Page 15 of Monster's Pet

“Maybe a griffin,” I said thoughtfully. “A wild dragon would have caused a lot more damage, because of their size.”

“That’s true.” Aiden rubbed his free hand through his hair. “I hope that whatever it is isn’t hurt too badly.”

“Look, a rabbit!” I whispered, pointing out the yellowish puffball at the side of the path. One of its ears twitched and it turned to keep us in its sight.

The motion revealed that the smudge of black on its forehead was actually a horn.

“That’s not a rabbit,” Aiden hissed. “Sleep!”

The not-rabbit fell asleep, tipping over on the path.

“How do you know about these creatures?” I asked, crouching over the beast. “What’s this one called?”

“It’s an almiraj,” Aiden said quietly. “Common enough in the UK. Its horn is useful in potions.”

“I don’t think I realized that the powder I use in potions came from a living creature,” I said with a frown. I stuck the magical ball behind its head and turned it on. “I’m not sure I like that.”

“Fortunately, these creatures shed their horns in winter during their maturity. This is still a teen, of sorts,” Aiden said. He woke the almiraj once I’d hidden us. It reacted similarly to the craiyon, waking and immediately taking shelter. “It’s easy enough to collect the horns and no creatures are harmed.”

“That’s a relief,” I said. “Now, where’s that blood trail?”

Aiden put his hand on my arm and shook his head. “We have to head back, I’m afraid.”

“But—” I protested, upset. “What if it needs us?”

“We can come back after class and pick up the trail.”

“Or we could just continue now,” I begged. “This is our last class of the day.”

Aiden shook his head. “Then Professor Wright will come after us, you know that.”

I pouted. “Okay, but right after we check in, we come back.”

“I swear.” Aiden lifted his hand, two fingers stuck together like he was a boy scout. “I’ll even set up a magical beacon to guide us right back here.”

He was as good as his word. As soon as we had checked in with Professor Wright, we slipped back outside and hurried down the path to where we had left the beacon. I’d grabbed a handful of the magic generators, just in case we ran into any more magical creatures that needed help.

Dusk had fallen in the short time it had taken to return to the forest, the shadows of the trees stretching wider and crisscrossing the path. I used a drop of magic to give myself night vision, but knew I’d have trouble seeing with it soon. Eyes could only take vision spells for so long before they deteriorated. The spell, not the eye.

We continued following the trail of blood and damage until we reached a wide stretch of trees that looked like they had exploded outward.

Aiden put one arm out to hold me back, and I peeked over his elbow, swallowing hard. Two large shapes were huddled on the ground on either side of the clearing.

“I want to be sure they won’t hurt you,” he whispered.

“Try a sleep spell,” I suggested.

The closest, and smaller, shape was first. I saw no movement, not even a relaxation, and I drew in a sharp breath. “I think that one’s dead,” I said.

“Stay cautious,” Aiden said, creeping forward.

I followed behind him, keeping one eye on the monstrous shape on the other side. If it was still alive, it was asleep. I skidded on something slippery and Aiden caught me.

“Don’t look down,” he hissed.

I did anyway, and what I saw made me blanch. “That’s an awful lot of blood.” The ground was almost black with it. I saw shapes within the blood, and once I saw the beast on the ground, I recognized the shapes as what should have been within its body.

The stench hit me a moment later and I gagged.

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