The dhin glared menacingly as it continued to stand behind the trees. The corners of its wide mouth shook like that of a dog; hungry and ready to eat. A low rumble emitted from its nostrils, which struck fear into Leta's heart.
The child could hardly move. Fear had paralyzed her entire body, knowing that she was in the presence of Locwitary's most dangerous carnivore.
Cassandra felt just the same. Without her powers, she was just as vulnerable as anyone else would be to such a monster. The dhin had mostly resembled a deer in form, but it was nothing like the docile animals she had hunted so frequently back at home. This was a powerful beast that was ready to eat her alive.
Not only was it equipped with sharp teeth and antlers; it was described as a sadistic lifeform. If death was to come from the dhin's jaws today – it would not be swift.
She reached down to pick up her stick, pointing it at the dhin in a show of intimidation. However, the animal did not even react, only maintaining its glare just as the stories said. There was a certain poise in the way it conducted itself. The animal looked like it was ready to spring forward, but its eyes maintained a glimmer of patience. It could charge them at any second without warning and Cassandra would have to react.
She needed a plan.
Whispering to Leta, Cassandra hoped that she could shed some light on these creatures. There had to be something that she could work with. "Do they only stay in the woods?"
Leta was still shaking, struggling to get any more words out. With urgency in her tone, Cassandra whispered again. "Leta, I need you to stay strong. Listen to me, do these things ever go out into the open?"
"I…I don't know," she responded. "I've never heard about them doing that."
Cassandra nodded, her only feasible approach slowly coming together. "Okay," she was visibly nervous. The once fearless woman was unsure of herself, knowing that she could very well die if she messed up. Nevertheless, she had to stay in control. "We're only a hundred or so feet from the road. We're going to carefully back up until this thing chases us. When it does, I want you to run as fast as you can."
She emphasized the next words as clearly as possible, "Do not wait for me, understand?"
Leta's eyes finally broke away from the dhin and shifted anxiously at the woman beside her. She whispered back, her words spoken quickly with a dash of bewilderment and utter concern. "What? I'm not leaving you by yourself!"
"Do what I say!" Cassandra snapped at her, eyes still aimed at the dhin; which picked up on the uptick in her aggravation and began to step closer. "Damn it…"
"Okay," Leta agreed, "let's go with your plan."
With Cassandra's hand against her chest, Leta cautiously began to move rearward, watching the placement of her feet so that she would not trip. Meanwhile, Cassandra continued to direct the long branch at the dhin with her other hand, not taking her eyes off of it for a second.
In a situation like this, she could not afford to play the part of the prey. She had to think like the hunter. If she were to break eye contact – it would be a key moment to strike. The dhin was waiting for her to slip up. It was toying with her like the sadist it was.
She understood sadism all too well; watching her prey frantically pace around, clawing for an escape route. If she was the dhin, she'd want herself to be afraid too. To panic was to hand her life card to the grim reaper himself, asking him to punch it and send them on their way. For Leta's sake, she couldn't lose this game of charade.
The dhin's pointy antlers scratched the side of the tree that towered next to it. The sharp horns cut through the bark like they were made of steel. Cassandra could see now why the poils were so fearful of these things. They could certainly demolish a group of hunters without an issue. Even the Lycans back at home were not as dangerous. She could picture this animal tearing those wolfmen apart.
If any one of those antlers found its way into her chest, her thin frame would not be able to shake it off. The result would be nothing short of a bloodbath. The animal had the musculature of a lion – and likely the speed of one too. She'd be shredded in a heartbeat and Leta would have to witness it all.
If it kills me, it's going to kill her next…
She had to look it directly in the eye. Show some form of dominance over this apex predator. One sign of weakness and the game was over. The thought of Leta having to pay the price for her mistakes was unimaginably nerve-wracking. While there was no time to ponder such emotions, Cassandra could not shake the notion that this was a side of herself that she had not seen before.
Maybe, it would also be the side of her that was capable of protecting both of them.
Leta kept moving back, pulling Cassandra with her as they rounded a tree that came up from behind them. She had to maintain her focus on the beast, as it now began to follow them. Its wide hooves slowly crept forward. Each time they pressed against the soil, the snapping of twigs and crunching of leaves served to taunt the girls.
It was like the dhin wanted them to hear it.
The surrounding area of the woods had fallen silent. Cassandra could only guess just how long the dhin had been watching them before she noticed it, but the environment had previously been full of life just minutes ago. Now, it was as if every bird and insect had ceased their calls and noise – terrified of the devil among them. Even the wind had vanished from the landscape.
