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Legs apart, knees bent, I grasped the blade, trembling. He was too fast, too strong.
Within striking range, I swung out my blade to strike his heart, but he dodged my attack.
He slammed into me, his hand snatching my wrist with the weapon before I could swing it him again. Feet tangled under me, I cried out as I fell backward, hitting the dirt.
He leaped onto me, his weight pressing down on my body, hissing, his words inaudible. Teeth dug into my shoulder, nails digging into my sides.
I thrashed and screamed, kicked and convulsed against him. My yells rang in my ears as a piercing pain sliced my flesh. I pressed my spine into the dirt, the heat from the scorching bite marks across my collarbone rising, and my heart pounded to a climbing temp.
I couldn’t die here.
Wouldn’t.
My legs and arms exploded in violent motion, and I fought with everything I had for my life.
The monster suddenly arched backward, barking a cry of agony.
He rolled off me, wailing, his arms reaching for something in his back.
I scrambled backward and rushed to my feet, barely able to breath and my eyes pricked with tears. I stared at him, frozen and terrified. Four knives were jammed into his back, and black goo slid out from the wounds. He kept convulsing, but his jerky movements slowed until he slumped on the ground, his bright eyes fading to black coals and the wisp of mist around his body disappeared with the breeze.
A pungent stench like rotten eggs struck my senses, and I groaned, placing a hand over my nose and mouth.
Four of the women from the challenge stood around the monster, including Zeni who eyed me with curiosity. Their chests rose and fell, hands fisted. Blood smeared across their faces and chests, three of them were the same women who’d hunted down the boar. Warrior women, they were the opposite of who they portrayed themselves to be back in the city.
“They always stink when they die,” the one with bull-like green horns said. She had matching tiny scales running along her temples...also matching her nipples.
I could barely find my voice, let alone speak.
The monster’s body seemed to morph into a dark fog, wisping away from his body, and that was when the truth hit me and I knew exactly who this was.
Khonsu,” I hissed.
“You got that right,” the brunette added.
“Thank you.” I looked up at them, my teeth chattering, and I clenched my jaw to stop.
“He attacked our camp this morning,” the blue haired female with round hips added. “There aren’t supposed to be any Khonsu in these woods. It’s a protected sanctuary.”
I nodded, remembering the stories from the Vepar about the Khonsu hunting females on their planet, how a large portion of their world was now uninhabitable.
“We better move,” the woman who sat next to me in the ship instructed. “There could be more.”
I turned and reached down for my bag, when my shoulder screamed with pain. Deep teeth marks, puffy and bloody sat over my shoulder, more peppered toward my collarbone under my mouth. Searing pain tore over my skin like someone marked me with a branding iron. The urge to fall to my knees and curl in on myself grew as something primeval settled inside me. All I felt was the scolding ache. I used my hand to wipe the blood dripping down my arm, but it was useless. What I needed were stitches and a bandage.
In slow motion, I crouched down and reached for my bag, only to find the little pig curled underneath, so I snatched him up as well and stuffed him in my bag before turning to the women.
They stared at me expectantly, no one moving.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, praying they wouldn’t have an issue with my little hitchhiker.
“Which direction do we need to go?” the Brunette asked, while her two friends collected their blades from the creature.
“Don’t you know?” I shifted the strap to my uninjured shoulder.
“We’ve been following you,” Zeni spoke up. “You’re close to the three Vepar and they gave you the answer, didn’t they?” Sarcasm lined her accusation.
I shook my head. “They’ve told me nothing. But I’ve been following the valley, figuring it would be a faster walk than the other.” I didn’t dare tell them the elf Vepar’s hint and swallowed hard as they all started marching past me, deeper into the woods. I had no idea if they believed me or not.
