08-29-2016, 02:03 PM
The sounds of combat.
Carmelita is fighting. She can’t quite tell who.
Her opponent is Bentley. He’s not in a wheelchair.
The tortoise ducks beneath her shock pistol’s shot and darts forward, punching her gut before tagging her with a sleep dart.
She tumbles into blackness.
Her opponent is Murray. He’s throwing spare parts from the back of the van as she gives chase.
The van jinks as she tries to ram it, and the hippo finally lobs an engine block into the bonnet.
She tumbles into blackness.
Her opponent is Neela. She cracks her whip, the air humid.
The wildcat grabs her strike and hurls her to the floor before slashing down with her whip.
She tumbles into blackness.
Her opponent is the Contessa. They are dueling on top of tanks.
The spider flashes a spiral to divert Carmelita’s strike. She tumbles in front of the tank’s treads.
She tumbles into blackness.
Her opponent is the Panda King. Fireworks crash into the snowy peak around her.
A firework bursts in front of her face, blinding her, and she hears the panda launch a firework at point blank range.
She tumbles into blackness.
Her opponent is Penny. Two humongous mechanical dragons battle it out over the castle.
The earth shakes and the mouse uses a propellor jetpack to avoid crashing to the floor and getting crushed beneath a dragon’s foot.
She tumbles into blackness.
Her opponent is Dimitri. Waves crash down onto the yacht.
The lizard dives off the side as she strikes, dancing through the waves in his scuba gear as she slowly runs out of air.
She tumbles into blackness.
Her opponent is the Cooper clan. They aren’t attacking, just standing in the darkness.
As she strikes out at each racoon, they fade into the shadows, before appearing poised above her.
She stands there waiting for the final blow to fall.
The Guru and Sly are by her side. Sly smiles at her, kisses her on the cheek, and disappears into the darkness.
The Guru murmurs that she needs to learn to defend herself.
She says she can.
The koala looks at the sky, where the racoons remain poised. He murmurs she needs to focus inward.
She says she can’t.
The Guru taps her on the nose with his staff. She can hear Sly, inside her head, calling out encouragement.
She closes her eyes and thrusts out the darkness. Pink light fills her and she floats there, safe.
Carmelita is fighting. She can’t quite tell who.
Her opponent is Bentley. He’s not in a wheelchair.
The tortoise ducks beneath her shock pistol’s shot and darts forward, punching her gut before tagging her with a sleep dart.
She tumbles into blackness.
Her opponent is Murray. He’s throwing spare parts from the back of the van as she gives chase.
The van jinks as she tries to ram it, and the hippo finally lobs an engine block into the bonnet.
She tumbles into blackness.
Her opponent is Neela. She cracks her whip, the air humid.
The wildcat grabs her strike and hurls her to the floor before slashing down with her whip.
She tumbles into blackness.
Her opponent is the Contessa. They are dueling on top of tanks.
The spider flashes a spiral to divert Carmelita’s strike. She tumbles in front of the tank’s treads.
She tumbles into blackness.
Her opponent is the Panda King. Fireworks crash into the snowy peak around her.
A firework bursts in front of her face, blinding her, and she hears the panda launch a firework at point blank range.
She tumbles into blackness.
Her opponent is Penny. Two humongous mechanical dragons battle it out over the castle.
The earth shakes and the mouse uses a propellor jetpack to avoid crashing to the floor and getting crushed beneath a dragon’s foot.
She tumbles into blackness.
Her opponent is Dimitri. Waves crash down onto the yacht.
The lizard dives off the side as she strikes, dancing through the waves in his scuba gear as she slowly runs out of air.
She tumbles into blackness.
Her opponent is the Cooper clan. They aren’t attacking, just standing in the darkness.
As she strikes out at each racoon, they fade into the shadows, before appearing poised above her.
She stands there waiting for the final blow to fall.
The Guru and Sly are by her side. Sly smiles at her, kisses her on the cheek, and disappears into the darkness.
The Guru murmurs that she needs to learn to defend herself.
She says she can.
The koala looks at the sky, where the racoons remain poised. He murmurs she needs to focus inward.
She says she can’t.
The Guru taps her on the nose with his staff. She can hear Sly, inside her head, calling out encouragement.
She closes her eyes and thrusts out the darkness. Pink light fills her and she floats there, safe.