Escape?

There was a sheer drop between us and the rocky waters deep below. Standing at the front of the entrance to the cave was a monster, the likes of which have never been imagined even in my worst nightmares.

14/05/2014_12pm

We searched around the entrance for a safe way of off the cliff. We found none. The only way down was to jump, jump into the deep dark depths of the hungrily waiting ocean, ready to throw us back against the cliff face when it embraced us. By now we were cold and tired, Anna was too afraid of her powers to light us a fire, and who could blame her, after what she had experienced.

As time passed we became drowsy, our strength leached away by the cold night air, all the more made worse by the uncomfortable pellets of sand that carried through the wind hailing us from the beach.

We sat huddled next to each other in only our night ware, keeping each other as warm as possible. After a while we got used to disturbances and Anna managed to fall asleep resting on my shoulder.

15/05/2014_5am

I heard it and at first wasn't sure if I was hallucinating from the cold, but it came again from deep inside cave. A quiet rumbling sound, it sounded like a stomach, a hungry stomach. I looked up and realised that the sun was rising, had time really gone past that quickly. Startled I realised the sound was getting louder, which meant whatever it belonged to was getting closer. I turned towards the huddled sleeping form of Anna and shook her gently at first in the hopes of waking her. She did not. I shook her a little harder the second time calling out her name. She was well and truly out, completely dead to the world. Under other circumstances this could have been humorous or even cute, but right now I had no weapon and something was coming from inside the cave.

I looked at the floor around me, searching for a weapon. A loose shard of rock was at the edge of the cliff. I picked it up in my right hand standing in front of Anna ready to defend the sleeping girl. There was a sheer drop between us and the rocky waters deep below. Standing at the front of the entrance to the cave was a monster, the likes of which have never been imagined even in my worst nightmares.

Because there standing in front and above me by several heads was a gargantuan beast. It had sluggish appearance, multiple eyes popping out of what would could only be assumed to be its head, vine like extremities reaching out of its torso waving around on the inside of the cave, as it dragged itself out.

I held the now inadequate rock in one hand, the other stretched over so that it was in front of Anna's body. The beasts many glazed eyes swivelled around its head taking in the sight outside of its home. Taking in the sight of everything except us. As soon as I realised this I ducked down, crouching as low as I could without becoming immobile, I looked at the creature for a second time, this wasn't a predator, it was a prey, the eyes on top of its head used to search the skies for any predator that may want to claim it as food. The thought crossed my mind but did not register until I heard the large ferocious shriek of a bird splintering the silence. All eyes of those on the cliff excluding those of the sleeping Anna turned towards the terrifying sound.

Directly over the beach diving towards its prey was an eagle. Its awe inspiring beauty and grace In the sky catching my eye, but what caught my attention the most, was not it's glistening onyx claws, or it's beautiful brown feathered wingspan, but the fact that it had two sets of wings and a pair of horns sticking from the top of its head as well as three long tails dragging lazily in the Jetstream behind the ferocious beast. It swooped over and past me grabbing the Mollusc in its claws, ripping it of the cliff face leaving a slimy messy trail as it fell and landed on the rocks below, killing it almost instantly with a disgusting squelch sound which resonated through the echoing cliffs.

Perspective Anna

Screeching broke my trance like slumber the first night off which I hadn't had a nightmare, but this screeching was attacking the new found peace. This annoying screeching stopped, replaced by the swift beat of wings and a crumble of rocks. My eyes shot open as the contents of the previous day invaded my sleep, I shot up and turned towards the source of the sounds. An Air- Beast a ferocious and one of many forms of beasts that inhabited Dale, and there standing between me and the Air-Beast, was Alii, an innocent looking rock in one hand the other pushing my limp body deeper into the cave. The bird tilted its head to the side in a questioning way as it watched two mice head back into their little cave, its beak gleaming with a shiny and sticky substance. Probably what It had had for breakfast … so what did it want from us?