Not a single breeze or whistle between the trunks. Only an eerie stillness was left to permeate the hunting grounds. Dead air enveloped them all, signaling a void that was to be filled with blood.
In a blink; the atmosphere of the forest had flipped. Once inviting and euphoric; it no longer welcomed their presence. There was a looming dread that this place held a sort of evil – seducing Cassandra with its promise of freedom only to pit her against its vicious hound.
Instinct took hold, prompting Cassandra to rear back to check on Leta. The girl's eyes remained forward, allowing the woman to watch as they widened in a fraction of a second. That was when she realized her terrible error and returned her gaze to the front. As soon as she regained sight of the dhin, it had already advanced about ten feet closer.
She tried to steady her breathing, for not only her sake but Leta's. The girl was only holding on as much as she was because of how she saw Cassandra. This was no situation for a child her age and there was no way she would survive on her own. Cassandra blamed herself for bringing them both here.
Suddenly, an idea popped up in her head. "Can you freeze it?"
"What?"
"Can you freeze it, like your sister? You have powers, right?" Cassandra asked, seeking an advantage against the ferocious flesh-eater.
"I can't do anything like that," Leta broke the unfortunate news to her, damning all hope of a quick escape. "I swear."
"Then we need to keep moving." Cassandra ushered her back some more before her foot stepped on a large rock, causing her to stumble. She quickly caught herself before she fell, but she could hear the growl of the dhin pick up in tone. "Oh no…"
The dhin was crouched like a cheetah, ready to pounce. Its rear legs bent, waiting for the next signal to go. Cassandra had slipped up in more ways than one. They still had a lot of distance to cover before they would find themselves at the edge of the woods and time was already running out.
Her plan was looking more impossible with each passing second. All it seemed that she was doing now was allowing the dhin to get closer before it attacked. She had to figure out something else – fast.
Leta clung to her side, terrified of what was about to happen. Cassandra then came up with another idea. She could not spare the moment to decide if it was the best course of action. Right now, any plan was better than no plan at all.
"Get behind me. Directly behind me. Start walking as quietly as you can. Do not let yourself get in its sight."
"But, Cassandra…" Leta did not want to leave her by herself, fearing the dhin would kill her on the spot.
"Once you're on the road, run toward the castle and don't look back. I'll meet you there. Go," she tapped her shoulder, "now!"
Hesitation soon morphed into trust. Leta assumed that if Cassandra had a plan – then it had to be good. She could only hope that everything would transpire just as the woman expected it to.
Without another word, Leta crept behind Cassandra, out of view from the dhin. It took everything she had in her to begin moving, but the woman in front of her stood still like a statue. One foot in front of the other, Leta began to walk ahead in the straightest path possible.
Please…make it out of here Leta…
Whenever she would inadvertently step on leaves and twigs, Cassandra would bang the stick against a nearby tree to obscure the sound and redirect the dhin's attention. It seemed to be working as its eyesight remained on the taller prey.
She wasn't stupid – the dhin was well aware of Leta walking away. She could only try to continue to capture its attention; invoking the image of a threat. If it wanted to kill the young fawn – it would have to face her first.
Cassandra's eyes soon noticed an old wound on the upper portion of the beast's front chest. It was a sealed slit, two or three inches in length. The story that Gibbin told her returned to memory. That had to have been received from a spear. If so, then this was the same dhin that attacked him that day.
Gibbin was a large man by nature, and to think this animal was capable of tossing him in the air sent a chill across the top of her skin. The sharpest end of her stick could suffice if she had to stab it, but it was nothing close to a hunter's spear. The odds were continuing to stack against her and inside, she feared that she would not make it out alive.
As the troubling realization encroached into her mind, another equally disastrous sequence of memories reemerged to join them.
According to Gibbin's story, the dhin that he had been following was not alone. There had been a second one, lying in wait for the perfect opportunity to sneak up on him.
All of Cassandra's nerves fired at full blast as soon as the truth hit her. She wanted to break away from her stare to check the surrounding area, just in case another one was indeed lurking about, but she couldn't.
The dhin's grin almost seemed to grow longer – if that was even possible. It was almost smiling at her as if it knew that she had stumbled upon its plan of attack but was aware of how trying to counter it was fatal on its own. It had to have enjoyed watching her suffer – as she would have too had the tables been turned back at home.
A truly sadistic animal indeed.
Between her elevated breaths, Cassandra's focus drifted back to Leta – who was all by herself now.
