Chapter 12
The beast was thrice his size, with creamy yellow fur dusted with black splotches, triangular ears, tufted with soft white, long silvery whiskers trembled against his skin, while ferocious fangs gleamed, and dark blue eyes glared at him. Brandon stared in shock into the beasts gaze, until a tongue was suddenly lapping across the tip of his nose and a long soft snarl filled the air.
"WHOA! "With a shout of surprise Brandon shoved and kicked out ward, while scrambling backwards and he was moving in such a panic that he soon slammed back into a pine tree.
His first thought was to get up onto his feet, but he was frozen in mid scramble as a vicious rumble vibrated on the air. Slowly, afraid to look at the beast, Brandon glanced up and was horrified to be staring into the angry, tail lashing, snarling, three hundred pound face of a Leopard, with eyes that glowed a supernatural tint of blue.
The moment Brandon looked at the Leopard head on, it got riled up. It snarled and roared and swiped at Brandon's legs.
"WHOA!" he cried again, as talons sharp enough to score rocks, brushed inches from his calves. Instantly a chill of fear went through him as he realized that this beast was highly aggravated. At the sound of his hysterical voice the Leopard tilted its head and snarled at the air, flashing sharp white canines, and bright pink gums. With a small aggressive jump it slammed its paws into the earth and lifted its rear in the air, roaring in anger.
Instantly realizing that his extreme reactions were only making the situation worse, Brandon took a slow Breath and said.
"Okay! Okay! I'll stop yelling now..." he tried to sooth the beast and himself, by talking slowly and softly. This time he received a hiss and another snarl, but the leopard appeared to be listening all of a sudden. Its eyes and triangular ears focused and pitched forwards, all centered on Brandon's every moves and sound. For a long moment Brandon and the Leopard simply stood still and watched each other....
There was a distinct intelligence about the beast that had Brandon pinned to the tree. Not the sharp intellect of a man, but still, Brandon could tell that the leopard was far from a wild animal.
"Hey um.....Ezekiel? Are you in there?" he called in a moderately small shout, but when the leopard only snarled back at him....he knew that he had his answer.
Ezekiel was gone.
With a sigh Brandon threw his head back against the tree.
Great...
He thought. Instantly realizing two things.
One....He couldn't out run a pissed off leopard. It would be foolish to try it....only to end up mauled to death for his efforts.
And number Two.....His legs were starting to hurt from the awkward position he had been pinned in for the last ten minutes.
So, with a heavy exhale, Brando transferred his legs out in front of himself.....and plopped down in the pine needles, positioned with his back against the tree, he stared out at the leopard. Waiting for it to attack or magically turn back into the man that shared its alluring blue gaze.
But neither of these things happened. Instead, once Brandon had stopped yelling and had taken a seat in silence, the blue eyed Leopard instantly let out a grunt of what sounded like acceptance, before it plopped its own sinuous hips down into the pine brush and with interval flicks of its long tail the leopard just watched him. Letting out small growls and snarls as the seconds passed.
Five more minutes went on like this....until Brandon finally realized that the leopard wasn't going to make a move. It just sat a few feet in front of him, quietly snarling and flexing its talons in the crunchy pine needle earth, but it made no moves. It was watching him like he was the single most delicious or important thing in the vicinity.
Where the heck is Ezekiel....Did something happen to him?
Brandon found himself wondering as he became more and more antsy. Sitting beneath the cool tinkling pine tree canopy with the eyes of a killer watching his every move.
Why did he up and turn into a leopard on me? He could have warned me he was going to do that!
But as he quietly rehashed these questions a million times....no answers came. And neither did Ezekiel.
So with boredom and curiosity settling in a crazy idea began to form in Brandon's mind. It was so crazy that he in fact couldn't resist trying it out.
Moving slowly Brandon put out his hand quietly cooed to the leopard.
"Here boy..." He called softly, curling his fingertips in and out. Instantly intrigued by what he was doing the Leopards blue eyes fixed on Brandon's hands, then went to his eyes, then back to Brandon's hands. "Come here....handsome..."
Of course the Leopard only snarled again and dropped its ears against its head in what could have been indignation at being called like a common house cat. Somehow finding its behavior fitting and partly charming Brandon dropped his hand.
"All right then.... I'll come to you." Brandon whispered more to himself then the beast....and with that, he slowly if purposefully shimmed up the tree, until he was standing on his feet.....then....he took slow half steps away from the tree and towards the leopard.
Brandon had only made it a foot in the Leopards direction before the beast sent him a swift warning.
