Thump, thump, thump. Slap, slap, slap. Thump, thump, thump.

Guru was running, to nowhere in particular just away. He was running away. Feet slapping against the ground, heart beating in his chest as he darted forward. He started on the sidewalk, dodging this person or that until he cut down an alleyway jumped onto a dumpster then launched himself onto the fire escape and began running up that.

His heart pumped, coursing its cocktail of chemistry through his blood. Adrenaline, endorphins, oxygen to keep the muscles working even as lactic acid began to collect making them fatigue. Except for today, today he’d cut through the lie; his heart was just a collection of cells, of atoms, it didn’t HAVE to operate so inefficiently, the oxygen in his blood didn’t have to have any yield loss, his lungs constraints were false.

His heart beat in a steady rhythm even as he exerted himself. There was nothing chasing him but he did have something to run from, something to fear. He knew what fear was, he was a wolf but he’d met lions he had been shown that he was a snack at best.

People dealt with fear in different ways, avoidance was a prime tactic. That alley was scary so you don’t go down it, that neighborhood was bad so you didn’t go there. Guru was still trying to process what this fear meant to him, what the lesson was here because there was always a lesson. The lesson was despite knowing the Capital T Truth, he was small, he was insignificant.

But was this new news? Not really, he never mattered before, it never bothered him before. He’d dealt with drug dealers, gangbangers, bikers, people who before he knew the Truth could have easily put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger. He had known fear then too and what had he done? Buckled, ran, bought time. That was it. If it was him or someone else it certainly wasn’t going to be him.

But that was then.

Now? Now what was he to do, if he died would his Truth die with him? He approached the lip of the building, foot planting on the ledge as he leapt through the air, tucking his shoulder in so it hit the opposite building first and he could roll with the momentum and get to his feet while maintaining speed.

Lungs burned, heart beat. He had just leapt through the air with the greatest of ease, no fear, no hesitation to something most people would balk at. Was that the key, no thought just action? No hesitation, just doing. Shut off the mind so the body could act? A chill ran down his spine as his blood grew cold, heart fluttering as he remembered that night.

What could he even hope to do to such a monster? How does a wolf beat a lion? Numbers? Stealth? Surprise? Avoidance. Most predators were predators of opportunity, wolves were awful at stealth, lions usually gave up if they couldn’t take down prey easily. Their strategy was to go for the neck or limbs which is why they can’t do anything to hippo’s or Rhino’s, their hide was too thick.

So what was the counter here? What choice did he have?

The Truth.

He had all of them. If he encountered a lion he needed to be a hippo, if he encountered a hippo he needed to be a bird. Adaptability. That’s how humans became the apex predators, that’s how sleepers could still be apex predators. They would make you fight on their terms, they would clip your wings so you couldn’t fly.

If you can’t fly, run.

Survival was ingrained in every muscle of his body, every synapse in his brain. But that was all the Lie right? He was so much more, belonged to so much more, could BE so much more. He just had to accept that, separate Truth from Lie.

But where did one start?

Air evaporated sweat on his skin providing its natural cooling effect so he could keep running. He didn’t need to stop and pant to regulate his heat, his body self-regulated by cooling itself through sweat. He popped over the ledge, fingers gripping it as he released letting gravity take hold before his hands found purchase on the railing to grip it, slow his descent, release, and repeat the process until he was back down on the ground.

He had to keep running until he had his answers, what was he to do otherwise? All he could do was run. Run to try and find the Truth and his Truth and his Truth was he was found wanting and he didn’t want to be in that situation ever again if he could help it. Tools in your tool box. Plan.

Plan. Plan for the inevitable, plan for the unlikely. Know how to fight, know how to escape. But how did he protect his mind? By not being in that situation in the first place, control the battlefield, control the circumstances and assure your victory before you start.

Thump, thump, thump.

Fear began to flush from his system as he stopped running from something and started toward it instead.