Oh no…
"Do not respond, Leta," Cassandra raised her voice, still locking eyes with the dhin. "Keep looking around you. If you see another dhin, you run!"
A few dozen feet away, Leta froze in place once she heard what she had just been told. She began to look around in all directions, fearful that there indeed was a second dhin watching them. She was too afraid to move at this point and wanted to run back and rejoin Cassandra.
Such a move would be suicide and the girl had to press on. All she could see was Cassandra's backside. Her posture was tense, yet firm. As scared as her companion may have been, Leta could not help but marvel at the sheer bravery that she demonstrated here. She did not know the details of what kind of world Cassandra had come from, but whatever it was like – it had to have had its share of threats as well.
Meanwhile, the dhin in front of the huntress would no longer remain still. It rose on its forward legs and took a couple of steps toward her. The beast's wide head shook from side to side while its long neck bellowed from the heavy breathing that it heaved out. Flashing its vast array of teeth – the dhin toyed with her, hoping to get a reaction of some sort. Playing along with its game, Cassandra struck the branch against the tree one more time and began shouting back at the monster constantly.
Upon hearing the intense battle cries from the mouth of its prey, the dhin's movement paused. A tilt of its head followed, accompanied by a series of sniffing. Cassandra could only guess that it had expected her to run away by now and was surprised by her continued defiance.
If that was what kept it at bay – so be it.
The dhin's large purple tongue dangled from its lower jaw, hanging down as it moved along the stiletto-like teeth that surrounded it. Another show of intimidation – one that she could not afford to buckle at. Another scream and the animal put it away…for now.
It's not going to play these games forever. Once it realizes that I'm going to keep standing my ground, it's going to go in for the kill. I hope Leta has made it far enough by now.
Seconds held the weight of hours. From within her veins and arteries, the pulsating pounding of blood rattled Cassandra's ears. Everything was moving so slowly but it all could fly into full gear in a flash. Sweat had pooled along her forehead, dripping down her eyebrows and onto her nose.
The hanging droplets obscured some of her vision and tickled her skin, but a millisecond of her hand over her face was the moment the dhin would be waiting for. She remained as still as she was before, not willing to give it the slightest thought that it was time to lunge.
The animal began to circle around, igniting Cassandra's concern that Leta would be spotted. It had to be looking for her now. Knowing that her prey never once stepped forward to face her until Ethan, she took a step toward the dhin, causing it to pause as it reared its head back over to her.
Just like I didn't expect, either…
She had to show some form of force – sparingly. Too much and her adversary would go all in.
Turning back around, Leta watched the two square off with one another. It would not be a fight that would last long. The fawn was terrified of what she expected to happen. Tears ran down her face, yet, she remained quiet in her sorrow. Cassandra had instructed her to not make a sound. If she could do anything for her, it would be just that.
To think that she would have to watch her newfound friend lose her life was something that she could never have foreseen. Nothing in her life had ever prepared her for this.
Advancing closer toward the edge, she could see the two of them vanish from behind the trees. She would likely stay out of the dhin's line of sight for the time being, and maybe Cassandra would realize that her plan had worked. If so, then Leta hoped that her friend could now start retreating as well.
Gaining ground toward the road, Leta kept on her path, trying to stay as silent as she could. The glow of the Specter Moons on the grass could be seen through the trunks. They had become a signal of salvation for her. It was so close now.
She was almost there.
A low rumble emerged from the distance. Let's heart skipped a beat as she shot a glance over to where she believed she heard it. As she feared; crouched behind the trees was another dark shape. She did not waste a single second.
"Cassandra, run!" Leta shouted as she bolted for the opening.
"Leta!" Cassandra turned and sprinted down after her, hearing the dhin that she was facing launch itself off the ground within a second of her going. The powerful beast barreled toward her, its heavy breathing huffing in the air, ever closer to her ears.
Running was useless. Knowing that she'd be skewered upon contact, Cassandra lunged to the side, resulting in the dhin's sharp-as-swords antlers crashing into her arm and spinning her around. She fell to the ground with a painful impact, rolling over as soon as she was able to orient herself back to her surroundings. The dhin continued to charge ahead, inadvertently striking a tree and lodging the top end of its right antler into the trunk.
Seizing the opportunity, Cassandra pushed her body up from the dirt. A sharp pain rose from her right arm. She could see the torn fabric of her gown, mixed with a dark, red trickle of blood. There were lacerations to her skin, but nothing visibly deep. She knew her wounds well, and while it hurt, the dark blood was a solid indicator that no artery had been severed. She was still in the fight.
