I fell to my knees as the earth exploded. Screams of horror clawed at my eardrums as I stumbled, tripping over the quaking ground. The supposedly dormant volcano decided now, in the middle of tourist season, that it was going to erupt.
Panic shattered any and all semblance of humanity as people ran for their lives. It took more effort than normal to get to my feet with the earth shaking like a snow globe in a child's hands. Black ash clouds belched from the newly formed crater at the top of the mountain.
Cars rushed by, nearly hitting other people as they tried to escape the impending doom. I ducked into an alley, trying to find a more open part of town to escape into. Crowds ran as the sky went dark, the screams only getting louder as some people dropped to their knees to beg to whatever deity they believed in. I grabbed the nearest person by their shoulders, hauling them to their feet and telling them to pray and run.
I started to run with the crowd, only to hear a wave of even more panic behind me. I spun around, only to see a bus barreling down the hillside, not slowing down for anyone in its way. I dove to the side, only for the bus to clip my legs, sending me spinning through the air as my own scream joined the cacophony. I landed a few yards away and groaned in pain. I rolled onto my back and pushed myself onto my elbows. I gritted my teeth as I realized that while neither of my legs were completely shattered, they had to be broken, making me less than mobile. The pain made my vision go white for a few seconds.
I rolled back over and began crawling, trying to pull myself out of the street.
By this point, the streets were nearly empty, everyone else had fled. I saw one person holding an armload of stuff and called out to them.
"H-hey! Wait! Please, help me!" They stole one glance at me before picking up the pace. "Please!" They turned the corner and were gone. I looked up to the volcano as it roared, only for fear to make my eyes widen even more.
Lava, while slow moving, was pouring down the street. I grunted with effort, trying to at least get out of the street and into an elevated place.
I was gasping for breath by the time I got to the edge of the side walk. I beat my fist against the pavement when I realized I wasn't going to be able to get away. My most likely broken legs protested any movement.
"Man, death by lava," I gasped as I rolled onto my back, propping myself up on my elbows. "This is going to suck." The erupting volcano seemed to fade into the background, the heat of the approaching lava didn't even register anymore. I was hoping my brain was shutting off my nervous system, trying to save me from the agony.
Then I noticed it. A low but loud rumbling. It was a steady beat. It wasn't coming from the volcano.
Then the sun disappeared.
Looking up, and up, and up, I saw two impossibly large wings flapping slowly. A high pitched squeal pierced the heavens as the Queen of the Monsters landed not far off. Even with her being one of the smallest kaiju, her spindly legs somehow held up her weight. She chittered as she observed the volcano.
Through my panic, pain and awe, an idea spawned.
She was the gentlest kaiju.
…Right?
"H…hey!" She tipped her head and looked around. "Down here!" She continued looking around, her chirps and whirrs quieting as she listened. I called two more times, the pain making my eyes water.
She finally looked down. The way her head pulled back almost looked like she had been surprised. Her stance widened and she bent closer. She crooned. One front leg folded before the other. Her smaller ones supported her as she leaned down.
"Aah, uh, a-a little close there!" Her eyes, compound as they were, seem to shift to get a better look at me. "I can't move. My le-egs are hurt." It hurt to breathe, the air was thick with toxic embers. She chirred and looked around once more.
"Please." I collapsed on my back, my strength giving out. I tried to speak, but my vocal chords refused to respond. Her mandibles shifted in a repetitive motion. Silk was slowly pulled from her mouth. She leaned closer, lowering until it hung above me. My arm felt like it weighed as much as she did as I tried to lift it. It moved barely an inch before falling back on the fractured concrete. I felt the heat increase to nearly unbearable heights, but there was nothing I could do.
Mothra took matters into her own claws and ever so gently scooped me up, pinching me between her shortest front legs. Bringing me closer to her face, which admittedly freaked me out, she ever-so-gently wrapped the silk around my legs. It hurt, but it kept them in place. The air cooled as she stood up and began moving away from the lava, holding me under her head.
Since my legs weren't blinding me with pain, I took notice of the fuzz that covered her body. I would have reached out to see just how soft it was, but I still couldn't move. She stepped onto the beach and turned around. That's when a shadow fell over me. Or more accurately, over us.
A low rumbling growl made me look up. Godzilla, the King of the monsters, stood before me.
'The volcano must have disguised his footsteps!' There was no other way to explain how the immense size moved in without me noticing. Godzilla huffed at Mothra. She held me out, making me cling to her leg out of fear, and she chirped. It was almost like she was saying, "looky what I found!" Godzilla tilted his head at me. He leaned forward, hundreds of tons of muscles loomed over me. Such a large creature moving like that made my head spin. I tried not to freak out, which was unfortunately a fail. A clicking growl rippled from his throat. He simply stared at me, appearing curious about the bug that his bug was holding. He snorted, the breath whipping around my clothing and hair, before straightening up.
