Sage Aykai

Gasping in the thick misty air, Simon pushed through the low hanging branches of the pine trees and forced his way down the thick hill. The large figure was still standing in the gleaming morning light next to the lake but he couldn’t see any details of its body. 

He tried to step soundlessly but his heart was beating so loud that Simon couldn’t hear the crunch of branches and leaves beneath his feet. Catching himself numerous times, he slid down the mud, forcing his falling glasses back onto the bridge of his nose.

“I must see it up close. I must!” 

His thoughts burned with every step. He had no camera or any sought or paper and pen with him as he was in such a hurry. Eventually coming to the bottom of the hill, he crouched down behind a boulder amongst the tree line. There it stood, drinking quietly at the edge of the water. Its long body almost metallic as it reflected the new day's sun. 

“How did it not hear me? It must know that I’m here.” 

Simon’s breathing was shallow and coarse, asthma gripping his lungs as they tightened. There had been no actual record of a face to face encounter with such a beast, but if he had tried to come out into the open, would it run away or attack?

“I’m willing to know.” 

After studying every inch of the creature's body, he stepped out quietly across the stones towards the water. He was on the other side of the lake yet the creature still had not seen him. 

“I can’t believe this, I can’t believe-“ just as he took another step, the creature's head jerked up, stunned. Its eyes, a deep amber, stared into his as he froze. They stood in a trance for what seemed like hours before he finally worked up the nerve to step closer.

“I’m not here to-“ Simon began to whisper.

But the beast heard his voice and swiftly turned around and raced into the thick forest behind it, disappearing without a trace.

“-hurt you.”

***

Sage and her family had bought their new house knowing full well they would have to clean it out themselves. They arrived at 5 am to be greeted by a wooden exterior, almost like a large double story cabin, surrounded by tall pine trees and well away from civilization. 

It sat on many acres of natural land however it was protected by a deforestation act many years ago, so no one was allowed to build here after this house was made.

“Why would the family no want his things?” Sage whined as the moving truck men followed them inside.

“I told you, Sage, they weren’t close with the man that lived here and they live many hours away in the city. They simply didn’t have the time.” Her father responded tiredly. 

It was a big job to move for the fifth time in three years but this was the cheapest house they had found to buy. After the world upgraded to a paperless civilization, actual money was hard to come by. It was only ever used for transportation and especially travel. If one wanted to travel to another country overseas, a plane ticket could cost from eight thousand upward. For this reason, Sages’ family chose to stay within Canada.

She helped move her things into her room and was told to start clearing out the attic while her parents helped the movers with the old furniture. Huffing her way up the stairs, Sage pushed open the small triangular door and was met by cobwebs and dust. She coughed furiously and found a light switch. “There is a lot of stuff up here.”

As she shuffled into the room, she studied the boxes and junk that stood without order, however, one box caught her attention. There were no cobwebs or large amounts of dust on the box. Sage hopped over some things and knelt to the box with care as if something alive might be inside. She hoped it was a fairy or little person like in one of her storybooks but instead she was greeted by papers and paper bags. After ruffling through the bits, she was about to close the lid when she noticed a small hand-sized notebook. The cover was plain black leather with no words or marking on the outside. She opened it, thinking it would just be words but instead was met with a large handwritten title.

“The Aykai.” 

Sages eyes widened at the word as she had seen it before in a history book, deep within a local library. Sage began to read the first page which confirmed her suspicions. 

The Aykai were dragon-like creatures that were said to have once been shapeshifters from tiger to serpent, but one day in a horrific storm got caught in between the two. The large cat-like serpents were faster than the blink of an eye, had incredible climbing skills, and could hold their breath for long periods. But no one could ever document the creatures long enough to gather enough about them. It had been so long since anyone had seen one that these theories could easily have been myths or fairytales. The man's descriptions were so detailed, it seemed as though he had seen one himself. Sage flipped through the pages and came to a log in the middle of the notebook.

“I have almost acquired enough money to travel to Northern Japan to see these magical creatures in their natural habitat. There I will be able to study them in-depth.” 

Suddenly Sage grew furious as she looked around her at the full boxes. Why was this notebook, along with all his other belongings, left to be thrown away? Had no one properly sifted through his research or cared enough? It seemed as though the man was never listened to or heard as many logs in the book noted numerous times that scientists or beast researchers belittled him. 

