Rise of The Fallen
Ch 15- lost to the forest

–Elazar–

I couldn’t get the female out of my head, continuing to mindlessly sharpen my weapon as thoughts plagued my mind. The sound of my chipping stone sliding over the edges of the blade was all that soothed my tumultuous thoughts, and it barely helped.

Several questions about the mysterious female were driving me crazy. Where was she from? Was she truly on her own? And why had she ignored my calls to aid her?

If she was from a southern territory, one far from here, then she might not understand my native tongue. But that still didn’t explain enough; it just made me wonder why she had ventured so far from her lands.

Perhaps she had been abandoned, exiled for being born without horns or a tail. Some tribes were strict on such things. They refused to harbor any ‘weak’ tribemates, those who lacked the means to protect themselves, and often shunned those unfortunate enough to have such disabilities.

But what tribe would be so uncompromising that they would cast out a female? No matter the territory, females were rare. There was only about one female to every four males. It was one reason among many that they were so precious to us. They were the only way our kind could ever have a future.

So how could anyone be so callous towards one?

The sound of a single dry leaf crunching gave me pause, and I listened closely to who was approaching me from behind. Their steps were light, placed well enough to muffle the sound of their approach to a degree. But they weren’t completely silent, meaning they must be inexperienced.

I had a good idea of who it was. I let them move a bit closer, a tad amused by their attempt to be stealthy. Right before they could make a move, however, I spoke up.

“Kion, I heard you coming from ten paces away.”

An audible groan came from behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder at the youngling. Although he was approaching adulthood, he still had the tendencies of a youngster, I suppose that was due to a lack of a father, or parents in general.

“But I’ve been practicing all week,” Kion whined. “How did you hear me?” Kion moved to stand beside me, crouching down with a glum look on his face. Maybe I should have entertained him and not spoken up.

“You failed to notice the dried leaf that crumbled under your steps. You could sneak up on a venshal, but something like a Xian would notice you half a mile away.”

He sulked further, glaring at the ground in front of him while mumbling curses about the dumb leaves, his tail flicking around in agitation.

I glanced at the bladed tip of his tail, a small smile forming on my lips. “Your tail has grown.” Almost instantly, he perked up, shoulders straightening proudly beside me.

“So have my horns! They’ve grown nearly a whole inch in the past month. I’ve been keeping my blade sharp and have been practicing my hunting skills with it,” Kion exclaimed happily. “Roku said it’s nearly half the size of his and is strong, like my fathers!”

I smiled a bit, setting aside my own weapon to listen to him talk. Kion’s father was a respectful hunter who had taken care of his son after his mate had passed away from a fever. Unfortunately, he met his end during a hunt gone wrong, when a territorial Xian had caught him too close to its nest.

Kion had been orphaned at such a young age, but was lucky enough that the tribe, as a whole, raised him. Even with the unfortunate upbringing, he was still a lively and clever hunter.

“Hey, Elazar?” Kion’s voice snapped me from my thoughts. “I know you’re dealing with some stuff, but I was wondering if you could take me to Shestal? Roku said he was too busy, and everyone else is focused on preparing for Talok and Ratha’s union. I figured you wouldn’t wanna be around during that, and I kinda need to replenish my arrowheads so…”

At the mention of Talok and Ratha, I dropped my head in shame, my chest clenching painfully. Why did I have to be reminded of them?

Kion cast a wary glance in my direction, realizing his mistake, but I paid him no mind. Closing my eyes, I sighed before looking over at him. There was no reason for me to make him feel guilty over asking a simple question. “Yes. I’ll take you Shestal, but first you’ll need to prepare for the trip. It will take us a few days to get there. Once you have everything, we can leave within a week.”

His frown was wiped away as he beamed at me and nodded his head. “Of course! I’ll get everything I need immediately!”

Movement caught my eye, and I looked past Kion as Roku and another tribe member of ours, Paku, approached. Kion turned around, following my gaze and we both stood up to greet our brothers.

“Elazar,” Roku spoke. “We are in need of help.”

I looked at the two curiously. Paku stepped forward with a worried look. “My twin brother is missing. He went hunting in the northern part of the forest last night and hasn’t returned.”

I glanced at Roku in confusion. It wasn’t uncommon for hunts to take days, and if Paku’s brother had only been gone a few hours, why are they so worried?

“I know what you’re thinking,” Roku stated, running a hand down his face. “But he only went to the river for Silva; he should’ve returned by now. His mate has a newborn kit, and has requested we search for him as she has become worried.”

Gripping my spear tight, I nodded. If I had a mate worried for my safety, I would want someone to search for me. “I’ll head out immediately.”

Paku gave a slight bow in appreciation. “We will begin searching the heart of the forest, if you can search toward the river. Please alert us if you replace anything.”

I nodded again, patting Kion on the head as the others departed. “I will speak with you later; we can plan our trip to Shestal more thoroughly then.”

Once I was alone, I gathered what I would need for protection before making my way toward the river, unease settling in my gut.

Why do I have a bad feeling…

–Kora–

The last sun was setting over the horizon, taking all light away with it and what little sense of security I’d gained with my new weapon. I’d spent too much time looking for food, and now I was going to be wandering back to my cave in the dark.

Fuck.

I hated being out at night; not only did my likelihood of being eaten skyrocket, but I couldn’t count the number of times I’d tripped on a vine, or stepped in something unpleasant. The darkness also made it a hell of a lot harder to follow the trail of trees I’d marked.