Once he was standing to his full height, he turned to the volcano. I could only stare at the titan. He was bigger than I ever imagined. It was terrifying...but, comforting at the same time?
I was so confused.
I gasped when I saw half the island covered in lava. There was no way I could have survived that.
A low humming sound, almost like an engine winding itself up, filled the air. It got louder and louder each time. I looked up and saw Godzilla take a deep breath, his back glowing bright blue. I covered my ears right before Godzilla nearly shattered my eardrums with his atomic breath. The energy was blinding as well, making me turn away. Something blocked out the light.
The sound and light suddenly cut off with the loud crash of his jaws closing. Mothra moved her wing back behind her, having used it to protect me from the effects of the blast. Looking over the town, I realized he had made a deep trench in front of the lava, stopping it from destroying what was left of the town. He turned to the ocean and started walking, stepping into the waves which had no power over him.
He dove under with a short roar, the ocean swallowing him up.
Silence rang for a bit, until Mothra chirred, jolting me out of my thoughts. I turned to look at her as she lifted me to her face again. She was so close that her mandibles were almost touching me. I stared, really the only thing I could do, as her eyes pierced into my soul.
Being this close was...almost calming. She had been nothing but gentle, after all.
"I-I appreciate your help, really! Thank you, for saving me!" She whirred happily, her massive wings fluttering above her. She looked around before chirping and began walking. I looked to where she was going, and noticed a ship leaving the island. I slumped in her grasp, sighing with relief. Looking back at her, I gasped.
"Thank you." The two words were all I could say, repeating them over and over. A sound that could only have been a call of "you're safe, relax" flitted from her body. Over the water rushing around her legs, I could hear people freaking out as we got closer to the boat. She lowered herself towards the boat, and while most of the people either ran to the other side or tried to get the lifeboats out, one or two people were staring in awe. I waved at them.
"A little help, please? My legs are injured!" I called out. One of them immediately recognized what was happening and slowly moved closer, keeping an eye on the Kaiju. With the boat rocking, and Mothra's movement, we couldn't reach each other. Mothra's mandibles began moving in the same pattern as before, pulling out more silk. Ever so slowly, she lowered me to the deck, dangling from her mouth. The guy caught me, sending both of us to the deck when the ship rocked. We both groaned in pain before he helped me sit up. Mothra snipped the silk and stood up.
"Thank you!" I called out one final time, even as my vision wavered. She chittered before pulling away, standing back to her full height. She walked back to shore, no doubt to get enough air to take off, only to stop for a moment and look back. I could feel one multi-faceted eye staring at me before she cried out loudly and leaped into the air. Her wings moved impossible amounts of air, lifting her higher and higher.
Once the boat stopped rocking, the man helped me move over to a bench, where he then told one of the other people on deck not currently passed out to find a medic on board.
««{{}}»»
That was five months ago. I stood on the shore of the mainland, staring off into the distance. Ever since the doctors gave me the okay to walk again, I was out here every day that I could, watching the horizon. Of course, I still needed a crutch as my left leg was worse than my right, but at least I was mobile again.
"Hey! Andrew!" I looked over my shoulder at my friend's call, "The game is starting in 15, let's go!" I smirked.
"Alright, you impatient goon!" I shouted, only to get a scoff in return. I hobbled my way back up the beach and got in his car. "You act like I don't play with you," I said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, well it's a tournament tonight and we can't be late." I held my hands up in surrender.
"I get it!" I laughed as he pulled out. There was a minute of silence before he spoke again.
"Why do you insist on coming out here?"
"I told you, I'm hoping to see her some day."
"I heard she doesn't travel much. What are the chances she comes by this exact beach on the day you're looking?"
"I know it's not very likely. I don't know, I just…feel like I owe her." I looked out the window. My hand ran over one of the two long tails of the white headband I wore. It was made from some of the silk Mothra had left behind. After I had gotten out of the hospital, I took it to someone who could process it. Surprised by the sheer strength of the material, the person asked if they could take a small sample themselves as payment. After getting what I needed, I gave the rest to them with the written agreement that they would keep it's true nature quiet. I didn't need people learning about it and going after her.
I then went and had a headband made. It was a reminder of the day the Queen had lowered herself to save one puny human. Every time I put it on, gratitude and humility would swell in my heart.
"Now, about our gameplan," My friend asked as he turned onto another street. I could only shake my head with a smile as we shifted topics.
'I'll see her some day. Hopefully, I'll get the chance to thank her again,' I thought as I ran my hand along the silky soft tail of the headband.