Chapter 25

For three years Kent McPherson worked, raised his son and made some appearances at a social function when his presence was needed. He found that his son was three going on twenty. He was facing the same problem the Marks had with Barbara and April. Only he was not overly sexual like his cousins. He was more interested in reading and spent most of his time with his nose in a book. He was already reading Shakespeare, Chaucer, and even works by John Calvin. Not to mention other works by modern day authors. He even read and understood Einstein's Theory of Relativity. Junior was frustrated because no one wished to discuss what he read or understood what he had read. So he seldom talked and had his nose in a book. At that time he was reading about the two great wars of the twentieth century. Of all the leaders of the armed forces, he felt that the real hero of the war was Admiral Raymond Spruance. Spruance engineered the American tactics at the Battle For Midway and never lost a battle in which he was named commander.

Kent had Junior take an IQ exam. When the results returned, he was off the charts. He rated at the genius level. Kent was encouraged to send Junior to a school for gifted kids. He thought about, asked Junior about going away but was quickly shot down.

"I'm waiting for Mom to come back," he told his father. Kent had to hold back from crying in front of his son. And didn't have the heart to tell him that his mother would not be coming back. He knew he had to do it sometime but Junior was only a little over three and couldn't stay quiet on the subject for very much longer.

Erin heard the heavy breathing of a large animal close to her lair. Her head popped up at the first sound. She still had the remains of a reindeer she had recently killed. The animal was a large brown bear which was three times heavier than Erin. However Erin had the quickness, strength and endurance of her Korothian heritage. The bear smelled the blood from the fresh kill and was determined to drive the tiger off then taking it out of her lair.

Erin flashed her fangs at it and gave out a warning growl. The bear ignored her and started crawling into her shelter. Erin lunged and hit its face with her large paw. The bear was temporarily knocked back from the strong blow. It let out a loud roar in anger and raced back at her. Erin slashed her paw once more striking the first wound she inflicted upon it. Again the large brown fell back but it only made it angrier. Erin lunged from her shelter and hit it again. The bear struck back sending Erin rolling.

If the big brown had followed up it might have gain an advantage but it was too intent on getting to the carcass, Erin raced forward sinking her fangs into its neck. The bear roared in pain. In the past a two thousand pound bruin usually drove the big cat away but this wasn't only a cat, it was Erin and she was no ordinary tiger. She held fast to its neck even though it wrapped its front paws around her trying to squeeze the life out of the cat. She sunk her long fangs into the bear's neck as far as they could go. She felt it loosen its grip on her. Her hind paw raked across the softness of the bear's belly. It let out a great roar of agony, let go of the crushing hug and ran away with blood pouring out of her stomach area.

Erin used her healing powers to close up her own wounds. Before long she was grooming herself licking the blood of the attacker off her paws. She left the lair and followed the trail of blood until she found the dead bear about a mile away. She sniffed around making sure it was no longer dangerous to her then trotted back to protect her food. Erin now believed that she could leave this body and return to human form. In her mind, she started making plans to start a new life. Kent and Junior should be safe now. The Destroyer was after her, not them. She'd miss them both but for their own safety she could not return.

"April," Erin called.

"Mom?"

"Who else would it be?"

"Mom, where are you?"

"No where important at the moment. I've been gone for a few years now and I feel I'm ready to return, but not as Erin McPherson. Kent and Junior are in mortal danger if I return to them. In the near future they will be murdered because of me. They will somehow find me. That is why I am hiding where I am at now. My beings are after me because I won't conform to what they want me to do. If I'm not in the picture, there will be no reason to go after them. So when I surface again I will be someone else. It won't be long, honey. I will keep in touch."

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, darling. Tell your sister that I will be in touch with her."

"Bye Mom," it sound like April was crying.

"Bye dear."

Erin believed that being another big cat might be a little dangerous. She remained in its body until winter came. She did this to strengthen the big tiger and make it feel younger. When she finally left its body, it was easily the strongest cat in Siberia. Able to withstand an attack from a brown bear who usually won battles with tigers.

She settled on the Island of Oahu until June. Having access to her money in her offshore accounts, she settled down and adopted the name of Dana Wright. Getting valid ID were no problem for her. She rented a house not too far from Waikiki Beach and went down in the afternoons sunbathing. That's where she met Ken Parker, a native of Hawaii. He walked up to her as she was applying sun tan lotion and asked if she needed any help with her back.