Life Review Ch 02

*A/n: A special thanks to my editors SylviDoll, Batsy, and SpookMeister for all of your hard work!

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Shawn had the experience of being sucked through a very large vacuum tube that constantly shifted temperatures to the extremes. He wondered if this was what fish felt like when they were reeled in, helpless to move or get away. Just as suddenly as that sensation had come, it stopped. He found himself standing on very unsteady legs as his eyes blinked rapidly to adjust to the new sudden brilliance assaulting him. Going from absolute darkness to absolute light could have been a very spiritual or religious moment, except for the pain lancing from his cornea to his brain.

"Yeah, we should have brought shades," Cassidy joked off to his side.

Shawn covered his eyes and let them slowly adjust. A few more test blinks and shapes started to form, color soon followed. "I must have dropped them when I fell off the cliff, but I'm sure there is a Ray-Ban's kiosk by the food court," He grumbled.

"Hah. You got jokes," Cassidy poked his sides, making him jump with an undignified yelp. "Where do you think we are?"

He looked around, and then did a double take to check that he wasn't hallucinating. The area looked almost identical to a hiking trail in Yosemite. He checked their position against the sun, turning to look northward. The first climbing stage jutted out of the canopy with hints of more forest beyond.

"Dorothy, I'm not entirely sure we are in Kansas anymore," Shawn cocked his head. The physical landmark looked the same, but when he looked backwards he didn't see the valley dropping away from the ridgeline.

"Obviously, Toto," Cassidy rolled her eyes.

"That ridge looks exactly like the one me and Jenny were climbing. We crossed it to get to the first camp ground before heading off to the second stage," Shawn began following the trail. Death did say north by north-west. The ridge was smack dab in the middle, coincidence?

"Shawn, where are we going? Shouldn't we be checking stones and trees for moss or something?" Cassidy had to jog to catch up.

"First off, that isn't accurate. Moss grows where there is an abundance of shade and moisture. Since we are basically on another planet, we have no idea what the physical characteristics of this planet are. The tropics might be at the poles and the arctic might be the equator. Secondly, I got a tip from our cosmic taxi driver that we should head in this direction," He looked down at his clothes. The soft stitched leather trousers and boots were actually quite comfortable. He wiggled his toes. Nice. Death gave him a pair of decent socks.

The trouble with large objects and distance is one lies about the other. Shawn didn't remember having to hike for as long as they had been. He estimated they covered roughly five miles in about three and a half hours. The sun was almost at its highest when he heard Cassidy's stomach growl. He looked over at her with an arched eyebrow.

"What?" She said defensively, covering her offending stomach with her hands.

"We should probably take a break and eat. I didn't get a backpack or anything, so I'm afraid we have to look for something edible. Water too," Shawn felt totally fine, which was odd. Normally he'd be at least sweating enough to show, probably would have downed a bottle of water too. He was only lightly perspiring from the heat.

Cassidy looked only slightly damp, despite the amount of leather she wore. Her heart shaped face was glowing from the exertion and only had a small sheen of sweat. She grinned at him and turned slightly to show him a satchel with a draw string looped over her shoulders like a backpack.

"I had this on me when I showed up, but I haven't looked in it yet," Cassidy shrugged the satchel off her back and put it between them.

Shawn knelt down and sifted through the contents. Two moderately heavy bladders that sloshed when shook, he hoped it was water and not wine. The rest of the contents were: A wrapped bundle of some sort of dried meat, cheese, a somewhat smooshed loaf of bread, and a small black square not much larger than a ring box.

He picked up the black box and examined it. It had hinges on one side, he opened it and found a glass sphere inlaid into the bottom that held a crystal suspended in clear liquid. The opaque stone was carved into an arrow on either end, an ornate stylized 'N' was inscribed in gold filigree on the top face. A compass.

"That's actually pretty cool," Shawn admired the craftsmanship of the tool. He tossed it to Cassidy who seemed fascinated by it, spinning in place to watch the crystal resolutely point her back to the north.

They found a few flat rocks and sat down to take their meal. Shawn didn't know what he was expecting, but it wasn't for the cheese and bread to be borderline tasteless. He glanced at Cassidy who munched happily on her impromptu sandwich. She met his gaze and gave him a small smile as she swallowed. "It's better than the hospital food."

