Frozen with dread, Aspen didn't move as the huge monstrosity charged. Instinctively, Sekafi grabbed his arm and yanked him aside just in time. They landed heavily among splintered trunks and torn off branches, the monster's claws raking the air where they'd stood. The black creature roared, painfully loud after the silence. Her pulse racing, Sekafi shot to her feet, ready with the spear. Aspen groaned behind her.

'Run!' she yelled, eyes on the creature. It towered above her, multiple eyes blinking independently of each other. Its huge maw gaped, revealing thousands of teeth, and a long serrated tongue in deep purple. Three irregular horns, looking like old tree branches, crowned its head. Its elongated black body bulged and twisted. Sekafi grimaced as the sight. The beast seemed made from slimy ropes with odd moving black fur, or tendrils, covering it's back. It twisted around and flew towards her, its many legs pumping. Dust and sticky pieces of bark flew around it. She stabbed with the spear, cutting into it's thick neck, and jumped aside. An unexpected tail slapped her back into the ground, knocking the air from her lungs.

'By Kinirin's antlers,' Sekafi growled as she managed to suck in some air. 'Give me the strength of the Hunt!' Her recovery was short-lived as the monster jumped towards her. Sekafi rolled, and got up into a run. The monster snarled behind her, and something stung her shoulder. She spun around with the spear and dislodged the long tongue attached to her shoulder. Blood spattered, matting her fur and running freely down her left arm. Cursing, she stabbed towards the creature's face. It dodged, more nimble than it looked. Lit only by the moons, it was hard to judge the black mass' movements. She crouched, circling it. The monster spun around and jumped away from her.

'Wha...?'

Realization struck her like a bolt. Aspen. The idiot hadn't fled. Probably didn't want to leave her alone against the creature. Roaring, she hurled the spear. It flew straight and lodged itself into the creatures back. It howled and skidded to a stop, not a yard away from the shaking half-elf. But it seemed to break his terror-induced paralysis. Aspen dove to the side and ran towards the edge of the clearing. Good. Sekafi hefted her golok, wondering if she'd be able to fight the big thing with such a short weapon. Probably shouldn't have thrown the spear away.

The monster growled and padded towards her again, mouth open and salivating rivers. She shuddered. Her left arm felt numb and prickly. Luckily, she was right handed. She bared her sharp teeth at the monster.

It roared and flew at her. She jumped straight up and chopped at its head. It yanked its head up, knocking her to the side with its antlers, but not before the golok took at least one eye out.

'Ha!' If she could blind it, it wouldn't be able to see her attacks. She landed into a crouch. But her numbed arm buckled and she fell into the dirt. Cursing, she stumbled back up, and barely managed to jerk the blade up, deflecting another tongue attack. The serrated tip coiled around the sword and whipped her right cheek. She bit into it, turned the golok around, and sawed through the fleshy tendril. Howling in rage, the monster pulled it back, spraying purple blood onto the ground.

Sekafi spat the tongue out, retching from the horrible taste it left in her mouth. 'You taste like shit!' she yelled. It charged her again. She scooped up a handful of dirt and flung it into the abomination's face. Closing it's many eyes, it swiped at her. She slid under the sharp claws, and cut upwards with the curved golok. Another clawed foot stepped down onto her chest, pinning her under the monster. A crack told her she'd broken at least one rib, but she felt nothing. Yet.

The black mass twisted around. Its great maw opened wider than should have been possible, spraying her with drool. She stabbed upwards, but its flexible tail smacked the golok out of her hands.

'Kinirin's mercy.' She wouldn't get out of this one. Thousands of teeth rushed towards her face, then jerked away with a shriek. What had happened?

'Run! Get out of there!' Aspen's shrill voice demanded.

Stupid, wonderful weakling. Sekafi grabbed the clawed foot pinning her to the ground and yanked at it with all her might. The claws left deep rends in her armour, cutting deeply into her left arm as it slid off. She scrambled back to her feet and out from under the monster, snatching her weapon up on the go. She took shelter behind the large standing stone in the centre of the clearing. The monster's head turned her way, growling deep in its throat. A tiny, stupid dagger protruded from one of its eyes. A laugh escaped her. Saved by Needle. She'd dubbed Aspen's silly little dagger that many years ago, when he'd threatened a minotaur with it for being rude. The minotaur had laughed at the silly thing and walked off. That had been lucky. Now it had saved her life.

