I watched in frozen terror as the vines pierced into the downed centaur. The ground opened up beneath him and blood pooled out of the soil around him. I could hear the blood bubbling up. I felt the tendril wrap around my legs and saw them stretching up for Mia. Agatha let out a long slow groan and I watched sweat beading on her face. The vines wrapped around her waist and began to draw her down toward the bloody hole.

The little people tore at our flesh, gouging and biting with the ferocity of gerbil-sized wasps. I watched as Tootsie floated past in slow motion. I could make out each beat of her wings. She was flying toward the watchman. He was grinning at the centaur and Agatha as the ground sucked them down. I wanted to fight, scream, run away, anything but be frozen in this slow-motion torment forever.

The Tootsie hit the watch and the world started spinning again. The vines ripped down at my legs. I thrust my arms up at Mia flinging her away from the vines. I slapped the watchman and clawed at the tree trying to get away from the vines. They sank into my thighs, then new tendrils drilled into my lower back. I screamed at the blue moon in the sky and lashed out at everything that moved.

I swiped off handfuls of little people and smacked them off the tree trunk. When I fell to the ground I dug in my toes and claws pulling myself against the tug of the hungry vines. I heard the sound of gunshots drawing near and the watchman turned to flee. I grabbed his ankle sacrificing my hold on the hard ground. We both began sliding toward the blood hole. I could hear the blood slurping down Agatha and the centaur.

The watchman clawed and bit me like a rabid squirrel. I looked up to see Goar and Shia running toward me in the darkness of the forest. Behind them, Thurnar and his sons were trying to catch up. The falconites squawked from the flanks and swung clubs at nothing.

I pulled the watchman closer and dug my claws into his sides. I could feel the blood around my knees. “Call them off,” I growled as I pulled his ugly nose to mine. His milky eyes danced in terror. He reached back trying to grab his watch. I felt the blood around my waist and the slurping sounds grew more intense. I pushed off the ground and slammed the creature against the hard earth. “Call them off!”

He opened his wide mouth and made a noise that sounded like a stick being rubbed on a ribbed hollow tube. His hand caught the chain of his watch and he yanked it around to catch it in his other hand. All the while I watched my timer.

Furious Feline 5,4,3,2…

I smacked the watch from his grasp and poured out a volley of strikes to his ugly face faster than a drum roll.

Furious Feline 1,0

I collapsed in exhaustion. His brains were oozing out on the ground. The vines pulled me into the blood up to my chest. I looked over to see Mia flinging the little people off of her. Some of the surviving little people I had thrown off were gathering around the watchman. Mia screamed in frustration, pulling some out of her blue braids. The vines plunged into my neck and chest and pulled me into the hole up to my jaw.

“No.” Goar roared he pounded the ground toward me both guns raised firing at the vines raised up above my face. Vines pierced my arms and stomach. I felt them begin to pulse as they pulled me in. They were sucking something out of me.

Constitution 16/17, 15/17, 14/17, 13/17…

Carapace Skin activated

Constitution 17/17, 16/17, 15/17…

They were sucking the life out of me. Goar reached the edge of the blood hole as the vines tugged my face under the blood. I took one last breath before I was submerged. The soil began to gather around me. Then dirt and vines piled over me. It all became dark.

Constitution 13/17, 12/17, 11/17…

“Fight it!” Tootsie screamed.

I could hear my heart beating, the sound carrying through the blood as it would when you lay with your head underwater in the tub. My lungs felt as if they would blow out of my chest. My face grew hot. I squirmed but more vines wrapped around my waist and stomach.

Constitution 09/17, 08/17, 07/17…

“Don’t quit, don’t stop fighting,” Tootsie yelled into my ears. It was so dark. I couldn’t see her, but she had to be under the blood with me. I wanted to yell something back to her, but I was afraid to let out my breath. I flexed my arms, but I couldn’t break the vines. I kicked my legs, but vines wrapped around them. All along the vines pulsed and pulsed out my life.

Constitution 05/17, 04/17, 03/17…

I was getting dizzy, and faint. I couldn’t hold my breath any longer I had to take a breath. I bit the inside of my lips trying to make them stay shut but my mind was torn. I just wanted one little gasp. Just a little.

“Fight!” Tootsie repeated.

Constitution 02/17

Just one breath…