Part 5

Knight was overtaken by a flaming black rage as he leapt at the towering figure.

His growling insult penetrated the man's hood and reached his ears.

“HA-HA!” he chuckled, turning around to meet the youth’s anger. “So you do have some-”

The beast’s voice was sliced in half as he turned to meet the black sword, wielded by the black Knight.

“-G-g—g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g………”

A spew of noises escaped the man’s hood as he took hastily stepped back.

“How-argh!”

When the beast finally formed one coherent word, his rash movement bit him. The man stumbled to the floor, dropping Rei as his paws sank into the grass. His hood drifted from his head.

Whimpers fell out of the things’ maw. Two pointy ears tensed up. And two black beads squinted in fear, hiding between the black fur.

-But a face overcome with fear wouldn’t stop the black Knight’s attack.

“-Argh!”

Schwing

Ka-Klank

“Huh?”

“…Huh?”

The black sword ricocheted off its target.

“Huh?”

-But Knight wouldn’t let his dark rage die out by a fluke.

“Argh!”

His two hands swung the black weight upwards and then smashed it down.

Chink

The sword hit metal again, but this time it was stuck. As Knight pulled it with his two hands, a mess of chains slapped against the sword, trapping it within their clutches.

“-Shit!” Knight was ripped from the ground instantly. But he still had time to- “FWUUUCK!!”

Knight’s mind abruptly frazzled as a sharp pain erupted from his back. His whole body convulsed, buckling against the sudden pressure underneath.

“Whew…”

Knight’s dark rage was cleared by pain, revealing a beast encroaching upon him.

“I thought I was gonna be made into a fur purse for a second there.”

The man who had threatened to sperate Rei from Knight… and Knight from Rei, spoke in a jovial tone.

But-

“A….!”

“Oh, cat got ya tongue?” The man posed before keeling over in laughter. “Wait, I should be sayin’ wolf got your tongue. HA-HA-HAAAH!

“…”

“Aye, aye, aye. Ya telling me that didn’t make you laugh one bit?”

Knight shook his head as he spewed some blood.

With a tut from gaining no laughs, the man crouched down. “Welp, didn’t mean to put ya in this state. Normally I’d just keep smotherin’ your attacks but…” The man scratched behind his pointy ears. “You scared me with that ragin’ shout, ya know?”

“…”

“Well, have a good’en,” The man-like wolf… The wolf-like man… The beastly human waved goodbye, the metal chains swinging in synchrony, as he turned around to grab the girl. “…Well.”

The little girl was nowhere to be seen.

“Heheh…” The beastly man let a giggle squirm free. “Well, well, well…heheh” Another giggle trickled out of his maw as he spoke to himself. “I…hehe-” The man slammed his jaws shut, trapping the swelling laughter inside his fang-filled maw. Gritting his blades and clenching his jaw, his matted hands balled into a fist. His other blades drawing blood from his padded palm. And- “Wheeewwwww.” A massive sigh flew from his maw as his body relaxed.

After a shake of his head, the man stretched his maw, his jaw opening wide.

“I shouldn’t have been soft,” he mumbled as his maw closed once again. Then- “AAAAroooooooooo!”

-A howl shook the forest it coursed through and filled the empty prairie outside.

…

“…”

…

“…”

The loud howl had quelled every noise in the forest, but that wasn’t why the man did it, nor was it why he was silent along with it.

Suddenly, however, the man broke it with a sigh. “Well, ya got me all tensed up for nothing…”

Right behind him, tending to a damaged Knight, was a small girl. A small light was illuminating her silky hair, enough for the beast to notice the blonde tips. That illumination wasn’t to show off her hair however, it was for a more practical reason.

“…”

The beast felt a hint of sadness well in his heart as he watched the girl at work. She didn’t bother saving herself from his chains. Instead of her own safety, she stayed right in front of danger, and worse, showed it her back. All to make sure her friend was okay.

“Shucks… ya a good girl, ain’t ya?” The beast mumbled to himself as he sat himself down. “I’ll let ya ease his pain a bit then.”