Shawn snorted. He took a swing from the bladder, or waterskin as it was probably called. He was pleased to find it was cold and refreshing. He took a few large gulps, curiously the skin not feeling any lighter than before. Cassidy packed up their meager belongings while Shawn studied the mountain side before him. It really did look almost exactly the same. He peered about halfway along the face, mentally tracing the handholds he and Jenny had used before.

Hah. He spotted it. A fist sized break in the rock where Jenny had tried to pull herself up, the same spot that dislodged a stone that fell and almost took his head off. Out of curiosity he searched the surrounding area, hoping to find the would-be assailant. Why? He had no clue. He gave up almost immediately when he found the ground littered with various rocks of similar size.

They had no climbing gear, and there was most likely no real trail leading up to that area. They would have to free-climb. He glanced at Cassidy who was waiting for him patiently. Shawn stepped up and began to climb his way up a short distance, testing for any loose stones as he went.

Cassidy was right behind him. He heard her huffs and puffs as she pulled herself hand over hand up the sheer cliff. Again, he didn't even feel remotely tired. His muscles felt pleasantly warm, but nowhere near fatigued. They made it up the first stage with no problems. Cassidy had slipped once or twice, but easily caught herself and scrambled quickly to the next secure hold.

When they crested the ledge, Cassidy flopped down and was panting. She looked up at him with wide eyes, "How are you not even breathing hard?"

Shawn shrugged, "You're just out of shape." This wasn't totally accurate either. Normally Shawn would be soaked with sweat and his hands would be aching from supporting his weight. His shirt was only damp under the arms, and small lines of sweat did trickle down the back of his neck but otherwise he was not even winded as he should be.

"Out of shape he says," Cassidy huffed. "Normal people don't do this every day!"

He offered her a hand and pulled her to her feet. Even though her body was now generously proportioned and sure to be the envy of women abroad, she didn't feel like she weighed any more than she did when she was in her hospital bed when she was a feather light twig of a girl. He estimated she had put on roughly fifty pounds. Another question he would find answers to eventually.

The first thing Shawn noticed now that he was on top of the first ridge was that the forest below stretched to the horizon, the various hues of green collected into nature's grand tapestry. The mountains themselves rose to the east and west so far as he could tell, like some sort of natural barrier of blue tinted gray rock. He recalled what Death had said about how the events he had witnessed were superimposed on the space he had occupied, so maybe it had been just a single point of union between the two layers?

Shawn followed the general direction the trail in Yosemite had snaked. The farther from the edge of the ridge, the more wild and unfamiliar the scenery became. Cassidy seemed content with just wondering about, and he knew it was mostly her enjoying her new rejuvenation. He was taking Death's advice to heart and kept his eyes peeled. He began to pick out strange, colorful variations of plants he thought he recognized but also seemed totally alien.

The sun had begun its decent in the sky overhead when Shawn found something of interest. Saying he found it was an overstatement, more like he tripped into it. His booted foot had sunk deeper into the soil than he had anticipated. The jarring step nearly made him face plant spectacularly, his reflexes just managing to kick in at the last moment to save his pride.

Shawn righted himself and looked down at where his offending foot had attempted to rebel. His foot was in a deep depression in the ground, about three inches. It wasn't some divot in the natural landscape, no, it was a massive paw print. His mind immediately remembered the giant gray wolf stalking the blonde woman through the trees.

"Oh, shit," Shawn swore.

Cassidy stopped just behind him, "What's up?"

He stepped back and gestured at the depression. Cassidy knelt down and looked over it critically. She touched her hand to the packed earth, then lifted her hand to smell it. "I have no clue what I'm doing," She deadpanned.

Shawn gaped. He could feel the gears in his brain shearing off teeth as they were immediately halted. "What. The. Fuck, Cassidy? Just...why?" Shawn rubbed his temples. This girl was going to be the death of him, somehow, or in some way.

"I saw it on T.V. once, I thought it might actually do something," She shrugged nonchalantly.