Most beasts were notoriously known for playing with their food and hunting for fun, but Air-Beasts were majestic and honourable creatures and only killed for the purpose of eating. Alii walked slowly out of the cave rock ready to strike in one hand the other poised in a defensive position. He looked incredibly insignificant compared to the Air-Beast before him. The bird stretched its head forward passively, a gleam in his eye told me otherwise.

Perspective Alii

We just found our way of this mountain!

I walked towards the bird it passively reached its head forward, I smiled. This was too easy, a satisfied bird to fly us of the dreaded cliff.

Naïve me!

The beak shot forward, a bullet out of a barrel heading towards my head its glistening beak moments away from decapitating me.

A flash caught the corner of my eye as a strand of read shot forward whipping the beak moments before hitting my head, its sharp point ripping the skin above my eyebrow and over my forehead blood pooling over the right side of my face and into my open eye.

For fucks sake, what is it with everything in Dale trying to kill me, my eyes flashed as a second tendril of red appeared alongside the first whipping at the now retreating bird, I turned to see Anna her hair ablaze in fire her eyes burning relentlessly and tearing as she lashed out at the beast looking to protect me, those sad tears falling down her face as her past overshadowed reason. I glared at the bird that had caused those tears, anger rising within me, no one is going to make my family cry I decided in that instant.

I had never done anything good for myself or others on Earth, but here with this power I could become something, gain friends have a family ... Find a home. It was a selfish thought but that was what I really wanted … somewhere to call home.

I darted forward at an amazing speed and leapt high into the air, above the Beast, it looked up as me as its first opponent Anna fainted her hair returning to its (normal not on fire lashing out everywhere state). I twisted in the air soaring ever higher as I positioned myself above the bird pulling my legs close to leap again, in mid-air. Ripping through the sky I was released, a human arrow towards its prey screaming towards the bird.

"Time to take you out of the food chain bub"

The corny line escaped my lips, a malicious smile appearing on my mouth a crazed air around me black mist trailing my path as I slammed into the head of the bird drilling the rock into the top of its beak as I crashed back to earth, slamming its head into the ground shattering it around us. I looked up to see Anna's dazed eyes on me. I then realised my stupid mistake, I smiled to her, as we fell into the awaiting ocean.

Perspective Anna

The scream left my lips filling the air with the dread I felt as I reached forward hopelessly towards the slowly retreating Alii. He disappeared from sight after a stupid smile on his face a black mist left in his place, the deathly scream of the bird and the dangerous, animalistic roar of the demon retreated as they fell into the ocean. I knelt starring out into the sky tears freely flowing down my eyes, as the scene played again and again in my mind, the gently rising sun shining pityingly on me.

"I COULD HAVE SAVED HIM" I screamed

"IF ONLY I WAS STRONGER" if only I could control my power

I mentally attacked myself blaming Alii's death on myself. A rusty screeched pierced my thoughts as I heard the bird dive towards me, huh so there was another one, and now it will take my life, this is as much as I deserve. I lowered my head down in resignation as I was snatched of off the cliff face.

Gentle hands was what received me instead of the embrace of those sharpened onyx claws.

Perspective Alii

We fell fighting in the air the bird scrapping at me the mist protecting me from harm, I managed to reach out to its neck and grab a handful of feathers and pull myself up. I grabbed its two horns like motorbike handles and furiously pulled up as the sea quickly came to meet us. Whoosh! The rush of air pass through us as we skimmed over the water away from the cliff. I turned the Beast towards the receding figure kneeling on the lonely cliff, the Beast responded in my hands as we swooped down towards that poor figure. I reached out and with my remaining strength pulled her off of the sharp rocks and onto the smooth feathers of the Beast.

Her red rimmed, tear struck eyes opened and gazed at me causing a new onrush of water to flow from those beautiful, strong eyes. Smack! Her hand came across my face like lighting slamming into my jaw and reddening the skin leaving it stinging as she released.

"You slapped me"

"Stupid Alii"

"What?"

"You could have died"

"I could've, but I didn't"

"Shuttup"