“I have a habit of waiting for you to turn up, Petersly,” Tobias called out, recalling the most recent occasion where in San Francisco he was waiting for him at the top of the hill with when rescuing Bao.

This time, Tobias, Grizzly George and Nova had been waiting at a Yosemite campsite for Dylan and some friends.

“We had to stop so Chai Son could barf. Twice. The kid forgot his travel sickness meds,” explained Dylan, greeting the teen with some sort of bro handshake.

“Excuses, excuses,” sung Tobias, letting go of the embrace.

“Warriors,” said Dylan, ignoring the teen. “Can I introduce you to Lek, Sud, Chai Son and Pan. And guys, you’ll know of the Warriors. Boy Beaver, Nova perched on the tent there and Grizzly George.”

Everyone exchanged pleasant waves, whilst Nova squawked.

“Call me Tobias though, I’m not secret identity-ing this weekend. Just don’t tell anyone!”

They were stood within a large clearing in the heart of Yosemite National Park. Having parked up the rental van they arrived in, Dylan, Pan and the boys were welcomed by the Warriors who stood before them. They were surrounded by ancient trees and had views of plutons in the background. The song of a strong river current could be heard down the bank. Big natural boulders sat at the edge of the clearing at the back of where they were camping. It was peaceful. It was beautiful and Dylan hoped it was exactly what the boys needed after the time they’d had, and would also go some way to make up to Pan for his neglect of him.

“Can I just say we are sorry to hear of your loss,” started George. “It’s absolutely heart breaking. I hope this weekend will be a distraction for you and help you switch off for a bit.”

“Thanks George. It’s an honour to meet you all. We appreciate it,” said Pan.

“Well we bought the tents so shall we get them set up and you boys can settle?” George suggested.

“I was hoping the tents would have been up already,” Dylan teased.

“Have you seen a bear and a crow put up a tent before, Dylan?” asked Tobias. “Even in spirit form, Nova is absolutely zero help.”

“Do bears even sleep in tents?” enquired Leek quietly, starstruck for being around the Warriors.

“Good point, champ. I’m not putting up a tent if I’m not sleeping it,” George chuckled.

“Right well if you’ll be of no help, we’ll start pitching them,” Dylan decided.

After a couple of hours, the sleeping arrangements have been decided and the respective number of tents were erected. Dylan and Tobias each had their own separate tents to themselves whilst Pan and Chai Son shared and the youngest of the group, Sud and Lek, paired up.

Despite looking younger than Tobias, Pan was actually older than Chai Son.

Tobias, not knowing anyone and being self-conscious of his tail around new people, and had opted to sleep alone.

Grizzly George had gathered wood for the fire and Nova used his powers to light it, and the group were now sat around it as night fell.

“So Bao just does her own thing now?” Dylan asked, whilst the traditional camping snacks of smores were being warmed up.

“Yeah, she mostly roams the forests, manifesting and appearing anywhere and everywhere, keeping things in check. The whole of the forest’s equilibrium depends on her,” George explained.

“Yas queen!” Dylan cheered.

“We see her from time to time. She’s emotionally bonded to us, so sometimes when we’ve been on a mission, she’ll appear. Especially if we need help. And she was at Lucas’ funer-” Tobias stopped short of what he was saying, not wanting to upset the boys about their recent loss of Narong.

“It’s ok,” smiled Sud. “You can say the word 'funeral'. Don’t stop on our account. So Bao also went to Lucas’ funeral?”

“Yes. It was Lucas and I who rescued her in San Fran,” Dylan said.

“Ahem!” coughed George.

Dylan took the hint. “Of course, George was there too, must’ve forgot that!” he said, giving him a wink.

“Do you miss him, Dyl? Lucas?” Pan asked.

“Yeah, I do. A lot. He was good to me, you know. I saw him as a bit like an older step brother. But like a younger step brother, I could have treated him better. I sort of took him for granted. I know that now, and for no real reason really. I hate how he spiralled into himself and did what he did. He deserved better.” A respectful silence descended on the group, filled on by the sound of the rushing river.

Pan looked at Dylan and tilting his head to one side, asked, “Dylan, why don’t you have a catchphrase?”

Appreciating the change in topic, Dylan laughed. “Um I suppose because I…” he trailed off, not knowing what to say that wouldn’t sound like a put down to Tobias.

“He’s not cool enough for one, that’s why!” Tobias joked.

"No, I definitely think it's because I'm just too cool!" Dylan countered.

“Go on, do yours for us Tobias,” Sud requested.

