Shepard winched as the flying rocked the Nuelthak's head, causing the small teeth to grind against the armor. Even though they couldn't penetrate it, it still hurt like hell. Why the creature hadn't just killed her already was still surprising but she wouldn't question its motives.
Thane had been injured while trying to help her and who knew just how deep that gash had been. She'd find out soon enough though. The Nuelthak had made a mistake when it went after her friends and injured Thane. But the biggest mistake was to leave Shepard alive. The Commander's worry over her companions and the subconscious stress over her current life threatening situation only served to piss her off right now.
The Nuelthak didn't fly very high; for whatever reasons. Maybe it wasn't built for high altitude flying. That worked fine for Shepard, her mind already working on a way out of this mess. Fear and shock would have to remain in the subconscious part of her mind for now. She turned a little in the jaws, gritting her teeth against the pain as she bent her arm backwards to reach over her back. Most of her weapons were pinned down to her armor by the jaws. However the shotgun being placed low on her back was free and fully functional.
Shepard remembered how the Nuelthak reacted to being shot in the mouth; hopefully that was its weakness. At least a shotgun round down its throat ought to hurt a lot. She focused her gaze on the ground below them, feeling the need to hurry. The wind and the pain were dulling her senses by the minute.
When it finally did lower its altitude, Shepard realized that it was because it was reaching its destination. But upon seeing it, she was in an even more hurry to get away from it. It was approaching something that could only be described as a nest. A branch made nest among the cliffs, filled with what had to be at least 10 hatchlings. They were very small, in the size of a dog but even from this distance they seemed as ferocious as their parent, climbing on top of each other and small mouths opening in shrill shrieks.
Dropping from the Nuelthak now would most likely be her death. She had no choice but to wait until she was in the actual nest and take her chances from there. She moved the shotgun to rest the base against her side while the muzzle was aimed towards the base of the creature's mouth. Using the shotgun from this position would most likely give her a bruise afterwards but that was a low price to pay.
Shepard looked down towards the nest, feeling the change of speed in the Nuelthak's flying as it started to increase its wing flapping before landing at the edge of the nest. She clenched her teeth together before pulling the trigger of the shotgun, ignoring the squealing hatchlings below her.
The effect had been all she had hoped for. The Nuelthak reared up with a loud roar, dropping Shepard at the brim of the nest. Blood quickly trailed down from its jaws as it continued to trash around in pain, scattering the red fluid everywhere.
The hatchlings, all small copies of the adult one was shrieking as well in fear, so far avoiding Shepard as she got up on her feet in the nest, gasping for air. She hadn't realized how small breaths she had taken up till now due to the grip and it took her a few seconds to get a bearing. The rock shook as the Nuelthak staggered about on the cliffs that the nest was supported at, so being able to actually stand steady was tricky.
Shepard sheathed the weapon before moving the now free hand to her side, gritting her teeth in pain. She quickly stumbled over to the edge of the nest, looking down below it. The cliffs ahead were more like a hole filled, rocky area than actual cliffs. Very possible to run across if you were agile enough and she could spot the unnatural red colors of a jungle cluster further off.
The human glanced over her shoulder, eyes growing wide as she saw one of the hatchlings having gathered courage and leaped for her with its mouth wide open for a nasty bite. Shepard wheeled around, ignoring the sharp pain in her side before smacking the side of her armored arm right into the hatchlings head. It fell to the ground with a shocked yap but turned over as soon as it had landed, hissing.
Shepard quickly vaulted over the nest's edge and landed with a roll on the flat cliff below. Time to see just how good at sprinting she was. Keeping her eyes on the ground to avoid any cracks or holes, she started to run forward.
First when she had made over ten meters in distance she looked over her shoulder, swearing loudly as she realized that the hatchlings weren't bound in the nest. Almost all of them had jumped over the edge as well, sprinting after her like their strong hind legs were made for nothing else. Thankfully they seemed incapable of flying yet.
Pulling out the shotgun again, she stopped and turned briefly, loading bullets into the closest hatchling. Much to her surprise it didn't fall after one round, but it took another three rounds before it fell to the ground in a bloody pile.
