The Mongrifier stopped and sniffed the air. In his mind, the air stank of ignorance, anger and bad decisions. It bugged him to no end. But all around him was an empty field where small shrubs grew and the ground was flat as far as his enhanced eyesight could see. The man and the girl were somewhere behind him, still chasing while he had followed the scent to this place.
The stench of that man's ignorance was strong here. It came to him in pulses, as if from a carcass. But there was nothing here! The Mongrifier focused all his senses. Maybe the stench was not coming from a here, but from a when. But when? When could go in both future or the past, if the when was not now.
Decisions, decisions.
His gut feeling told him to seek in the future and the Mongrifier blurred from where he was standing. The world around him became clearer, more present, more there as he found himself staring at the steel door of a back alley staircase. He padded up to the door and nudged it. It opened outwards, and he'd have to wait for someone to come out before he could go in. The stench was stronger here. He was close to his prey. The Mongrifier curled up around himself and closed his eyes. He looked asleep to any casual observer, but he was tense as a guitar string and ready to pounce the first moment he saw some activity.
Lisa walked with Jester to the spot where they'd last seen the Mongrifier. A faint smell of old books hung in the air, but other than that the place looked sad and totally normal.
“I can swear he was just here a minute ago. Where could he have gone? Should I call out to him?”
Jester bent down to the ground and picked up some dirt and sniffed it. Timestream residue. He'd only heard about such a thing, but he knew what it smelled like. And this was definitely it. The smell of old books.
“Your puppy dog, it seems has slipped through the time streams. He's not here. Or better put, he is not in the now.”
“But then where could he be? I am worried about him, Mr. Jester.”
“My guess is, either he is in the future or the past, or maybe he is in some timeline that runs parallel to our world. But here, he is not.”
“What do you suggest we should do now?”
“We can wait and maybe you can answer some questions I have.”
The stench of that man's ignorance was strong here. It came to him in pulses, as if from a carcass. But there was nothing here! The Mongrifier focused all his senses. Maybe the stench was not coming from a here, but from a when. But when? When could go in both future or the past, if the when was not now.
Decisions, decisions.
His gut feeling told him to seek in the future and the Mongrifier blurred from where he was standing. The world around him became clearer, more present, more there as he found himself staring at the steel door of a back alley staircase. He padded up to the door and nudged it. It opened outwards, and he'd have to wait for someone to come out before he could go in. The stench was stronger here. He was close to his prey. The Mongrifier curled up around himself and closed his eyes. He looked asleep to any casual observer, but he was tense as a guitar string and ready to pounce the first moment he saw some activity.
Lisa walked with Jester to the spot where they'd last seen the Mongrifier. A faint smell of old books hung in the air, but other than that the place looked sad and totally normal.
“I can swear he was just here a minute ago. Where could he have gone? Should I call out to him?”
Jester bent down to the ground and picked up some dirt and sniffed it. Timestream residue. He'd only heard about such a thing, but he knew what it smelled like. And this was definitely it. The smell of old books.
“Your puppy dog, it seems has slipped through the time streams. He's not here. Or better put, he is not in the now.”
“But then where could he be? I am worried about him, Mr. Jester.”
“My guess is, either he is in the future or the past, or maybe he is in some timeline that runs parallel to our world. But here, he is not.”
“What do you suggest we should do now?”
“We can wait and maybe you can answer some questions I have.”
---
I am forcing this ahead of schedule, one chapter here, but i have three more chapters already done. Let's see if i can finish this under 12-13k words.