“I have my supplies and luggage ready to go however my health has not been the best as of late. Anyone said to be the slightest bit ill wouldn’t be allowed on a flight as they become a liability so I will have to wait until I am better.”

He was going to leave after all, yet his illness prevented it. Sage started rifling through the box again, pulling out papers and bags when one dropped to the ground, heavy with its contents. Surprised at the thud, she opened the crumpled back to see stacks of money, bound by rubber bands. 

“This must be it. His funds for the trip!” She counted one pile individually then counted how many were bound and it must have nearly been $20,000 in hard cash. How was she going to tell her parents about the money? It would be a lot to them, but this was for an expedition, an adventure.

Placing the money back in the bag, she put everything back into the box except the notebook. Sage had wondered whether if he had documented the Aykai with proof, the man would have become famous for his discovery. 

After coming downstairs, Sage studied each page thoroughly, sifting through the information and scribbles in the borders. There were countless sketches of the creature’s anatomy, although, towards the last few pages, much of the information was becoming jumbled, as if his mind was fading, and then it ended.

Telling her parents about the book, Sage asked if she could keep the items in the attic. Her father wasn’t paying attention but her mother smiled softly and agreed. 

“I’ll keep an eye out, but for now, why don’t you explore outside. This fresh air will clear your head from always being in your room.” 

Sage was about to grunt but her mother was an excellent finder of things, so if she wanted any potential treasures, she would have to agree cheerfully. 

The book clung to Sages’ side as moved through the maze of trucks and found the edge of the forest which she slowly moved through. Suddenly she was enclosed with silence, only to hear wildlife around her. It sounded as though a stream was running behind the house so she followed it. After walking for a little while but keeping the house in sight, she sat down and started looking at the notebook again. A description was made about a sound this man once heard. He had tried replicating it with a flute and normal mouth whistle but the only thing that seemed to come close was the hand flute method. 

“Hey, I know how to do that!” Sage exclaimed with joy. 

Cupping her hands together, she remembered how her father taught her only a few years ago. Sage pushed the knuckles of her thumbs to her lips and started playing around with the right amount of breath. She eventually made one clear flute-like sound. Sage moved one finger at a time to change the pitch and began playing a made-up tune. 

“Too too- too.”

She was about to take another breath to play again when she heard her notes played back to her, softer, but from a distance away. At first, Sage thought it was just an echo but when she repeated her tune, something responded again. Shocked that someone or something was copying her, she called out for her father.

“Dad!” She yelled through the trees.

“What hun?”

“Was that you?”

“Was what me- I’m unpacking the truck!” Her father said irritated. 

Sage stood up now and started towards where the sound came from. If it wasn’t her father then what else would respond to her like that? She pushed through the trees and saw the sunlight bouncing off some hills in front of her. 

It was only then that Sage came to a large valley, with roaming green hill thick with trees and at the bottom, a large turquoise lake that winded far into the distance. She let out a gasp and couldn’t believe the scenery. Almost forgetting why she had come to this part of the woods, she cupped her hands together once more and blew the tune. This time, her music soared over the valley, resonating far into the world in front of her. After a few seconds of silence, the tune played from below her, from something standing at the bottom near the lake. 

“It can’t be.” She said, squinting. 

Sage tried to step down the hill but it was a steep decline. Putting the book under her arm, she whistled again, this time in a different order. She waited a moment to see if it were the figure that would respond.

“Too- too too.” 

Sages blood ran cold.

Before she knew it, her legs were hurtling her down the steep hill, picking up speed as she jumped and skipped. She kept her eyes on the figure the whole time but by the time she got to the bottom, she was so disoriented and jarred that she could no longer see it. Hands on her knees, Sage gasped for air. She looked back up to where she had just descended and couldn’t believe how far down she had come. 

She looked around again, collapsing to the ground, there was nothing near the water. Sage crossed her legs and tried her hand flute. She closed her eyes and played a long tune.

“Even if it was what I thought, why would it be here?” 

She contemplated her thoughts with closed eyes when a voice suddenly told her to open them. While still playing her hand flute, she was greeted by a large tiger head bobbing in the water. It’s large amber eyes fixated on her sounds.

Sage stopped in total awe only to be stunned when the Aykai replied.