cosmicshifts (2 page)

Phillip shook his head. She groaned, agitated that they could not go right away. He peered up at the sky and back at her.
Alika
gritted her teeth, frustration washing over her. She was so close. He gripped the wall and doubled over as if he was in pain.
Alika
walked over to him, but when Phillip looked up at her his features had changed. His face had elongated, with a pointier chin and thinner nose. Hair was sprouting all over his body. It seemed that he was growing before her eyes.
Alika
went to touch him. Phillip grunted and shoved her away from him.
Is he a shape-changer too? From the knowledge I have of this planet, humans don’t have that ability.
He pushed away from the wall, and his head nearly brushed the top of the ceiling. While he continued to change, the garments he wore tore and fell away from his hips as they grew wider. Phillip was completely encased in hair and resembled the
gorenaut
more than he did a human male. His nails turned into claws and everything about him was larger, including his feet.

He opened his mouth to say something, but all that came out was an animal call. Phillip touched the side of her face. She saw the intelligence that remained in his eyes. He was not just some animal. She had seen others of her kind lose themselves to the beast within and never make it back. It was a chance they took when they switched their forms. And yet, he seemed to be okay. Phillip moved away and gestured for her to follow.

Chapter Three

Phillip stopped at the mouth of the cave and glanced behind him, hoping the alien woman could keep up. It seemed that the steep incline up to the surface was not bothering her.
Maybe her six toes give her some kind of super grip on the rocks
. The vision of her naked body danced through his mind. He shook his head, trying to push it aside. It had been a long time since he had been with a woman. It did not really matter because he had, and would always
be,
faithful to the woman he loved. As Phillip thought about his beloved, he tried to call up her image. All he could see clearly was her wonderful smile and the long, dark hair that hung in a braid down her back. He clenched his fists together and tried to recall her more clearly, but the details of her face had paled.
Kaylana
had slowly been fading from his memory for years, even though he had tried to hold on to her. The love burned in his heart, but it did not account for the loneliness he had suffered. It was nice to have some company in the cave, even though she was a woman from another planet.

Alika
.
The name flowed through his head like the river winding under the mountains. It was the only word he had understood from what she had said. The rest of it was nonsense. Whatever her language was, it had sounded more like a babbling brook with a few cricket chirps and bird whistles thrown in for good measure. There had been a grunt once in a while too, but he figured that was her frustration coming through. Even his name she was not able to pronounce so well. It seemed that she could not put the sounds together the right way. She had communicated that she needed to go back to her ship. Phillip figured she needed something there. Hopefully, there was a gadget there that could aid in their communications because pointing and drawing things on the dirt floor was not the best way to get his point across.

Alika
met him at the cave entrance and smiled. He returned the gesture and knew it was more of a grimace, his lips peeling back from his sharpened teeth. Phillip had frightened many a person with that same look. But they mistook him for some feral animal about to eat them and not for the man under all the hair. His guest said something, but he shook his head and motioned her forward. Phillip took in a whiff of the cool night air. It helped to revive him and keep him focused. He glanced up at the horizon. The stars were in full blaze, beaming their light down to the earth. He wondered if any of them were the one she had fallen from.

His visitor rubbed up against his shoulder and tried to move ahead of him, but he gently grabbed her arm. She spun around and mumbled something, then motioned down the hill. He nodded and put up his hand, hoping she would understand to wait a minute. Phillip touched her chest and then pointed at the sky. Her mouth turned down in a frown, causing little lines to be etched into the corners of her mouth and even deeper ones into her forehead. And yet it made her all the more appealing.
I have to stop letting my mind wander there. I can’t be with another woman, and she will eventually return to her home planet. That is, if the authorities don’t get her. I’m not going to let that happen anyway.
Their fate would be the same if they were ever caught.
Alika
stepped away from him and gazed at the sky for a long time. She raised her arm and followed a line of stars. Her finger stopped by the Andromeda constellation and gestured that she meant beyond that. The sadness in her eyes was apparent. She was a very long way from home. Wetness lined her eyes and twisted Phillip’s heart even more. Sometimes he forgot he was a man underneath all the hair and big feet, and the animal instincts in him took over. Being with her, Phillip remembered that he was also a man who had feelings. He swiped his finger over her cheek, bringing the tear with it.
Alika
stared into his eyes, and he was captured by her orange gaze. It seemed like her eyes were on fire. It was a striking feature against her light green skin.

