Nudge walks along quickly, keeping the backpack hefted high on her shoulders. She had gone back to the Cornucopia earlier, after that monster had… eaten little Twila.
She shudders at the memory. Stay clear of that. Its roar is etched in her memory forever. Every detail she had seen about it is eternally carved in her mind- the reddish brown, scaly looking skin, the fierce golden eyes, the black speckles that had decorated the odd sail-like ridge along its back.
An apex predator, that was for sure. Nudge sure hopes that that was the only one in this arena, but she has a nagging feeling there were more terrors just as bad out there.
It's rather peaceful, actually. Nudge needs to find a water source, but at least her water bottle is full. Overhead, the pine trees block most of the sun. In the flashes of sky above, sometimes, a flying thing swoops. It looks pretty big, so Nudge really doesn't want to encounter it.
A sound starts to reach her ears. It's a very welcome one- running water. Picking up her pace to a jog, Nudge heads towards it. But, much to her horror, she isn't the only one with a quick pace.
There's a faint tapping noise, like a bunch of light-footed animals running together. They're approaching quickly.
Panicking internally, Nudge looks all around for a weapon or a way out. Aha! A tree! Using the knowledge from her training session, she climbs up it as fast as she can. She's maybe twenty-five feet above the ground when the source of the steps comes dashing along.
They're so weird, Nudge thinks to herself. Slender and covered in sleek feathers, their shape resembles that of a lizard. They have very long, skinny tails that, judging by the way they move them, help with balance and steering. With big, curved claws on their hands and a huge claw on each foot, Nudge is suddenly glad she took splinters in her hands to get away.
Some of them appear to be injured. One of them is wheezing and limping. Maybe it took a bad fall? A thin cut is on the top of its head, staining the reddish feathers even redder. A second one, a slim specimen with green eyes, has blood dripping from a cut on its claws and from a deep gash on the side of its neck. It walks proudly, however, at the head of the pack.
Suddenly, this one stops, sniffing the air. It turns towards the tree where Nudge is, eyes narrowing with concentration. A curious chirp-like noise comes from it, when a wind blows from Nudge's right.
The animal twists its head around, inhaling deeply. It seems to brighten up, and, giving a caw to the pack, races off in the direction of the wind. The other creatures give caws of excitement, the wheezing one giving itself a strong shake. Then they chase after the green-eyed leader, tail-tips flicking from side to side.
Curiosity bites at Nudge. She knows she shouldn't follow them, it could be dangerous, but… they might know where food or a better source of water is. So long as she's careful, Nudge decides to follow them. By the time she gets down from the tree, their footsteps have faded away. A cannon suddenly booms. Who could it have been? Nudge ignores these thoughts and continues on her journey.
She sets a fast pace, running as quietly as she can while going in the direction of the feathered lizards. After a few minutes of doing this, she notices something very strange. The ground is starting to shake, like some enormous animal is walking. An elephant, maybe? Nudge has heard that they're really big.
The noise gets louder as Nudge gets closer, and finally, when she bursts through the trees into a huge clearing, she sees the source of it. She gapes at it, or rather, them.
Five huge animals walk through the clearing. About sixty feet long and thirty feet high each, they're the biggest animals other than whales that Nudge has ever seen. They're a light, speckled tan, with very long necks and a good-sized tail, and as she watches, they start to call to each other. Short, almost trumpeting noises.
Common sense getting the best of her, she climbs into a tree again, still watching the animals. She's about thirty feet up when she stops, seeing something… or someone.
Walking calmly amongst the giants is Leah. She seems to think she's safe there, and honestly, Nudge can't blame her. The long-necked animals seem peaceful enough and any predator would have to think twice about attacking them.
At the corner of her eye, Nudge spots a hint of movement. Staring at it, she realizes that the feathered lizards, well-camouflaged in dried ferns and against tree bark, are hunting these long-necked beasts. They must be insane!
But as she watches, she sees the strategy in their placement. Roughly scattered around the herd, they're all hidden and watching. Watching for weakness.
One of the long-necks, slightly smaller than the rest and limping the tiniest bit, will be their target. Nudge can see that. Fortunately for Leah's sake, the six-foot high lizards' intended meal is farthest away from her.
With a screech, the attack begins. Leah jumps almost a foot in the air in shock as the lizard-things swarm the long-neck, using their powerful hind legs to jump. The one with the green eyes seems to be the leader of the hunt, as it automatically darts to the front. It's aiming for a clear shot at the throat.
