Hyde sprinted between trees with precision, swiftly angling his large body to fit between tight spaces and sharp curves. Abel gripped his scruff tightly and ducked large low-hanging branches. The only sound he could hear clearly was Hyde's loud breathing and the audible crunch of sticks and leaves beneath his massive paws.
As they sprinted through the low-lit forest, shadows crept beside them until Hyde abruptly came to a stop, dragging his paws through the dirt and launching mud and grime into the air around them. Abel gripped tighter as they came to a complete halt, staring into the darkness. His breath seemingly got louder as the wind no longer swept and the creature was careful not to step on any more branches that littered the ground. Lowering his head, the dog raised his backside defensively as his spines grew once again and erected from his back in preparation for an attack.
Abel stared as hard as he could but with only one eye he could hardly see anything other than grey silhouettes of trees illuminated by the moon they blocked out. Hyde let out a long deep growl and bore his large sharp teeth.
"What is it, boy?" Abel asked, gripping the fur tighter between his fingers. Hyde's glowing eyes locked on the darkness in front of them. The air carried sounds of rustling plants as it rippled through Hyde's fur and gently caressed Abel's face. He noticed Hyde's pointed ears sticking straight up before turning to the right, like a deer hearing a hunter in the distance, his spines tensed before the blue beam wrapping his large body began to glow emitting a warm sensation and brightening the area around them. Suddenly, from behind the trees a beast staggered forward. Abel recognized the bear that had attacked him earlier. Blood-stained teeth were red from the prey it had obviously recently consumed and its furry paws were crusted with what Abel presumed was his blood. The terrifying creature pushed to stand on its hind legs revealing an exposed ribcage, its expelled intestines slipping out and dragging in the dirt. Hyde let out a loud ruff that bounced from tree to tree; penetrating Abel's ears and disorientating him. His grip loosened to cover his ears before rolling off Hyde's back and landing on his spine in the dirt below.
The bear trailed his eyes from the dog to see the boy fall. Letting out a roar it dropped back to its feet and lunged toward the smaller prey. Hyde danced around the boy's body, moving toward the bear and putting himself in between it and his friend. The two animals stood on their hind legs and began clawing and biting at each other's faces, ripping flesh and fur off of each other. The bear ripped a chunk from Hyde's face, revealing the hard scale-like skin that sat below. Hyde fell to the ground as the bear swiped and clawed at him, leaving deep lacerations along his chest.
"Hyde!" Abel yelled, looking around for anything he could use to help his new friend. The trees stopped spinning just long enough for Abel to regain his sense of direction and reached for a branch lying beneath a large pine tree. He gripped it tight and pushed the sharp end into the forest floor, standing himself up. He focused on the bear, standing over Hyde clawing at his chest and stomach revealing his organs and bones underneath, Hyde let out a gut-curdling whimper, while still bearing his teeth and ripping flesh from the bear's already decaying face.
"No!" Abel yelled before breaking out into a full sprint moving himself toward the large dead bear with all of his might. He gripped the stick tightly in his hands as he got closer to the bear. He ran toward a large boulder next to the two animals and used it to leap toward the deranged beast. He jumped with all his might holding his makeshift spear over his head.
He let out a loud "Ahhhhh!" before driving the stick into the bear's back as hard as he could. The beast let out a loud cry as the stick penetrated his skin, puncturing his lung before coming out of the gash in his stomach. He turned quickly and swatted the boy out of the air, launching him back into the dirt. Abel rolled and regained his footing, perching himself on one knee, determined to win this fight for himself and his new friend. His remaining eye started to burn as he looked at the bear with hate and revenge before reaching over and grabbing a large misshapen rock from the dirt next to him.
Hyde was lying still on the ground, bleeding from his face and torso. Ribs were now poking out from behind torn skin and Hyde could feel his yellow eyes begin to pale and glue shut. The bear looked at Abel meeting his eye before letting out yet another roar. He sprinted toward him with blood and drool dripping from his chin as he expelled a series of angry grunts. Abel hopped out of the way and struck the bear as hard as he could on the side of the head with his rock, cracking the skull open further and mushing the brain inside. The massive creature stumbled and fell, rolling through the dirt. Abel stared at the seemingly dead animal with the rock still in his hand, now stuck with blood, bone fragments, and dirt. He sighed with relief before raising the rock above his head and slamming it down on what remained of the beasts skull, crunch.
He made his way over to Hyde who lay motionless in the dirt, breathing shallowly and resting on a small bundle of lavender.
"No, no no get up! please get up," He pleaded, placing his hand on Hyde's head, soaking it in blood. "Don't die, not right now get up please," he continued, running his fingers through his fur. Hyde breathed shallowly unable to open his eyes. Abel looked at his friend dying before him and placed his head on his chest.
"Thank you," he said, shakily. Abel began to sob into its fur, hugging the dog tightly. Then behind him, he heard the sound of leaves crunching. He turned quickly to see the bear standing up, its skull concaved and leaking fluid. The beast swayed back and forth his brain visible and the stick stuck in his back, still poking through his chest. Abel wiped the tears from his face and stood up. The bear stood again on its hind legs and roared with all of its might before sprinting toward an unarmed Abel.
Hyde's eyes shot open and he leapt to his feet. He lunged over Abel and sprinted forward with new determination. He jumped into the air and landed directly on the bear launching him to the ground as he bit at his throat. The bear tried with all of his might to fight back but it was no use; Hyde relentlessly chomped and chewed at his throat and face. The fight lasted mere moments before Hyde gripped the bear's esophagus in his teeth and tugged. The bear looked helpless as Hyde ripped the organ from its neck dripping with blood and saliva as it hung from his mouth.