Alika
pulled away and motioned back toward the hill. He nodded. Traveling among the brush and dense foliage made it easier for him to blend in so that no one would see him. Phillip moved at his normal gait and did not hear her behind him. He reached the bottom of the hill, glancing back to see if
Alika
was keeping pace with him. Over the years he had perfected nearly gliding over the countryside and barely leaving an imprint of his large feet. They trekked toward the crash site, and when they finally got closer he heard the hum of engines and generators. Bright lights lit up the area where the ship had skidded and broken apart. The scent of churned earth and ozone clung to the landscape, but the aroma of gasoline and sweat overpowered his senses and made his eyes water. This was one reason he hated to get so close to mankind. They took over the environment and did not care about it. They invaded the land and perverted it, eating up the pristine terrains that provided sanctuary for him and the animals that inhabited the Earth. He growled his dislike of the machinery. The ground rumbled beneath his feet from the heavy equipment being used. Once upon a time, the native peoples had probably seen him exactly the same way that he saw the men who were working on the crash site.

She slipped past him, heading off toward the site.
Great!
He raced after her and ensnared her waist before she could slip out of view. A disgruntled cry escaped her lips, and she struggled to get out of his grip.
Wow, she sure is strong!
Phillip wrapped his other hand around her waist and hauled her back into the shadows so they would not be discovered. She beat her fists against his chest and tried to escape his grasp. He hated that he might hurt her, but she had to calm down.

“Stop,” he commanded, but it came out as a grunt.

After a moment, she relaxed and motioned toward the lights. He held up his hands and tried to ease her fears. Phillip knew that she was desperate to get back to her ship. He closed his eyes for a moment, gathering all of the powers that went with his condition. They had developed over time and he had mastered them, to move among the elements and listen to the currents of the Earth. That was how he had learned to become nearly invisible. If he could cloak himself in the wind and move rapidly, then he could get in without anyone noticing him.
Maybe I can take her too. I’ve never attempted it. First, I have to see what’s down there and get back.

Phillip pointed to himself and then to the illuminated crater. She shook her head and said something. But he put a finger to her lips, and her expression darkened.
Alika
threw up her hands, turned in a circle, and ran her hands through her hair. Her voice trilled, but she gestured for him to go. Phillip walked toward the
treeline
, gathering the air around him like a cloak, and drew on the speed that his curse had imparted him. He prayed to whatever god was looking over him and raced into the encampment, trying to keep to the shadows, which was difficult considering all of the lights. Men with guns patrolled the perimeter, keeping watch just in case anyone tried to infiltrate the crash site. Jeeps and ATVs were littered all over the camp. Some kind of building was set up just off to the side, surrounding part of the cracked ship. The sides were heavy-duty plastic. From his observations, he saw men walking around in white smocks, carrying clipboards. They were documenting whatever they had found. A few pieces of metal were scattered about. He wondered if they were something of any value to
Alika
or just pieces of the hull. In order to get closer, he had to distract the men.

He pressed himself against one of the large pine trees and howled. At first, none of the men moved. Phillip darted to another tree and let out a low grunt. Then he tipped over one of the lights. As it exploded, the men started to scramble. He raced around the perimeter and did the same with the other lights, making the darkness better for his needs. With the light from the stars, he was able to see clearly. When he approached the last one, he saw
Alika
residing in the shadows.
She must’ve been watching me while I was putting out the lights. The army is scurrying to figure out what’s happening and who is infiltrating the crash site.
All he saw was a blur when she dashed from the darkness.
Alika
stopped, and he spotted her on the other side of the camp before she disappeared again. Shouting erupted in the clearing, and some of the military men were trying to get the lights back on. Screams and tearing sounds exploded around him. Phillip sped into the middle of the camp and prayed that
Alika
was all right because he could not see her. Others were dashing around, trying to make sense of the chaos. Gunfire erupted around him. Some of the bullets whizzed past him and narrowly missed his fur.