“So you need to get his name wrong, or doubt his ability to do something to his face. Then he'll throw a tantrum and he'll really get into it,” cut in George.

“Errm, not quite,” Tobias said blushing. “But ok, I guess those are the only times I do do it.”

Dylan got up dramatically, acting as a damsel in distress. “Oh, Beaver Boy. Are you… Are you sure you can stop the river from flooding our town?”

Tobias jumped up to his feet, darting along the log he was just sat on. “Don’t worry madam,” he boomed in a voice deeper than his usual pitch. “I’m Boy Beaver, and of course I’m sure! This is what I do, damn it!” He jumped into the air, somersaulting over the fire and landing on the other side, his audience cheering with laughter.

***

“Pssst! Dylan! Dylan, wake up!”

Dylan stirred in his sleeping bag and rubbed his eyes open. He let out a shriek when he saw staring down at him through the opening in his tent, the large furry face of Grizzly George.

“Are you awake?”

“Well, of course I’m fricking awake. You scared the life out of me.”

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

“What are you doing in here? What time is it?”

“I don’t know. I don’t wear a watch. The sun’s up, it’s day time. That’s all I can tell. I’m a bear for God’s sake. No, I need to tell you something,” the bear explained, leaning in further, the tent shaking as he did.

“What is it George?”

“Some kids from a camping trip a few miles away have gone missing.”

“Okay… Are our boys alright?”

“Yes, Nova’s just checking on them.”

“So are the police onto it? Are the Rangers?”

“Yes, but so might the Warriors now, I’m afraid. It’s looking like it will be in our remit. I just wanted to tell you we’re off without wanting to worry the boys.”

Dylan groaned as he yawned and stretched out, waking up more and absorbing that information. “What is it? Moth Man? Fresno Nightcrawlers? Anything I can help with?”

“No, no and no. Thank you. And it’s worse than them, which is why I'm going to suggest that you take the boys and go. We think it’s the Wendigo.”

“Ugh, it’s always the big bads that come up when you are trying to sing campfire songs and do kumbayas isn’t it? Go on, why do they think it’s the Wendigo then?”

“Because of the stench of death that hung around their camp in their absences. Look, I must really get on Dylan. I just wanted to say goodbye and warn you of what might be around.”

“Fine, of course. The death smell will do it. I’m getting up, are you going to be able to get out of my tent?”

“Nope, I’m actually a bit stuck.”

***

“I don’t want to go though, Dylan,” complained Sud, kicking the dirt on the ground. “We just got here.”

“Yeah, and we can look after ourselves. Hell, we saved your ass in LA that time!” Lek argued.

Dylan blushed. “Well, there were more of you at the time,” he muttered, trailing off.

“Well regardless, we can fly, so if we smell the reek of death, we’ll pick you up and fly away. The Warriors are out there. We’ll stay here and try and have a good weekend,” announced Pan to the relief of his cousins.

“Uh well if anything happens, I’m not to blame.”

“But if something does happen, I’ll sense it,” assured Pan dismissively.

Dylan shook his head. “Man, if this was a movie, we’d be the first to die.”

“Whatever, we’re going swimming now. Come on boys. Last one in is a dirty diaper!” Chai Son called out, running off towards the river and whipping his tee shirt off over his head.

Sighing, Dylan stood by and watched the boys chase the older Loe kid. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! he thought to himself.

The rest of the day was spent kicking back and being carefree, despite the drama with the missing children and suspected Wendigo presence. After time spent in the water, the boys all bathed in the sun and chucked a baseball around with the mitt Lek brought along.

A couple of chickens were cooked over the fire for dinner and as the stars filled the sky, they retired to their tents.

With the glow of the moon bathing the campsite in light, the five of them slept. The tight canvas rustled in the soft breeze. And the stench of death rolled through the camp. It was Dylan who stirred first, the strength of it rousing him from his slumber.

03:18. He urgently and frantically dug himself out from his sleeping and unzipped the tent entrance.

He inhaled and almost barfed. “Boys! Wake up!” he called out, heading for the closest tent, unzipping it. Pan and Chai Son were fast asleep inside. “Fricking wake up now!” he shouted, kicking their legs through their bags.

Pan shot up alert, eyes wide with panic. “Dylan! It’s here!”

“Yeah, no shit, Sherlock! Did your intuition tell you that? Get up now!” He left to wake up the other two.

“Sud! Lek! Get up now!” he ordered, giving them a kick awake too.

“God, that’s disgusting! What is i- It’s here?!” Lek exclaimed as he came to.

