Read The Blue Mountain (The Forbidden List Book 2) for Free Online

purred.
    *Just think of me and shape the words in your mind, I will hear.*
    *Like this?* The panda appeared to nod in response. *What next?* Zhou asked.
    *Your spirit has the shape of an animal, a great cat in your case, a panda in mine. They choose us and we subconsciously choose them. You can tell a lot about a Wu from their spirit, if you understand the animal in our world,* Xióngmāo explained.
    *That explains the scrolls in the temple,* he responded.
    *Hundreds of years of research and worth a good deal of your time to read and understand them. But not today. Today, I want you to learn about your spirit.*
    *How?*
    *Experience is the best teacher. Go and run. I will wait for you here.* Xióngmāo sat back on her haunches and soft blue sparks rained down for a moment before a bamboo shoot appeared in her raised paw. She began eating. *Go.*
    Zhou leapt forward, revelling in the power that coursed through his muscles and the awareness of his surroundings that the enhanced senses of the panther gave him. Damp forest earth sprayed upwards from his paws as he raced into the forest, leaping over fallen trunks, ducking under branches. There was no need for conscious thought, his body knew what to do.
    Speckles of sunlight, filtered by the canopy, danced along his path as he ran. He could smell the life of the forest. The scents of plants and animals created a second layer of sight, augmenting and overlaying that of his eyes. Insects flitted and buzzed between the plants. To the left, skitters of tiny feet and the smell of rodent. Above, the cries and caws of birds launching into the air, disturbed by his careless traverse.
    A new scent on the trail. Something larger, something he could hunt. Prey. He came to a halt, paws skidding on the leaves. Lowering his nose to the ground, he sniffed and recognition brought saliva to his mouth. He licked his lips, long pink tongue curling around the large canines. Zhou slunk lower, ears twitching and sampling the sounds of the forest.
    He began to creep forward. Each paw placed with great care and head swinging slowly from side to side, seeking his prey. The scent was powerful. He could see it as a winding, meandering trail hanging in the air. Zhou kept his back low, beneath the level of ferns and underbrush that formed the boundary of the trail.
    As he drew closer, the quiet tread of an animal reached his ears. He stopped again, listening. Between the scent trail and the sound of the steps, he pinpointed his prey’s location. He tasted the wind as it drifted through the trees and padded closer.
    Zhou moved off the trail, into the ferns and bushes of the undergrowth. Leaving the scent trail behind, he relied only on hearing and instinct. Avoiding the thickest areas of vegetation, the dry branches and twigs on the floor that would have given away his position, he passed by the sounds of his prey and set himself up ahead of it. He waited. Patient.
    The prey came along the trail, walking on four thin legs. A long neck connected the small tapered head with a body covered in golden brown hair. Its black eyes had no iris. Above the eyes, two large ears with tufts of white fur coating the inside. Either side of its thin mouth, two tusks jutted down and slightly outwards. It was, at most, half his size and despite the fearsome teeth it looked skittish. Ready to bolt.
    Zhou flattened himself to the ground and continued to wait. Face on, the water deer was narrow bodied with more white fur on its underside and near its hooves. Every couple of steps it stopped, raised its head, ears twitching left and right, before moving on. He waited, holding his breath, as it came closer and closer.
    He pounced. The deer raised itself on its hind legs preparing to twist, turn, leap and escape. Before it could complete the turn, his powerful jaws clamped down, hard around its neck, and his weight dragged it to the floor. The deer’s legs kicked and jerked, thumping into the muscles on his shoulder and flank. He