Chapter 3: Partners

A Chapter by Andrew Akuna

Partners

Xero looked to the ground.

"Now I'm curious as to why you're here. It can't be to destroy me. We both know thats impossible."

Longinus turned all the way around and sent his guns away.

"Perhaps we could postpone killing each other for the time being, and work together to find out?"

"I see you have a since of humor!" Xero chuckled. "I'd never work with a mutt." He jumped into a nearby tree and folded his arms.

"Aw, c'mon, you've got nothing better to do!" Longinus replied. The way the wolf spoke, one would think they had not been trying to end each other just a few moments ago; it was almost like they were old friends.

D****t, he's right... Xero sighed. "Follow me..." he said reluctantly. The panther turned and leapt from the branch he was standing on and landed on another. From the new branch, Xero jumped straight upward to a branch above him. He swung around it once, then got to his feet on it. When he looked down, he did not see Longinus.

HAH! I knew he was worthless! Xero laughed to himself. He turned forward on the branch to be met by a pair of cold silver eyes.

"I'm sorry, who was to follow who?" Longinus said, laughing at Xero. The now irritated panther drew his paws back and pushed Longinus from the branch and ran down it. At the end, he sprang off it and dug his claws into the next tree trunk. He climbed up and grabbed a vine, then swung away from the tree toward a lake. Xero looked back to see Longinus following him. He smirked and waved his right hand toward the wolf. When Longinus tried to jump from the tree, vines extended from it and caught him in midair. Xero laughed at the wave of obscenities that followed. He let go of his vine and flipped in the air before falling headfirst into the water with hardly a splash.

Longinus broke the vines fell toward the water. Just before he could hit the water, he seemed to slow down in the air. What appeared to be a spinning wall of white incantations faded in behind him. Longinus kicked off the wall and glided across the water like an ice skater, quickly catching up with Xero, who had swam several meters already. After a few more feet, Xero became annoyed with how well the wolf was keeping up. Under the water, he turned over on his back and waved his paws in a circle under the water. The water around Longinus's feet swirled and formed two clear hands that grabbed his ankles. Xero laughed as the wolf tried to escape, only to be dragged under by the bewitched water.

Moron... Xero chuckled. He turned back over the swim face down, but was met once more by cold silver eyes. Longinus grabbed Xero by his vest and turned over in the water, putting himself above the panther. He let go and held his paws out toward Xero. Another set of spinning incantations appeared and blasted Xero deeper into the lake. Regaining his composure, Xero allowed himself to fall deeper into the lake. Longinus grinned.

"I hope I didn't... kill him..." Longinus said, slowing his glide a little. That instant, a swirling tower of water blasted the wolf off his feet and consumed him. Longinus choked after breathing in some of the water. He put his paws over his nose and mouth and exhaled from his mouth, making a bubble around his airways so that he could breathe. The wolf looked down the column to see Xero walking on the bottom of the lake. Strangely, there was no water where he was walking.

"You're a magician, why don't you stop me?" Xero said, making the tower twist and writhe violently.

"I told you, I don't like to use magic!" Longinus shouted, trying to escape the tower. "But since you've been begging for it..." Longinus released energy in the form of lightning into the tower, electrifying it and striking Xero. The tower fell and Longinus came down hard on the water. Xero swam to the top of the lake and expelled the wolf from it with a burst of black lightning. His body lifted from the water and stopped when his feet were on top. Xero walked across the water to join Longinus on the ground.

"That...was painful." Xero said before kicking Longinus in the ribs. "Get up, we're here."

"And where, might I ask, is here?" Longinus asked as he staggered to his feet.

"My home."

Longinus looked around, seeing only a large empty space and more trees. "Are you crazy? There's nothing here!"

"Yes, very," Xero replied with a shrug, "but my being crazy doesn't alter the fact that my dwelling is standing right before you." The panther took a few steps forward and placed his paws on what appeared to be an invisible wall. "Reveal..." Xero stepped back and slowly. Outward, the wall began to burn into existence, twisting and turning at corners and rising to form a second story around branches that extended from the trees behind the large, strangely built, house.

"Nice place." Longinus said, observing the panther's home.

"Thanks. I got it when my parents died." Xero said, walking through one of the places where the house seemed to be missing a wall, beckoning for Longinus to follow him.

Inside Xero's home was like a darker version of the forest, just with walls and portraits. The portraits were family pictures, showing an older male and female panther like Xero and a younger Xero. There were many places where the house seemed to be missing walls. The second story barely had a floor. It was mostly branches and vines, which revealed that the ceiling was barely there as well.

"Um, what do you do when it rains?" Longinus said, looking around the house.

"I enjoy it." was Xero's simple response. He came from behind a wall holding two green apples. He tossed one to Longinus and took a bite out of the other.

Longinus caught the apple and looked to one of the family portraits. At the bottom of the painting, the artist had written their names: Avery Blake, Alexia Blake, and Malik Blake.

"Thanks, Malik." Longinus laughed.

"Haha Hell. Say it again and I'll rip you apart." Xero said, extending his claws into his apple. "Now if we're done laughing at my name, let's get to the business at paw.

"Okay, okay!" Longinus said, still laughing. "Geez, lighten up!"

"Alright." Xero sighed, falling into a chair on his end of the room. "My guess is that someone somehwhere hates you."

"And what makes you say that?"

"The fact that you were sent here where no form of canine has ever left."

"Good point."

"Have you wronged anyone in your past?"

"Who hasn't?"

The two tossed ideas back and forth for a while, but the one that kept returning was the conspiracy theory. It seemed to be the only reason someone like Longinus would be sent into Xero's forest. They had this so far, but a question still remained; who would order events so carefully to lead Longinus there, but remain hidden him(or her)self?