She spotted the stick a few feet away and ran over to pick it up. She needed to have a weapon if she was going to end this once and for all.
Sprinting toward the animal, Cassandra approached it from behind, eyeballing the side of its ribcage. She had the perfect chance to impale it. The predator was still struggling to free itself from the tree. The antler was buried very deeply. If it had that much force behind it, she would have been killed instantly had she not lunged just in the nick of time.
I can't allow this thing to face me again. Running is out of the picture.
Sensing that she was drawing closer to it, the dhin suddenly twisted its body, shattering the top of its right antler and freeing itself from immobility. Cassandra's eyes opened wide as soon as she saw what had transpired. The creature resumed its charge, its mouth ready to deliver a fatal bite.
In an instant, the beast jumped at her. Cassandra braced her body for the collision, grabbing her stick with both hands and holding it horizontally across her body. The large mouth of the vicious animal came forward, and before she could blink; its jaws clamped down on the branch.
The wind blew out of her stomach as the powerful creature knocked her off her feet once again. Her back landed on the ground, rocking her bones as the hard surface bombarded her structure. She would not allow the disruption to weaken her hold on the only thing between her and total evisceration.
The dhin's long teeth punched through the thick wood, lodging themselves inside while its giant head twisted and turned; attempting to shake off her hold. From below, Cassandra clung on for dear life while the hairy quadruped hovered above. Its round, black eyes occasionally peered down at her; the dark orange circles inside filled with a black oval.
The dhin cast a loud, muffled growl as its hooves staggered forward. Cassandra felt the solid points of its feet crash into her thighs and shins, igniting a barrage of pain. It was stronger than she was and full of energy.
It would not quit until she was exhausted.
I need to get to Leta!
The dhin shook the branch wildly. Cassandra tilted her head, trying to get a glance at where her companion may have been. Between the dhin's deafening growls, she could hear the sounds of panic from across the trees.
I can't wait here!
The dhin began to use its strength to drag Cassandra forward, carrying her two dozen feet across the edge of the clearing. From her peripherals, she could see that they were about to connect with yet another tree.
The dhin clamped down harder, causing pieces of the branch to splinter and rain down on her face and chest. The stomps of its feet picked up their pace and she could see that it was going to box her into a corner. The impact would be intense and she had to come up with a split-second decision.
When the dhin's speed peaked – Cassandra let go.
With a rear hoof to the shoulder as a parting gift, the dhin barreled over Cassandra and struck the tree ahead, stumbling around as it released the branch from its mouth. Putting the blunt pain of her injuries aside, Cassandra got back onto her feet and made a run toward Leta, fearing that the second dhin may already have gotten to her.
Hustling through the shrubs and trees, Cassandra soon spotted the rear of the other one; crouched and peddling around back and forth in the same spot. The only thing that could come to mind was that the predator was in the process of ravaging her corpse.
It was no different than any of the Lycans that she had seen across the village countryside during her spring and summer hunts. The feral abominations were adept pack hunters, but occasionally, an individual would find themselves out of the group. She'd taken the time to follow them – her pursuit born out of sheer curiosity.
Sometimes, a stray would manage to bag a goat or dog. There was only one occasion where she witnessed a wolfman devouring the remains of an unlucky child. The adolescent's corpse was thrown around like a ragdoll as claws demanded mounds of flesh from inside the dead girl's ribcage. The way it swayed around, ravenous as all hell when it tore her remains apart – the dhin was no different.
Neither would Leta be if it managed to snag her.
Please…don't let me be too late!
Lost in the memories of her past, Cassandra was only brought back to the present as she tripped over a large stone that had been embedded in the ground. She felt weightless in the air as she crashed forward, bracing her forearms ahead.
With a thud, she hit the ground and prepared her body to resume the sprint. A thunderous gallop ensued from behind her and the brunette immediately felt her right calf compress and get yanked backward.
A fiery storm of knives enveloped her muscle, punching through the tissue and locking themselves in place. The pain was unimaginable – something the likes of which she had never felt before. The searing burn of the cold weather was one thing; being mangled was another.
"Argh!" Cassandra cried out as her body rotated and she saw herself being dragged back by the hungry dhin. Its mouth covered her bare leg, right below the knee. She could feel her foot go numb as all circulation was cut-off. Blood rose out of the rim of the dhin's lips as it continued to press down on her.
The pressure was great and the true bite force of her adversary was far from realized. Any moment now, it could completely shatter her bones or tear the limb clean off. She had to think fast.
