Page 21 of A Kingdom so Crimson

I cursed as the impact sent me skidding across the ground, the beast's massive body rolling over me. Pain exploded in every part of my body, its weight crushing my chest while its claws raked across my arm. Blood poured from my leg, pooling beneath me as dizziness clouded my vision. I could feel warm blood trickling down my face, the world spinning around me as I fought to stay conscious.

The beast quickly got up, thrashing its head violently and clawing at the arrows lodged in its snout. One stuck in its slashed eye while the others pierced its throat and mouth. I scrambled back toward my bow that lay a few feet from me.

It noticed the movement and snarled at me, quickly slashing out. I rolled sharply away as its large paw struck the ground, inches from my head. Swiftly, I pulled out my long dagger, realizing my others were scattered with my arrows in the crash, and scanned the area for my other two before another claw came crashing toward me. Instinctively, I held the dagger prostrate as its large maw slammed into it, stabbing straight through and spraying me with its ghastly blood. It yanked its paw back and clawed out again, barely slicing into my arm before I dodged away. Its angered roared, piercing my ears with a ring.

My body shook at the deafening roar, adrenaline surging through me as I forced myself to my feet, every step a jolt of pain. I stumbled toward my bow, gritting my teeth with each agonizing movement. Just as my fingers closed around it, a more thunderous and fearsome roar echoed from my left, stopping me cold.

I spun around, bracing for another attack, but what I saw left me breathless. This new beast was unlike the others. Its fur gleamed with a golden brown hue, streaked with rich golden-coppery oranges, and its massive frame bore more resemblance to a majestic wolf than the grotesque creatures I had just faced. Its eyes were a mesmerizing mix of bright coppers and golds, and shone with an unexpected gentleness that made me hesitate.

The jet-black beast snarled, its gaze locking onto me with a chilling, silent claim of ownership. My breath caught as the golden creature responded with a deep, menacing growl that reverberated through my chest. It stepped forward, placing itself between me and the black beast as if to shield me. The air crackled with tension as my heart pounded in confusion.

In a blur of movement, the black beast lunged, its fangs gleaming with deadly intent. It struck the golden creature with ferocious speed, sinking its teeth deep into its side. A blood-curdling yelp escaped the golden beast's snout, and my heart lurched in fear.

Frantically, I reached for the golden whistle around my neck—only to realize it was gone. Panic seized me as dread settled in my gut. With a desperate prayer on my lips, I tightened my grip on the bow and bolted, pushing my shredded leg to its limit and sprinting away as fast as I could.

As I fled, the clamor of battle behind me intensified, claws scraping against the earth and teeth clashing in a flurry of violence. The heat of their massive bodies bore down on me, just feet away. A sharp snap followed by a pained yelp cut through the noise, forcing me to glance back.

I quickly scooped up more arrows, nocking them with trembling hands. The golden beast had its jaws locked onto the black one's throat, blood staining its coppery fur. I released the arrows in a flurry, not caring for precision, just desperate to keep them at bay.

Within seconds, the fight escalated into a savage brawl. Teeth snapped, saliva sprayed, and guttural growls echoed around me, turning my insides to sludge. They barreled toward me like cannonballs, each trying to overpower the other in a frenzied race to reach me first. The ground shook with their ferocity, and I could feel the vibrations in my bones, my heart hammering in sync with the relentless violence.

I ran harder than ever. My lungs, legs, and body screaming against the strain. I felt my blood rushing down my leg, pooling into my boot as a numbness overtook it, tingling down into my toes just as I reached the tree. I began climbing as fast as possible; my nails split against the bark that splintered into my palms.

A torrent of guttural snarls echoed behind me as the black beast broke free and lunged at my legs with its bloody maw.

Its claw caught onto my left boot, pulling me down and taking my boot off completely. I hung on, kicking frantically, and forced the broken arrow deeper into its eye.

It yelped out again before the other beast jumped on its back, biting hard into its neck, its blood coating its teeth. They fell back with a sickening snap, seeing the black beast's head slump lifelessly in the massive beast's mouth.

I got to a branch and began hoisting myself higher and higher, wholly out of range of the golden beast that dropped the black beast at the base of the tree. It began roaming around under the tree, limping and whimpering out. Blood covered its golden fur with two of my arrows protruding from its back. I nocked another arrow, letting it fly into the beast's side. It roared in pain before it limped and fell to the ground.

I took a staggered breath, struggling to gather my thoughts as panic and fear churned inside me. I pushed the pain down and focused on the motionless golden beast lying before me.

There's no way that arrow took it down.

Still, I nocked another arrow, just in case, and released it. The arrow struck its neck, and the beast let out a soft, pitiful whimper that made a pang of guilt twist in my chest.

I shoved the feeling aside and settled onto the branch, focusing on my breathing to steady my racing heart.

Inhale, exhale.

My entire body trembled as the adrenaline drained away, and I became aware of the blood dripping from my head. I touched the gash on my hairline, pressing down to stop the bleeding.

I needed to get back to the gate, uncertain how much time had passed.

Pushing aside the fog creeping into my vision, I wiped away the blood that threatened to blur my sight and began mydescent. My muscles screamed in protest as I slid down the trunk, finally jumping clear of the black beast that sent my leg barking in protest.

The golden creature lay several feet away, its breaths coming in slow, ragged gasps.

A strange sensation washed over me, urging me to aid the creature.

No. Absolutely not.

The creature's labored breathing persisted, only stirring my heart more. With a reluctant groan, I began to shuffle my way toward the beast, leaving a trickle of blood in my path.

As my hand made contact with the beast's soft fur, a surge of unexpected emotion flooded through me. In that moment, the apprehension that had clouded my mind dissipated, replaced by a profound sense of connection to the creature and an intuition of its inherent goodness, which seemed to radiate from every fiber of its being.

I moved fast, yanking out the arrows in its back and side as blood poured out but clotted unusually quickly. I did the same to the arrow in its neck as it stirred slightly before its breathing settled.

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