When the Big Eagle got up and started flopping around, Punch stopped and stared, terrified. When the Eagle called out, he ran off, scared.
---
Fisher had closed the gap between himself and the boy. As he landed his body collapsed into a humanshape again. Fisher looked down at the boy, struggling to reach the gun. Fisher didn't dare touch it, even to kick it away. Instead he looked down at Akky.
"Nicely done, Cat," he said, not without some gratitude. "Many thanks."
He looked down at the boy again. "You. Stand up."
Dave wouldn't have done so if he could ... but his body suddenly felt as though someone had seized him about the waist and was yanking him up to his feet. Dave and Fisher were soon at eye level. For a few moments, Fisher was genuinely shocked. He couldn't remember seeing such intense fear mingled with loathing in a human face, let alone the face of a boy this young.
But the feeling passed. Fisher smiled. "Well, well. Here you are. And now you're weaponless."
Dave wanted to spit in Fisher's face, but Akky's spell was still constricting his movements. The best he could do was make puckering noises with his lips, almost like he was blowing kisses.
Fisher chuckled. "Har har, Dave-o. You and I have some business."
I've got to stall him, Dave thought. I can't let him take me away yet. Dear god, where's Pseok?
And just then, Pseok's voice broke into the air. It wasn't distant, but it was maybe a little too far. "Dave?" he called out.
Fisher's head snapped in Pseok's direction. Dave thought he caught a glimpse of worry on this devil's face - something he would've loved to know for sure about.
Fisher looked back at Dave. "No. I know you can summon things to you, but I refuse to believe that you can rouse others to you with thoughts alone. You're human."
Dave wanted to say it was probably just a coincidence - not knowing that it really was just that, a coincidence - but still couldn't get out more than a garbled stutter.
Fisher's brow furrowed. "No. Shut up. Tell me how you did it."
Dave felt something let go in his throat. He gasped - a loud, wet noise - and started to speak, shakily at first. "I didn't summon him. What indication did I give that I was trying to bring Pseok to me?"
Fisher snarled, a rather feral sound. "Don't feed me that shit. I know you brought someone's breakfast to the mountain, and you took the bounty hunter's guns. You might not have caught it, but you did. Now you are going to cooperate with me!"
It was then that Punch arrived on the scene, unknown to Fisher and Dave. Punch took no interest in them, but rather in the cat nearby. Something about that cat threw him off. Punch thought it was dangerous. So he did the only natural thing for him: he charged at Akky, hoping to wrestle the Mean out of him.
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