A hundred mouths like that could slice all of us to bits.
“See what I mean?” said Manny. “Those teeth cut through skin and flesh.”
“They stink, too,” said a tiger, who’d wrinkled his nose.
I noticed, too, that the air was filled with a skunk-like scent.
Why had the javelinas come? I asked myself. Were they here for my protection, or was I in trouble? Had someone or some thing called them to this very spot, to help me defeat the cats?
All of a sudden, I had my answer. An earsplitting whistle pierced the air, and a flash of color moved with one javelina. On top was a small person. Or a person-like thing. Orange hair whipped in flames from its head, along with pointed ears, large eyes, and light skin. Its feet were the strangest feature—they turned backward completely. Not like Rosa’s, which were just a little unusual. These feet had heels in the front and five toes in the back. The figure was practically naked, too, with a skirt of leaves covering its private area.
“You will let the hyena pass,” it spoke to the cats. The voice sounded like a teenage boy’s.
“What are you?” demanded King Subu.
“I am Curupira,” it said.
One of the jaguars understood the term, and his eyes went wide. “Leave him alone, King Subu.”
“Why should I?” asked the king, scoffing slightly.
“If you do not, he will cause trouble. Big trouble,” the jaguar said.
The more I looked at Curupira, the more he looked like an elf. I didn’t think he was a shape shifter like us, but he definitely had lots of magic packed inside him. I also noticed that his mouth didn’t move when he talked; it was more like he was transmitting thoughts directly into everyone’s brain.
“I protect the forest,” said Curupira. “The forest that the birds are killing.”
“The birds are doing no such thing!” King Subu snapped.
The orange-haired elf raised his arms, pointing to the tree branches above. “Your master has stopped the rains, has he not?”
“Master? What master?” scoffed King Subu. “Down here, on the hills, it is the cats who reign supreme.”
“As long as you follow the condor’s orders,” I quipped. “He’s the real king—not you.”
King Subu pounced at me, but Curupira acted quickly, clapping his hands and turning the lion king into a deer.
When his hooves touched the ground, King Subu froze. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but this transformation had robbed him of the power to speak.
The great predator had instantly become prey. I registered a look of panic in his eyes before he raced off, with several of the big cats chasing him in hot pursuit.
As for the others, including Manny, Curupira had one last warning.
“You will leave my friend alone,” it said.
“Friend? What friend?” asked Manny.
The two-legged elf nodded at me. “The hyena is my friend.”
Manny peered at me. “Is that true?”
I nodded enthusiastically and said, “Yes, we’re friends.” I sure wasn’t going to argue—not after what I saw happened to King Subu.
“I am friend to all who are lost,” said Curupira. “And I help anyone in need.” Leveling a gaze at Manny, he warned, “If you want to avoid that lion’s fate, I suggest you let my friend through.”
Heeding Curupira’s orders, Manny and the others cleared a path for me to continue traveling up the hill. The javelinas maintained a sort of unspoken truce, and none of them attacked either me or the cats.
Moments later, the felines sauntered off, flicking their tails in defeat. Manny and Balam went with them. I called out for them to stop, but they kept on moving.
“Magic still controls them,” Curupira said. “Can you not see?”
“No, I can’t,” I had to admit.
“How about the spirits around you?” Curupira asked me. “Can you see them?” While speaking, his lips remained frozen in an impish grin.
With a self-conscious wince, I said, “No, not really.”
“We will change this,” said Curupira, who took a short spear that had been slung over his shoulder and pointed it at me. I briefly wondered if I was going to share King Subu’s fate until a bolt leaped from the tip and nearly knocked me over.
When I peered down, I noticed that my paws weren’t hooves. When I looked back up, Curupira was radiant, beaming with a bright, greenish light.
“The green is from my magic,” said Curupira. “And red light is from yours.”
I checked my paws again and saw a reddish glow haloing them.
