**Sorry this took so long..life has been chaos lately but hopefully I can
get these next chapters banged out fairly quickly. Again Disclaimer in
Chapter 1, please don't sue and any and all feedback is welcomed.
CHAPTER 6
The morning dew glinted on the leaves of the trees and on the soft ground where Damas had made camp late the night before.
He had been anxious to get out of that stank sewer called Snake Mountain and to get on with his mission of overtaking Castle Grayskull. He sat pensively in his tent and studied the maps drawn by scout troops that had investigated the area previously. His left index finger tapped incessantly on the corner of the map and he sorted out the details of his attack strategy in his mind.
Weaver had disappeared in the night, not that it concerned the General. In fact, he welcomed the silence and privacy to deal with the preparations. She could stay gone for all he cared. Though she had played a large part of his upbringing and often referred to herself as his mother, to him, she was merely a thorn in his side. Nothing more, nothing less.
In fact, he couldn't remember a time when Weaver wasn't hanging around him or Hordak. He never really paid attention before but it was like she was guarding some secret from them. Not so much protecting them as she was protecting herself or some secret she dared not reveal to them.
Damas frowned at the thought and wondered for a brief second what secrets lay in the witch's evil mind. She was a cunning, ruthless killer, just as most of Hordak's high-ranking officials were. He'd seen what she was capable of in battle, but while the others knew better than to cross her, he himself held no fear of her. Perhaps it was his father's teachings, perhaps it was her constant presence in his life. Regardless, if Weaver had ever wanted to hurt him, something prevented her from doing so.
Damas growled at himself and rubbed his bloodshot blue eyes. He had been awake all night and his fatigue was starting to get the better of him. He could not allow that. He stepped out of his tent and stretched in the forest clearing.
"No time to dwell on the mystery that is Shadow Weaver," he thought to himself as he surveyed the land around him. "I've got more important tasks at hand."
There was the upcoming attack on Grayskull. He knew that was his mission and he would fulfill it, damned be to anything that would get in his way.
But there was something else he aimed to do while he was here.
He walked a ways into the forest, knelt down and examined some animal tracks in the fresh ground. Although he could fight hunger for awhile, he would have to hunt soon. A growling stomach could be distraction when fighting off the enemy.
"The enemy," Damas thought to himself. "I have yet to see the face of this enemy and yet I have vowed to kill him."
He recalled his father's story of the assassin sent to kill him as an infant and his cheeks flamed red with fury. Before he would launch this attack on Grayskull, he would tend to the assassin, as he would to the cowardly King Randor. He would make them pay, in ways so great even the gods would be fearful of Damas' wrath.
He considered the task at hand. Captain Catra and the rest of the battalion would arrive in two days now. Time was not on his side. He would have to make his attack on the Eternian palace today maybe even tonight, kill the two infidels and disappear into the shadows again to prepare for the fight against Grayskull.
But first things were first. Damas reached into his tent and pulled out a hunting laser-rifle he had brought along as part of his personal stock of ammunition. He slung the rifle on his shoulder and prepared to set out on the hunt, following the tracks in the mud.
He followed the tracks for about a half-mile before he saw the creature chewing on a fish it had caught in the nearby stream. Damas knelt down in between two trees a behind a large, moss-covered boulder about 20 feet away from his soon to be meal.
The animal wasn't much to look at. It was large but scrawny. Damas thought it closely resembled one of Catra's pets she kept locked up in her den, but this one did not appear to be ferocious. The big cat munched happily on its breakfast, oblivious to Damas' presence.
Damas placed the rifle on the boulder to steady his shot. The creature would not feel a thing, it would be over quickly. He looked down the barrel of the rifle and aimed, his finger lightly grazing the trigger.
Damas closed one eye and shifted his weight a little. He held his breath as he squeezed a little more lightly on the trigger.