Suddenly the leopard stood up and roared and pulled back its gums on a snarl revealing teeth that could crack bones like they were bread. IT was a clear sign of aggression. IM PISSED OFF. IT said. But somehow unable to summon the correct amount of fear at his display, Brandon continued to shuffle forward.
With a few flicks of its tail the Leopard just watched him get closer, a slight hiss permeating the air around them, as Brandon finally closed the gap, and holding his breath he reached out and quickly grazed his fingertips across the leopard's heavy brow.
He couldn't feel the fur's texture through the thick leather that encased his fingers, but Brandon still felt the heat of the beast's body as he soothed his hand back over its head, dancing between its twitching ears...and flowing down its long hard back.
"Okay...its okay....." Brandon found himself cooing as if he had done this a million times. He picked up his hand and ran it down the softly snarling beasts back over and over, trying to calm it. "It's okay...." He soothed steeping to the side of the Leopard as he petted it. Suddenly the Leopard growled and without any warning it shoved its jaws and face against his legs.
Squelching the first instinct to flesh away from the hard head, Brandon leaned into the caress and was surprised to feel the Leopard stroking and rubbing its face back and forth against his body. With no hesitation Brandon reached down and wrapped his arms over the leopard's broad, rumbling neck, as he dropped down into a crouch beside the beast and pulled its head in to his chest.
Normally Brandon would have been afraid to touch the beast. Not afraid of it....but afraid to touch it.....because of the Flame.....but in those moments. Brandon couldn't NOT touch the leopard. He felt its heat...and the rumble of its voice and, the beat of its heart against his skin and though the leather of his gloves.
Beside the Guardian, that shared the beasts eyes....it was the single most beautiful and captivating thing he had ever seen. Pure savage energy was all about the Leopard. Anger...and power this seemed to make up all of the Leopards presence. Deadly emotion reflected from behind its beautiful glowing gaze. But for him the fire was suppressed and controlled.
It was still angry. Still rearing to attack something. But in Brandon's arms it seemed as tame as a kitten. Still it threw its weight around like the big cat that it was. Mewling cries and needy trills came from behind the beasts fangs as if the Leopard were desperate for more of his touch.
Heavy, claw tipped paws, hooked and pulled at Brandon's clothing as the leopard began to swipe at him in demand. A heavy warm body jerked and rammed into him as the Leopard nipped at his hands and nuzzled his stomach and thigs....until one particular push, tripped Brandon back into the hard earth.
"Ouch...be careful you big brute..." Brandon murmured as his backside slammed into the unforgiving forest floor.
It hurt, but the Leopard seemed unconcerned with that as it preceded to treat Brandon as its own personal cushion. IT rubbed against his chest and face, the scent of heavy pine and sap....and earth floating off of its thick, slick fur, instantly reminding Brandon of Ezekiel.
With a mewling groan the leopard laid over top of his lap, crushing him under its considerable weight, but also warming him with the playful way that it rubbed against him.
Something inside of him was instantly tugged on by the beautiful, aggressive, and affectionate beast that had curled over top of him. Brandon found himself, letting his hands sink deep into the Leopards fur as he pulled the beast closer and they melted against each other. Deep feelings of content began to rise....
Suddenly a crackle of energy expanded on the air, and with a slight jump Brandon pulled back his hands and blinked in surprises as he realized that he was in fact no longer petting the heavy fluffy head of a leopard, but that he was caressing the crown of Ezekiels head, his gloved fingertips gliding through golden strands, as easily as they had ran through the leopard's glistening fur.
Shocked at Ezekiel's sudden reappearance Brandon pulled back his hand, just as Ezekiel began to lift himself up off of Brandon's lap. AS the weight and heat of his body fled Brandon squelched the insane need he had to chase after it, instead he choose to focus on how Ezekiel's eyes looked clouded in confusion. As if he were just awakening from a long slumber. With a shake of his head Ezekiel looked first at Brandon then down at himself.
"You're back?" Brandon said, a slight question to his voice, because though the leopard was a part of Ezekiel....they were obviously two different beings. "What happened....Why did you change into a leopard all of a sudden?"
With another shake of his head that tossed his golden hair around, Ezekiel put a hand to the bridge of his nose as though it hurt and sat back on his hunches. It took a moment for him to respond, but when he did it was with a growl in his throat.
"No, I didn't mean to Shift....I cant believe this!" He said, looking up swiftly, his blue gaze no longer clouded in confusion, but now tinged with anger. The hand that he had put to his head, falling into his lap, and balling into a tight fist.
"He forced the change. He forced the Shift!"