“But beware of purple,” he added. “That magic belongs to Kunturi. Make sure it doesn’t enter you.” Eyes growing wide, he added, “And hope you never see blue.”
“Um … okay, thanks for the warning.”
As I glanced around me, I thought I could also pick out figures bathed in my reddish glow. Unsure what to do, I waved at them.
“Those are spirits,” said Curupira. “The spirits that protect you.”
“Wow,” I said. They must’ve been with me all this time, but I hadn’t been able to see them. I wondered if anyone else had.
Curupira leaned forward. “Not many have received this gift. Few can see magic like you and I.”
Squinting in the green brilliance that blazed from my newfound friend, I said, “Thank you. Is there anything I can do for you in return?”
“Break the condor’s strength,” said Curupira. “That will get the rains falling again and will make the forest and its creatures flourish.”
Sensing that it was time for me to continue into the mountains, Curupira let out another high-pitched whistle, a signal for the javelinas to return to the forest. His own javelina spun around slowly, but right before he left, Curupira stuck out his hand to shake my paw.
“Take care of yourself, Samuel Budovich,” said Curupira.
“You know my name?” I gasped in surprise.
With a loud, unrestrained laugh, Curupira said, “Many of us have been waiting for you, young hyena. Now, go, and make us proud.” He let out one final whistle and guided his herd back behind the trees. As he moved off, I saw his greenish glow fade …
… and watched purple take over.
PAST THE HILLTOPS, WHERE THE FOREST ENDED, THERE WAS a plateau covered in dried grass. Not long after I reached it, a shadow blotted the sky and was accompanied with the cry of an eagle.
A harpy eagle.
There wasn’t just one of them, either. I watched as five swooped down close to where I stood.
Memories of my last night in Vermont flashed through my brain. These were the same half-human, half-eagle creatures who’d taken away my family. They hadn’t shifted completely into birds, and I guessed this was a tactic to make them look more fearsome.
It worked, too, because they totally creeped me out.
One of the harpies alighted on the ground, stepped forward, and asked, “Why have you come?”
Be smart, I told myself. Don’t tell them the truth. I had noticed the air surrounding all five harpies glistening purple. They were filled with the magic I needed to evade.
“I’m … here to help out,” I said.
The lead harpy narrowed her eyes. “You look familiar. Have we met before?”
My mind spun to navigate this tricky situation. If she recognized me, it wouldn’t be long before she remembered where we’d met, and then she’d also figure out I was here to free my family.
Honesty now seemed best, so I said, “I think you saw me in Vermont.”
“Yes,” she hissed with a cruel smile, brushing a wing against her cheek. “That’s where we’ve met.”
On her face were four claw marks.
My claw marks.
Tossing awkward glances at the other harpies, I said, “I’ve come all this way to help.”
The harpy widened her eyes. “Help with what?”
“I can help you recruit other hyenas.” That had to be something they’d want.
She asked her companions, “Should we take him to the king?”
One of them gazed up and said, “There is no need. King Kunturi is coming.”
Gulp.
Far in the distance, I watched the approach of a giant condor. As a bird, he flew gracefully, only flapping his wings when necessary, and looked as majestic as if he owned the whole Earth.
Upon reaching us, he glided down to the ground and changed into a human. Or into almost human, because he kept his three-clawed feet. Surprisingly, he’d found some way to carry his metallic underwear, cape, and helmet, because they were all in the right spots upon touching the ground. He also carried a golden staff—the one he used for magic, according to Thiago.
The harpies bowed in deference, and I followed their lead. Not that I really planned on surrendering to his will or anything; it just seemed like the right thing to do to keep my story straight with the harpies.
“Hyena,” his voice boomed, “what brings you here?”
“I want to join you,” I said, daring a peek at his muscular form.
Kunturi was silent for a long moment. “How have you entered my domain?”
“I came through El Encante,” I answered truthfully.
“The stronghold of resistance,” he said.
