Chapter 41: Juracan and Hecate

Juracan appreciated Tiangou’s ability to swallow the sun. She worked her best magic in the dark. The captives screamed as the blackness blinded them. The negative energy and fear fueled her. She felt powerful and energized.

She relaxed, basking in the vigor. She let her guard down, enjoying the terrifying cries. She allowed the winds to subside while she returned to her preferred form, a beautiful yet terrifying demon. Her white dress contrasted perfectly with her dark skin. Her long, flowing hair reached the floor, oscillating in the diminishing winds. She breathed the refreshing, warm, humid air when an alarmed clamored.

Juracan sensed a mysterious and infuriating vibration, like an underground missile tearing through the earth below. It resounded in her ears, exacerbating her rage.

Did another demon have the gall to compete with her to gain dominance over St. Katharine’s? The university was hers to destroy. She had planned her attack ever since her glory days in Puerto Rico.

Juracan was minding her own business, sending forth massive storms. She took delight in destroying the Puerto Rican Rum factories, wreaking havoc on the crops, and generating sickness and death in the community.

But two humans had to intrude. Alana and Miguel attempted to summon Juracan and seize her power. She dropped her head back, rolled her eyes and laughed at the memory. Foolish humans. The couple met with their justified demise, but Juracan was not satisfied. She followed their daughter, Candace to St. Katharine’s, where she planned to obtain retributive justice on their sole descendent and the university.

And now, just as her goal was in reach…

There was only one who could challenge her position: her demon sister,

‘Hecate.”

Hecate delighted in her mischief. She used her sublime skills to mold Patrick into a ball, kidnap and detain her three guard dogs and suspend the fourth dog in a secluded woods. She exchanged Garm for Patrick and vowed to reclaim Garm or destroy the four ungrateful mongrels.

In fact, she thought,

“I will destroy the entire university. I will offer a spectacular display of ruination before I rebuild and claim the school and the community for myself. “

Her furry friends were not appreciative of their enhanced, albeit sinister lifestyle. She suspected they planned a plot to destroy her and return to The Dog Companion. What a waste of potential. Why would the German Shepherds consider assisting the disabled and the veterans when they could be part of a world takeover?

My littermates and I always wanted to guide those in need. Bear, Moose, Duke, and I were ready for the training and loved Darlene. Our time with Hecate was torturous. The physical imprisonment was horrendous, but the psychological consequences were much worse.

Hecate prevented us from fulfilling our life-long goals. The human-dog bond is a profound relationship. We dogs look forward to finding our forever human. We are loyal until our last breath. Hecate stole this opportunity from us. For years we lived in her shadow, forced to protect and obey her.

We delighted in the events that transpired. We managed to play a part in her destruction.

Hecate tunneled from her lair to the coffee shop. She headed straight toward a whirlwind. Dirt, rocks, sand and sediments assaulted her, slowing her journey. She was well aware of a supernatural force generating this overt weather pattern. There existed only one demon responsible for storms, hurricanes and destructive winds. Her demon sister,

“Juracan”.

Hecate popped her three heads up like the Wac-A-Mole games the stupid children played at the carnivals. She thrived when mocking her sister. The tips of her heads bounced up and down eerily. Juracan was not able to keep track of Hecate’s location.

Juracan was enraged. She spun around, and the wind gusts caused a sinkhole, exposing Hecate’s triplicate body. Hecate morphed into a neem tree. The tree acquired the strongest root system. She thrust her roots below the sinkhole and secured her position. She held tight waiting for Juracan to cease her tirade.

The winds diminished. The neem tree was unaffected.

Juracan watched in dismay as Hecate morphed into her triplicate form. The neem tree relaxed and split into three equal figures. Its deep roots contracted, connected to the bodies and sprouted legs. The branches cracked and expanded, attached to Hecate’s bodies, and formed her arms and hands.

Juracan sends flashes of lightning toward Hecate, who removes her ropes from around her waists. She touches them; they sparkle, spin, and turn to copper.

Hecate lassoed the bolts with her copper ropes like a cowgirl catching her cattle and cast them into the dark night.

Juracan attacks with a tidal wave. The current bowls Hecate over and yanked her underwater. Her bulky forms made it difficult for her to remain upright. She fights to resurface but continues to struggle.

Hecate shifted into a buoy, emerged from the depths and floated calmly on the receding waves. She reappeared in her primary form and faced Juracan.

