Chương 21: Book 1 - Chapter 21: He Suffers More Than Necessary, Who Suffers Before It Is Necessary

Before Leo spoke, Dominic had been moving across the savannah, settling into a long, ground-eating stride that his body seemed to know so well – a gait that balanced speed with stamina and one he could sustain without burning through his reserves too quickly. The grass brushed against his flanks and he lifted his head every so often to catch some of the breeze that ruffled the savannah plains, searching for the scents of anything interesting or dangerous.

It was a good distraction from the worry that still nagged at him, the temptation to break his word to Leo and go after his father nonetheless. If the lion hadn't agreed to checking on his father if – when – they sensed him, he probably would have. He was determined to take advantage of this new opportunity he'd been offered – but not at the expense of his father. As it was, Compass pulled him forwards, steady like the compass needle it was no doubt named after.

Its pull was faint but insistent and hadn't yet grown any stronger. These lionesses were clearly some distance away. From time to time, he concentrated on his father. To no avail. He'd think that it wasn't working except that the pull towards the lionesses was replaced by nothing, only to be reinstated when he concentrated on them again. He'd been doing his best to put the matter out of his mind. He suffers more than necessary, who suffers before it is necessary.

I can't help my father right now – and for all I know, he's absolutely fine, he told himself. Still, he couldn't help but think that the further and quicker he travelled, the more likely it was that he'd find his father alive. Which meant that he wouldn't take any rest breaks until he actually needed them, no matter what Leo said. As the sun began to touch the horizon, he'd felt something strange – tingling in his limbs that started near the ends and then moved upwards.

Then it had done the reverse – moving back downwards before shifting upwards. The intent focus emanating from his companion seemed to indicate that Leo was doing something. When he felt a strong surge of satisfaction coming from the lion, Dominic had decided to challenge him about it. What are you doing? That feels weird. Testing something, the lion replied. Testing what? Dominic asked in confusion – and some concern. There was no response. Leo? Still nothing.

Dominic came to a halt, glancing around himself and checking for any signs of threat. The savannah immediately around him was quiet even as darkness fell and the nocturnal creatures began to wake up. Brother? You need see this. Leo's voice was oddly muffled. See what? Dominic asked. This. Come. Dominic felt an extremely odd kind of tug. Like someone had grabbed a pinch of his skin and pulled, except inside his head. And it was most certainly not a physical sensation.

Wait a moment, he told Leo, then looked around for somewhere to conceal himself. This seemed like something that needed his full attention, and he didn't want to get attacked because he'd become distracted while out in the open. The hyenas had definitely made it clear that this wasn't a safe place for wool-gathering. There – a dip in the ground well-covered by long grass. If he lay down there, he'd be practically invisible. He did check the area carefully first, but there were no new scents of anything nearby.

He wasn't good at telling the age of scents, but the only ones that he could detect were things that smelt like prey and were quite old. Lying down, he waited for a moment, listening tensely just in case he'd missed something. Then, when all remained calm, he gave his attention to Leo. The lion's emotions were as muffled as his voice had been earlier, but Dominic could still sense hints of impatience and confusion. Alright, what is it? This time, he did his best to follow the tug.

For a moment, it was almost painful – something stretched that wasn't meant to stretch. Something akin to a headache, except not – more like the echo of a headache. Then whatever it was that stretched snapped like an elastic band. Everything went black and silent around him. Dominic had a moment of panic – had Leo just done something to him to get his body back? – and then colour flooded back into his vision, and he felt a stone surface under his bare feet. It was still quiet though.

It took a moment to recognise where he was – and when he did, Dominic felt his heart drop.

"What the hell? Am I even out of the trial? Or is this some Matrix-level bullshit messing around with reality?" he demanded furiously. He felt totally justified in the question because what met his eyes was the circular room that had been the final one in the trial space – the place where he'd first faced Leo over a chunk of meat and then they'd attacked that green creature together. And, once again, he was in a human form. Had this all just been another trial?

If it was, Dominic swore he was going to break something – preferably that green creature again. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Maybe. Dominic turned his head to see a lion sitting off to the side. Dominic tensed for a moment – the last time he'd entered a room like this as a human, the lion had attacked him. Not to kill him, the second time around, but he'd still had to fight. A moment later, he relaxed. There were no signs of imminent attack.

Indeed, the lion was looking thoughtful. Don't think so, Leo decided after a moment.

"Why not?" Dominic asked, still glaring at the walls, searching for any indication that that green supervisor was watching him again. He didn't feel any sense of it, but maybe it had just hidden itself better after last time. Feel, Leo told him simply. Dominic sent him a questioning glance. Leo just stared back at him meaningfully. Dominic sighed and closed his eyes, trying to feel whatever it was Leo was talking about.

