The Cascaders

by Glenn, L. M.

  Whatever it was, big and shaggy came to mind, and she hoped not as ravenous as she was.

  The thing was staring at them from across the pond. She couldn’t tell from this distance, but it must be the size of a human. It began to creep toward them. Desiree backed up a step. Maybe it was bigfoot. She watched a movie once where the big hairy beast hunted and maimed some girls in a cabin. “When I say r-run, Jay, you ran as f-f-fast as you can back to the tunnel.”

  He yanked his arm back. “No way am I going back in there, Dez; you can’t make me.”

  “Are you c-c-crazy? do you see th-th-that thing?” she asked, keeping her eyes locked on it. That wasn’t anything remotely close to human. It skirted around the pond padding closer to them.

  “I don’t think it will hurt us, plus if we went back into the tunnel, we would be trapped, wouldn’t we? If it came after us.” He looked up at her with a raised brow.

  He had a point. Desiree did a quick scan around. It was too open. There was no place to hide, and if they ran, one of them would make a good meal for the thing coming closer toward them, and considering she could run faster, Jayden would be its next meal.

  “Oh ya, and how d-do you know that?” she asked backing up another step and clutching his hand.,

  “Because his tail is swishing back and forth, and that means it’s friendly.”

  “Where d-did you hear that? It might mean he’s h-hungry and going to eat us.” She tried to push him behind her.

  Jayden pulled away and crept forward toward the cat thing.

  At least it looked sort of like a cat but bigger, with legs. Jayden took a step forward. Desiree grabbed the back of his shirt stopping him. What in the world was wrong with him? Didn’t the kid know it could eat him for a snack?

  “No, Jay!” she hissed. “It could b-b-be feral or have rabies or something!” She didn’t want Jay getting any closer to the thing in case it considered them for its next meal.

  “It’s okay, Dez. Look, he’s friendly.”

  The lump in her throat eased a bit when she noted it didn’t seem to be attacking as of yet, but her fear was still there. “Jay! No!” she screeched, but he kept moving forward as did the cat or whatever it was. Desiree still wasn’t sure. But Jay didn’t listen as usual. Desire stomped her foot “Jayden get b-b-back here!”

  “It’s okay,” he said, twisting her hand off him.

  She clenched her hands into a fists. “No it’s n-n-not. Dang it, Jayden, I’m telling Mom!”

  “Go ahead,” he sang and stuck out his tongue.

  The animal laughed.

  Chapter 6

  What?

  They both froze, shock keeping her numb and silent.

  It moved closer and what she saw had her blinking and shaking her head in denial.

  This can’t be real. Maybe they found Alice’s rabbit hole and that’s where they were, in Wonderland, except that wasn’t the Cheshire cat that stood in front of them.

  A half-boy, half-cat creature stood before them. Half of his features were of a boy with the ears and nose of a cat. It had the legs of a human, but it had black paws instead of feet. A long tail swished back and forth, and the thing was smiling and standing on two legs. All that covered his privates was a skirt made of leaves something like an Indian might wear. Fur covered its cheeks and stomach. Its eyes were a soft Dandelion-yellow.

  “Wow!” Jayden exclaimed excitedly.

  Wow was right. Desiree wasn’t sure what she was seeing, but wow was definitely the right word.

  He stepped up closer and then did something outrageous—he squatted on all fours and began sniffing them both.

  Jayden laughed. “Hi.” He turned in a circle following its movement.

  Desiree wasn’t able to move, frozen in terror. She had read about were-cats in books, but they were just fiction, right? Her whole world changed in that instant. Everything she believed in now held a question mark. What other kind of beings were out there? She frowned down at Jayden. Why wasn’t he frightened? He confessed to being afraid of the tunnel but not a ferocious flesh-eating monster?

  The thing suddenly stopped and stood back up. “Where did you come from?” His voice was high pitched with an unidentifiable foreign accent. How was that possible that it could speak, and English at that?

  Jayden stepped closer and held out his hand. “Hi, I’m Jayden. What are you?” Jayden asked curiously, not shy in the least.

