"Shadow! Can you hear me? Do you know where you are?"
"Sir, please. We need to take him to the hospital to revive his heart. Where'd you get that blood on your hands?"
"The blood is his. We tried chest compressions and pumping his heart...but we only got a little blood."
" How well do you know Shadow?"
"He grew up with my father and I personally got to hang out with him a few times."
"Perfect! Get in the ambulance with me and we'll talk all about him."
"Wait, wait. I have to do something first. Here Zeke, take the nails and finish the journey. Our hope rests in your hands. We'll join you once Shadow is stabilized."
"Me? You know what I did right? Shadow doesn't trust me and I don't know about you either."
"Shadow also said trust is not given; it's earned. This is the time to prove your worth and prove that Shadow can indeed relink the bond with you."
"I'll need my brother back."
"Just keep an eye on him. We're counting on you."
"Hey, you coming?"
"I'm on my way.
Don't let us down!!"
"I'll try my best!!"
"Don't try; just do. Let's go."
"I won't let you down, Hopper and I'll make you proud, Shadow!! Brother, you can come out. I know you have been following us this whole time so I ask why have you not obeyed Shadow when he told you to leave?"
"Zeke, don't come near me."
"Leovanni!!"
"Unclean!! Unclean!!"
"Leo! We don't live under the old laws anymore or else I would have to find two live birds; clean them; add some cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop then kill one of the birds and lay it over a pot of fresh water. Next I would have to take the live bird and basically season it with the yarn, hyssop, and cedar and then dip it into the blood of the other bird. After that I have to sprinkle the dripping blood onto you seven times which will pronounce you clean and then I'll be able to release the live bird. Finally you would have to wash your clothes, shave all of your hair and lastly...take a shower. Then and only then would you be ceremonially clean."
"That doesn't sound like a lot to do. I don't understand why people think all the laws of the Israelites were so difficult."
"Don't you mean why weren't the six hundred laws Israelites had to follow; so complicated? After you were clean then you could return to camp but would have to remain outside of your tent/house for seven days. On the seventh day you must again shave off all your hair, wash your clothes, and shower. On the eight day you would have to bring two male lambs with one being a ewe of one year old having both without defect, and three tenths of the finest flour mixed with olive oil and then a separate one mixed with log oil. The passage then goes on about how the Priest has to circumcise you and clean you, but you get the point."
"Man, those commands must have been hard to follow."
"Exactly. If you got just one of those steps wrong then Jesus would not forgive you of what you wanted Him to do. Also you could've lived your whole entire life performing all these offerings, sacrifices, and cleanses perfectly correctly but on your last offering you messed up big time and forgot which steps you were to put things in. God's anger and wrath would not only be on you but you and your household and you would no longer get into Heaven."
"Damm. It's a good thing Jesus came and stopped that because if I had to live outside of my house and family for weeks on end just because I was sick; I wouldn't be able to do that."
"Precisely, but there are good and bad to what He did for us. The good is that we don't have to perform offerings and stuff anymore to atone for sins but the bad is that we don't have to perform offerings and stuff anymore to atone for our sins. I say this because now all we have to do is repent, be baptized, and be saved; but so many forget that we have to continually do this spiritually everyday. Having a sprinkled baptism as a child will not protect you and make you a Christian twenty years later."
"Okay..let's reel it back in. What other verse consisting of human hair can we use because we can't use that one. It would take two long."
"Worry not brother and walk with me. If we want to impress Hopper and Shadow before they get back then we need to go big like they did. So I was thinking more along the lines of Jeremiah 7."
"Jeremiah 7? It's too early. Should we not wait until…."
"Nope! I can find no other verse that is more suitable...that is unless you want to be called a leper and need a priest to cleanse your sins."
"No!! Noo! I'm good. You may begin."
"Thank you.
'Hear the word of the Lord and ummmm. Hear the word of….umm.."
"Why do you not continue? Your speech was just getting good!!"
" Leo, were you followed while following us?"
"Not that I remember. I would've heard if someone were following me."