Aaspaelwin panted, drenched in a cold sweat. The dagger had hit its mark. His training hadn't been for naught, like Sekafi often teased. Only problem was that he now had no weapons at all. The monster stalked towards Sekafi, unhindered by the spear in its back. What could he do? His legs shook with fright, but he couldn't leave her to get eaten by this thing. What was it even? A demon? Desperate, he looked around in the gloom. Standing rock, felled trees, sticky bark, bones. Bones? He looked again. Sure enough, some old bones stuck up from the debris. He glanced up, distressed by the monster clawing and whipping its tail around the stone in the centre to get to his best friend. She held her ground, but to get out of this predicament, he'd have to do something.

Crouching, he sneaked closer to the bones. Some pieces of old armour encased the bones. Had someone else fought this thing and died? Maybe there was a weapon? He dug around with his hands in the dirt, and found something. Pulling at it, he unearthed an old curved knife. Perfect. The blade was dirtied, but otherwise in fine shape. Perhaps not as old as he'd first thought? Symbols were carved into both blade and handle. Just like the ones on the standing waystone they'd passed. He couldn't read them. He jerked his head up as the monster roared again. It had jumped up onto the standing stone, ready to pounce onto Sekafi. Drawing a shuddering breath, Aaspaelwin forced his legs to move towards it. It hadn't seen him yet. He hoped.

Sekafi slashed at the monster as it jumped towards her, cutting deep into its leg but got swept off her feet for her effort. The creature was on her in seconds, tail lashing, and jaws working. It clawed at her chest, pieces of the lamellar armour flying off. She screamed and stabbed at its snout repeatedly. It didn't seem to notice. The huge head dipped down and Aaspaelwin threw caution to the wind as he charged, new blade raised high.

With a shrill scream, like a squawking seagull, he stabbed the knife into the monster's hind leg. Next, he flew through the air, and smashed into an old trunk. The murky wood broke apart, softening his landing. Groaning and disoriented, he staggered back up, only to face a wall of eyes. He sucked in a breath and stabbed at the closest one with the knife, somehow still in his hand. Roaring, the monster flinched back. Then it raked his left side, tearing clothes and skin alike. Screaming, Aaspaelwin fell to the ground. The slavering beast snapped it's jaws shut inches from his face. Aaspaelwin stared in horror, his heart hammering. The jaws opened and closed, near taking his nose off. He scrambled back, and only then noticed that Sekafi held onto its tail with all her might, screaming for him to run.

He did. But not far. As soon as the monster wasn't focused on him anymore, he stopped and looked back. Sekafi stood her ground like a hero, despite being a bleeding mess. Somehow, she'd cut off one of its many legs. She walked backwards towards him, swinging the golok wildly. They had to get away, but how? He looked at the knife. How hadn't he dropped it yet? A miracle. Too bad he'd have to abandon it.

'Sekafi, down!' He hurled the knife towards the monster as it opened its jaws wide for another bite. Sekafi knew when to listen. She dropped flat, and the blade lodged itself into the back of the creature's throat. It rose high on its hind legs, flailing and thrashing, roaring wildly. Sekafi scampered back up and limped towards him.

'Run! Go go go!' she screamed.

Without hesitation, he spun around and bolted for the trees.

Stumbling and falling in the dark, hunted by loud shrieks and crashing trees, they fled. They didn't dare stop for many hours. Not until the sky brightened, their legs shook from fatigue, and their adrenaline wore off, leaving them naked to the pain of their wounds. They hadn't heard the monster for a while and sunk to their knees on the mossy ground. Exhausted, they dressed their wounds as best they could. Aaspaelwin discovered his lead stylus had punctured into his side from the rough landing earlier. But he hadn't felt it in his adrenaline rush, and among all the other pains, it seemed insignificant. Sekafi was worse off. She couldn't move her left arm, and half her face hung slack from some poison. She bled heavily from many deep lacerations, and her armour hung in tatters. He watched her, dazed from fatigue.

'Don't die, furball,' he mumbled, his eyelids closing by themselves.

She snorted. 'You'll die first, weakling.'

He wheezed a laugh. His ribs and side burned with the movement. 'You think it's still after us?' He couldn't muster the energy to look around.

She sniffed the air, one ear swivelling around. 'I can't hear it. Or smell it anymore.'

'Good.' Darkness overtook him.