  It stuck out its chest. “I am a Panthera,” he answered with a hint of a smile in his eyes.

  Desiree wasn’t sure what a Panthera was, but she was familiar with the word panther. It was difficult to believe she was looking at a hybrid of sorts a half boy and half black panther.

  “Are there more like you here, and where are we?” Jayden asked looking in all directions.

  The Panthera cocked his head to the side and his ears twitched. “Where are you? You don’t know where you are?” He watched them closely. “You are here in Perceforest.”

  She finally came unfrozen. Maybe this was real and they had stumbled on a hidden civilization. “In Perceforest? We aren’t in Oakdale any longer?” Oakdale wasn’t a huge town, but it was longer than a few hours walk. Did they go through a black hole or something? Maybe they traveled into another dimension?

  “Oakdale? I’ve never heard of that. Is that where you came from?” He raised a brow.

  Jayden gave a swift nod. “Yep. What’s your name?”

  “Nigel.”

  “Nice to meet you, Nigel. I’m Jayden and this”—he tapped her on the arm—“is my bratty sister, Desiree.”

  She nudged him with her elbow and rolled her eyes. An hour ago, the brat was crying, and now he was smiling as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

  Nigel tilted his head to the side. “I’ve never seen anything like you before. You don’t have any fur. Where is your fur?”

  Dread filled her. They definitely weren’t in Oakdale anymore. Desiree realized she had stopped breathing.

  “Um, how old are you?” She heard Jayden ask as if he was far away and not standing next to her.

  Desiree’s mind closed off to their conversation as her eyes wandered. If there is one, there will be more. This Panthera was a young kitten, so where were the mother and father? She shivered. She looked around as far as the eye could see, and besides shrubs and a few scattered trees, she didn’t see any panthers although they could be hiding and waiting to attack.

  The boy-cat grinned showing his fangs and a row of very sharp looking teeth. “Old? I’m not sure what you mean.”

  Jayden held up his hand and with the other tapped his fingers. “How long have you … lived?”

  “Oh, I’m two phases.” His tail swished back and forth dragging the ground behind him.

  Desiree gulped and Jayden’s mouth fell open. He looked around the same age as Jayden. Maybe it was true about cat years and human years.

  “I’m nine years old and she’s seventeen,” Jayden stated pointing at her.

  Boy-cat frowned and cocked his head.

  An ear-piercing sound splintered the air and both of them jumped.

  “What was that?”. Jayden asked stepping back. He grabbed Desiree’s hand.

  Oh yeah, now he’s scared, she thought.

  “That’s my father calling. Come on, wait until he sees you!” Nigel jumped past them.

  Jayden followed Nigel while Desiree followed Jayden reluctantly, dragging her feet. She glanced around trying to find anything familiar to her. But nothing was what she was accustomed to seeing, not even the green and reddish-brown rolling hills.

  “Come on, Dez, hurry.” Jayden waved leaving her behind as he ran to keep up with Nigel.

  “I’m coming,” she yelled after them when all she truly wanted was to run in the opposite direction.

  Desiree cleared her throat and tried to conceal an expression of the horror at what she was seeing in front of her. They had reached the other side of the valley and now were looking down into a basin of so
rts.

  Jayden’s eyes went round, and he blinked twice in succession. “This doesn’t look like any town I have ever seen.”

  She had to agree with him. This was more like an Indian village. Tents and various sizes of wooden huts scattered the scenery. Smoke billowed from fires lit. Half-human, half-animal creatures wandered about. Was that a lion? A dirt path ran down the middle and between the huts. There were probably more than one hundred animals down there. Animals? She wasn’t quite sure what they were. All she could be sure of was they were not human. She closed her eyes and silently prayed. Please don’t let them eat us.

  The cat-boy jumped up and batted at the air. “Welcome to Perceforest, my home.”

  His home?

  Nigel plodded toward his village, his tail swishing back and forth. Desiree blew out a long breath. This can’t be happening to me. It must be a dream, a horrible dream …

  Chapter 7

  As they entered the village, all the inhabitants stopped whatever they were doing and stared. Some snarled. Desiree thought she might have heard a growl in the distance.