Just then another creature emerged from the trees, lurking low to the ground and growling. It crawled on its four much larger paws toward the other cat, which had now sensed danger and was no longer focused on the fish. The scrawny cat's green hair started to stand up on its end and its yellow eyes looked around, cautiously..searching for the cause of his heightened senses.
Damas looked at the new cat and beheld it's magnificence. It was huge compared to his previous prey, slick black fur that would make a fine pelt, large claws and gigantic teeth. This creature was a far more superior kill than the other mangy animal.
The scrawny green cat beheld its new, larger company and cowered, slinking away backwards and abandoning its breakfast. Its competitor reared back and unleashed a monstrous roar, one so loud that Damas himself nearly fell backwards.
The green cat took off like a flash, leaving the bully with his breakfast. The large cat wasted no time and began working on what was left of the fish.
Damas smiled and steadied his shot again. Strands of dirty blonde hair fell down into his eyes but he dared not move to brush them away. Nothing could alert this animal to his presence, for he knew in his gut that it would be a matter of seconds before it could pounce on top of him and rip him to shreds.
He lightly touched the trigger again and aimed his shot. He shifted lightly again, but this time, a few leaves underneath his knee crackled. Although the sound was soft, it was heard loud and clear by the monstrous cat.
Damas froze. The cat's huge ears pointed back as his head snapped up and its blazing eyes met Damas wide blue ones.
The cat started moving slowly towards him, closing the 20 foot gap with stalking movements and long strides. Damas steadied himself again.
15 feet. The cat kept moving, growling as he approached his next kill. Damas smiled at the animal as he beheld the promise of the hunt. He aimed at the animal's head and squeezed the trigger.
But nothing happened.
Damas shook the rifle as he realized the trigger mechanism was stuck.
10 feet. The cat's growl was louder now as its strides brought him closer and closer to the General.
Damas stood to his feet and tried his shot again, to no avail. The cat had jumped up onto the boulder now and was staring at him, daring him to make a move.
Damas through the rifle down and removed a long hunting blade from his boot. Not preferably the way he wanted to hunt, but if it was going to be between him and the cat, then we was going to fight all the way.
The cat seemed to grin as if to call him a "foolish boy." Its back arched and the animal leapt into the air on top of the General, knocking him to the ground and pinning his arm to the ground. The hunting blade fell from Damas' hand.
Damas dared not show the animal any fear though. If he were to die by the teeth of this beast, then he would go bravely. His mind said this, but his heart was beating so fast it was about to jump out of his chest.
The cat roared again, in triumph. Its foul fishy breath make Damas close his eyes and its mouth got closer to his throat. The cat's saliva dripped onto his neck.
He squeezed his eyes and waited for death to come.
But it didn't.
Instead there was another roar and Damas felt the weight of the big cat being shoved off of him. He opened his eyes to see a green and yellow blur flash over him and knock the monster cat to the ground. He stood up and watched in amazement as the scrawny cat and the monster cat circled each other, growling, threatening each other.
Damas picked up his blade again and continued to watch, despite his nagging instincts to get the hells out of there. Something about this cat-fight had his attention.
The monster cat seemed to behold both Damas and the green cat as its prey, and the green cat had been scared to death of it just moments before.
But whenever the monster cat inched toward Damas, the green cat would get in front of Damas.
"If I didn't know any better," he thought. "I'd swear this mangy creature is protecting me."
He continued to watch in confusion as the two cats swiped at each other. After what seemed like an eternity, Damas snapped out of it, reached into his belt and pulled out a small flare.
He threw the device at the big cat and watched as the flare exploded, scaring the big animal so much that it ran howling into the forest.
The flare not only scared the big cat, but the scrawny green cat now hid shivering behind Damas.
The General looked at the animal, at first with great disdain for the cowardly creature, but then his stern features softened a bit.
"After all," he thought as he ran his hands through his hair. "He did just save my life."
Damas knelt down to the shaking cat and smiled a little. He reached out and gently scratched the animal behind one of its green ears. The cat stopped shaking and looked at Damas with pleading eyes.
Despite himself, Damas laughed.
