Dominion 4 - Ascendance by Lissa Kasey Read Free Book Online Page B

path around the house, which led me to the still mostly untouched back, allowed me to revel in life, and I jumped into the overgrowth. I picked up a trail halfway back of something familiar, yet unfamiliar, and followed it to a slew of trees, through the thick brush, and up to the top of a willow tree. Nestled in the crook of the branches above, a black-and-white ringtail twitched.
    The dark-purple eyes of the creature glanced at me, wary but unmoving. I could have chased him away, claimed the tree as my own, or even swiped at him with one of my large paws, but he looked so lonely and lost, I let him be. Leaping free of the tree, I bounced in the grass, chased a few mice, and batted at the couple of large spiders who weren’t smart enough to seek cover.
    The ringtail came down and briefly played with me, pouncing my way before bounding back and climbing a tree. I kept my claws in each time I landed on his tail. His little clicks and grunts made me laugh, which sounded like snorting in my lynx form. We ran in circles for a bit, probably looking, for all intents and purposes, like new puppies chasing their tails.
    He raced around the yard at a speed I couldn’t match, mostly because of his smaller size. When he popped out of the grass and nipped at my belly, I jumped, landing next to the black fence. On the other side of the fence a brown wall stood like it could keep the overgrown earth out. I wondered briefly where the walls went, and why humans did such things to keep the earth penned in or out.
    The ringtail snuck through the metal bars and walked in the space between the fences. For a while we moved together, jumping over or pushing through overgrown areas, avoiding thorns and thistles, batting at smaller creatures. Centipedes were still my favorites, even though they tasted awful. Once we met another metal gate, the ringtail stopped and bounded back as if trying to get me to follow. Instead I squeezed through the metal slats, feeling a slight magic resistance for a few seconds before it popped me free. Then I followed a little worn path that led into the forest behind the house. Something called me. Some sort of disruption in the earth said it needed me.
    Clicks and chirps of protest faded off in the distance while I ventured forward. The path didn’t smell of humans, only of animals, rabbits, deer, and a few larger predators like bears, coyotes, and mountain lions. I could outrun most of them, so I kept my ears focused and eyes sharp.
    A ladybug landed right in my path. I paused, waited for it to move, and when it didn’t, I pounced. Only it flew several feet away, taunting me. A small growl escaped my lips, and I pounced again. It wove away into a briar patch. If I could have frowned as a cat, I probably would have. Instead I stared into the thorny bush, wondering if it was worth it to chase the little thing further.
    A few minutes passed, and I just waited. Then in a flurry, almost like a bird coming at me, the bug flew up out of the bush, into my face. I swatted at it with both paws, but it buzzed around like I couldn’t hit it if I tried. Finally it landed on my nose. Even in cat form I wasn’t lost enough to slap myself in the face.
    We stared at each other, cat to bug, bug to cat, a contest of wills. Who would move first? I waited. The night was long enough for me to sit for a while, and I was the predator here. He moved slowly, walking up the short bridge of my nose, making my eyes cross and bringing on a sneeze that shook him off.
    Damn. Where’d he go? I peered around, trying to catch a glimpse of the bright colors, a little sad to have the game over so soon. A whir of sound had me spinning to the right. The bright spotted wings darted into the distance, and I was off running after it. The bug led me over fallen logs, around sharp bushes, and to the rushing waves of a large stream. The water was warm enough to play in, so I let my new little friend go and chased fish, frogs, and crawfish for a while.
    My