The shockwaves of agony rippled across her body as the dhin continued to sink its teeth deeper into her. Her other muscles tensed up, making it hard to react. If she gave in – she was already dead. Fighting the instinct to curl up, Cassandra reached out and grabbed the first thing she could find: a short, broken shard of tree bark.
The plate was thick, hard to flex as her hand tightened down on it. This was her only resource left before the dhin could permanently turn the fight in its favor. She glanced at the creature, studying its body in the millisecond that she had to do so.
The sharp bark would not penetrate its skin one bit. The dhin's skull had to have been as resistant as a bear's. There was no way she was going to land a kill shot. No matter what, the dhin was still able to run around.
In that millisecond, Cassandra made her decision.
It could run around all it wanted – as long as it couldn't see her.
Seizing the momentum as soon as the dhin stopped dragging her to reset its footing, Cassandra lurched forward and slammed the bark directly into the center of its left eye. The black orb imploded as the jagged plate pierced through it and traveled into the dhin's orbital socket.
She witnessed its brow tighten and wince from the unforeseen blow, taken completely by surprise. The dhin's jaw opened up, releasing her as it roared. The hot breath of the beast coated her leg, which was soon touched by a splash of cool air.
She was finally freed from its clutches.
Reeling from the attack, the dhin buckled around and retreated, bumping into another tree as it did so. There was no telling how long it would stay like this, however. Its vision was cut in half, but that didn't mean that it couldn't see. It could run. It could bite.
It could still kill.
"Cassandra!" Leta's screams carried out through the dense foliage, taking priority in the woman's train of thought. She was still alive and in dire trouble. With no time to spare, Cassandra turned away from the dhin and moved toward the sound of chaos just up ahead. She had to reach her.
"I'm coming!" Cassandra stepped forward, feeling her right leg become extremely difficult to stand on. Blood leaked out from multiple puncture wounds that the dhin had given her. The hefty coating of sanguine liquid obscured the extent of her trauma, but that was something she would have to worry about later.
If she could still stand, then she could walk. If she could walk – she could run.
Her adrenaline kicked in. Ignoring all signs that her body was damaged and using whatever energy left that she could muster, Cassandra took to her feet and hurried over to the source of the girl's shouts.
It required a lot of strength to keep her right leg going. Part of her calf was still numb – likely drained of all power from the loss of blood. She shuddered to think of whether or not the dhin had stolen a pound of her flesh as it tore its head away. She was too caught in the moment to notice if it had.
Seizing another stick off of the ground, she combed through the bushes, avoiding the exposed stones that sat in the dirt. From a dozen feet away, she spotted the other dhin using its antlers to claw through a group of trees that were clustered together.
Leta had to be hiding inside them, she figured. There was nowhere else to go. Everything around them was open enough for these things to speed through. If the girl tried making a run for it, the dhin could quickly devour her. Closing the distance, Cassandra could only hope that it didn't sense that she was coming.
As she got closer, it was clear that Leta had chosen the center of the bundle as a refuge. It allowed the perfect amount of space for her to slip her short, thin body through. If the dhin tried circling her, she could easily go back through the other way. Such a tactic could only last so long, however. With the injured dhin likely recuperating, she wouldn't last long.
The short stick Cassandra wielded was blunt, unlike the pointed one she had utilized earlier. It was heavy at the top – similar to a warrior's club. This was going to be tricky. With each step she took, gaining ground towards the imposing foe, she analyzed it for the weakest area to hit.
The dhin's body was built like a tank. This creature had muscle – and it used every fiber of it. She imagined that its skeletal structure was likely reinforced to some degree. Seeing how the previous one collided with trees and continued to remain focused, it would take more than a single hit to defeat such a monster. She would only get one chance.
Closer and closer, she was losing hope in anything effective being done. At the very least; she could distract it; let it mutilate her and allow Leta the chance to run away.
Sacrificing herself for this young fawn? Why? There was no answer at play here – only instinct.
Sprinting up before the dhin could turn around, Cassandra had found the best location to strike. The lower part of the dhin's legs appeared to lack as much muscle compared to the rest of its limbs. However, the bend in its joints may have been the weak spot that she needed. It looked weak – almost malleable.
Swinging as hard as possibly could, Cassandra heaved the end of the heavy branch towards the side of its right knee. Crack.
The dhin roared as its head rose from the trees, teeth flashing against the light of the sky. It stumbled back, its rear section collapsing over. Astonished, Cassandra glanced over at what she had aimed for. There it was; the dhin's leg now flopping around in the air.