"Well," he said lightheartedly to the cat. "For one so brave you are really quite the cringer, aren't you?"
CHAPTER 6
The morning dew glinted on the leaves of the trees and on the soft ground where Damas had made camp late the night before.
He had been anxious to get out of that stank sewer called Snake Mountain and to get on with his mission of overtaking Castle Grayskull. He sat pensively in his tent and studied the maps drawn by scout troops that had investigated the area previously. His left index finger tapped incessantly on the corner of the map and he sorted out the details of his attack strategy in his mind.
Weaver had disappeared in the night, not that it concerned the General. In fact, he welcomed the silence and privacy to deal with the preparations. She could stay gone for all he cared. Though she had played a large part of his upbringing and often referred to herself as his mother, to him, she was merely a thorn in his side. Nothing more, nothing less.
In fact, he couldn't remember a time when Weaver wasn't hanging around him or Hordak. He never really paid attention before but it was like she was guarding some secret from them. Not so much protecting them as she was protecting herself or some secret she dared not reveal to them.
Damas frowned at the thought and wondered for a brief second what secrets lay in the witch's evil mind. She was a cunning, ruthless killer, just as most of Hordak's high-ranking officials were. He'd seen what she was capable of in battle, but while the others knew better than to cross her, he himself held no fear of her. Perhaps it was his father's teachings, perhaps it was her constant presence in his life. Regardless, if Weaver had ever wanted to hurt him, something prevented her from doing so.
Damas growled at himself and rubbed his bloodshot blue eyes. He had been awake all night and his fatigue was starting to get the better of him. He could not allow that. He stepped out of his tent and stretched in the forest clearing.
"No time to dwell on the mystery that is Shadow Weaver," he thought to himself as he surveyed the land around him. "I've got more important tasks at hand."
There was the upcoming attack on Grayskull. He knew that was his mission and he would fulfill it, damned be to anything that would get in his way.
But there was something else he aimed to do while he was here.
He walked a ways into the forest, knelt down and examined some animal tracks in the fresh ground. Although he could fight hunger for awhile, he would have to hunt soon. A growling stomach could be distraction when fighting off the enemy.
"The enemy," Damas thought to himself. "I have yet to see the face of this enemy and yet I have vowed to kill him."
He recalled his father's story of the assassin sent to kill him as an infant and his cheeks flamed red with fury. Before he would launch this attack on Grayskull, he would tend to the assassin, as he would to the cowardly King Randor. He would make them pay, in ways so great even the gods would be fearful of Damas' wrath.
He considered the task at hand. Captain Catra and the rest of the battalion would arrive in two days now. Time was not on his side. He would have to make his attack on the Eternian palace today maybe even tonight, kill the two infidels and disappear into the shadows again to prepare for the fight against Grayskull.
But first things were first. Damas reached into his tent and pulled out a hunting laser-rifle he had brought along as part of his personal stock of ammunition. He slung the rifle on his shoulder and prepared to set out on the hunt, following the tracks in the mud.
He followed the tracks for about a half-mile before he saw the creature chewing on a fish it had caught in the nearby stream. Damas knelt down in between two trees a behind a large, moss-covered boulder about 20 feet away from his soon to be meal.
The animal wasn't much to look at. It was large but scrawny. Damas thought it closely resembled one of Catra's pets she kept locked up in her den, but this one did not appear to be ferocious. The big cat munched happily on its breakfast, oblivious to Damas' presence.
Damas placed the rifle on the boulder to steady his shot. The creature would not feel a thing, it would be over quickly. He looked down the barrel of the rifle and aimed, his finger lightly grazing the trigger.
Damas closed one eye and shifted his weight a little. He held his breath as he squeezed a little more lightly on the trigger.
Just then another creature emerged from the trees, lurking low to the ground and growling. It crawled on its four much larger paws toward the other cat, which had now sensed danger and was no longer focused on the fish. The scrawny cat's green hair started to stand up on its end and its yellow eyes looked around, cautiously..searching for the cause of his heightened senses.