“Huh?” I peered at his face.
“Do not look at him,” hissed a harpy. “You have no right!”
“Leave him be,” said Kunturi. “In time, he will learn respect.” Fixing his gaze on me, he explained, “The dolphins have refused to cooperate with me.”
“Well, maybe I could arrange a meeting?”
“That would be good,” he said.
Kunturi then leaned in closer. Strangely, his purplish glow was very faint. The brightest shine I saw came from his golden staff. I wondered why that was.
Holding the staff in front of him, Kunturi recited a chant in a language I didn’t recognize, and a beam of purple flashed from the stick’s top.
Instead of striking me, as it probably should have, a red shape leaped in front of my body and absorbed the blow. I knew it had to be one of my spirit protectors, who’d probably just saved me from falling under Kunturi’s spell—the spell that likely was controlling Manny, Balam, and the others. Another reddish, humanlike shape motioned for me to lie down, probably to pretend that I’d been hit.
So that’s what I did.
“Tomorrow, you will take us to El Encante,” ordered Kunturi. “For now, we will celebrate your arrival.” To the harpies, he said, “Summon the others at once!”
Before the harpies could take flight, the sky blackened with the approach of two enormous vultures. One of the birds had a rider on top; the other had a back that was bare. Right after the vultures landed, the rider clambered off. When he stood, he didn’t straighten completely. In his hands was a staff that looked identical to that of Kunturi’s. I guessed he had to be Anca, especially since the feathers on his cape were brown.
“What have you found here?” Anca asked the condor king.
Kunturi said, “The last hyena from that family in Vermont—the one we thought got away. He came here on his own.”
Anca hobbled over, grabbed my jaw, and peered into my eyes. I figured that I needed to appear under a spell, so I let everything go out of focus, hoping it made me look dazed, zombie-like. He used his fingers to expose my teeth.
“Just look at those canines and molars,” he said. “Imagine the damage they’ll do. This is why we need hyenas under our dominion.”
“This one will lead me to the strongest,” Kunturi declared. “I’m certain that he will lead me to Ayaba.”
I had to keep my heart from beating out of my chest at the mention of the queen’s name.
Anca didn’t answer. He just glanced at the harpies with a smirk.
Kunturi added, “He will also lead us to El Encante.”
“Good,” Anca said absently, while stroking my fur. His glow was a brilliant purple. Hmm. Did that mean his magic was stronger than Kunturi’s?
I also sensed conflict—it was thick in the air. Years of exposure to the wolves in Vermont—not to mention dealing with my sister—alerted me to when a power struggle was brewing. While everyone had followed Kunturi up to this point, I wondered if Anca might’ve been plotting a takeover.
Anca said, “We shall spread the word, King Kunturi, and prepare a ceremony in your honor this evening.”
Nodding one time, Kunturi climbed on a giant vulture and signaled for it to take flight. Everyone bowed when the vulture flapped, including Anca and me. Three wingbeats later, the bird and bird-king were high in the sky, soaring toward the peak of a snow-covered mountain.
Anca turned to the harpies and said, “We will keep with our original plan. Forget El Encante for now. Make the preparations for this evening.”
“Whatever you say, Malku Anca,” was the harpies’ reply.
“And watch this … beast,” Anca added. It was clear he didn’t know what to make of me.
The harpies bowed, and Anca climbed onto the back of the other vulture.
“Soon we will rise,” he said. With that, the vulture took flight and disappeared into the clouds.
Once Anca was gone, the harpies rose from their stooped positions. The one with the scar strutted over and kicked me in the side. It hurt terribly, but I couldn’t show any sign of pain. They had to believe I was under a spell, so even with the wind knocked out of me, I acted unfazed.
“That will teach him,” said the harpy. With that, it spread its wings and flapped off.
The other harpies followed, filling the air with high-pitched shrieks.
