Page 35 of Outnumbered

“You’re definitely faster than me in this form,” I said, but then nodded. “Okay.”

“Ready. Set Go!” he shouted and started running.

I hopped as fast as I could in the same direction he ran, my hop becoming gallop-like, but there was no contest on speed. “You win,” I gasped.

Riddick chuckled. “Were you trying to race him?”

“You race him, Mister Cheetah.”

“Okay. Tell him,” Riddick said and crouched like he was going to take off.

“Riddick wants to race you,” I told Triston.

Triston made a weird barking sound and lined up beside Riddick.

“Ready. Set Go!” I yelled to both of them.

They shot off across the grass, but they were too fast and I was too short to tell who won.

As they jogged back to me, they bumped into each other’s shoulders, jostling the other in a teasing way.

I shifted into my warrior form and said, “Let’s race again.”

They lined up on either side of me, I squatted down, putting my fingertips on the ground and getting into a runner’s position.

“Ready. Set go!” I shouted and pushed off with as much force as I could. My first hop sent me ahead of them and combining a human-style run with powerful hops forward kept me neck and neck with Riddick as we flew across the grass. I skid to a stop and slid, my feet going out from under me and fell on my butt. “Ouch,” I hissed and started laughing as I lay onto my back. “That was fun.”

“Wow, you’re fast in that form,” Riddick said as he reached a hand down to help me up.

I let him pull me to my feet and dusted myself off. “Still not faster than you.”

“I think once you get even more used to this body you will be.”

We walked side by side back to the house and rejoined everyone. Riddick shifted back into his cheetah form and lay in the spot he’d been before we raced.

“Caleb! Your phone is ringing off the hook,” Leona shouted from inside the house.

Caleb sighed and walked inside. “Thanks.”

I sat on the ground and pet Triston’s head, running my hand between his ears across the top. He purred louder.

“Riddick, we’ve got to go!” Caleb shouted and ran outside with his phone in his hand.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Ambrose is in trouble,” Caleb answered. “We’re going to go rescue him.”

Everyone shifted to their human forms and stood.

“In the city?” I asked.

Caleb nodded. “The downtown park.”

“Let’s go,” I said and headed through the house towards the front drive.

“No, just Riddick and I,” Caleb said.

“What? Why?” Spinning around, I stared at him in disbelief.

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