Thank you so much for the reviews! A bunch of positive reviews really drive you to update! I'm sorry for not replying to your comments, but I thought you would appreciate me working on an update even more. xP Hope you enjoy this chapter too.

I, regrettably, do not own Coraline.

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Stray hair from Coraline's locks whipped and lashed at her face, blinding her and weakening her will. She continued slowly, making her way through the curtains of water. Wybie's bike, firmly in her grip, was being dragged behind her as a means of counteracting the weight of water and buffeting wind. Something was wrong, indeed, but obviously something was unearthly wrong. The weather had only been predicted to be cloudy in the afternoon. Wouldn't the report have been able to recognize this on its radar? And where was anybody? Lo and behold, a nearby resident of the Pink Palace had driven by, but the driver held a curiously unfitting expression. It seemed as if the woman, (At least, Coraline thought the driver was a woman when she squinted through the storm,) was smiling and driving along in no particular hurry. She didn't even appear to notice the dramatic display of Mother Nature just outside her car window. Coraline noticed that even through the torrential rain, the car's windshield wipers remained rock-still.

She tried desperately to call out to the passer by, waving her arms and attempting to run a bit behind the car as it passed, but the woman either paid no attention or failed to notice. Coraline stood for a brief moment bewildered, but quickly regained her train of thought.

" I need to keep looking for Wybie," she told herself bravely. "Even if someone did offer to help me, I can't go knowing he's out in these dangerous conditions."

Continuing down the road, the blue-haired girl realized something crucial; If Wybie isn't okay, if he's hurt, suffering or possibly worse, what was Coraline to do? After laboriously enduring the elements for so long, she would surely be too exhausted to be of any aid. Her heart sank momentarily, but she continued into the shredded grey in front of her. Every other step seemed as if a hunk of the road clung to her feet, weighing her down and pulling her back.

Coraline lost track of how far she had managed to drag herself. Her eyes had been closed for quite some time as she progressed, feeling only the large, wet droplets stinging her eyelids, and being instantly dried by the thrashing air, only for them to be stung immediately after. Finally submitting to her fatigue, the girl had to kneel on the ground, palms pressed firmly to the damp softening ground. Raising her hands up slightly, she felt the depressions left by debris. Water ran down her strands and face. She blinked stray droplets out of her eyes and looked to her side.

She ran on bent determination. Gripping the grass at the edge of the road, Coraline found the strength to pull her over to the haven in the distance. Finally, she felt the transition from the wet, numbing grass tangled between her fingers to the cold, but dry earth beneath her. Coraline's vision went from a moisture-intensified blur to black with only the hindrance of discomfort as she fell forward to the ground.

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Don't worry Jonsey, I'll protect you…

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With a start, Coraline's body resembled a rebooting automation.

"Uh," she groaned, "I'm so hungry. I think I'll get mom to…"

But instead of being greeted by her usual abode, complete with creaky floorboards and peeled paint among other things, she met a dark nook entrenched deep beneath a large boulder lit only by the wrathful storm. She rubbed the back of her neck in remembrance.

Outside the indented earth, Coraline could make out the form of the road about thirty feet away, and what looked like a few scattered sequoia trees in a guarding stance around a rotting tree stump. Her body ached, and the girl grasped the coat around her figure. It had kept her warm since she collapsed there, and besides the warmth she needed, the coat also seemed to give her this indescribable feeling of complacency. Endless comforts emanated from every seam and pocket in the clothing. Coraline had to keep looking for Wybie. The longer she waited, the weaker she would eventually become.

Her decisive mindset let her eyes wander vacantly, and her gaze scanned her surroundings flowing steadily over every bump and rock. Noticing something odd a bit further down the edge of the thick rock and cliff, the girl warily stepped toward it. What ever it was, it was breathing. Was it what she thought it was? Inching nearer, the thing moved slightly upon the crumble of pebbles beneath her feet. Coraline flinched, a sense of uneasiness tensing her body. Once again, her hair stood on end. What ever it was that was laid on the ground, it stirred and moved to look directly at her.

"…W-Wybie?" She hedged, and noticed the boy's shirt on the ground. "Are you… okay?"

It got up upon its legs… its four legs. Coraline's breath abandoned her. Two yellow eyes glowing from the light that crept through the area locked with her own. Alarm set her defenses on high, but terror numbed any response. Mountain lions. Brown fur and piercing eyes. Her mother had mentioned them at one point when they moved to the Pink Palace, but it wasn't a warning expectant of the actual consequence to occur. However here she stood, paralyzed by fear, and the danger itself in a stance with bared teeth.

"Oh God," She began to echo over and over in her head, "Wybie. Mom. Dad. Oh God. What now? Where do I go? I can't get away. What do I do? Help. Find help! I can't find help. I can't get away. What do I do...?!"

As if feeling the build in her emotions, the powerful cat crept nearer in a striking pose. Just before all time stood still in her final moments, Coraline noticed the slashed, blood-stained cloth that the beast had been lying on in further detail, and a strangled tear fell from her glassy eyes. In a heap, her own realization struck her down. On her knees, she cut loose restraint on everything; Emotion filled Coraline like quicksand swallowing her from the inside out. She needed to scream out for help to escape the torturous feeling eating away at her. She needed him. He meant so much to her… He couldn't be dead!

"WYBIE!" The sudden outburst only provoked the lion. A clap of thunder pierced the locality, and to her horror the predator sprung.

"No!" She heard a call. She blocked her eyes, but was shoved unexpectedly by another body, forcing her to open them once more. A shadow was her haven. A bright light shone from the other side of the body. In frightened anticipation, the girl boldly opened her eyes. Standing before her she could slightly make out the body to be quite familiar, but the light in front of her was so blindingly bright that the only clear sight, curly tufts of hair and a slightly off kilter posture, made her smile and her heart burn even brighter.

Coraline stood shakily to her feet. Reaching out her hand, she slowly touched the boy's shoulder. Wybie squinted back at her a moment before offering a comforting, reassuring smile. Suddenly, the blinding light dimmed to a faint white glow. The two adjusted and rubbed their eyes a moment. That's when her jaw dropped in awe. There was the mountain lion frozen in mid air ready to kill, however it looked as if the creature had been turned to solid stone. The light emitting from it's body lightly pulsated, and the two crept closer to it cautiously. The light ceased all together, and the pre-teens jumped back.

The stone cat began to break into fragments of floating pixilation. Pieces peeled and floated away until they disappeared entirely into thin air. A couple floated right through their bodies, sending an awkward tingling sensation to pass wherever they touched. Eventually, the thousands of tiny pieces disappeared entirely, and the beast ceased to exist.

Wybie lowered his arms from their protective pose and they both panted from apprehension, his face particularly devoid of expression. The girl behind him noticed right away and shot him a look of confusion and inquiry mixed with sudden conscious relief. The only sound that could be heard was the steady pounding of rain on the outside ground and muffling patter on the boulder atop their heads.

"Wybie…" She walked closer to hug him before catching herself and nudging him half-heartedly with a loose fist. "I'm glad you're okay." She leaned her shoulder against his. The girl crossed her arms and averted her gaze for a moment. Then, she realized that something very grave had just happened, and somehow, an all too familiar feeling of threat sent chills coursing through her. She hadn't felt this kind of foreboding since…

After a moment, he spoke. "… Jonsey?" She looked up and raised her brow, noting his serious change of mood. "We have a major problem."

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End ofChapter 2

Oh yes, there is much more to this than meets the eye. What's going on? Why does Wybie seem to know? So much suspense! I promise that there will be more dialogue in the next chapter. I just love my suspense! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm already working on the next. Until next time…

~AltheanFlame