Damas looked at the new cat and beheld it's magnificence. It was huge compared to his previous prey, slick black fur that would make a fine pelt, large claws and gigantic teeth. This creature was a far more superior kill than the other mangy animal.
The scrawny green cat beheld its new, larger company and cowered, slinking away backwards and abandoning its breakfast. Its competitor reared back and unleashed a monstrous roar, one so loud that Damas himself nearly fell backwards.
The green cat took off like a flash, leaving the bully with his breakfast. The large cat wasted no time and began working on what was left of the fish.
Damas smiled and steadied his shot again. Strands of dirty blonde hair fell down into his eyes but he dared not move to brush them away. Nothing could alert this animal to his presence, for he knew in his gut that it would be a matter of seconds before it could pounce on top of him and rip him to shreds.
He lightly touched the trigger again and aimed his shot. He shifted lightly again, but this time, a few leaves underneath his knee crackled. Although the sound was soft, it was heard loud and clear by the monstrous cat.
Damas froze. The cat's huge ears pointed back as his head snapped up and its blazing eyes met Damas wide blue ones.
The cat started moving slowly towards him, closing the 20 foot gap with stalking movements and long strides. Damas steadied himself again.
15 feet. The cat kept moving, growling as he approached his next kill. Damas smiled at the animal as he beheld the promise of the hunt. He aimed at the animal's head and squeezed the trigger.
But nothing happened.
Damas shook the rifle as he realized the trigger mechanism was stuck.
10 feet. The cat's growl was louder now as its strides brought him closer and closer to the General.
Damas stood to his feet and tried his shot again, to no avail. The cat had jumped up onto the boulder now and was staring at him, daring him to make a move.
Damas through the rifle down and removed a long hunting blade from his boot. Not preferably the way he wanted to hunt, but if it was going to be between him and the cat, then we was going to fight all the way.
The cat seemed to grin as if to call him a "foolish boy." Its back arched and the animal leapt into the air on top of the General, knocking him to the ground and pinning his arm to the ground. The hunting blade fell from Damas' hand.
Damas dared not show the animal any fear though. If he were to die by the teeth of this beast, then he would go bravely. His mind said this, but his heart was beating so fast it was about to jump out of his chest.
The cat roared again, in triumph. Its foul fishy breath make Damas close his eyes and its mouth got closer to his throat. The cat's saliva dripped onto his neck.
He squeezed his eyes and waited for death to come.
But it didn't.
Instead there was another roar and Damas felt the weight of the big cat being shoved off of him. He opened his eyes to see a green and yellow blur flash over him and knock the monster cat to the ground. He stood up and watched in amazement as the scrawny cat and the monster cat circled each other, growling, threatening each other.
Damas picked up his blade again and continued to watch, despite his nagging instincts to get the hells out of there. Something about this cat-fight had his attention.
The monster cat seemed to behold both Damas and the green cat as its prey, and the green cat had been scared to death of it just moments before.
But whenever the monster cat inched toward Damas, the green cat would get in front of Damas.
"If I didn't know any better," he thought. "I'd swear this mangy creature is protecting me."
He continued to watch in confusion as the two cats swiped at each other. After what seemed like an eternity, Damas snapped out of it, reached into his belt and pulled out a small flare.
He threw the device at the big cat and watched as the flare exploded, scaring the big animal so much that it ran howling into the forest.
The flare not only scared the big cat, but the scrawny green cat now hid shivering behind Damas.
The General looked at the animal, at first with great disdain for the cowardly creature, but then his stern features softened a bit.
"After all," he thought as he ran his hands through his hair. "He did just save my life."
Damas knelt down to the shaking cat and smiled a little. He reached out and gently scratched the animal behind one of its green ears. The cat stopped shaking and looked at Damas with pleading eyes.
Despite himself, Damas laughed.
"Well," he said lightheartedly to the cat. "For one so brave you are really quite the cringer, aren't you?"