I ventured into the clearing drawn by the sounds and more so the smells. When the first waft of roasting meat hit my nostrils my stomach protested loudly. Only then did I realise that my foraging efforts had only barely sated my hunger.

It was night-time and over the past few months I had learned to move relatively stealthily. So, I was able to creep right up to the clearing before I was spotted. There was a group of men and women arranged around a fire. One of the men who stood near the fire and about twenty feet away from me spotted me first.

“Intruder!”

The loud shout startled the group. The man who had yelled had raced backwards and was now trying to notch an arrow on a bow and looking at me wide-eyed. Two of his companions had also moved to pick up weapons but were slow. The remaining two men in the camp had barely managed to lift themselves from their lazy reclining poses and simply looked bewildered. The women, had split into two groups, I could see five of them who looked younger and thinner huddling together away from the fire and the men. The other group of three looked older and well-fed and stood close to the men. One of this second group had also picked up what looked like a stave or a spear.

I sighed. There was nothing to be done now. My stealth had failed. But my stomach demanded that meat and I would have it.

“Yes, prove that you’re not just a loud roar in the night. Prove that you’re a real king,” said Ghost-Kishni beside me.

“Shush,” I replied irritably.

I left the Prid cannon lying on the ground but I rose to my full height and stepped into the light. I didn’t want to present a well-lit, big target but I hoped that when they saw who they faced, they would flee.

“Oh gods, a demon!” yelped one of the men still lounging on the ground when he saw my frame emerge from the trees. There were cries of consternation from the women and everyone huddled closer together, or in the case of the men, scrambled away from me.

I struggled to keep my face calm even though my eyes kept getting drawn back to the arrow that was pointed at me. My heart had started racing as soon as I noticed it and the adrenalin was definitely coursing. I was not worried about spears at all, I could simply swat them away or yank them out of the hands of my enemy. But I knew what it felt like when the cruel metal flew and dug into my flesh and it made so anxious that my bowels threatened to loosen.

“Leave your food and things and leave. Otherwise I kill you all,” I said in the best low, threatening voice that I could muster. I still feared confrontation but the relentless nagging of Ghost-Kishni had shifted something in my mind. From experience I knew that not taking advantage of my visage was foolish. I was better served in trying to bluff bravado and threat than showing my fears. It did nothing to soothe my heart but I could keep my voice from trembling.

There was silence at my growling, deep statement but I could see some of the men’s eyes flicker to their leader who had shouted the warning and now had an arrow pointed at me. I could see that the leader was swaying to the side of agreeing with me and living to fight another day.

But before he could agree and end things, one of the emaciated women off to my side yelled, “No! We won’t give you anything you beast. You’ll have to kill us all!”

Everyone turned to look at the source of this incredible statement. It was a short, bony girl, barely a woman who had shouted out in the silence. Her face was dirty and wild, hair matted and sparse clothes hanging off a skeletal frame. I had expected her to be staring me down with anger and fear on her face. Rather, she was looking with hate at the men and had tears streaming from her eyes.

“Shut up, you whore. You’ll kill us all!” shouted one of the better-fed women in the other group.

“What is going on here?” I muttered.

“Hmmm…” replied Ghost-Kishni, sounding subdued. “Something bad has happened here. Something very bad.”

The tiny woman’s shout seemed to have broken the intimidation that the leader of the group felt. He shouted with confidence at me now.

“Go back to your nest beast. Or we’ll have you!”

His men hesitated and then roared in support of his statement, working themselves into a frenzy.

My stomach clenched as my heart raced even faster.

“You can fight or flee boy. But then you either keep fleeing for the rest of your life or you see what else is possible. This is the moment,” said Ghost-Kishni.

“Thank you, that’s so helpful,” I wanted to reply to her sarcastically but the words stuck in my mouth.

I knew the choice I had to make. But it was a conscious choice, like choosing to jump off a cliff. It was a choice that my body told me would be end of me. I needed to force the issue.

“DO IT!” I roared at the man with the arrow, thumping my chest like an ape.

I reflected on it later, and I think the leader released his arrow by mistake when he flinched at the sonic boom that hit him. I saw the arrow streak towards me and almost sighed in resignation. I winced as the metal dug into my flesh, burning and drilling. But it was an expected and familiar pain now and my skin had become tougher. I managed not to scream.

As the group of humans stared at me, I grabbed the arrow with one hand and yanked it out. I whimpered as the arrowhead backed out of my flash but everyone was too stunned to notice my moment of weakness.

As everyone stood frozen, I started walking forwards towards the man who had shot me. His companions scrambled out of the way as I moved. He fell onto his back and started back-crawling all the while begging and whimpering.

I grabbed him by his leather chemise and hauled him up and off his feet. He struggled in vain against my hold. I growled at him and showed my teeth. And then I slammed his slight body against the forest floor. There were audible cracks and blood splattered out. But I didn’t stop there. I raised my right foot high and brought it down with all my weight on his head. It didn’t burst, it just spread like gooey liquid under my foot.

I turned to face my stunned audience, chest heaving with frantic breaths and from the rush of adrenalin pouring through my body. I expected them to scream and flee. But they stood there frozen, with horrified expressions on their faces. All except one tiny child-woman.

She fell to her knees, grief etched on her face, and clasped her hands together as if praying.

“Lord of Death! Kill all of us, I beg you! There is evil here! Do your duty!”