Juracan was out of options. In her last-ditch effort, she yelled,

“Tiangou.”

Tiangou advances with the sun in her mouth. She spots Clara. Recognition floods her memory. They lock eyes. Clara says,

Aussie, it’s me, Clara. Remember? We were training with Darlene when the demon captured you. You can resurge. Help us. Use your abilities against the demons. Fight.

Tiangou/Aussie paused. She did remember. She wanted to help. And she instantly envisioned a plan. She scooped down, grabbed Darlene and brought her to the surface. She repeated the process until she rescued all of the students.

She returned for Laney and Louie.

Louie wanted Aussie to save me first, but I wanted Louie to go first. If he were hurt or injured before our new friend could rescue him, I would never forgive myself. I tried to be invisible. I squished myself against the wall. But Louie had the same idea. He got behind me and nudged me from my space. I circled back, pushed him from the wall and secured my position.

Louie nipped my ear. It hurt! I cried out. I bit his tail. He growled. We circled each other. We were desperate for the other to reach safety first. We fell to the floor, rolled over in the mud, play bowed and began again.

I found myself floating in mid-air. I yelled, “No, no, Louie first, Louie first.” I worried without cause. Aussie dropped me gently next to Marie and returned for Louie.

I was happy and relieved to see Louie safe, but I felt compelled to growl at him and bare my teeth. Then, I pushed my head into his midsection and we resumed our usual amusing behavior.

Aussie continued her heroic efforts. She unhinged her jaw. She set the blazing hot yellow ball between Juracan and Hecate. The rays encapsulated them.

Mauth, now Raven, entered Java Juice. Chivo, now Moose, and The Black Dog, now Duke, followed immediately behind their littermate. Bear sensed their presence and finally felt secure enough to leave Kina’s side and join his brothers. Helena dropped Clara’s leash and commanded,

“Assist.”

The fur-siblings circled the two demons. They formed an impenetrable bond, a barrier the demons could not break.

Kina and Rambo, Sally and Trooper, Tara and Hike and Helena joined Raven, Bear and Moose. The veterans told the dogs to hold their ground. Their addition fortified the enclosure.

Patrick heard applause as he emerged from the underground tunnel. He was disoriented, confused and fatigued. Bear was thrilled to see Patrick in his human form. He felt guilty that Hecate traded his dire position at Patrick’s expense. He gripped Patrick’s sleeve in his teeth and pulled him toward the detaining ring.

Patrick’s anger fueled his motivation. He wanted to defeat the demons and start a new, healthy lifestyle. Freed from Hecate’s imposed toy ball, he understood the importance of the physical body. He reconsidered his wayward goals.

Bear and Patrick stepped into the circle of friends. Patrick’s self-esteem soared. He watched the captive demons and their unsuccessful attempt to break the chain.

Juracan struggled to cool the burning flames with an ice storm, but her efforts were ineffective. Her long white dress and beautiful flowing hair went up in flames. Her beauty disintegrated with her figure. Malodorous remnants briefly filled the air before all traces of the once-powerful demon vanished compactly.

Hecate threatened her dogs. She demanded they set her free. Her warnings were reduced to alarming pleas, then terrified begging. But the dogs persisted. Her triplicate form melded into one searing, smoldering gob of green goop.

I remained next to Patrick. He suffered for my gain, and I wanted to make amends. He said I was a good doggie. I don’t know why he said so, but I wagged my tail. He bent down and I licked some of the dirt from his face. He said he and Nala would love to welcome me into their home. He promised we would take walks, play Frisbee and I would have my own dog-bed!

I wiggled my body in delight, but my littermates were uncertain of their future. They looked alone in the company of so many. The possibility of living without a special human counteracted their heroism and key role in defeating Hecate and Juracan.

Kina knelt near Raven. She buried her face in the dog’s fur, hugged him tightly and cried with relief. Rambo sniffed Raven’s nose. They invited him to join their family. Kina, Rambo and Raven. My brother loved how the threesome sounded.

Sally and Trooper followed suit. They headed toward Moose, who looked at them eagerly. Trooper found it difficult to contain his enthusiasm. He sniffed Moose’s’ butt, humped him, then displayed the play-bow.

My littermate took full advantage and jumped playfully on Trooper. They fell over each other and tumbled in the slushy mud. Raven and I looked on as Moose and Trooper continued their antics. Sally enjoyed the show and found it difficult to end their affectionate display. She realized she had her work cut out for her with these two lunatics!