Leo hit the beam with his paws, it bent in the middle with a scrunch. 816Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwo9q5QUkgX

A great deal of the floor above broke apart in a series of gratifying clatters, that fell into the basement, flooding the area with light.

Maxwell scrambled out of the way screeching obscenities at him.

"Let's play again some time, when you're a little less snippy!" 

Another beam fell from the floor above it landed on the one in front, leading up. 

A strap of his lost red pack poked out of the rubble. He took it and put it on. Good, glad it didn't get lost. 

He sniffed. Over here. The rubble blocked the way, he tossed chunks aside uncovering her, she was still on the table. He yanked the sheet off if her, then picked her up.

A puff of her breath warmed his snout. Definitely her. Some warmth still remained, a lethargic heartbeat was there though it was easy to miss. Not done yet.

He flung the limp body over his shoulder. Bending down slightly, he sprang up on to the next floor through the hole above.

The grody brown eyed man rushed forward trailing his stench behind, a broom in hand, then swung it at his legs. 

"Put her down!"

Leo grabed the broom handle, held it up with the man dangling from it, then tossed both though the hole. Ha.

He bounded over to a window jumping through it. He took off with her and headed back to the sinister forest.

She moaned. He shifted her on his shoulder and she quieted.

Maxwell, would he chase? Hope not.

He worked his way around the lake bed, then back to were the portal was. Now were was it? He kicked the dry earth. It should be around here.

A huge dust devil a hands-breath away formed, it swirled right at him. Leo quickly wraped around her body as it sucked them up. He spun for a while before being dumped a few feet away. It seemed less fun then before.

The dust devil came back at. Weird.

He took off sprinting with her under his arm and ran around it.

Dirt and leaves that it disturbed were sucked away just above the ground to left of the dust devil. How to get over there? 

The dust devil spun faster, howling angerly it rushed at him. Leo clawed the ground with his right paw as it lifted him up. He held her tighter.

Chunks of the earth near him were lifted off the ground, sucked into its swirling mass.

Steadily he pulled towards the portal.

Straining to lift his right arm. On the the second try he lifted it, then slamed his arm into the ground up to his elbow.

Large chunks of earth, and rocks flew and were sucked into the portal. 

Digging into the ground with his clawed paws he pushed off into the air, flipping straight into the portal. 

Better hurry. His fur kept bristling up and down a current of energy charged the air, another wave hit and his fur bristled again. Bad, real bad, that's a lot of power.

He hastened back the way he came toward the canyon. Halfway there leaves rustled behind him. Behind, the area was clear. He sniffed. There wasn't any odor besides the stale, flat surrounding vegetation.

####

Night enfolded the sky, by the next breath the stars and moon were veiled as black clouds shut them out like a coffer.

It took most of the night to work through the Twisted Forest as most of the trees wound into each other. 

He squeezed through a space between two trees. There it is the chaired area again. Passing back through, a bright light broke the night. Can't see! Tears blurred as it increased, he squinted blinking.

"There he is quick, throw it!"

An intense heat singed his fur he rolled into a ball around her, he squeezed his eyes shut. That didn't help as the light passed through the eye lids. 

Footsteps and wings buffeting the air.

"Leo!"

Is that?

"Get up now!"

The heat died down, he parted his eyes. Beside a curious short creature, blinking cleared things up some, but not much. He grasped her withdrawing. His stomach twisted and he squeezed it. Going to have to run for it.

"Choke off you! Don't order me!"

A feathered wing smacked his cheek.

"Phew ... What's the—"

The light died down to a bright orange blob, the outline of a bird about the size of a horse. 

"And you are?" 

The voice was the same but, this bird looked nothing like her. He shifted the woman on his sholder. 

"Who do you think it is? Goodness, did that Necro knock your memories out child?" The crest on her forehead raised and lowered.

"Mama Blaze? Mama Blaze! I thought you were ..." 

"It's been a week, I was getting worried about you." 

She eyes the woman. "Is she dead?"

"Not yet." 

She shook her head. "you're crazy you know that?"

He shrugged. "A favor returned, besides it felt good, and she might be able to help."

####

A day later they enter the Great Silver Forest once again, it was easier finding the hiden portal this time.

Leo picked up Merryn, placing her on the soft moss. What to do? Would she help him find his people? If she dies ... Fiiiit, she won't nice people don't die that easy.

He lifted up the cut armor. Whew, it's like something had beat her with a hammer. The black bruses covered her body from her left side down to her hip. As did some healing cuts that weeped. 

"So how's she doing?"

He leaned over Merryn.

Her chest raised slowly up and down.

"Alive." 

"Give her some water and let her sleep, it's going to take time."

He scooped some water into a wooden cup out of the stream nearby. lifting the back of her head, he poured a cupfull into her mouth. 

At first it spilled out, but the fouth time she swallowed a little! He kept giving it to her until she turned her head. 

"That should do it, now we wait," said Blaze.