Why the hell did the hatchlings had to be as resilient against weapon fire as their parent, she thought furiously, abandoning that idea as she started to dash forward again. Her foot landed in a crack, making her stumble forward but she managed to save her footing just in time. One fall here and she'd be surrounded by a pack of wild beasts. Nothing she intended to try out now or ever.
A twinge of fear settled in her gut. The thought of dying again was unsettling, threatening to remove her focus from the situation. The loud scream from the Nuelthak further off made her glance over her shoulder again. The large creature was up in the air now, heading right towards her, flying just above the cliffs.
She was so close to the jungle now, but in the speed the Nuelthak was going she'd never make it in time. Her eyes scanned the area, her well trained mind giving her the edge she needed. She suddenly started to run towards the left instead, towards a few peaks of rock. It would only be a few more seconds now…
The Nuelthak swooped down towards her, just as she dove in behind the peaks. The animal let out a loud growl, trying to break in but its speed was too great for it to stop. It crashed chest first into the peaks, breaking off the top of them at the impact. Shepard didn't pause to check on the situation; the Nuelthak's head had paused right next to her, shocked after the blow. It opened its eyes in time to spot her dart off, the vertical black pupil narrowing to a thin line.
Some of the hatchlings had stopped on the way, while the strongest of them had reached the adult now. They didn't stop either, dashing ahead, eager to feed.
For a moment Shepard got hit by the thought that the edge of the cliffs ahead might just stop abruptly but much to her relief she could see them narrow down to a slope. It still was a treacherous slope though, with sharp rocks and numerous ways to fall and injure herself even more.
Gritting her teeth, she started to slide down the slope, keeping her right hand on the ground behind her. Something snapped just behind her, making her realize just how close the hatchlings were. Even while sliding down she managed to glance over her shoulder, spotting three of them standing up at the cliffs, pacing around while growling. Hoping they wouldn't follow, Shepard continued to slide down, stumbling the next moment as her strength failed her legs suddenly and she ended up rolling down the last bit, landing hard in the sand by the forest.
She coughed down into the sand before turning to the side with a grimace. Just as she thought she could take a break, she heard the sudden roar, turning her attention upwards.
"Damn it!" she expressed her thoughts loudly, as she staggered up at her feet wildly, dashing in among the trees, before the Nuelthak landed below the cliffs. Now she hoped EDI was right about its reluctance to hunt in the forests else she was definitely screwed. Her chest was aching from the long sprint and the former trip through the air in a Nuelthak maw.
Shepard kept on running as much as her lungs would allow before she paused by a tree, throwing her back towards it to be able to look towards the Nuelthak. She could see it pace around outside the edge of the trees, before it roared and lifted off, disappearing somewhere over the cliffs.
The woman tilted her head backwards with a long, loud sigh, allowing her body to finally relax for a short moment. With a wince she realized that her hair had gotten stuck into the trunk of the tree. Swearing, she recalled the sap outside of them and she grabbed her hair in her fist before pulling loose. She had to wriggle loose from the tree with her back too, groaning at the spot of hair strays stuck to the sap. Well, it could have been a lot worse, she though with grim irony, rubbing the back of her head.
With an aching chest, head and sides, she looked around, wondering just where the hell she was. She tapped the communications device, frowning as it let out a little buzz before dying entirely. It would seem that the Nuelthak ride had done more than just bruising her body.
This was probably where most people would start panicking. Being stuck without communication on a dangerous planet like this and when the rest of the crew probably thought her dead already. The woman winced a little when thinking about the others. Although they were probably safer than she was. Thane wouldn't let a gash like the one he had got bring him down, she knew that much. Besides, worrying about him now wouldn't help her own situation.
She put her hands on top of her head, mostly to stretch and check the limits of her injuries. Most important thing was to keep her head cool and her attention on the environment. She still had her weapons and with some medi-gel she'd feel better soon.
Keep yourself together, Shepard, this is far from the worse situation you've been in, the woman told herself, gazing upwards through the leaves.
Hope you all like it! Next chapter's gonna be a lot less about Shepard. Time for some team action. ;)