He took a deep breath. Push the stupid out, draw the calm in. He didn't respond to her, but he did scan the ground. Something that big would have to leave more than just one print, so he scanned the area and found a set twenty paces away from the first. He noticed that the dirt was torn up, the claw marks on the prints more distinguished. It seemed the owner of the prints was booking it through this area.

He was debating the pros and cons of following the tracks quietly to himself when Cassidy called to him. He turned his head to look at her, seeing she was pointing at a spot on a tree just above head height. It was an arrow, or what was left of one. The rear part of the shaft with the fletching had been broken off, but the rest was standing rigidly from the trunk.

"It seems I was right," Shawn muttered.

"About what? You've been pretty quiet," Cassidy bounded over to the tree and worked the shaft and head free. She brought it over to him, showing him the silver tip.

"I don't think I told you before, but before I fell and was pulled into the in-between space, me and Jenny saw this massive gray wolf chasing a blonde woman with a bow. Death said it was just overlap and that it never actually happened in our world. But it looks like we came out right where it did happen, or at least close by," Shawn held up the silver tip to catch the light. He could make out tiny engraved runes etched into the metal. Why would she need silver tipped arrows?

"Sounds like we have a lead," Cassidy pointed in the direction of the tracks. "Maybe we'll find your mysterious blonde, then maybe a way to a town."

"Maybe," Shawn said thoughtfully. He led them in that direction, pausing in places to relocate the deep prints in the underbrush. They followed the trail for the better part of an hour, finding more arrows along the way.

Shawn noticed that they were approaching another rise in the ridge, not quite the second staging area, but similar enough. They had found smears of dried blood a few times, it seems the woman managed to land a glancing blow at least once. They hurried along, both eager to get some answers to different questions that burned in their minds.

Cassidy was the first to see it, the hulking mass of gray fur that lay motionless in a pool of dried blood at the base of the cliff. Shawn had a feeling that if he inspected the corpses, he'd find three arrow wounds and an incision just under its jaw. Cassidy approached the corpse without a care in the world. She took three steps when the same feeling that he had felt when he sensed the wolf and the woman in the forest crept up the back of his neck.

Two soft noises alerted him to danger. A sharp snapping sound followed by a barely audible twang. His body was moving before he could even process what those sounds meant. He twisted sharply around, his fist shot out and grasping something just in front of him. A glimmer of silver was shining mere inches from his face, his hand quivering as he felt the force of the arrow dissipate into his flexed arm.

Cassidy was swearing behind him. He glanced over his shoulder quickly to see her hanging upside down by a vine looped around her ankle. He heard the twang twice more and again his body burst into action, snatching two more arrows from the air. One meant for Cassidy. He felt his surprise melt into anger, which began slowly boiling in him. Why was someone shooting at them?

A shadow dropped from a tree off at an angle. His eyes snapped to where he had seen the motion. He saw a streak of silver and he back pedaled to where Cassidy was hanging, still sputtering. He turned and was trying to hack away at the vine using one of the arrows he had snagged, when Cassidy cried out in alarm.

Shawn turned in time to see a woman standing in the middle of the path they had taken, bow at full draw. Her hair was shimmering silver in the setting sunlight, almost matching the intensity of the gleam on the arrowhead pointing at Shawn.

Cassidy raised her hand and let out a wordless howl of anger, and Shawn's jaw dropped as her wrist burst into a wreath of flame, coalescing into a roiling orb of red and orange. With a detonation that sounded like a muffled explosion. The silver haired woman yelped in surprise, her shot going wide. Cassidy didn't stop. Orb after orb of fire blasted out of her hand in a relentless stream of destruction.

The woman dove into the cover of the trees, which weathered Cassidy's heated assault. No sooner than it had begun, the stream ended. Cassidy groaned and went limp. Worried, Shawn hacked through the remaining segments of the vine and gently lowered his unconscious friend to the ground.

Rustling from the mysterious woman's hiding place alerted him to the return of danger. He needed to move this fight away from Cassidy. She was an unmoving target that would distract him. He decided to take the offensive. With arrows in either hand he at least had weapons. The forest floor disappeared beneath his feet with a speed that left his mind reeling, and it seemed the woman was just as surprised. She barely dropped her bow to draw her sword and the dagger he had seen her use to take the wolf's life, it was still stained red.