As he loped through the darkness, one of the men bumped into him. The soldier’s eyes widened, and he
backpedaled
a few steps. The look of shock and fear on his face was almost comical. Phillip smiled and nearly forgot what he was doing there. He glanced down at the crater and noticed some shiny metallic pieces that he scooped up. There was another blur, and something brushed against his leg. Phillip saw an animal that appeared to be a wolf waiting for him just beyond the
treeline
. Its fur was brown in the moonlight with a hint of green to it. The creature had something in its teeth. He figured it was
Alika
. More men with guns floundered around. Additional gunshots echoed in the night. The lights were coming back on. It was time for him to vamoose. When Phillip left the encampment, he made sure to leave a couple of foot impressions to confound the scientists. It would make the authorities scratch their heads. Maybe they even got a blurry photo of him that would puzzle them even more. The most important thing was that
Alika
got whatever she was looking for.

Phillip moved further into the woods where the trees were thicker and no one could see him. When he stopped, he saw the same beast under the light of the sickle moon. This creature was the tallest wolf he had ever seen, and it stood to his hips. Its head was wider than a normal wolf, and its snout held more teeth than any lupine he had ever come across. Its eyes were orange, as if it were a demon hound emerged from the underworld. It had sharp, curved claws, and both legs held six toes. Its two tails were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen on a wolf. There was something in its mouth, and he still carried the few pieces he could find. It glanced at him and then swung its snout toward the direction of the cave. Phillip was all in favor of getting back under cover, where the men could not follow.

He glanced up at the sky. The stars were slowly dimming as they sank lower below the mountains. When they arrived back at the cave,
Alika
slipped through the underbrush that hid the opening. Phillip had to duck and squeezed in the pathways until he reached the room he called his home. He placed the metallic pieces on his bed and then glanced at the alien creature before him. They stared at one another before she walked over and dropped the things she had in her mouth next to the pieces he had retrieved from her ship. When she stepped back her form twisted, and she was propelled back on two legs. Standing before him, she was almost as tall as his seven foot five frame when in her human guise she barely came up to his stomach when he was a Bigfoot. Her brownish hair receded, and her chest caved in on itself while her green skin reappeared. Her shock of purple hair fell down her back and covered her naked form.
Alika’s
teeth
blunted,
and her eyes once again captured his attention.

When she was finished with her transformation, he wished that it would be so easy for him to take his human shape. However, that was not to be so. Phillip shivered and tried not to think about the night he had been cursed. He was stuck as an
overhairy
giant who took human form during the day. He mostly slept those hours away because he had no other reason to be awake. Now he had to be sure that
Alika
was protected, although by looking at the claws on her feet that had blunted he wondered how much protection she needed. Phillip’s passions were rising the more he studied her. He ground his teeth together and focused on something else. His stomach grumbled, and his need for meat grew because the beast in him was letting loose. The longer the night stamped by and he didn’t feed, the more it would possess him, and he did not want to lose himself in front of
Alika
. What would she think of him?
Why do I care what she thinks of me? She’s from a different planet and probably has someone waiting for her. Besides, who knows if we’re even compatible? I could never be with anyone but
Kaylana
. My love for her is unending
.

Alika
brushed by Phillip, took one of the towels he had, and wrapped it around
herself
. Seeing her clothed helped him stay centered. She said something that sounded like another bird whistle, a cardinal this time. He shook his head, frustrated that they could not bridge the communication gap. She sat down on the bed again and sifted through the gadgets they had retrieved.
Alika
brought one of them to eye level, turned it a few times, and pushed a few places on the shard. It resembled nothing more than a twisted spoon, but when she pressed another place it trilled. He jumped. The contraption now faintly glowed purple. She held it up to her ear. Part of it bore into her temple while the rest of it sprouted thin legs the width of a single hair that spread over her ear and down her cheek until it touched the top of her lip. The device sunk into her skin until he could not see it any longer.