“Here, take these,” Chai Son said, throwing Dylan a pair of tracksuit pants and trainers. “What do we do?”

“Thanks. We-” He stopped short when a noise from within the thick dark forest turned their attention.

“What was that?” Sud whispered. Dylan shot a finger to his own lips to instruct no one to speak. They all looked around, trying to suss where it had come from. And how many children were back there.

Laughing.

The group listened until it stopped, the camp site suddenly feeling a lot more eery. Chai Son grabbed Sud’s forearm and protectively pulled him closer to him. They all edged closer together into a huddle, staring out towards the forest.

“Where are they?” Sud naively asked in a whispered breath.

“They are not real. It’s three thirty in the morning. There aren’t kids out there at this time having a fun ol' time,” Dylan explained in an equally quiet volume. Sud gulped.

“What do we do?” Lek asked nervously.

“We get the frick out of here,” answered Pan, but with a slight questioning tone.

“It’s too late. We should have done that yesterday. It’s hunting us already,” Dylan stated matter of factly, having to quickly recall what it was George had told him the day before.

“Oh fuck!”

“Pan! Keep it together,” Dylan urged, nervously glancing at the cousins. “Right, we need a fire,” he decided.

“Dyl, it rained while we were asleep,” Sud said, looking at the remains of the camp fire.

“Fine, find the matches and burn the tents. From the inside. I’m going to alert th-” A fallen branch snapping under foot somewhere suddenly cut Dylan off and the boys froze again with fear, looking desperately for whatever was out there. “Now! Do it!”

They sprung into action, Dylan running for his tent to retrieve his cell and communicator whilst the boys looked for the matches.

“Why are we not flying us out of here?” Pan hissed.

“Try it,” Dylan replied his back end hanging out of the tent as he dug around it.

Pan did. He tried.

“Dyl, I can’t.” Pan stared wide eyed in panic.

“I know. Otherwise I’d have got you to do it. Just do what I said and light the tents up. We’ll get out of this.”

“Pan! Pan!” yelled out Sud’s voice.

Dylan looked around. Shit, where did he go?! “Where is he?” he demanded to know.

“He was right there!” Lek said, frantically looking around.

“Pan! Chai! Lek!” Sud’s voice called out again.

“It’s coming from out there,” Pan realised, pointing towards the forest.

“Get the tents on fire now!” Dylan shouted, now losing his cool. He ran to the edge of the forest and looked into it, straining his eyes in the moonlight to give him any clue to where Sud was.

“Help me!” came the voice, echoing through the trees.

Nothing.

No sign.

Dylan was determined he wasn’t going to lose another Loe boy.

A warmth spread across his back- the tents were now fully ablaze. Picking up a hefty stick near his feet, he ran back over to the boys, who had grouped up together.

“Did you see him out there?” Lek asked.

“No. Pass me that,” Dylan instructed, pointing to the kerosene next to the log. He tore a sleeve from his sweater and wrapped it around the top end of the stick.

“You’re going to take this…” he started to say, dousing the fabric in the kerosene. “And use it to protect yourselves. The Wendigo is afraid of fire and can be harmed by it.” Dylan dipped the end of the damp stick into the flaming tent, causing it to whoosh!

“And where are you going?” Pan demanded to know. “You’re not going to leave us?”

“You have fire and Sud has nothing out there.”

“What the hell will you have there?” Pan argued.

“My charm and good looks, duh.” And off Dylan ran, towards the direction the fake Sud’s voice was coming from.

Dylan had to be careful, but at the same time disciplined. The Wendigo was a fearful beast. One that lurks and hunts at night, rarely seen, at least by anyone who survives to tell of it. The devastation left behind by one, or the one (no one knows) was unmistakably that of a Wendigo.

As Dylan ran through the forest, he followed the foul stench that got stronger, warning him of his closeness.

“I’m coming Sud!”, “Can you hear me?” and “Call out!” were hollered by him, but not in the hope he would hear Sud respond. No, the reality of the situation was more sinister than that.

It wasn’t Sud calling out earlier. It was the Wendigo, mimicking the boy’s voice, so Dylan had to draw it out of hiding. He had to alert it to his presence, and make it realise he was alone in the hope of perhaps baiting it back to the three boys back at the camp and leaving Sud alone.

Dylan leapt over a stream, somersaulting and perfectly landing the seven metre width of it.

“Sud?!”

Nothing. Just the smell. He pushed on.

“Sud?!”

“Dylan! Dylan!” came back a voice. Sud’s. He was close.

“Where are you kiddo?”