  Nigel grabbed Jayden’s hand and pulled him along. “Come, meet my father.”

  “Wait!” Desiree dug in her heels. “What if he d-d-doesn’t want us h-h-here?” she asked, studying all the strange eyes staring at them.

  Nigel looked back over his shoulder at her. “He’s not going to eat you if that is what you mean,” he said with laughter in his voice.

  Biting her lip; Desiree trudged on with a pasted-on smile. Why didn’t she believe him? They were entering a village full of wild animals—meat eaters. On limbs that shook, she forced one foot in front of the other.

  “Nigel! Where have you been?”

  Flinching, Desiree came to a dead stop, too afraid to turn around, as did Jayden. He had run into the back of Nigel who had also stopped.

  That voice behind them demanded attention. All three of them slowly turned making her front and center. Every muscle in her back tensed.

  She swallowed hard driving down the fear that was clawing its way up her throat. It had eyes of a cat, a predator watching and waiting for an answer. His glance sliced through her. The moment Desiree saw his face; she knew she was in hell. He was tall and sleek. His face was slim with high cheekbones and his eyes were yellow and black like Nigel’s. Instead of black fur, his was a mix of black and white. His ears were fuller and pulled back. His tail was pointed up and not swishing, she noted.

  In his left hand, he carried a long wooden spear. His eyes flew back and forth between her and Jayden. Nigel crouched down on all fours and ran in front of them as if shielding them from danger.

  “Look, Father, look what I found!” he answered excitedly.

  She felt Jayden as he peeked out from behind her.

  This was his father? He looked around her age. Did all cats age well? Her father sure didn’t look like him. He also wore a skirt, but whereas Nigel was shoeless, this man-cat wore boots unlike any she had ever seen before. They looked to be made out of brown paper and covered his calves.

  The lines of his mouth pulled down and his brow furrowed.” How many times have I told you not to leave the village alone?”

  Nigel cast his eyes down and made a low whining sound. “I’m sorry, Father.”

  He hissed and fangs appeared. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. Desiree took a step back ready to bolt. They needed to get out of this place before the animals ate them. This wasn’t like any cat she had ever seen before. She pinched her arm hoping she would wake up from this nightmare.

  Cat-man moved in closer. The black diamond in his eye contracted. There was something about the way the cat-man moved—a sense of coiled power, like a lion before it attacked. Her knees began to tremble. She squeezed Jayden’s hand.

  “Ow,” Jayden whispered at her side and pulled his hand away.

  “Who are you, and how did you get here?” he demanded in a no-nonsense tone. His lilt was thicker, deeper, and more of a southern twang.

  “We’re l-l-lost.” Her voice held a tremor. She couldn’t help it although she tried to sound brave. These animals scared the crap out of her.

  His tight stance seamed to ease somewhat. He walked around them and his gaze roamed them up and down. One eyebrow raised. “Where did you find them, Nigel.?” he asked, still surveying them.

  “By the dark waters, Father.” Nigel sat on his haunches next to his father. He didn’t seem the least bit intimidated by his father’s roar.

  He stopped directly in front of her. Desiree shuddered. Her heart accelerated.

  His eyes bore into her. “What are you called?”

  She swallowed. “D-D-Desiree.” She felt a nudge at her side.

  “I’m Jayden.” Her brother pushed past her and held out his small hand as if this situation they found themselves in was normal.

  Desiree pulled him back. “No, J-J-Jay. Don’t.”

  “Are you afraid of me?” His whiskers twitched as if in amusement.

  She shook her head in denial. Was he serious? Uh, yeah, she was terrified and afraid to make any sudden moves.

  “Liar.”

  Her eyes widened. He knew she was lying, and by the looks of it, he was also enjoying her discomfort. She cleared her throat. “We …we n-n-need to go home.”

  “Are there others?” he hissed.

  She shook her head unsure of what she should have said. If there were others, would they leave them alone? Are they going to get eaten? She took another step back and pulled on Jayden’s arm. “Come on J-J-Jay, let’s go.” She turned to walk away but cat-man stopped her with his words.

