9 Here Comes The Fighter

Deep breath Judah.You've kicked Keanu's ass a bunch of times.Of course,to be fair,those were mainly pillow fights and paint ball battles but still.I do a mental shrug.Roll my shoulders.I try to crack the bones in my neck too but I think they're too lubricated from the grease of all the fried crap I eat so that's a fail.

Back to my internal pep talk.You can do this.You've got this Judah.

I've got about ten minutes to repent of my sins is what I've got.My heart accelerates,it's frantic beat echoing in my head and my breathing gets heavy.Ah man,I don't want to die.I can feel myself start to sweat.

Wait,nope,aiming for a badass transformation here.If I can become Usain Bolt then Jean Grey shouldn't be too much of a stretch right? I close my eyes and focus on my breathing.I can feel the warmth of the sun on my face,the gentle sway of the flowers brushing against my nightgown.Beneath me the ground trembles and in the distance my ears pick up the rumble of what sounds like a hundred hoof beats.Oh man,oh man,I didn't even get a chance to have one last sip of coke,or finish the final season of Friends. I start to wring my hands,furrow my brows.My stomach chooses that moment to grumble furiously and I immediately begin to think of all that scrumptious food in Godis begging to be eaten and I'm on my way to being panther chum! The Freia that tastes like-

"Judah!"

My eyes snap open.

"How can you possibly be thinking of food when we are facing certain death?" I turn, give him my best stink face and point a finger at his chest.

"I'm gonna find a way to kick you out of my head you know."

His face contorts in anger.He stomps impatiently and hollers at me.

"Your mind is like a rolling stone!Focus!'

"I'm hungry!" I holler right back.

"You've only just eaten!"

"Yeah,like an hour ago!"

"Would you prefer to be hungry or dead?"

Good point.

I use the back of my right hand to wipe the drool from the corner of my mouth and try to block out the persistent distraction of my grumbling stomach.I swear,it's like Hulk is in there raging at it's emptiness.But I need to concentrate and save Tree Bear's ass so I can use it to taunt him when he's being all patronizing.The thought gives me renewed motivation and I close my eyes once more,turn away from Ulrik.I can tell the panthers are getting closer by the rhythmic chanting Ulrik has begun behind me.I block him out as well and dig deep within my consciousness.I've got to dig deep,because my brain keeps throwing me pictures of mouth watering food and further aggravating the raging monster in my belly.Oddly enough,the chanting calms my mind and I begin to think of impending doom instead of food. A pretty dismal improvement but I'll take it since my life is actually on the line. I think of the meadow,the flowers,the grass and the dirt.My mind immediately recalls the delicious 'dirt' in Godis and my stomach growls loudly in reminisce.

Down boy.

Where was I? Dirt;right.

I open my eyes and spin in a slow cirle.There are no stones that I can see but the mere fact that I'm standing on solid ground with flowers sprouting means that there's a layer of bedrock below my feet.

At least I hope it's rock and that I'm not being held up by Opa magic, fairy dust and candy.

If can get the rocks to come up I could hopefully create an inverted avalanche.I tried to focus on the rocks themselves,picturing the cross section of the Earth's crust I saw on Geology class last week.Huh,I guess I fell asleep right after Mr.Mudslide (his clothes are always streaked with dirt.He probably digs for stones in them.The guy is a real rock fanatic) clicked on the picture in his powerpoint.

Anyway,see the rock,feel the rock,BE the rock.

The ground shifted beneath my feet right as Ulrik bellowed my name and told me to hurry up.I jumped a good too feet in the air and almost screamed earthquake."Ulrik I felt something!" I grinned at him before I remembered he had just yelled at me.The grin turned into a snarl."You made me lose focus!"

"I did no such thing!"

"Did too!"

"Judah the Noir are almost upon us!"

Oh yeah.

I once again turned and closed my eyes,my hands at my sides,limbs loose and limber,feet set a foot apart.

Be the rock.

