Danny had jumped up seeing Cooper run, looking around the pasture for what spooked the dopy family dog. Cooper wasn't a typically cowardly dog after all his owner was rather mischievous in his youth and he was raised on a farm with more than a few animals bigger than him. It wasn't until a few years ago when age got the better of him that he stopped messing with the cows.

  It was already hard enough looking past the tree line now after the sun had moved behind the mountains it was practically impossible to see if something was approaching. The amber-painted sky slowly darkened as night crept closer. Danny started to look around, slowly approaching his brother before hearing a cracking noise that sounded like branches breaking from the forest.

  For James it was as if instincts he rarely used had activated at full force, time felt like it had slowed to a crawl as his eyes were bouncing around rapidly. His breathing slowed and every sound he heard echoed in his ears. All his heightened senses had activated at once. While the sensations were overwhelming, he had to pick which ones were the most useful, he chose to focus on his hearing as the most useful with lowlight. He could feel the crunching of the ground under his feet and Danny who had just started asking a question. “What-” Danny seemed to have been asking what was going on, but James heard a sound; a *Whooshing* noise coming from something fast approaching. He could feel his body screaming but the answer was simple. “MOVE!” James shouted as he tackled Danny. Putting his full body into it, Danny was safely knocked aside. In a split second, James felt something connect with his gut unching him flying.

  (Ow…what hit me?) Danny thought as he pulled himself out of the dirt. He hadn't been hit like that in years. As his eyes started to refocus, he saw his brother sent flying, bouncing across the pasture like a ft rock, once, twice, thrice, he bounced across the ground before digging into the dirt. “JAMES!!” Danny shouted as he ran for his brother.

  “What hit me?” James asked before “Khack-Hack” coughing blood. While his vision was blurred pain wracked his body, the feeling of getting kicked in the balls on a higher magnitude. He clenched his teeth and tried his best to assess the damage but found he couldn’t. He was unable to access Ki. Judging by the sensation, his dantian the orb that appeared in his lower body was damaged or destroyed. (Now I understand why they break so often in stories.) James could only think to himself as he sat enduring the pain.

  Moments ter Danny had arrived in front of him. Danny's blood ran cold seeing James' broken and twisted limbs. James' vision started to come back seeing him, “Danny, *hack*…run towards the house.” Seeing that his brother was still alive had alleviated him greatly however seeing him cough blood, demanded urgency. “Already on it,” Danny said trying his best to quickly and carefully throw James over his shoulder into a Fireman carry. With his brother over his shoulder, Danny started putting his years of football to good use as he dashed for the back door.

  While over Danny’s shoulder, James clung to consciousness his mind slowly returning from shock. He bit down on his inner cheek, using the pain to sharpen his mind. Peering into the darkness for the mysterious assaints only when his eyes fully focused and some of the light coming from the house reflecting off the surface did, he see, (They’re…vines??) Creeping tendrils, vines, roots, tentacles, that was what he could see dozens of them. “Left-Dodge.” He wheezed as Danny immediately shifted course dodging the imminent strike from the unknown monster.

  Diana and Ronald were enjoying their evening sitting together watching one of Diana’s soap operas. Stress had been getting to her the past few days and she was more than a few episodes behind. Both were interested in how they would expin away the differences that happened to the characters due to recent events. Or if they would address them at all. From what she heard one of the main stars had gone through a complete transformation, but she was looking forward to the surprise. The two were just enjoying a moment of normalcy something now almost foreign, or they were that was until Danny barged into the house carrying his half-dead brother over his shoulder. The room was in an immediate panic with both parents jumping up simultaneously with a “What happened”!?!

  During his run back to the house Danny never saw the creature responsible for sending James flying. “Something came flying at us in the dark. I don’t know what it was.” He told them while putting James down on the living room couch. The room turned into an uproar as the two were badgering Danny for answers. Danny however was more focused on his brother who appeared to be saying something and neither of them was making it easy for him. Putting his ear closer, Danny tried his best to listen and drown out the questions. Listening to James, his breathing was shallow and weak, but he could hear him muttering something faintly, “Purple pouch. Pillow.”

  Danny ignored his parents and rushed upstairs smming the door into James’ bedroom open almost taking it off the old hinges. Throwing the pillow aside, he retrieved the purple pouch. He remembered this pouch from when James came home. Flinging himself out the door he had already stuffed his fingers inside trying to remove one of the pale green beans before he touched the stairs. As he returned to the living room, he also remembered what James said about how these beans worked, he pinched it between his fingers—crushing the bean in his hand before stuffing it in James’ mouth.

  The moment the bean entered his mouth James' body reacted, an automatic response, he swallowed the crushed bean and in doing so started the regeneration process. His muscles pulsed releasing all tension before contracting aggressively, bulging out. His skin flushed red, and his veins could be seen prominently on his exposed skin. A cracking noise was heard from his legs as they returned to a functional state. Creaking could be heard from his ribs as they were righted into pce. And a wretched noise could be felt from his spine. As the process took a good 5 minutes before it finished the three witnesses could only wince as they watched in silence as his body righted itself into proper order.

  When the process was finished James sat up with a jolt. A whirlwind of thoughts started to run through his head, many of them appearing on his face for a moment before one finally settled on top.

  Within the Dewitt family, it was believed that James had the most control over his emotions. This was a well-held belief as it was hard for any of them to say they ever saw him truly angry. Frustrated because he was trying to do something but kept failing, wasn’t uncommon. Smacking his desk or grumbling to himself was also common. He was never the type to throw a controller in anger (he knew how much they cost). However, this was incomparably different. There was a burning rage in his eyes. There seemed to be a red color around his pupils. Which looked to be stretched slightly lengthwise.

  His first words after enduring the pain of Senzu Bean regeneration were “I’m going to turn that tree into fucking charcoal…” As he was finishing his statement, he felt Ki. Spurred on by his anger it emanated slightly off his body. The damage done to his dantian had likely been repaired through the effects of the Senzu bean. If he were given a moment, he would have tried to investigate but he noticed the looks on his family around him, and the veins on his forehead receded. Even so, the added color in his eyes remained.

  "Mom, Dad, I'm fine... no-no, I'm pissed... Mom, can you get out some marshmallows? We’re going to have a nice campfire in a little bit.” Diana was quite shaken when Danny brought him in half-dead. She was scared watching him regenerate. Now that he had a different aura of collected fury, given the circumstances, she wasn’t going to argue. “I wonder if we have any jumbo ones…” She said trying for the kitchen. While the initial tense situation was over and the family calmed down significantly knowing James was alright, they were still a little on edge hearing James plotting a family outing.

  “Dad, Danny sit tight, I’ll be back in a little bit," James said before starting for the stairs. Before he began climbing, he remembered, "Everyone, stay away from the doors and windows”.

  Giving James a moment to ascend the stairway, “What the hell happened!?” Ronald asked as calmly as he could.

  “I already told you! We were just talking at his spot then Cooper ran away and out of nowhere, something attacked us. James knocked me out of the way…” Danny went quiet as he realized James saved him. He doubted if he would have survived in the same situation.

  END