Not wanting to delay any longer, I continued through the rough terrain, on the lookout for the markers.

I squinted, eyes locking on a large tree. I thought I recognized the discolored marks carved into it, but upon closer investigation, I realized they weren’t my markings. Fresh claw marks had been scratched into the trunk by some kind of wild animal.

Definitely not a good sign.

I shivered, goosebumps crawling across my skin. I eyed the trunk warily before glancing around, an uneasy feeling of being watched slithering down my spine.

Maybe I was just imagining it, but if something was sizing me up for a meal, I didn’t want to wait and replace out. I should have been more stealthy, but apprehension filled me and I hauled ass as soon as I found my actual trail marker. As I passed a few ferns, finally starting to relax, the brush nearest me rustled.

I froze, my entire body tensing as the rustling continued, until suddenly, it cut off. After a few terrifyingly long seconds, I let out a small breath, my heart beating frantically in my chest.

Fist clenching around the hilt of my new knife, I turned to face whatever was following me. Whatever was here, it was stalking me like prey. If I ran, it would definitely attack. If I stood my ground, I might be able to intimidate it enough to get it to back off.

I eyed the shrubbery warily, listening for any kind of movement. Unfortunately, I could only make out shadows with the small bit of moonlight peaking through the trees.

A branch snapped to my right. My head whipped to the side, spotting the outline of a massive feline-shaped creature as it prowled towards me on six thick legs, paws making almost no noise, and long saber-like teeth jutting from its top lip.

The alien cat lunged for me, a deep snarl piercing the air. It tackled me to the ground, slamming into my torso and snapping at me with its large maw. I barely held it back before it could bite me, my forearm digging into its neck. My eyes widened in fear as I stared it down. Four ears and black, soulless eyes stared back at me as it twisted its head, aiming for the arm I’d used to hold it back.

It bit my arm, teeth latching onto me. I screamed in agony as pain exploded throughout my arm, its massive teeth sinking into bone. It began clawing at me, tearing at my stomach with powerful swipes that felt like knives cutting into flesh.

My free hand squeezed into a tight fist, right around my weapon, and I slashed the cat across the face. I sliced open one eye, and it yowled, releasing my arm and jerking away from me. I stumbled to my feet, twisting away from the beast and sprinting in the other direction.

I have to get out of here!

There was a terrifying growl that echoed behind me, followed by the sound of its paws slamming into the ground, the cat giving up its pretense of stealth as it hunted me down. My breath was full of ragged, pained gasps, but I didn’t dare stop, didn’t dare look back. Sharp claws latched onto my right leg, yanking me backward. I cried out as I crashed to the ground.

No, no please!

I briefly felt a flare of pain as my leg was sliced open before the cat jumped onto my back, crushing me into the dirt. Its teeth pierced my shoulder, and it shook its head savagely.

Screaming, I struggled to fight off the creature but it only held on tighter. I blindly thrust the knife towards the cat’s head again, hearing a muffled yelp. Warm blood and chunks of fur slipped over my hand.

I’d hit it!

Fueled by its blood and my own fear, I yanked the knife back before stabbing at the cat again and again. I felt like a wild animal at that moment, fighting for my life. My knife sank into it deeper, but I kept going. I didn’t stop until the thing released my shoulder, collapsing on top of me.

Tears streamed down my face as I found the strength to drag myself out from under the cat. Everywhere the cat had cut me burned, almost as if someone had poured alcohol over the open wounds. I crawled forward before rolling onto my back. My breaths were shallow and uneven as I dropped the knife beside me in favor of clutching my shoulder to help staunch the flow of blood. As my heart rate began to slow, I turned my head to the side, watching as the blood drained from the giant cat. Its body lay still, black eyes fixated on nothing.

It was dead.

I didn’t even have the strength to gloat over my victory, wondering if I’d be following it into death in just a few more minutes.

The jungle was quiet aside from my frantic breathing and whimpers of pain. Why did these terrible things always happen to me? What did I do to deserve this bullshit?

Everything hurts…

Gingerly, I lifted my hand from my shoulder, watching my own blood drip from my fingers. Reality set in, and some of my shock must have faded because the next thing I knew, I was sobbing uncontrollably. I couldn’t bring myself to move from my spot on the forest floor, crying harder as more pain engulfed me.

The cold night air was a stark contrast against the warm blood seeping from my wounds. I dropped my hand back to my shoulder, glancing up at the night sky. One of Xanadis’s moons peeked through the treetops, looking down at me. It was surrounded by a blanket of stars,

My vision blurred and my mind came to a terrifying conclusion as I laid there motionless. Too weak to move. Too tired to make any sounds.

I’m dying…

After so much turmoil and fighting to survive for months, I’d finally reached the end. I’d fought tooth and nail to survive in this monster-ish world, refusing to give up my life in spite of what those on Krosa wanted. I had planned to start over and live how I wanted but now I was bleeding out, alone in the cold dark.

I’d hoped things would be different. What a fucking joke!

I coughed out a small laugh through my tears and pain.

I should’ve known better. My life was forfeit from the start.

Admiring the moon and sky one last time, I closed my eyes and let go. There was no point in fighting anymore.

At least now I won’t have to suffer…

My consciousness faded, and the last thing I heard was the faint sound of bushes rustling nearby.