The most literal tailgater.
The flare of headlights, dimmed in the daylight hours. The rushing zhoom of something large zipping past to her left. The flutter of turbulent air pulling on her wings and fur. Faster than she could really process it a car in the opposite lane had come and passed. It couldn’t be too much longer now, just keep running, keep chasing the truck, and take to the skies if your legs start to falter as your wings had earlier.
Heart pounding so loud and so steady that Angel could feel the pulse. Breath ragged and heavy, sucking on the fierce winds that battered her face. Daniel could tell for the first time that her skin and her eyes must be made of tougher material than if they were ordinary human flesh. The skull may have appeared human, but as a sphinx she could dive at incredible speeds and run wild down the streets without so much as a pair of goggles. Angel seemed to be having trouble poking her head past what served as her wind break, and hair strands were constantly waving about her mouth and eyes.
“This. Feels. Weird.” Daniel eventually mutters, though not quite under her breath.
“Well it’s a first time riding a house sized lion for me too, not that I’m complaining!” Angel shouts back into the sphinxes ears.
“I meant the speed, here I am just strait up running at, what is this, fifty miles an hour? Are we going sixty?”
“How should I know! Rush ahead and check with dad?” Angel’s voice seemed anything but angelic when she had to fight against the whooshing air.
A car in the opposite lane zipped past, too fast to think and far too fast to dodge. Just off the road was lines of thick, sturdy trees that looked about as fun to smash through as that first crash had been. Or the second one really.
“If it’s a choice between a car crash or pretending I’m George of the Jungle without his vine, I’ll stay in my lane thank you.” Daniel didn’t take much to make up his mind.
“Why are you so surprised anyway, you should be used to running by now right? Or did you spend most of your time sitting down in front of a library?” The question from an angel on her shoulder. So innocent sounding, so rife with teases.
“Neither thank you, I went to school and was a perfectly normal human who did entirely normal human things.” The annoyance crept into Daniel’s voice.
“And you’re ‘not. A. girl’ yeah I got that, if you don’t want to tell me the truth then fine.” Angel rolls her eyes. “But at least come up with a better lie then that.”
“Ugh, you’re hopeless.” The sphinx rolls her eyes right back. “Hold on close, we’ve got a turn coming up.”
Her feet were sore, her muscles burned, yet compared to how exhausting the past flight was this seemed downright pleasant and simple. If she ran out of energy here it’s just a matter of slowing down, but fall asleep that high in the air and you’ll find out how quickly the ground is willing to embrace you.
“On it. And don’t look now but you’ve got someone coming up on your tail.” Angel glanced behind her. When Daniel tried to take a peak she ended up shouted at. “I said don’t look! Sheesh, eyes on the road big girl.”
“I am convinced your saying that just to spite me.” But now made aware of the car just behind, the distinct sound of wheels spinning along the road, that whoosh as a huge block of metal was speeding along right behind her, she was struck by how well it merged to the sound of paws beating against concrete. Then further struck by how it did not merge at all with the ear splitting beep of a car horn.
BLEEEEEP!
Daniel’s ears fold back, despite the warnings she spared a glance behind to see the car and its lone occupant gaining on her. Coming up closer, closer, so close she could flick her tail against the wind shield. A swish and a bap, the fuzzy tail-tip whaps over the antenna, but the cat doesn’t back off.
Ahead was the truck, to her right were the rows and rows of thick trees, to her left was the somewhat random bursts of cars speeding past. Not very frequently but fast enough that rushing headlong into one marked very low on her list of worthwhile accomplishments. And now making it impossible to slow down was this … guy? Hard to tell who it was, but being rear-ended did not particularly appeal either. This felt very claustrophobic.
“Hey! Back off! Dude go around already!” Angel leaned back and waved while the car ended up closer and closer to Daniel’s back legs.
Forced to increase speed to keep match she closed the distance between herself and the truck, yet this car just kept pressing in. Taking all the space she afforded and then demanding more. It was suddenly very stressful trying to make sure her wings don’t spread and clip the sides, her front paws don’t crunch into the nice camper’s truck, and her hind legs don’t smash into the screen of whoever this new guy was.
“You have me everywhere you go!” Daniel shouts back. “When you’re fast and when your slow, overmuch or very little aren’t good to do, and yet I have my limits too!”
The blank stare from Angel and the grumble of annoyance on the sphinx’s face said it all. But the driver didn’t seem that well versed in riddles and revved up another burst of sudden speed, this time catching onto Daniel’s back foot and causing a whimper from the impact. The tail lashes out, smashing hard against the driver’s windshield, but for all the strength of a sphinx this was still just a tail. Like a limp noodle it smacks and bounces off, the car and driver undeterred.
Another honk of the horn. Another burst of speed.
With only a single moment to decide how to react …
Written by Arbon on 02 October 2016