I drew in a breath, long and slow. Oxygen found its way in. The second breath was easier and then came the third.
Soon after, I heard another flutter of wings. Thinking that the harpy had returned, I braced for more pain, except a familiar voice forced my eyes back open.
“Sam, that is you?”
“Rosa?” I lifted my head.
“Do not look at me,” she scolded. “Put your head down. No one can see me talk to you.”
“Oh, yeah.” That was a good idea. I should have realized that on my own.
I heard her shuffle over the grass and caught sight of those awkward parrot feet. She remained in macaw form.
“You need to listen to me,” she said. “We do not have much time.”
“Time for what?” I asked.
“That eagle wants to take over. He probably will do it soon. That is what some harpies said to each other when I tried to sneak past them and speak with the condor king.”
“What’s our plan then?”
Reaching down, she gripped a stone with her foot and said, “They will gather, now that you are here. Maybe that is when the eagle will try to take control.”
“And what will we do?” I asked.
She toyed with the stone for a moment, passing it several times between her beak and each of her feet. Finally, she said, “I do not know. Trust your instincts. Is that not what the dolphin told you?”
I didn’t say anything. I didn’t really like that advice because it was hard to know how to follow my instincts when I was never used to doing so before.
Suddenly, Rosa flew away with a squawk. She must’ve gotten nervous that someone saw her speaking with me.
Then a harpy swooped down to check over my limp body.
I stayed perfectly still.
“They say hyenas are powerful,” the harpy muttered under her breath. “And yet this one hasn’t moved. We will learn the truth when Anca seizes power.”
It sure sounded like a takeover to me, yet I remained motionless, my instincts screaming for me to keep quiet.
Or was that just fear?
Soon, other animals started approaching my still body. Some were birds, but most were mammals. There were bears, tigers, leopards, pumas, and African wild dogs.
There were also three hyenas—I caught them in the corner of my eye. Mom, Dad, and Lauren! Though I was thrilled to s
ee them (or to see Mom and Dad, at least), I didn’t dare rise from where I lay. Not that it mattered, really, because they didn’t appear to recognize me. All seemed to be under Kunturi’s spell.
My ears detected a faint hum, which grew stronger within seconds, as the mountain air churned from thousands upon thousands of wings. So many birds flew over the clearing that they blotted out the setting sun.
Kunturi arrived with them, along with Anca.
The birds landed among the mammals, and all of them bowed to the condor king.
“Rise, my brothers and sisters,” commanded the condor. He stood on a slope that formed a natural stage.
The birds stood, and the mammals dragged their bodies into a standing position, even though many looked half-starved and weak. Perhaps they were being worked to death while defending Kunturi’s realm—like I’d seen at the lower levels, where the wolves and big cats were lurking.
In keeping with the others’ behavior, I stood with a dazed expression on my face.
Kunturi spread his arms. In one hand was his staff; in the other was a long spear with a bronze tip.
He announced, “Our time for action has come! We shall rise with all our force!”
Every single bird cheered, while the mammals hardly reacted. The more I looked at them, the more I noticed that each one emitted a purplish glow.
All were under Kunturi’s control. But why did he need to control them? I got the feeling that something more sinister was in the works. Maybe he wanted to enslave us forever or to wipe us out entirely? That might explain why each mammal looked so weak, while each bird looked strong and vibrant.
Kunturi lowered his arms, and the clamor stopped instantly. “Today, we start the next phase of our mission. We will restore balance to Earth.” His voice echoed to the mountaintops.
“Our world is on a path to destruction,” he continued, “and no-tails are to blame.”
While Kunturi spoke, Anca scanned each of us with a gaze that could pierce into our innermost selves. When it fell to me, he paused for a moment, as if he sensed something was different. Reddish shadows to my left and right made frantic movements in response to his scrutiny.
Much to my relief, Anca’s eyes moved on. Whatever those spirits did must’ve worked.
Earning My Spots Page 16