Page 25 of Survivor
Changed.
His steps shed the jerkiness of pain, becoming more powerful and purposeful. With a sickening crunch that echoed in the air, he whipped broken arm to the side, snapping the bone back into place, yet he seemed blissfully unaware of the pain. The wound on his chest ceased its relentless bleeding,and the gash sealed itself shut while the purple and teal scales surrounding the injury morphed into a deep, ominous black.
My vision swirled, a dizzy haze encroaching, and darkness crept into the periphery of my sight. Yet I couldn’t tear my gaze away from him. Through the fog of my blurred vision, I watched as his muscles bunched and thickened, sinews rippling beneath his skin, while his fangs and claws elongated, glistening with a lethal sharpness. Sharp spikes burst forth along his shoulders and trailed down his spine, their edges like the tips of spears. He seemed taller and more massive, as though his desire to protect me had manifested physically somehow.
A sound of pure, unadulterated rage erupted from Vraxxan, a primal roar that filled the air as he lunged forward. His powerful hands clamped onto the beast’s tail, yanking it away from me with a force that seemed to shake the very ground beneath us.
I grew dizzy as an unsettling, sickly warmth crept over my skin, making my head feel unbearably heavy, as if my neck could no longer hold it. I collapsed onto the jungle floor, where the dense, lush grass tickled my skin with its cool, feathery blades. Turning my head took effort. I watched as Vraxxan and the creature clashed in battle, their movements becoming a frenzied blur of limbs and scales, merging into one chaotic spectacle. The last thing I remembered before the enveloping darkness claimed me was the sound of Vraxxan’s voice as he called out my name, a desperate plea lost in the shadows.
Chapter 12
Vraxxan
Death.
It felt cold and slimy, creeping over my skin. Blood poured from the wound across my chest, and my arm throbbed, but the killing blow had been the shattering of my bones and bursting of my internal organs when thequasatthrew me against the tree.
I’d sensed the creature’s approach, searching like a madman for a branch or rock large enough to aid my attack. I knew fighting the creature was a death sentence. Yet I took on the task with relish, knowing that the moments my battle took gave Lucy enough time to reach the treehouse and safety.
Lucy was safe. I counted my life well lost, knowing that I’d given my last breath to protect her.
Then she screamed my name.
Not a scream of grief at finding my body, but one of pain and terror. The faint thud of her footsteps didn’t take her away from the carnage but drew her closer. I forced my eyelids open, ignoring the white-hot flash of pain that encompassed my entire being as I turned my head just in time to see the quasat lay its claws against Lucy’s flesh.
The sight of her blood broke something inside me.
A break far greater than the cracking of my bones as the quasat threw me against the tree. This break was hot, itching, like pure fire pumping through my veins, making my battered muscles twitch, impossible to ignore.
I pushed to my feet; the pain forgotten—everything forgotten, save for the undeniable need to protect Lucy. The rage inside me escaped in a roar of challenge, capturing the quasat’s attention just before it would have claimed her death as well.
Lucy’s shimmering gaze met mine and held for a second of eternity. Why didn’t she run? Deep down, I knew the answer. It was the same answer burning in my soul, and I stumbled toward her.
“Vraxxan, run!” Her scream cut through the air, silent, save for the frightened squawks from the fowl overhead.
I took another step, this one harder than the last, and collapsed to my knees, the strangest sensation coursing through my body. My eyes sought her again, holding on to the sight of her face. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she mouthed something to me I couldn’t quite make out.
Lucy, my heart, my mate.
I would not let the beast claim her.
It felt like my heart burst open, blazing and frothing, setting flame to my blood and scorching over my scales. In the fire's wake, there was strength like I had never felt before. Moving to my feet was no longer a struggle. My bones cracked as they reshaped, and the arm that hung useless at my side straightened without the slightest twinge of pain. The gash across my chest tingled for a moment, and then the pain evaporated. I felt stronger. I felt... invincible.
A sound of rage and challenge erupted from my lips as I lunged for the quasat. My hands easily encircled the circumference of its tail, yanking it away from Lucy and sending it careening.
The quasat’s black eyes widened in surprise, and it bellowed in rage, the sound shaking the leaves from the trees. According to my father, the creature had no natural predator, and the Peecha avoided the beast at all costs. I cursed myself from entering the jungle armed with such a puny blade, but predators usually only came at night.
I glanced back to where Lucy lay sprawled on the ground, a gash running the length of her lower left leg. The wound appeared nasty but, thankfully, bled little.
The quasat had dared hurt my mate.
I launched myself at the creature, surprised at how easy it was to handle now. The swipes of its massive claws seemed slower and easier to deflect. The quasat’s strength appeared to have waned as well, causing the creature to jerk and stumble when my blows found purchase.
Perhaps it was the rage I felt, but my claws and fangs seemed longer. Soon, deep green blood plopped from the quasat’s many wounds onto the forest floor. My hearing sharpened, ferreting out the faintest tone of pain in the creature’s breathing.
Lucy’s too.
In fact, all my senses focused on her, even as I fought the quasat. The metallic scent of her blood, the sound of her breathing, which grew raspier with each inhale, and the faint moans of pain that escaped her lips.