Perfect!
"Leta, let's go! Run with me!"
Whimpering, she emerged from the trees to see Cassandra with the branch, breathing heavily, eyes scanning the path ahead for the quickest way out. The dhin buckled around, struggling to get back onto its hooves. Its large mouth, deadly as ever, snapped as it tried to snag Cassandra's arm. Luckily, the woman was far away enough to grant her a warning. She jolted back, swinging the branch at its face.
The blow knocked the dhin's head to the side, sending it back down against the ground. As Leta's head popped out from the opening of the trees, Cassandra's sight remained focused on the ravenous hunter below her. The dhin kicked around, trying to shake off the hit.
A fire was lit inside her chest, sending intense wrath throughout her body. She would not allow it to threaten her or Leta any longer.
Cassandra lifted the branch above her head and with a loud shout, swung it back down at the dhin yet again. The blunt side of the improvised weapon recoiled off of the corner of the dhin's skull as it met its mark. The animal groaned aimlessly – suffering from the impact.
Cassandra did not let up. She returned to form, heaving the branch down onto its head again and again. With each hit, the dhin's limbs began to curl and convulse. Its body shook frantically while its head – propped up at an angle due to its antlers – began to bleed and deform.
"Cassandra!" Leta cried out but the woman would not listen. Amid the carnage – she did not hear her at all.
Continuing to scream, Cassandra struck again, blasting its right eyeball out of place and causing it to bubble out from the opening. Blood poured vigorously out from every orifice that existed on the animal's skull. The branch pulled back, revealing a sunken crack that oozed heaps of red onto the grass. The part of the dhin's face was no longer visible, cloaked with a crimson covering.
"Cassandra!" Leta shouted again but to no avail. The girl glanced down at the dying dhin, retreating inside of the trees as soon as her eyes processed what she was seeing.
One final scream and one final strike. Cassandra crushed the dhin's skull further with the heaviest swing that she could perform before immediately releasing her hold on the weapon. The beast's body twitched repeatedly in the aftermath of the violence she had inflicted upon it. Brain matter poured out from the newly-formed valley along the side of its cranium. She had to have found a soft spot. To say that her luck had carried her this far was an understatement.
Nonetheless; she did not want to stick around to see how far her luck would stretch.
The dhin's final series of breaths played through as Cassandra's eyes shifted back to the reason why she had taken its life in the first place. "Hurry!" She shouted to Leta as she reached to take her wrist. Before Leta could respond, Cassandra grabbed hold of her and yanked her out from her hiding spot.
Without a word, Leta rotated her body and made a dash for the outside. Freeing her from her grasp, Cassandra craned her torso around to check the two beasts. The first one was still trying to find its way past the various trees that surrounded it. The impalement proved detrimental to any advancement as the sudden blindness was too great for it to continue to track them.
The second dhin was not as lucky.
As far as they were concerned, the danger imposed by both of the creatures had been drastically reduced – but the appearance of more dhins could not be ruled out. If they traveled in pairs, then they likely held larger numbers nearby.
"Come on," Cassandra exhaled, sweat pouring from her brow. "We're almost there."
Each second carried the feeling of eternity as they navigated through every obstacle in their path. The light of the outside grew closer with each step. There was no guarantee that any dhins would stop upon reaching the edge. They were not evil spirits trapped within a curse or spell. They could easily push past it and make an attempt on either of their lives.
As soon as they got outside, it was going to be another sprint back up to the castle. It was still so far away. She did not know if either of them had the stamina to make it, but whether they did or not, neither of them was going to stop.
Cassandra could run faster than Leta, but she didn't leave her behind. Whenever the girl fell back, she'd grab her by the wrist, pulling her closer and encouraging her to keep pressing forward. The howls of the dhin echoed from nearby. At any moment, the bloodthirsty terror could be right behind them for all they knew.
The outer perimeter was fast approaching. They were almost there now.
"Don't stop!" Cassandra beckoned as they found themselves several feet away from the outside.
With a mutual jump, both leaped onto the green grass outside of the trees. Just as planned, the running didn't come to an end. They needed to put as much distance between themselves and the forest as they could. However, there was a small sigh of relief to be had as Cassandra glanced back and saw that it was only her and Leta left to wander the plain.
"My legs are burning," Leta complained. It prompted Cassandra to glance at the girl's limbs, inspecting them rapidly for any signs of injuries. Thankfully, there was no visible blood or any signs of wounds. It had to have been the overexertion, she figured. Better that than anything else.