Without thinking, Shawn closed the distance and lashed out with a wild hook. The woman swayed out of the way, bringing her dagger between them to stick him between the ribs. His remaining hand dropped the arrow and gripped her wrist, twisting until she let out a hiss of pain and dropping the smaller weapon.

Shawn felt a solid impact when the woman twisted away and drove a booted foot into his stomach, making him stumble back. He regained his balance with enough time to watch her reach behind her and pull out a blood stained serrated pick, dropping into a defensive stance with both weapons held ready.

Shawn gaped at her, how did she have his climbing axe? He knew his axe had made contact with the wolf, but had it really stayed behind in this world? He couldn't underestimate her, considering she was hunting a beast many times her size. Or had it been hunting her? Shawn shook his head. His own body shifted into a crouch, he angled himself and lowering his center of gravity.

They circled each other, the two fighting wolves symbolism wasn't lost on Shawn. He felt a primal danger radiating from her, something that was wild and untamed. He could see her face now, and it was breathtaking. Such ferocity and power in her storm-gray eyes. He found himself being drawn into them, and the only warning he had she was about to strike was almost akin to smelling ozone before a lightning strike and all the hair on his body standing on end.

She exploded into action, her two weapons swinging in a deadly arc with all the force her twisting body could put into the swing. Shawn's first instinct was to move away, which would leave him well within range of the next follow up attack. Instead, his foot stepped into her inswing, he crowed her space and used his bulk to trap her arms against his body. The business ends of the weapons couldn't reach him while he was this close. He knew he had her now. At this range it was his physical strength against hers, and he was confident he would be strong enough to overpower her.

With a quick instep and shoulder thrust, the woman was pushed off balance. Her back peddling met the rear of his heel from his first step into her swing, her arms caught between his own and his chest. Her outer foot slid out from under her as her body was suddenly pulled in two different directions. She let out a soft grunt of pain as her knee landed hard on the rocky ground.

Shawn's body moved again and he was behind her, his knee planted firmly on her back to keep her pinned into the dirt and his arm around her neck in a chokehold. She dropped her sword, scrabbling frantically at his arm with her nails. Her other hand swung the climbing axe in a clumsy backstroke that he easily caught and twisted down into the dirt.

The woman's body bucked under his weight on the small of her back. She was gasping raggedly for air as the tanned skin started to turn red. With their struggling, the serrated edge of the climbing axe slipped from her pinned and twitching hand, slicing them both down the thigh. He hissed at the sudden pain, but ignored it.

Her body slowly stopped fighting as she grew weak. Her fingers had his arm in a deathgrip before she finally surrendered to his strength. Shawn immediately let go and she took long shuddering breaths, the color returning to her face. He was panting, still pinning her body to the ground just in case. He glanced down to check the cut on his thigh. The sharp edge of the pick tore through the leather of his trousers and left a jagged rent that bled freely. The woman had a similar laceration, so their blood mingled where the both of their skin and the steel met.

Then she went rigid. Her back arched and her mouth and eyes were wide with shock. He felt the strong muscles of her back spasm under his leg, and the tendons in her neck stood out as her eyes bugged. She let out a high pitched shriek and scrabbled at the dirt, desperately trying to get away from him.

Shawn thought she was having a seizure when he felt something deep inside him start to pull away. He felt like his body was light and buzzing, almost like being drunk and standing up to fast. The woman let out a low moan and his eyes were drawn to hers. Her storm-gray eyes welled with tears and he saw the irises sparkle as little flecks of green burst into light inside the gray, the inner corona flared the same piercing green.

Shawn watched in stunned amazement as her wild silver hair seemed to ripple from her scalp to the tips. A stray ray of light from the dying sun caressed her face and he could see her hair shone green too, but only in the light. What the hell was going on?

Shawn got off the woman who scrambled away from him, holding the axe to her chest as she looked at him with a horrified expression marring her face. He felt a strange sensation then. Deep inside him he felt that horror. He felt the humiliation and fear that radiated off of her. Something clicked in his head, there was a soft ping in his mind like a notification from a smartphone.