  “You’re not going anywhere.”

  Now would be a good time to run. She wouldn’t get far considering all the eyes directed on them. They had found hell. They were surrounded by ferocious felines.

  “Genèva, take them to father.” His voice vibrated on her skin. The cat-man turned his head and spoke to another one of their kind. Another cat person came forward. This one was female. Her features were the same as Nigel’s, yet her body was slimmer and more feminine. A large diamond hung from her neck. These animals reminded her of the movie, Avatar. They were similar in appearance. For just a brief moment, she wondered if the writer had seen this place.

  Desiree blushed as she noticed the female cat’s breasts weren’t covered with cloth but with a small amount of fur. She turned to Jayden and covered his eyes with her hand. He shouldn’t be seeing this. Why, the she-cat was practically naked.

  “Knock it off.” He swatted her hand away.

  She stole a glance toward the man-cat, and he watched her with sharp eyes. She felt her face heat up.

  A tight hand wrapped around Desiree’s arm. She frowned as she was half-pulled and half-dragged through the throng of animals all too eager to eat her. She twisted her head back trying to see Jayden and noticed he too was being dragged with them. Her eyes caught sight of the man-cat as he walked away, and then she lost sight of him.

  Chapter 8

  With her head down and her hair shielding part of her face, she peeked out at the crowd now gathered along the path. To the right, a lion cub stepped out of a tent and stared at her with malice, showing its sharp teeth. She faltered, then steadied herself, and gazed straight ahead focusing on moving one foot in front of the other.

  They halted in front of a tent at the end of the path. She was shoved inside and Jayden was led inside and stood next to her. He grabbed her hand in a tight grip.

  The tent was bigger than it appeared from the outside. A cot lined one side and the other a table. On the floor, sitting on what looked to be a pile of blankets, was another man-cat. This one was older. His fur was black mixed with grey. His skin was pale and wrinkled, and his eyes dull. When his gaze landed on Desiree, he paled even more. He pointed a crooked finger with a razor-sharp nail at her.

  “Why have you come?” he wheezed.

  “We didn’t intend to c-c-come here. We’re lost. Jayden f-fell into a hole and I went
looking for him. We …we ended up here.” Desiree stiffened. Why were they treating them as if it was their fault they were here? She didn’t want to be here anymore than they wanted her here. She would love nothing better than to go back home. She straightened her shoulders. She wasn’t going to show fear in front of these beasts, but her voice betrayed her. “Were sorry, b-but it’s not our fault, and we just want to go home.”

  “Are there others?”

  “No, I mean, n-n-not that I know of unless my mom and dad come looking for us. They could find the hole just as easily, I’m sure.”

  “Do you realize what you have done? You could have killed us all,” he snarled showing his very sharp and yellowed fangs.

  “Killed you?” she grounds out. “We d-d-don’t want to hurt you; we just want to go home!”

  He nodded toward the she-cat. “Genèva! Take them to the cage! We cannot take any chances.”

  The cage? Desiree was hoping the cage wasn’t an actual cage as in “trapped behind bars.”

  The she-cat stepped forward. “But, Father, they are harmless.”

  His eyes hardened. “Who might have been followed or were sent here to spy. Do as I say!” He coughed and waved us away.

  She-cat stopped us outside the tent. She bowed as if we are royalty. Her voice was soft. “I am sorry for my rudeness. I am Genèva and that”—she pointed back to the tent—“is my father. Nigel, who you have already met, is my nephew. My father is our leader. He guides us in our decision making. Once his life expires, my brother, Mihael, will lead.”

  Desiree had a hard time focusing on her words since the feline’s breasts were practically in her face. She was embarrassed enough not to look and glanced anywhere but at Genèva. Thankfully, Jayden’s attention was focused on something else. It must be a natural thing. From what she could see, most of the felines were partially naked.

  They followed Genèva as she walked along the dirt path back through the village. They had no other choice considering three male lions followed behind them, each carrying a crude-looking spear.