"Don't give up," she waved her along, fighting to take in additional air. "Stay with me."
After five or so more minutes of speeding down the pathway, Cassandra and Leta were at zero. They had no more energy left to spare. Looking back toward the woods, they imagined that any threat from the dhin was long gone by now. They had covered so much ground and it was likely the predator had given up.
As soon as Cassandra stopped in her tracks, Leta plopped onto her rear, desperate for oxygen.
"I think we're safe," Cassandra told her.
The child was red. Sweaty to all hell. She had probably run more in the last few minutes than she ever had in her entire life. There were some tears that continued to drip down her cheeks, indicating that she was still stirred up from everything that had happened.
She needed to breathe and rest, otherwise, her stability would likely crash. Taking a much-needed seat beside her, Cassandra had not realized that her hood had been down this entire time.
Throwing it back onto her head, she tried to straighten it amidst the heavy gasps she could not hold back. Leta was going to be alright. The girl was just as winded as she was. Peering down at Leta's body, there was still nothing on her besides dirt and grass mixed with copious amounts of moisture.
Cassandra was a completely different story.
I'm still bleeding…badly…
It may have been because of all the running, but now, her lower leg was covered from top to bottom in blood. The pounding pain of the wound began to reemerge – stronger than before. The adrenaline and shock were wearing off, causing her to grit her teeth.
"Damn it," she groaned as she touched her wound. Major damage had been sustained on her right calf. There was no question in her mind that the dhin had torn her muscle apart. It was a miracle that she had managed to retain as much use of her leg as she did. While it did not appear that an artery was severed, the bleeding was still in full swing.
She felt like a fool to think she would be lucky enough to make it through unscathed. The excitement she once felt at the prospect of being able to face off with the fabled predators was an uneducated blunder. She could not deny that the encounter had rattled every ounce of her being.
She was injured – and even a little scared.
"Cassandra…" Leta tried to catch her breath. "You're hurt. We need to get you back."
Tearing off the bottom half of her gown's skirt, she began to apply pressure and wrap her wounds as best as she could. The blood-soaked through the fabric as soon as she applied it. Another strand was torn off, tightened around the wound as best as she could.
She hoped the growing loss of sensation in her toes was due to the bandage, but that was a fantasy. The dhin had left its mark and then some.
Cassandra wished that she still had her powers. If she did, none of this would have been an issue. Watching the blood seep down her skin, there was no resemblance to any insect or evidence of what she was truly made of. She felt more human than ever and it was a horrible sensation.
The stinging of her nerves heightened as she secured her wrappings and straightened out her limb. There was no way around it; she'd have to endure the agony until proper medical aid could be rendered.
"Is there anything I can do?" Leta leaned in, assessing the damage without much knowledge as to how to approach it.
Her eyes squinted shut, brow rigged with strain, Cassandra shook her head vigorously. "No. Are you hurt? Are you bleeding anywhere?"
"I don't think so," Leta answered.
"Please check," she insisted.
As asked, Leta inspected as much of herself as she could. There were no signs of any blood or broken bones. Hardly any bruising was to be seen at all. "I'm unharmed," she responded.
"Good," Cassandra breathed. The young fawn had made it through in one piece, thankfully. That was all that mattered. "Let's just take a second, catch our breath. It shouldn't be too long of a walk until we get back."
"All our medicine and food are still back in the woods," Leta frowned.
As soon as the final word escaped from Leta's mouth, Cassandra immediately turned around with her own, "We're not going back to get it…"
"I…I know," Leta nodded in defeat. "I just wish we had something to come back with."
"You still have an intact throat," Cassandra groaned with a small smile as she rotated her shredded leg over, "don't you?"
With a tiny chuckle, Leta acknowledged the truth that there were greater things to cherish than simple fruits or potions. She was happy to have survived at all.
"Milo is going to be upset when we get back," Leta said.
"Let me deal with him. It's my fault we went into the forest. I'll take whatever he has to say to me. Don't worry. We should get going. Being inside that boring castle of yours sounds awfully good right about now."
Back at the castle, Milo rushed to Lia's room following a sudden eruption of cries and wails from inside. Up until now, things had been relatively quiet. She had been placed in an induced slumber to allow her body the speediest recovery possible.
He wasn't expecting her to wake up at this time – especially in such distress.
Crashing through the door, Milo spotted her tossing around as if she was having a horrifically bad dream. He approached her by the bed, removing a small vial from a nearby nightstand and opening its top lid. Holding it above her head, he emptied the contents of the tube down below.
