With echolocation, Gage dipped and swooped between the trees with the ease that seeing people moved through streets of cars. It was the closest he could get to that sensation. Even being a hybrid with developed senses, he could never pretend to be like the other kids. No, that was one thing he could never be.

In the middle of snatching up mosquitoes, Gage detected movement below. He turned, finding a creature in mid-trek through the woods normally devoid of large wildlife besides deer. A panther? He circled again, taking in a full picture of the forest floor just to be sure. He'd come in closer for a better range, but he couldn't deny it now. A large cat prowled where it did not belong. Coming here as often as he did, he would know if cats roamed this near to the city. He didn't consider himself a curious individual, but he found himself following the panther in lazy circles anyway. Maybe he just needed something like an adventure, being that poor disabled kid that couldn't go out of the house alone because he refused to use a cane. He managed just fine without. Still, he couldn't bring himself to confront the anomaly in the forest.