At first, he had no idea what the lion was on about – all he could feel was the stone beneath his feet, the still air, the cool mustiness, the…. Oh, that's interesting. Dominic opened his eyes.

"I can feel my body," he told the lion.

"And this isn't actually it at all." Leo made a pleased chuffing noise. Exactly. In fact…. Dominic felt for the thread that seemed to lead him back to his body, then tugged on it. There was a brief moment of discomfort, like his body had turned into a balloon that was being squeezed through a too-small gap, and then it was gone. Dominic opened his eyes, seeing the savannah around him once more. He lifted his paw, then extended his claws and scratched the back of his other paw lightly with them.

Bright sparks of pain lit where the two made contact. Feels real enough, he mused. Then, searching for Leo, he found that the thread he'd followed back to his body was still there. Pulling it again, he returned to the trial room-like space. Except, by this point, he was all but certain it wasn't.

"Some sort of mindspace?" he wondered. Leo yawned, announcing his supreme lack of interest in labelling it.

"I wonder…" Dominic mused, then focused on himself. In a moment, his hands had been replaced by paws, his body shifting easily into a leonine form. Pleased with that success, he then focused hard on the bare concrete. A bolt of pain spiked through his head as, abruptly, the stone floor was covered with carpet – specifically the thick purple shag carpet his father had surprised him with one day in his room, thinking he'd like it. At the sight, Dominic felt an abrupt pang. He missed his dad.

Comfortable, the lion told him happily, pulling him away from that dangerous thought. Dominic looked over to see the lion rolling over in the carpet, rubbing his back against it and looking like an overgrown – and very dangerous – housecat. Dominic eyed him for a moment, then mimicked him. He had to admit that it was comfortable. Perhaps his subconscious knew what it was doing after all. And it seemed that he could change this space – though at a cost. The pain had eased after the first moment, but was still there.

Then a thought made him freeze. If he could return to their body without Leo… could Leo return without him? His stomach tightened. Leo, meanwhile, was busy rubbing himself enthusiastically against the purple carpet, apparently entirely unconcerned at Dominic's reaction. Because if Leo could go back without him, what stopped him simply staying there and blocking Dominic? He snarled quietly at the thought. No way was he going to be relegated to a supporting character in his own story. What problem?

Leo asked, hearing Dominic's snarl and immediately becoming alert. Dominic hesitated. He could say nothing. Leo clearly hadn't even considered it. But if the lion discovered it later when Dominic wasn't ready for it…. He exhaled slowly. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, he reminded himself. What happens if you return to our body while I'm here? he asked. The lion considered the question for a moment, then chuffed. Try. Before Dominic could change his mind, Leo vanished. For several heartbeats nothing happened.

Then Dominic seized the thread and pulled, his stomach tight with dread as much as it was from the sensation of being squeezed through somewhere too small. He opened his eyes onto the savannah once more, registering that his body was already halfway to his feet. Hey, Leo complained indignantly as Dominic took control. Was using that. Dominic almost laughed with relief. I take that to mean you can move our body when you're in control, he remarked, glad that he didn't have anything to worry about.

Yes, Leo confirmed, sounding a little aggrieved. Then the dark sky of his emotions suddenly cleared up. You walk. I nap in comfortable grass. Call me if attack. Then, with no further ado, Dominic felt his presence retreat. Closing his eyes, Dominic had a sense that the lion was rolling around on the shag carpet – or maybe that was just his imagination. Either way, he huffed a little in exasperation. Leaving me with the grunt work, he complained at his companion who just replied with a sense of smug satisfaction.

Still, Dominic's heart was lighter as he completed the movement of getting to his feet and then continued following Compass' constant pull. Maybe Leo had the right idea: enjoy the present when possible; worry about the future when it came. Dominic kept moving through the night, taking a few hours to rest his paws, eat, and sleep at one point, and then continuing on. The two moons drifted across the sky, one greenish and shedding an eerie light, the other pale white.

Dominic found himself staring up at the sky from time to time, looking for something familiar, and finding nothing. The constellations were different, the Milky Way was absent, and he wasn't even certain if the pale moon was the one he was used to seeing – he definitely didn't see any of the 'man in the moon' that he should. After the novelty wore off and the sky just reminded him of the sheer alienness of everything, Dominic just kept his gaze at ground level.

As daybreak came and shot beautiful colour across the sky, Dominic crested a slight rise. There, he stopped dead still. He'd been expecting another stretch of savannah. Instead, someone appeared to have taken a piece of rainforest the size of a small city and dropped it into the middle of Africa. Dominic sighed. Of course Compass is pulling me straight into it.