Chapter 81: Undersight
A cloudy, wondrous lion trots about the wide-open spaces of the wavering green. His huge, fluffy mane billows about the winds as he sniffs about the air, detecting a delightful aroma that draws his tongue out, and across his chops.
The lion looks, and sees a bright wisp of a blue and white butterfly wafting up and down in the abstract breeze. He growls as he crouches down, his eyes locked onto the beautiful wings, his hips wiggling back and forth, before he leaps for the butterfly!
The insect jumps up, in time to jet from his mighty paws, pressing on the mid-air. The lion checks under his paw, before looking up to see the butterfly flying up away from him. He meowed thickly before he trots on the air after it, pouncing upon it once more, only to have it slip from his golden, furry clutches.
The lion steps down onto the windy green, and makes another jump for the fairy-like target, until it rests ontop of a rock in the middle of a body of water. The lion grins as he crouches down again, his throat rumbling lowly as creeps slowly, closer and closer to the beautiful pair of wings, slowly moving back and forth as it rests. His haunches rise up again, priming his hind legs as he prepares to attack.
The large feline roars as his body fully jumps in a sloppy launch of his force, going for a wild jump, until his big paws aim for the rock, just as the butterfly shimmers away!
His paws land onto the small boulder, growling with fret as he tries to maintain his balance, seeing small ripples on the water surface. The lion moaned with defeat as he looks up at the fleeting butterfly, no longer able to get to it as it disappears into the vast space above.
His back paw slips for a moment before he got his grip back. The lion murrs with fear, looking at the water around him, stranded on his tiny island, probably looking rather silly, as if standing on a basketball. He paws at the water below, meowing with remorse at his situation, suddenly at least a mile away from the shore.
The lion grumbles sadly, until his eyes spot a keen shine from within the water. He mewls with interest as the blue light shines brighter until another feline feature peeks from the surface. A white panther-like creature with big, dazzling sapphire scale armor along its forehead, neck, legs, back, and along an elongated fish tail.
The aquatic animal beams to the lion, purring a strange riveretting sound as it seems to float from out of the water. They look into each other as they came to muzzle-to-muzzle. The fish panther playfully licks the lion's nose, prompting a light sneeze from the golden one. The lion snips back at him, purring and swatting his paw at it, losing balance for a second before retaining again.
The flying blue and white sea panther looms around the lion. In a different point of view, humanoid hands reach out, and feel into the lion's large, fluffy mane. The lion's eyes cross as he purrs madly, his tongue lolling out as those hands scratch and ruffle into his field of thick fur.
The panther purrs as his furred and armored arms reach deeper and scratch into the lion, more and more firmly and rolling him onto his back. The lion drools in a drunken stupor as his broad belly is roamed, rubbed and toyed with. His legs hang up as his upper paws hang limb while the panther's frilly fish tail waves in the air, making the lion squirm and purr loudly.
The lion groans as it rolls over lazily, finding out that the mystical panther fish is suddenly underneath him. The lion smiles as he opens his maw, and bite down onto the armored neck. The panther meows weakly as it feels the gentle gnaw of the furry king on top of him. The lion's tail flops about as he playfully chews and licks the panther's soft, furry neck, his teeth clanking with the thick blue scale, while his white, glowing body pushes up below the lion's underbelly.
The lion's ears quirk as he licks lovingly along the white panther's cheek, before the magical fish licks the lion's nose again, putting his paws around and into the lion's flowing bush.
Suddenly, the lion is yanked backward! He yowls in pain as his whole body is pulled backward. The panther gasps as he jerks upward, seeing smoking black anchors and chains gripping twisting around lion's torso, dragging him backward. The lion roars and cries out as his claws rip and tear into solid rock as the hooks stab into him.
The panther swims quickly, and hold the lion tightly, flapping his tail as hard as he can up and down to pull the lion backward, only making him shriek in agony. The lion cries and howl in pain, unable to get away, as the panther roars in sadness and frustration.
Then, several claws start grabb1ing and pulling the lion's mane. The lion's eyes widen as his maw gaps as handfuls of rich, golden shine is removed from him. The panther growls as he swerves round him, and claws at the tangling darkness. He lashes his fish tail violently and roars vigorously at it all.
Alas, with every move the panther made, nothing is changed. His arms and claws go right through the ethereal forces as they continue to drag and injure the lion, streams of golden mists floating away as well.
The sea panther looks back, and watches in horror as the lion struggles less and less, having lost a significant shine from his being. The white fish feline swims quickly back around to the lion, the look of shock and terror still frozen on the lion's face. The lion claws weakly as he fails to fight any longer, his mane reduced to a barren land on his body, a grey layer of faltering embers where the cloud of gold used to be. The panther weeps as he gazes into the blank eyes of the lion, as he rolls onto his side, staring straight into the void before him, groaning feebly as the nothing fills inside him.
The panther looks down with tears at the lion, mutilated and hollowed. He too begins to lose his light as he lowers down, resting down upon the motionless lion, unable to feel his soul, his mind, his heart anymore, even as the lion's grey stomach rises and falls still.
The panther's scales and fins start to disintegrate and scatter into dust in the wind as he rests his chin the lion's body weeping as the tears drip and fly from his eyes, his brilliant glow quickly dimming away as lies there, letting everything turn black...
()()()
Merrick's eyes open casually. That was some dream... His body feels heavy again... A moment of observation tells him that it is still night out, and a quick check on his phone tells him it's in fact 2 in the morning.
"Mnnh..." Merrick groans as he makes himself get up, before he stares at the floor. His face shows no expression as 5 straight minutes go by of just doing nothing.
"... Wha?" He looks down, feeling a drop hit his thigh. Just a regular drop of clear fluid. He reaches up, and felt his face. Both of his cheeks are soak in wet. Looking at the pillow, there's a noticeable streak of moisture on the middle.
"Was I crying...?" He asked.
~~~
"Ennhhh..."
Darkness is pierced by calmly dimmed light that burns and aches, as his eyes are extremely sore. Shuffling sounds can be heard, as well as a click. His mouth moves open as his arms attempt to move, despite feeling as though iron has been transfused into his veins.
"Uhhh... Nnnhhh..."
"Hm?" Says another voice, "What?"
"Wha... Whe... Whas..."
"Adam?! Adam!" A woman's voice asks. He squirms as his vision spreads in the gentle lighting the room, pushing through a short ringing in his ear.
"Unnhhh... My head..."
"Oh my God, Adam!!" He squints and groans, barely able to manage to focus at all. The voice is coming from a blurry image of a light-skinned woman with long, straight black hair, wearing a white coat. Her narrow eyes beams at him as he whines weakly.
"Aa... Adam..." He copies.
"Oh my God, you're awake!" She said, "Yuh-You're finally- Oh my gosh!" She whimpers with excitement, her hands covering her mouth.
