Interlude: Head and Heart
His eyes looked shocked, they were also bloodshot, and the irises were entirely black. It was a grotesque image to be sure, but one I couldn't look away from. The man had been more than just an adversary, more than just a legend... he was once a king. I had killed a king. I felt the sneer curl at my lips, as I let loose a kick that sent his disembodied head into a tree a hundred meters off.
"Good riddance." I muttered under my breath, before turning back to the fray. The image was chaos, with most moving faster than any mortal could comprehend. At the center was my family, rending limb from limb. I felt my sneer turn into an excited smile as I plunged into the battle.
I dodged and weaved, and cut down newborn meat like corn on harvest day. Several more fell to the wolf who tore a path towards me and then moved with me as a partner in battle. I occasionally glanced over at it, and it stole glances towards me as well, my friend… my lover. In another life I would've never even thought twice about its death in this war. Now I couldn't comprehend the thought of losing it, or any of my extended family.
Then I caught something coming on my right, trusting my companion to take it down. Except an instant later I heard a crunch of bone, I looked in horror as the rabid newborn wrapped its arms around the mighty wolf's chest and began to squeeze. I attacked without thought, beheading it without mercy with a scream of pain pouring from my chest. The bright beautiful eyes of the beast looked at me as it collapsed, before those eyes began to flutter an instant before its head fell to the ground along with the rest of its body.
I had to make a choice, defend, or help the rest of the family. My enemies quickly made the choice for me as I looked around, only to discover three more red-eyed monsters were racing towards me. With a small exhale of breath, I stood and prepared myself, hoping against hope that the small heartbeat lingering in the beast below me would survive the next few minutes.