The Half-lings Pt 6

She watched from the darkness of the trees. The killing was brutal and she wondered if she had made a terrible mistake following Leandra into the forest. Lori felt her body freeze up and she could not make herself move. One by one, the She-cats fell to the ground. The humans were extinguishing them faster than Lori could count. She wanted to help them but she was too scared to leave the hidden place she had found. What would the She-cats do if they found her? She even worried what might happen to her if another human saw her. They might mistake her for a cat that had not changed yet and kill her. That was frighteningly possible.
Suddenly, she was face to face with her biggest fear. The She-cat stared at her and showed it's fangs. The stance told Lori she was about to become very dead. Her thoughts raced to Leandra. She closed her eyes tight and called to her. She begged her with her mind to save her. The She-cat suddenly relaxed it's stance. Lori heard it speak to her in her mind.
"How is it you know our leader? Speak fast before I kill you!"
"She is my best friend. We have known each other since first grade. I know what she is... what You are. I followed her here in homes to help her but I am of no use against this horrific massacre of your pride. Forgive, but I do not know how to help you."
The She-cat softened her stare. She felt no danger from this human. "Stay where you are and you may live. Do not try to help us or you may find yourself very dead."
As the She-cat turned to leave, another shot rang out. Lori screamed as the cats left side exploded in sprays of blood and entrails. The She-cats insides covered Lori and all she could do was scream.
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Michael raced through the forest, following Leandra's sceams. He tried to focus but Deanna had taken that ability from him. How could this man that wanted Michael dead be his father? What formula had he found to make him only human? If Michael killed him, he would possibly never know the answer. And if he didn't kill him... this man was determined to kill Michael. He stopped near a small clearing. He could hear Leandra's growl. He could see a man approaching the clearing. The man stopped and raised his rifle.
"I have you now, you She-bitch! I already took care of your mother."
Not being able to see Leandra but knowing she was there, Michael burst into the opening, surprising the man. He grabbed the man with his huge hands and tossed him into a huge Pine. The sound of the man's back snapping told Michael he would need to do no more to him. He ran to Leandra and knelt beside her. He could see the steel trap clamped tight around her back paw.
"Don't move Leandra. I will free you and get you to safety."
Leandra touched a paw to Michael's face. She screamed out as the trap was opened and blood-flow returned to her paw. The pain was excruciating and she felt as if she might faint.
"Stay with me, Love," Michael whispered to her. "I will not lose you to these creatures that call themselves Humans! I have loved you for a thousand lifetimes and I will not let you slip away from me now."
"I have always loved you Michael. Together we will defeat these men. HE said he killed my mother, Michael. I must find her and see that she is alright."
Michael tied a cloth around her paw. He knew she would heal fast. He picked her up in his behemoth arms. As he gently laid his head on her soft fur, he whispered softly in her ear. "She is gone, sweetheart. She died in my arms. I am so sorry I could not save her."
"Did she say anything to you before she died, Michael?"
"She told me to take care of you. And, she told me that the leader of these men... is my father."
"Oh my God, Michael! What are you going to do?"
"I am going to do what your mother said, Leandra. I am going to kill him."
Michael carried Leandra to a cave deep in the forest. He placed her on a high slate shelf. "You will be safe here until you heal."
"No Michael, I want to fight at your side." Leandra had changed to her human form now. The healing would be easier for her. Michael looked at her as she lay on the rock. Her emerald eyes and golden hair made him think of a fairy-tale princess. He was so very in love with her and he wanted only to have her forever.
"You will fight beside me, Love, but not until you are healed. Stay here until I come back to you."
"MIchael, you Will come back for me, won't you?"
"I promise you, Leandra. Only death could keep me away from you now."
"Then stay alive, Michael. I want forever with you."
Michael touched her face, his huge rough hands, gentle and soft on her skin, told her he would love her forever. In an instant, Michael was back in the forest. He followed the sounds of the gun-fire and screams. Three men died while he trekked though the trees. It was quick and nearly painless for them, he thought. He stopped another man from Killing a She-cat by tossing him over a small cliff, into the river below them. As he stood to sniff the air for the man he sought, he felt a stabbing pain in his shoulder. His growl could be heard through out the forest. Turning to face his attacker, it was not the man he was seeking. This man was not his father.
"I will be the Hero when I bring your ugly carcass back to Michalie. How proud he will be of me when he sees i have killed his freak off-spring."
"Too bad you won't be telling him that story, you murderer!"
Michael knew the voice behind the threat. Leandra had been friends with her all through school. Michael looked at Lori, her small frame dwarfed against the man that would kill Michael. Before the man could get turned to see his attacker, he heard the shots ring out. His body jerked to the left and then to the right side before falling to the ground. He never saw who had ended his boasting forever.
Michael ran to Lori. Her body nearly disappeared when his arms wrapped around her.
"Easy big boy, I am not as big as you."
Michael released his hold on Lori. "What are you doing here? You should not have come here."
"Oh, you think? I know that now but it is a little late. Tell me where Leandra is. She is alive, isn't she?"
"She is wounded but safe. I will take you there to hide you and perhaps you can help here to heal. There is No talk of this. It is just the way it is to be."
The tree's behind Michael suddenly splintered. He wrapped himself around Lori to protect her. Standing in front of him now was the survivors of his clan. They were armed with guns taken from humans and tree's that they had uprooted to use as weapons. Michael approached the front beast.
"How did you get here so quickly, Antony? I left you far away so you would be safe."
"We healed and knew where you had come. We could not let you have all the fun."
The trees rustled a bit again. The remaining She-cats now stood with them. Calamine, the leader if Leandra were killed stepped forward.
"We also do not wish to live our lives out being told how the Beast-men saved our butts. We fight together, as one pride, until this is finished. It is what Deanna wanted, she simply did not know how to make it so. I can still feel Leandra so I know she is alive."
"I hid her where I am going to hide her human friend. Then, as one, we will end this witch hunt forever."
The group roared and growled in unison. There sound echoed through the jungle. The men hunting them cowered for a moment. They knew now that the real battle was about to begin.
"I will be back in a moment and then we kill the humans. Remember this though! The human, Michalie is Mine!!!! If you find him, bring him to me alive!" Michael lowered his head as he spoke now.
"That man... is My Father and it is I that must kill him. Enough said now. Go, find a place to attack unseen. I will join you in a moment!" With those words spoken, Michael and Lori disappeared into the forest. The final battle was about to begin.