After a few minutes of the Rei ignoring the man whilst she eased her saviour’s pain, Knight spoke.

“Th-Thanks…Rei.”

“…”

The girl turned away, hiding her red face in the night’s dark.

“Why didn’t you-”

“HA-HAAH, the Knight is finally awake, huh?”

Just as Knight was to question the girl’s willingness to throw her safety away, a wild laugh, alongside a jovial voice, forced his attention away.

“Well-”

“Why?”

“Huh?”

With Knight Interrupting what could have only been parting words, the man scratched his furry head.

“Why do you need the girl? Do you want her for yourself? Or were you released from prison to get her? Why the hell did you act friendly to me if you knew you had to do this? Why-”

“Okay, okay, okay, stop with the useless questions would ya?”

The beast brushed off Knight’s barrage of questions, unwilling to-

“You can kill me anytime. You can shut me up anytime. You can do anything to me, yet you haven’t.”

“Uh…HA-HAAH, surely ya jest? Why did I lose sight of tha girl in that first place?”

“…Apart from that. Apart from that, I’m still here. Apart from that, she’s still here. Apart from that, your still here. If you didn’t care, you would have left. If you cared that much, I’d be dead. If just wanted to your prize then you and her would be nowhere in sight. If you-”

“Argh, just shut up with useless words, will ya?!” The beast growled, slapping his two paws against his head before slumping to the ground. “I’ll answer a few if ya so bothered.”

The mild growl sent a shiver down Knight’s spine, reminding him who he was dealing with. But it was because he knew the beast-like man’s strength that he had to ask. Knight pushed himself off the mushy grass and turned towards the beast, yet not connecting with his gaze. Then, with a gulp to push back his nerves, Knight spoke.

“Th-That’s what I mean. Why are you still here, allowing me the time to speak? Why-”

“ONE at a time, lad,” The man pushed his condition, albeit followed by a sigh. “I don’t give a shit about what ya think about me, lad… but after hearing about ya, and talking with ya, I came to like ya.” The man stated, missing his usual jovial tone. “ALTHOUGH,” he boomed, making sure he wasn’t misunderstood. “On a scale of like, I’d say it’s quite low. All that shit just made me think ya could be fun. But… I don’t know why, but ever since ya entered ma prison room my instinct was just telling me that that’s how it’ll be.”

“…” After Knight silently concluded it didn’t make sense, he posed another question. “Well… why the- why are you… being so careful with her?”

“…Useless,” The man-beast muttered, pulling his face with his paws. “Because I’ve been told to lad…”

“B-But if you were told to, why did you tell me to get away from here? You knew she was with me…d-dint’ you? Then w-why would-”

“Argh, shut ya trap!”

With a simple command, everything silenced, not just Knight.

“I’ll just show ya…” The man said with his maw appearing to smirk.

“I-”

“…Ya know better, right lad?”

“…”

With the quiet sound of chains clinking, Knight nodded.

“-?”

With the familiar feeling of his hoodie being tugged, he looked down to see Rei. Her hands were trembling, her lips shaking, and eyes watering. She obviously didn’t want to go anywhere near the man. The monster in her eyes.

“We can’t exactly do shi…much, can we?” Knight told her, calming his voice halfway through.

“…”

In response, she steeled her grip on his white hoodie.

“…Okay, okay. It’ll be alright, you have me and Iro…”

Knight’s consoling words trailed off as a complicated girl flashed in his mind.

“Shit…”

Iroha was still asleep, trapped as snug as she could get within the thin blanket.

“Iroha?” Knight called out.

“…”

“Iroha, Iroha, Iroha?” He called out again, approaching her body.

“Ngh…”

“Iroha…” Knight moved his hands to force her awake as he mumbled her name. Hesitating, he decided to pull back, going with an easier option. “Iroha!”

“…”

“Oh, fuck off…”

“Just leave it, lad. It’s useless to try more than once,” The man butted in with his trademark word. “You two can just follow me. Now.”

