'How long has it been since we've escaped hell? An hour? Two?' I had no idea anymore. My mind was too occupied with the sights I'd seen and the acts I'd committed. I guess the previous events hadn't affected me much until now. Mostly because my senses were dulled by a stream of adrenaline.
But now? Now, we had a degree of safety. A safety that gave me time to think... To consider the thoughts I never wanted to. The bloody twitching mass I left on the dungeon floor. The rotting bodies that lay within the tunnel. The people that had been sawed in half by the gray knight…
Those weren't sights anyone should've seen, yet I had seen them all.
The event with the gray knight had specifically stuck with me. Knowing that I couldn't help the ones he'd murdered, even if I'd put forth my best efforts, rocked me to my very core.
I brought my hands to my eyes and trembled within them as I realized just what kind of world I'd been brought into. A world where we were going to be hunted like dogs. Where we were nothing more than a predator's meal.
"H-Hey!" The lemming snapped at me. "I need help watching for trouble!"
I wanted to respond. I really did. I'd wanted nothing more than to insult him for trying to give ME an order. But I could only sit there, reactionless. I can't say whether I've been traumatized or if I was reeling from the aftermath of shock, but my brain had entirely short-circuited.
"Hey!" He shouted again. "Ple-"
"I get it, "I interrupted, "I get it… Just shut up already."
pαпdα-ňᴏνê|·сóМ I straightened my spine from its slouch and stared into a dark, browned-green sea of foliage.
The sights of grassy plains and snow-capped mountains were long gone from view. Hell, even the Sun had been nearly blotted out by the density of the forest we'd been in. Only a few rogue strands of light were allowed to penetrate down to the woodland floor.
"How am I supposed to keep watch?" I groaned with a mumble. "This forest is just too dark…."
My vision wouldn't have done me much good, so I closed my eyes and focused on my other senses. What had first been amplified was my sense of smell. My nostrils expanded, taking in the earthy perfume of nature around us.
The fragrance of dew-dipped rock permeated my nose first. Then, blending with it was the musk from moisture-laden mud and the crisp scent of pine that wafted from the trees around us. Every breath I took, I felt like I'd been inhaling the essence of the word "outdoors."
Beyond the smell, my ability to hear had increased dramatically too. Outside the rhythmic beat of my heart, I listened to an orchestra of nature. Resonating through the woods were the chirps of faraway birds and the calls of other lone critters.
It had all been so soothing, so peaceful… That all ended when I heard an uproar of birds and shattering wood to our left.
Placing all my focus on the disturbance, I discerned a husky panting followed by the speedy crunching of fallen pine needles. Whatever it was, it was fast. Not just fast, but it sounded to be on a dead-on collision course with us!
My eyes blew open to check for the sound's source. So far, there was nothing except the shadows of distant darkness. But, seconds later, within the shadows of darkness and between the wall of pine trees, I saw a glimmer of light reflecting off two small green orbs.
As the orbs grew closer, I realized there was more to them than I'd thought. They were layered atop two layers of white with brown skin surrounding them. That's when I realized it...those weren't orbs but the eyes of a quickly approaching creature.
After squinting, I'd noticed something else. Beyond those eyes was the silhouette of something far, far larger. The spear-like needles on its back bristled with the wind as it came into view.
Enveloping its body was a bushy brown fur that billowed against its momentum. Fur that looked to contain a cuddly softness, something that directly contrasted with its murderous glare.
Carrying the beast were four bulky legs attached to paws with the power to easily flatten a man's skull. On each was a set of serrated razor claws capable of boring a hole through any unfortunate soul that made contact with them.
Though it had some distinct differences from the ones I'd known, there was no doubt in my mind of what this creature was.
'That…is one mean fucking bear.'
It snarled before baring its fangs. Along its jagged jawline were massive teeth; their size made them capable of gnashing the most rigid bone with ease. Once its lips had been constricted, it loosed a guttural roar that shook even the sturdiest tree trunks around us.
It locked onto its prey and charged us with vehement fury.
The horses had been the first to panic. They squealed in a screeching cry and fervently bolted forward. Due to their recklessness, every bump was amplified to the point of shaking the carriage into the air. We rocked violently back and forth, leading me to almost having been thrown off several times.
"OH, GOD!" The lemming shouted. "Please no, GOD NO!" Following his panic, he started to crazily whip the horses hysterically.
Drowning out the approaching beast's war cries were shouts of confusion from within our carriage. I guess somewhere between the bone-chilling roar and rampant rocking, the ones inside finally caught up to speed on the situation.
"Takagi, what the hell is that?!" Agawa shouted. Her voice was staggered and imbued with the unmistakable sound of panic.
But I didn't answer; I had no time for stupid questions. Instead, I only braced myself for the inevitable impact. I grabbed whatever pieces of the wagon seemed most durable and squeezed past my bodily limits.
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