The other five animals take turns leaping, using the claw to heft themselves up. It must be agony for the long-neck, having the feathered lizards climb it. The attackers give no mercy, instead digging their claws in deep and occasionally ripping a gash. Their front claws slash at the long-neck. The sharp teeth dig into its flesh. Within the first few moments of attacking, the feathered-lizards have bloodstained claws and jaws.
Leah is keeping pace with the other four long-necks, not wanting to stand out as the slow one.
The green-eyed leader faces off against its prey, snarling and hissing at it. It makes lunges at its throat. The long-neck bellows from the pain of being climbed and in an attempt to scare away this animal.
Finally, the leader gets a window of opportunity and leaps, jaws wide, at the exposed throat of the long-neck. Blood runs freely down its jaws as it clings to the neck with forelimbs and a hind foot. The jaws bite as hard as they can. The remaining back leg kicks at the throat, claw ripping through the skin. The attacker lets go, pushing away.
It lands on its feet, panting slightly while the rest of the pack continues the attack. The other long-necks are almost completely in the forest when suddenly they backpedal, heading towards the clearing again.
Finally, the prey gives up. With an enormous thud, it lands, dead. Calling to each other in the face of victory, the predators eat the carcass, ignoring the other animals.
Another, faster-paced and louder thud announces the unwelcome arrival of a familiar face. The biggest predator, the heavy-jawed animal with the ridge on its back, runs into the clearing at full speed, roaring loudly.
Nudge is very glad she's above its head, in a tree.
Leah isn't so lucky. The predator spots her and immediately runs for her. She lets out a scream of pure fear before it snatches her up, snapping her backbone with a single crunch. The cannon fires. Dead.
The bigger predator drops the body on the ground, roaring away the other long-necks. Nudge isn't sure why he isn't eating her, until the animal growls at the feathered lizards. It wants their meal.
The feathered lizards, however outmatched by the size of the other predator, do not want to give up their prey. The body of Leah lies on the ground, forgotten, and as Nudge watches, a hovercraft materializes and picks it up. Momentarily distracted, the big predator snaps at the craft, only to find it gone. Frustrated, it turns back towards the fallen long-neck.
Roaring again, it advances towards the meat. But the feathered lizards won't let it, arranging themselves into a line in front of their meal.
Snarling and hissing, they definitely are intimidating, and Nudge has to admire their courage. The feathers on their heads are raised up, and they make slashing movements with their front claws. Their feet stamp, showing off the big claws on them.
When the bigger animal continues to approach, the green-eyed leader gives a shrieking war cry, speeding around the bigger animal. It doesn't have time to turn before it is climbing its back. Other members of its pack follow quickly, biting hard at its sides.
The giant roars, shaking the smaller animals off. Giving a defeated moan, it heads back into the forest, leaving the feathered animals with their meal.
Nudge can do nothing but stare in awe. How did they do that so cleanly, so neatly, so quickly? Not one member of the pack was injured beyond the wounds they had before. The leader moves a little more stiffly now, its head bobbing less, but it seems pleased with itself as it moved to take bites of the most tender belly meat.
Nudge watches the animals feed for a few minutes before deciding it's safe to climb down. Cautiously she gets back to the ground. One of the creatures gives her a lazy look before deciding that she isn't worth a chase, and that the fallen long-neck makes a much better meal.
After the yellow eyes move away from her, she quietly heads deeper into the forest. Hopefully she'll be able to find a good shelter before nightfall, which was soon. Then she could see who all had died…
She replays the movements and behavior of the creatures in her mind. Very birdlike, she realizes. Bobbing heads, chirps, the way they hold their arms… like a human about to clap… When they had jumped, though, they had held their arms out like they were trying to take flight or give someone a hug.
A hug of doom, Nudge thinks.
Suddenly, the image of the animal shifts in her mind. The reddish brown feathers stay a similar hue, turning more orangey, and turn into hair, staying mottled. The gait stays the same, but the tail and toeclaws disappear. Nudge realizes that the feathered lizards remind her of Toria.
The toeclaw's shape reminds her of that curved knife that Toria favored. It was like one of the feathered lizards had been turned into the girl… Nudge simply hopes that Toria will be more merciful to her prey than the lizards were to the long-neck…
Yeah, I know, I said I wouldn't update until the New Year. But here it is! My present to you, despite the fact that today, December 31, is my birthday. 'Course, I had to get a bad stomachache on it, but... whatever.
I'm doing better now, though. Next chapter has probably one of my favorite scenes I've ever written in it, so keep watch for that. Have a Happy New Year!