"Ha! Ha!! Haa!! You are but little sheep without a shepherd. I did not follow you simply because you were followed nor did I follow you because the ones you were following were following me. I came so that I may be the guide for those who have lost their way…..wanderers you could say!!"
"We are not lost nor are we wanderers, Old beggar."
"If indeed you are not lost then where are your shepherds? Certainly they should know better not to leave children unattended!"
"Didn't you see them? They were driving away….on a mission of utmost importance. God did not call His chosen Nation to be a people of comfort and stability but rather hikers and uncomfortables. He always wants us on the move so if you're in a place where you feel your gifts are worked out the most, but then God calls you to move onward; then you should obey His orders."
"Why would God send two of the most influential people away knowing that those He left behind would be weak and unfit for battle?" Zeke, this time please let your younger brother finish what he has to say before you butt in with your two sense."
"I've had enough of your bickering, beggar!! You will fill our heads with doubts no more. As for us being unfit for battle; I'll have you know that we are more than capable and if you don't move then we'll gladly give you a hand so that you do!!!"
"Wait, wait, please let there not be any blood in all of this. Just let me speak but once more. Your shepherds are gone but I ask if I can offer you my service in their place? I know I am but one man and they were two but if willing then I will help lead you where you ought to go."
"Why would we need you, puny beggar? Thinking that you can offer us assistance where in reality it would be us offering you help to stand. Don't make me laugh at your foolishrey. Heaven is no place for a beggar!!"
" Beggar!! Is that all you see me as? If you're the future then everybody is doomed. Church is no place for a child!! For your incompetence in not seeing that Heaven is for all then I will personally send you there so that God can tell you directly, Himself."
"Your words do not scare me!!"
"Zeke, your beggar is no beggar....he's a sorcerer!!"
"You come at us with a legion of dark souls on your side but we come at you with the never changing, unfailing, Truth of the one and only Father."
"Truth gets you only so far….until you are left alone on an island with it."
"Owwww, you're gonna have to try a lot harder than that if you want to kill me."
"Haa! Kill you!! Why would I...you're no use to me dead. I just want you scared upon recognition."
"Leo, now!!"
"CHOKE!!!"
"You really thought that I would become distracted by your constant squeaking while unknown to me your brother could sneak up from behind?.....Idiots!!!"
"Noooo!!"
"Leo, I'm coming. Don't move."
"Stop right there, sheep. Your soul is mine!!"
"Leo!! Leo!! Wake up. I can't hold on to the ground much longer before he takes me. I can feel my soul leaving me."
"Grab my hand brother. Keep your eyes on me and nothing else. I will never….let...you...goooo!!! Nooo!!"
"The energy and youth is so fulfilling for my bones. I can feel my muscles going back to what they once were. Ohh the excitement but he was just an appetizer….now I want my lunch."
"You stay away from me sorcerer. My soul is mine to control and not yours."
"I promise that I can make your pain as swiftly and fast as possible unlike your brothers. Just come to me!!!"
"NEVER!! Roarrrrr!!!"
"Impossible. Sixth Star killed the last shape shifting lion years ago."
"It's as you said, sorcerer, looks can be deceiving."
"CHOKE!!"
"Your words have no power over me now."
"Nooo. Get your teeth out of me!!!! Noooo...ahhh. *crunch*"
"Lion, we have to get this eating people situation under control. You can't just go around crunching every bone on everybody that you….BROTHER!!"
"Thank you for rescuing me. I thought I was a gonner for sure. H..How'd you...I thought...wasn't there just….shhh! Just enjoy the moment, Zeke and I'll tell you all about it later."
"Ohh, Leo, look I got a hair. Now if a sorcerer's hair is not different enough then I don't know what is."
" Now we only need…one...two...three..four...five..and six more; wait... seven more things. I almost forgot the bottle. We should really be writing these things down so we don't forget them."
"Leo, I just came back to life so instead of looking for paper couldn't you just remind me what's next on the list?"
"That's an easy one and I got just the verse for it. We need wool fibres."
"If the adventure is anything like the one we just had then I can't wait!!!