“Up here! Look up!” Twenty metres in front of him and up in a tree hung tied and stripped down was Sud.

“Shit, are you alright?” asked Dylan as he took in what it was he was seeing. Sud’s hands were tied behind him, and his feet together. He was tied vertically to the tree trunk around the height of two storeys up.

But it was the blood… So much blood that poured from the boy’s naked midriff and flowed down his bare legs. Strips of flesh had been removed from his chest and tummy. Another tell tale sign of the Wendigo. The eating of flesh from its living prey, torn with its razor sharp nails.

“Help me Dylan!”

“Hang in there mate, I’ll get you down.” Dylan sized the tree up, quickly deciding where to leap up to and from what angle. “Right, I’m coming up!”

“No no no! No Dylan, it’s too late. Oh shit!”

“What?” Dylan asked, but in the pit of his stomach, he knew why. And as he turned, his fears were confirmed.

“Dylan, just go. Leave me.”

“Shut up, I’m going nowhere,” Dylan said over his shoulder as he faced the nine foot beast.

Walking on two feet and deer like in form, it was gaunt and ill looking with an obviously visible ribcage. It was hunched over, forcing its demented and petrifyingly sharp blood stained teeth at whoever it encountered and the broken and cracked antlers on it’s deer shaped head spanning wide.

He was used to fighting with humans, but not nightmares. He purposefully walked towards it, using his fear to propel him forward. Fists clenched, core tight, jaw clenched.

The Wendigo didn’t move, so Dylan continued to close the gap.

Fifty metres.

Forty, and he started to run.

As he did, to his left and just ahead of him, a blinding light flashed in a blink and in it’s place was a huge grey tiger with white stripes running alongside Dylan towards the Wendigo.

Stay back, Dylan. Bao’s words appearing in his head. Save the boy.

He did as he was told and turned back towards Sud in the tree. Behind him, the intense, savage sound of duelling tiger and folklore monster.

Dylan made the jumps from branch to branch to get to Sud.

“How are you doing?”

“It hurts. Real bad.”

“I know, I’ll be as gentle as I can.” He untied the bindings and supported the boy as best he could.

A crashing sound could be heard in the direction that Dylan had come from, from the stream, and Grizzly George bound into view and off towards Bao and the Wendigo.

A crow landed on the branch next to Dylan and Sud in the tree. Shifting into human spirit form, Nova asked, “Let’s say we get you two down?”

“We would very much like that. He needs a hospital.”

“Climb on then.” And no soon as Nova was back in crow form, he grew and grew, allowing Dylan to place Sud on his back between his wings, and then climbed on himself. One hand held onto the mammoth sized crow and the other to Sud.

***

“I’m sorry, I was out of line with you over Narong. It seems like I’m unable to help my cousins regardless of if you’re there or not. It’s clearly me who is so crap, not you.”

“Pan, I don’t want to hear any more of that now. You’re not crap. What happened to Narong was out of your control. Same with Sud. Shit like that happens some times and it’s not a reflection on what you did or didn’t do.”

“I guess,” Pan sighed deeply. “You’re right.”

“The main thing is the kid’s ok and got to the hospital in time.”

“And I owe the Warriors big time for that.”

“So do I! I had no idea what I was actually going to do against the Wendigo in all honesty. Thank God for Bao doing the honours there. Turned out when we first met in San Francisco, she’d rubbed herself against me, forming that emotional connection thingy. I was always more of a dog man before but now I’m firmly on team cat! So how’s the little guy doing?”

“He’s alright. In Intensive Care and will be getting a skin graft soon to replace his lost skin. He’s got a lot of recovery to do.”

“Poor kid.”

“Yeah, I know. Look, before you go I need to tell you something."

"What is it Pan?"

"I've decided that I think it's not the right time for me to commit to The Enhanced Beings Collective just yet. We need to work on getting everyone back on track and I feel like I need to be there more for my family."

"Oh, right ok."

"Sorry Dylan."

"Honestly, I don't blame you. I'd do the same. I totally understand. Do you think you will still want to though later on?"

"Oh hell yeah. This isn't the last you'll see of me."

Dylan chuckled. "Is that your intuition talking?"

"You could say that."

"Well, you know where I am. Or at least where to get hold of me when you decide it is the right time, or if you just need anything or someone to talk to."

"Definitely, I'll let you know."

“That's good to hear. Look bro, I’ve got to dash. I’ve got a faculty meeting in five. I hate them so much. Will you send my regards to Sud and I’ll swing by soon alright?”

“Yeah, great. Thanks for the Face Time. And thank you for everything.”