Incredibly,the earth shifts again but I'mready for it.I embrace it and dig deeper within me.The tips of my fingers start to tingle,the sensation spreading throughout my body,to the very tips of my toes.My mind fills with the images of thousands upon thousands of enormous boulders that lay silent and dormant within the earth.I felt their imposing strength seep into my muscles,my nose smelled moist, loamy soil and my tongue was saturated with it's taste.I'm getting light headed with the all encompassing power that now swirls inside me.The weight of my hair has lifted from my shoulders and though I knew I was now floating the realization was exhilarating instead of frightening.I was omnipotent,I was indomitable,I was a force to be reckoned with.My eyes flew open and I surged toward the Noir ten feet off the ground.I couldn't think,I was drunk with the power of the ancient stones,a power that was now at my beck and call,all but dripping from my fingers.I raised my right hand and the ground beneath me rumbled and groaned, rose and parted,flowers bowed down and were swallowed up,dirt shifted and slid away to make room for the boulders rising to meet my summonds.My brows were knit,my face grim.I was almost upon them,with hundreds of rocks afloat around me and more being shot up from the ground.I felt invincible,euphoric.I smiled and knew it was a terrifying thing to behold,looked down at the unified,moving mass of sleek black bodies as heads were lifted to growl at me.Muscles bunched,flexed and bulged as they reared up and snarled.Some stood on hind legs to claw at the air,their eyes dark and soulless,with their almost tangible thirst for my blood permeating the air.

"Not today you pomegranate assholes." I told them,completely unaffected.

I lifted my arms and my beautiful,ageless boulders followed suit.The air was still and heavy, as if it too was lost in the wonder of the moment and waited with bated breath for imminent death.A panther leaps,another slashes at me,one snaps it's teeth together and they all growl fiercely. You'd think I'd be intimidated but meh,I'm flying above them as they run,trapped on the ground by gravity.

I also have a bunch of really big rocks obeying commands from my mind over their heads so nope,I'm much scarier.My hands are still up in the air,my giant stones patientiently waiting.With a quick, downward slash of my arms and a cocky smirk,I release them and reign terror on the seekers of my death.

Fig you Gargol.

They scream and hiss in pain,some trying escape by running in the direction they came from.Another downward swipe of my arms and they're nothing but wispy smoke and ash.Waves upon waves of rock fall on the Noir till I'm engulfed in a putrid fog of black dust.Man do those things reek.I cough and fan the smoke from my face, turn in search of Ulrik.I see him silhouetted against the backdrop of forrest and steer my body towards him,eager to start gloating."I did it! I am such a badass! Ulrick! Did you see me kick their sorry black butts?!" By this I was about eight feet from him giving the air short,quick jabs and I could see him shaking his head in what I hoped was amazement but upon closer examination looked more like consternation.I narrowed my eyes,I could have sworn he rolled his.When I was only a foot away he did his high jump thing and grabbs me just below my shoulders,lands and holds me out at arms length.I was trembling with excitement,hyped up on what I had just done."Didju see me? Huh? Huh? Did you? It was amazing! I feel amazing!"

"Your eyes are blue."

My feet are kicking in glee.

"I could literally feel all those big stones in the ground,isn't that cool? And then I-wait,what?" I blinked at him and shake my head as what he said registers in my spinning brain.I frown and my feet go still.

"My eyes are grey.Like a dirty duck pond."

"They were.Now they are blue."

"How old are you? Come to think of it those scratches in the bark around your eyes and mouth do kinda look like wrinkles.I bet you need glasses."

His fascination with my eyes apparently disappearing,he lets go of my arms and I land on my feet.

"You're also glowing."

"Ulrik are you ok? You should have eaten in Godis, you're having hunger induced hallucinations."

He throws his hands up and looks to the sky briefly before returning his annoyed gaze to my face.

"What is it with you and food?"

"Didn't your mom ever tell you that food is the staff of life?"

"What nonsense do you speak?! I know no mother."

"No way,everyone has a moth-"

"For Glob's sake Judah,look down on yourself!"

I swallow my words and look down on my hands.Sure enough,my hands are tinged with a warm golden hue,as if my skin has been dusted with warm sunlight and sprinkles.

I turn them over in awe,look down to see the my legs coated with the same shimmery light.

"What the grapefruit?"

Ulrik has walked away,heading toward the smoking mess I made in the meadow.

"Hey,wait up! Did you say my eyes are blue? Can you turn your stick into a mirror?"

He grunts and doesn't turn around,keeps walking as I run to catch up.Am I,like,a superhero now?