* * *

Lifeless. That was the one thing resonating from this grey forest. There was no colour to it, there was no smell to it, and there was no sound save the trio’s steps trampling the dull grass.

It had been dull ever since Knight, Rei and Iroha decided to camp there. However, that was only the colour.

“Ha-Ha-Haah,” A laugh filled the atmosphere, sparking Knight and Rei to attention. “Don’t be so glum, it’s only a dark forest.”

“Right…”

Knight mumbled his reply. There was something off about the man’s words. Or more so, the way he said them.

“I tell ya, it ain’t long now, ha-haah. They just be waitin’ at the end,” the beast informed the two behind him, picking up his pace. “Ha…”

In contrast, however, Knight slowed, and Rei copied. ‘They’. He didn’t think it but for all he knew, he was being led into a trap.

“Oi, pick up the pace will ya. I don’t like waiting for people, ha-ha.”

“Y-Yeah…haha.”

Knight acknowledged the request with a nervous laugh. He was shivering in fear but no matter what the man was plotting, he couldn’t decide his fate.

It was all in the hands of-

Chink

The sudden chink of metal froze Knight and Rei. The man had stopped as well. Was this the start of the trap?

Sniff Sniff

…

Sniff sniff sniff

The man said nothing. He just sniffed. With his long, wolf nose stuck in the air, he sniffed.

“-!”

In an instant, the man dropped to the floor.

Sniff Sniff Sniiiiiff

“…? What-”

“Stay close.”

“Wh-”

The man’s eyes pierced Knight’s. There was no room to question.

All three were on edge. But Knight was on edge for a different reason.

Rei clutched her saviour’s hoodie. The man constantly sniffed. Knight wondered-

“Th-The fuck was that?”

“-!”

“…”

A blood-curdling scream revived the lifeless forest.

“DON’T STOP NOW! KEEP FOLLOWING!”

The growl didn’t register. All that Knight could hear was screaming. Screaming. Screaming, screaming, screaming, and laughter.

Mixed in with dreadful screams was laughter. Chilling. Maniacal. Laughter.

“DO YOU WANT TO DIE?”

That didn’t register either.

Knight’s mind was filled with noises. Filled with screaming outside. Filled with Laughter outside. Filled with screaming inside. Filled with laughter inside.

He was being screamed at. He was being laughed at. He was-

“KNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!”

And all were replaced by a scared shout.

Rei.

“S-Sorry! Let’s go!”

Ignoring the screams. Ignoring the laughter. Knight ran.

“-!”

Yet the screams; the laughter, were replaced by a dark, musty stench.

“NO!”

The man ignored the stench.

Rei ignored the stench.

Knight ignored the stench.

They ignored all the sounds, the smells, the distractions, and pushed on.

They wouldn’t be deterred-

“Hehe…HA-HA-HA…Haaaah. Mmm, aaaah, it isn’t enough. No matter how much I eat, it just isn’t enough. How can mother live if I can barely stand it? Kill, kill, kill. Eat, eat, Eat. No, that ain’t it. Eat, eat…bite, chew. Eat, eat, bite, chew, swallow. Swallow more. Tear, swallow, gulp. Crush, drink. Gorge! Mmmm, I guess this feast ain’t that bad.”

The trio froze.

“Mmmm. Oh, I forgot! Rip, bite, munch, munch, munch. Hahahahaha. HA-HAAAH!”

The forest had been left behind. In place of the trees that filled it, were bodies.

“Eat and eat and eat and eat. YUM!”

Or what had been bodies. Instead, the rising slope, overlooking another dull forest, was littered with corpses. Mangled corpses.

There were too many to be from the same animal. They were too mangled to tell what they were.

“Mmmm, humans aren’t the best, slurp. Slurp, but they are certainly the juiciest.”

Dancing atop the raised slope, shrouded in red mist, was a figure. A figure tearing bits and pieces from random corpses. A figure feasting on the bits and pieces she tore from each corpse.

Blarghhhhh

“Huh?”

Knight keeled over. Sick spewed out of his mouth. And the munching and laughing stopped.

“Hurray! The feast is even bigger?”