Chapter 6 Darkness
I’ve never thought so clearly. I’ve never been so strong, so alive.
And it’s all because of her. She screamed for me, loud and glorious, returning a part of myself I didn’t know I had lost. I just wish I’d had some of my new reason before I licked the sweetness between her legs, and she screamed, vibrating the ground beneath her.
Now every wretched soul nearby chases after me, my prize vulnerable over my shoulder.
A howler swings in front of me, brave for its small size. I grab its head, squeezing its many eyes to a pulp in the palm of my hand. He doesn’t even get a chance to scream.
She gives a small cry of terror, and I wrap my hand around her middle to steady her. “Don’t scream,” I order, and surprisingly, she follows my order.
The noises from the beings behind us decrease, and I look back to see them fading into the distance.
I’ve never been so fast, and luckily for me, most of the creatures are smaller and unable to keep up with me.
Larger beasts like myself stay confined to their dwellings, jumping through their portals to find their prey.
The crowd behind me lives off our scraps.
I’m not sure how I know this, and it troubles me that I’ve unlocked a part of my memory. What else rests inside my murky mind?
She cries out and bangs against my back.
I turn to see a crawler gaining on us. This beast is similar to me in the fact that it’s large, powerful, and travels through the portal on its own.
It must be desperate to try to steal my prey instead of finding its own.
Again, I’m puzzled why I know so much about him.
I pick up my pace, darting around trees as an attempt to lose him, but he uses his web, shooting from one of his many legs, to pull himself across the distance between us. When he’s nearly steps away, I know it’s no use trying to run. I must fight him off.
I fling my human atop a patch of glowing brush behind me and roar at the crawler.
He swipes one of his eight pointed legs at me, nearly slicing me, but I dodge his blow just in time.
He hisses, revealing rows of sharp teeth.
I barrel forward, using my weight to push his round form off balance and slash across his many eyes.
Normally, I don’t think I’d be able to topple him and cause him to scream in agony so easily.
His legs keep him steady, and the hard, grey shell makes him difficult to injure.
But with the newfound power and clarity from her scream, I’m able to attack more effectively, not just based on instinct.
My confidence wavers as pain radiates across my back.
I try to use my tail to block him, but I’m too late; he slices through my fur and flesh.
The pain distracts me, and the crawler uses it as his chance to push me off him and pin me to the ground.
He looms over me, with bloodied eyes and a hooked claw pointed at my throat.
I should be dead already, but he speaks, “Give her to me.” I can’t remember having spoken to someone from my realm, but that’s not true.
There’s a distant memory at the back of the dark tunnel of my mind.
His words ignite a rage within me, sating my pain, and I jump atop him.
“Mine!” I roar as I claw at his eyes once more, causing him to wail.
He doesn’t give up, though. Even while using my legs, arms, and tail, I can’t keep his legs pinned to the ground.
He rips at my back, causing one avalanche of pain after another.
I don’t stop ripping into him until I can’t take it anymore.
I roll off him, and to my luck, he runs off in the other direction, yelping and limping.
I could go after him, finish him off, but I’m too weak, my vision blurs, blood drips down my back, and I must keep my human safe.
She’s huddled in the place I left her, her head between her knees, still draped in the oversized brown fabric, which makes her almost blend into the environment.
I pick her up and yelp, pain taking over all my focus.
She gives a small scream. “Shh!” I order.
“More will come.” She quiets, allowing me to cradle her small body in my arms.
I search for a place to hide, to regain my strength.
There’s a dark hole at the base of a large stone nearby.
I drag myself toward it, placing my human on the ground as I peek into the darkness to see if it’s empty.
It's a poor decision. My vision gives out, and my consciousness swirls. I’m aware as my body falls after me and my human screams, “No!” from up above.