The bear twitched and clawed slowly one last time before the light in its eyes evaporated and the blue beam wrapping its body began to dim before disappearing completely. Hyde dropped the organ and limped back. Abel watched in awe as his friend's skin was torn and red with pain. Hyde fell to the dirt next to him and snuggled in close to the boy.
He began to pet Hyde slowly and softly not knowing what else to do. He placed his hand on Hyde's wound to check the damage. He held his hand to his face astonished and confused the bleeding had stopped and the wound almost looked months old, it was completely scabbed over. He looked in fascination, seeing the missing skin and fur from his face begin to close and cover the exposed skull again. The once visible ribcage was now protected by a layer of scale-like skin, and all of the minor wounds were completely scarred over.
"What...What are you?" He asked shakily, looking down at Hyde's regenerative face. Hyde looked back up at him and licked him from chin to forehead with his enormous tongue. Abel smiled before placing his head on top of the creature's who let out a low-pitched whine as they held each other. Abel raised his head and looked at Hyde who stared toward a cliffside where a single tree sprouted from the edge.
"What is it bud?" He asked squinting attempting to make out anything other than the lonesome tree. Hyde stood to his feet and began walking toward the cliff. Abel followed slowly behind him, worried to find another fight ahead of them. Hyde walked faster and faster the farther they got. Eventually, he was almost sprinting with Abel trailing far behind. The cliff grew closer to the pair and the cracks and ledges became more visible and its vines more vibrant. Hyde sprinted on, leaving the boy behind him. The dirt shot into Abel's face and made him lose all sense of direction. He stopped in his tracks and attempted to look around to no avail his friend was gone. The dark emptiness of the trees sent a grim feeling of isolation over him.
Once again, he was completely alone in a world he didn't recognize.
"Hyde!" He yelled out frantically, his hands cupped around his mouth in an attempt to project his voice further.
"Hyde!" He yelled again, this time with more power.
The dirt settled and began falling back to the ground where it had come from. As his vision returned, Abel saw a bright blue beam in front of him pulsing steadily.
"Hyde!" he yelled again, sprinting toward the beam.
As he neared the blue light he could make out more details; Hyde's spines and shaggy fur proved real once again. Finally, he made it to the place Hyde sat staring up at the cliff where the tall lonely tree perched on the edge of the cliff, illuminated by the light of the sun, which poked just over the cliff-side and began beating down on them with its morning glow.
Abel placed his left hand onto Hyde's back and gripped his scruff. The pair looked at each other with matching curious grins before placing his right foot onto Hyde's side. He climbed onto his back and grabbed one of his spines for support. As he settled himself into position Hyde stood on his back legs and dug his long sharp claws into the side of the cliff.
"Hiya!" Abel yelled tapping Hyde firmly on both sides with his feet. Hyde began climbing quickly up the side of the cliff digging his claws in and leaping towards the top. Abel held his fur tight in both hands as he felt the gravity attempting to pull him off. Rocks and dirt flew down falling to the ground below. In seconds, Hyde went from the ground to almost a hundred feet up to the very top of the cliff, Abel held on tight, in fear he would tumble down yet another treacherous cliff.
When they got to stable ground he climbed off of the creature's back. Hyde shook his body vigorously, launching dirt all over and reforming his fur into the fluffy shag it was before. Abel held up his hand as dirt hit him in the side of the face, chuckling to himself quietly. In front of them, a flickering campfire crackled and released sparks and smoke into the warm morning air.
Abel looked around scanning the clifftop for any signs of people or friends, but nobody was there. Hyde stretched out his tail end high into the air followed shortly by a giant yawn revealing all of his large sharp teeth and letting out a scream-like sound, followed by a quick head shake. He turned in a couple of circles around the fire before plopping down in the dirt and slowly closing his eyes.
Abel looked back at the large dog and shook his head slowly and smiled to himself. He placed his hand over his swollen and bruised ribs before sitting down across from Hyde. The creature let out a sigh as they both knew they were finally safe - if only for a moment.
"I wonder if Miles is okay, and Amanda. I just hope...I hope they're okay," He said, watching the flame in front of him whip around gently as smoke rippled up and into the sky.
"I shouldn't have left them there like that. I was angry and stupid," He continued, thinking back to his explosion by the lake. Hyde's ears perked up but his eyes remained closed. His ears twitched as the boy listed his worries. The sound of chirping birds and crackling firewood enticed the large beast. It was clearly soothing as he began wagging his fluffy tail slowly and gently in rhythm with the sounds around them. His spines laid flat along his back and his claws were no longer visible. The bright blue gleam from the night before was now replaced by a dimmer, slower-moving pulse.
This creature almost looked normal from a distance.
"Huh, and here I thought you were born ugly," Abel said, chuckling before grabbing his ribs again in pain.
"I guess laughing hurts worse than sitting," He winced. He leaned back into a large boulder slowly and extended his legs before closing his eyes and placing his hands across his stomach to soothe his fractured bones.
"Well, it's been fun but when I wake up you'll be gone and I'll be in Mrs. Hendrix's class promptly failing my math quiz," Abel said, hoping he was right. The two of them lay there by the fire on the top of the cliff for a while. The silence surrounding the area created an inviting tone, making it very easy to feel safe and welcome as the sun gently warmed their faces and the singing birds played a symphony above them. As Abel's mind wandered into deep sleep Hyde stood from his spot, making his way over to the boy and plopping down behind him, almost spooning him.