The hazel-colored liquid poured out, transforming into a cloud as it descended upon her face. The mist seeped into her nose and mouth, entering as if it was vacuumed up. As the remnants of the potion dispersed amongst the air, Lia's body convulsed for a second before her eyes shot open with a long gasp.
The induced sleep was over.
"Lia," Milo knelt beside her, deeply concerned about what may have prompted the pre-mature return to consciousness. "What happened? You weren't supposed to be awoken for another day."
Her pupils were widely dilated following what had been a prolonged surge of pure adrenaline. Rapid breathing only caused her to become increasingly frantic as she tried to make sense of her surroundings.
"Rest, please!" Milo tried to calm her, holding her down to prevent her from getting hurt. Lia only grew more anxious, seemingly unsure of where she was. "Lia, it's me, Milo. You need to breathe slowly. Try to relax."
Lia's eyes studied him before zooming across to the rest of her room. It all began to click now; she was back inside her castle – nowhere else. Her panicked state subsided only slightly; just enough to allow her to speak.
"Where's Leta?" She could not stop shaking, eyes fixated on Milo with the highest determination.
"I sent her out to Acomb with Cassandra," he explained. "They were tasked with procuring some food and medicine that we could use. They should be back any minute now."
As soon as she heard Cassandra's name, her breathing immediately paused. She reached out with her other hand and grabbed him by the wrist, her face never looking as worried as it did now.
"She can't be left alone with her!"
Milo cupped her hand with his own, trying to reassure her that everything was fine. "Cassandra shouldn't be made to feel like a prisoner here. Her temperament can likely settle down with some freedom. We need her to work with us."
Lia's dreadful glare would not leave him. Hearing that her sister was still with the woman from a different realm exacerbated the reality of what she knew.
"Milo, you have to listen to me: she is not to be trusted. I've seen what that woman has done in her home world. She is a monster…"
NOTES:
Well, that was an intense chapter, wasn't it? Cassandra had her work cut out for her in this one, that's for sure. On the road to redemption, a reminder of mortality can be quite humbling, to say the least.
The concept of the dhin is inspired in part by the myths of what is known as a "Not Deer." Essentially, it is an animal that may look like a deer, but there's…just something not quite right about it. It goes to figure that the deer in Locwitary are the opposite of the ones that exist within Cassandra's home realm. In keeping with the horrors that live in the RE universe, Locwitary is not a break from such violence.
It might even have its place…
On that note, as pointed out by JadedLiebre in the last chapter, the game Elden Ring played a big part in inspiring the world of Locwitary. A little backstory: In the game, I made my character into Bela Dimitrescu for fun. I then got the idea that a story of her finding herself in such a crazy world would make for an interesting plot. The aesthetic world got to me and that then morphed with other ideas that lived in my head. Before everyone starts asking, no, Locwitary is not home to the kinds of monsters Elden Ring has. The dhins are probably the most dangerous things she will encounter in terms of creatures, for now.
And yes, originally, Bela was actually supposed to be the main character for this story. In fact, the earliest chapters were written with her as the main character. However, as I began to look at Cassandra more, I found that she was the perfect fit. Her encounter with Ethan was the perfect set-up for the scenario that I had in mind and her personality would allow for the best scenes. If anyone had a long road ahead of them – it was her.
I believed that Bela would have approached her situation with a reasonable and logical approach. Cassandra, on the other hand, likely would not have been too easy for others to work with. So, rewrites were done and here we are today!
So, addressing the last scene in the chapter; Lia is back! You can expect to see more of her and Milo as the next chapters progress. What will happen now that she knows the truth about their visitor? Well, we'll just have to wait and see…
This story is going to have a lot of twists and turns as it progresses, I promise. The next chapter will have its share of memorable moments that I'm sure you will all enjoy. That chapter will be released on the 27th.
Follow this story on Archive of Our Own to see the newest piece of artwork that I have created for this chapter! Every chapter gets one!
I say this in every chapter note, but the support I've received from you all since this story started has been amazing! To see the excitement and joy this has brought you is the ultimate joy in writing. Some of you are talented writers yourselves, and the encouragement provided is just wonderful. I just want to say thank you again for giving this story and myself a chance 😊
Leave a comment to let me know what you thought of this chapter! If there are any concerns or concerns, criticisms, or anything, I'd love to know! Drop a kudos as well if you're liking this story so far as well.
That's it for now, but I can't wait to come back with the next batch of content. I hope you all have a great week in the meantime! Stay safe and happy! See you around!