Lakeside Arival.
The girl and her lioness were both pleased to see there was no repeat of rude drivers forcing them into the air, or at least Daniel was happy about this while Angel kept wanting to urge her into another flight with more spins and loops. As if to contrast the previous awkwardness now they kept noticing that cars would come up from behind, spot the towering twenty foot tall monster lion chasing a truck, and then quietly slow down to stay out of sight. Up ahead cars in the opposite lane seemed to gently swerve into the curb, waiting at the side of the road for her to pass rather than risk driving too close. Not all, but enough to notice.
The trees don’t so much give away as they do change shape, coming ahead they were no longer tall and gnarled and twisting in every which way, the forest at this fork in the road was actively maintained with a tall overarching canopy and trimmed branches that angled into specific directions. Charley’s truck signals it’s about to turn, and Daniel slows down to match the new speed with lights blinking in her face.
Massive paws pounding furiously against the hard blacktop, when the truck ahead finally paused to make it’s turn the sphinx had gone from a dead run, to a slow jog, and now she was simply walking without the slightest exertion.
The truck rumbles along a wide, old looking road and meanders into a shaded parking lot.
“Oh. My. Gosh that was so much fun.” Angel leans close and gives the back of Daniel’s head a snuggly little hug, not so much an attempt at holding on but this time a show of affection. The wind was gone, the bouncing no longer rocked her up and down, the trees offered a green tinted shade and the smells were just so drastically different this much closer to civilization. At least the semblance of civilization, where car exhaust and hints of perfume filtered in past the wet dirt and fresh leaves.
“I have to admit I never realized that’s what being a superhero feels like. I can chase down cars without breaking a sweat, I can strait-up fly, I’m immensely strong.” The ground felt sticky and Daniel was getting her paws covered in twigs, dirt, and some form of greasy oil as she walked, though it wasn’t terribly long before Charley found a parking spot. Watching closely they could sometimes spot other people getting out of their car or walking up to get in, invariably carrying bags of their own, only to stop and stare at the strange appearance of a mythical creature. Some were gazing in stunned awe, others chose to duck behind some cover and watch, or listen, with obvious fear in their eyes.
“Can you leap over tall buildings and move faster than a speeding bullet?” Angel sticks her tongue out, one hand reaching up to scratch behind those massive fuzzy ears.
“Show me a building and I’m pretty sure I can get you to the top, but I’ll have to pass on racing live ammunition thank you.” The giggling was infectious, and after a moment of thought Daniel opted to saunter over to an open spot and plant herself down. With heavy breathing and a heaving chest, she glances over her shoulder to check on Angel for a moment. Then winks dangerously.
“Hmm?” She manages to voice out before the Sphinx plops herself into a seat, the ride no longer level and the smooth fur making for a perfect slide. Angel flails and grabs onto patches of fur, a slight pinch but hardly painful to the massive winged feline. “H-heey! I’m still tied on here, don’t go throwing me off!”
“So what happens if I swipe a claw through the knot?” She brought up a massive paw and then twirled it around the ropes at her neck, a viable necklace if a bit backwards seeing as the dangling ornament was at her shoulders.
“Then I climb up the rest of the way and sit on your head.” Angel doesn’t skip a beat.
“Hahaha, fine, fiiiine, you win.” And Daniel settles her front half down just as before, laying her belly into the swelteringly hot concrete and settling her arms in front of her. Seeing her tail was jutting out into traffic it only seemed prudent to curl that up against her thighs lest any car driving by make the mistake of running over a cat’s tail.
Angel was quick to remove those ropes from her waist, the dangling strings falling down Daniel’s front like so much confetti. But rather than get off she halts, holding the fur tight and bracing herself onto the neck.
“Something wrong?”
“No, not wrong just … could you sit back up again? You know, turn your back into a slide?” Angel pleaded, sounding a lot smaller than she actually was for the first time to Daniel’s ears.
“Aaahh, I get you. Just don’t make a Flintstones reference and I won’t use Tail whip.” The sphinx grins. Sitting up, her wings flare out dramatically to form a wall on either side, and acting just like the slide at a child friendly park her fur was slick, smooth, and so very soft to ride down on.
Angel wasted no time throwing her hands back and swiftly shooting down the lion’s spine with a loud “Wheeeeee!” with just as much enthusiasm as she had when sailing through the skies. Sandals clop onto the pavement, Daniel can hear the childish giggling behind her, and makes sure to stand up before the girl can say ‘again’ and turn this into even more of a theme park ride than she already was.
“If I wasn’t going to turn back to human as soon as possible, I could probably charge money to carry people around like this.”
“Behold!” Angel spreads her arms wide like she was unveiling a grand discovery. “The ancient mythical taxi driver! See how soft her fur is, how smooth the ride.”
Daniel joins in with a snicker. “Come fly Egyptian airlines, where our prices are never a riddle!” yet more laughter.
Written by Arbon on 16 October 2016