the dying sun — a concealed weapon.
“See the traps?” I asked as we walked past. “If we had failed to spot them then one of us would have been without a paw.”
She gulped. “Yikes.”
Slowly, we made our way to the treehouse. I thought we’d never make it there but just before I could think to turn back, it loomed on the horizon. To those who were not trained to look for it, the treehouse looked like it was a part of the scenery. No one would think that someone lived within that mess of vines. But Cynthia was a resourceful woman and she could always make something out of nothing.
At the base of a giant elm tree, I turned back to my human form and ran my hands along the aged bark, feeling it’s roughness.
“This is where she lives?”
“Yes.”
“When you told me she was a tree-loving hippie, you really weren’t lying.”
“What else has Landon said about me?”