In Memoriam - An Unus Annus Fanfiction

08.12 -12/08 - There's still hope

Annus's breath came in huffs, creating a strange rhythm with the drumming of his feet. The muddy earth felt slippery underneath his soles. Ferns and twigs hit his face. With one arm outstretched, he tried protecting his face.

They took a sharp turn, then another one. The path was little more than an animal trail, leading them through the uncaring blackness of the forest.
Next to him, Unus was breathing heavily. His eyes we're wide with fear.   He was holding his side.

The sound of their pursuers drew closer. Angry barks and heavy bodies crashing through the undergrowth. Annus picked up his pace, trying to ignore the aching in his leg.
   »Over here!« Unus yelled, pointing at a barely visible fork in the path. They darted down the right one. Away from the angry howls. The path was sloping, and Unus lost grip on the muddy ground.

»Come on!« Annus barked, pulling him back to his feet. He grunted as pain shot down his not fully healed leg.
Together, they rushed down the path, half running, half slipping. Up at the
crossing, Annus could hear the hounds bark and attack one another.

As they reached the end of the slope, they allowed themselves to slow down.
Annus slumped over, supporting himself on his upper legs. He was breathing heavily, and his sides hurt. Unus bent down, inspecting his ankle.
He inhaled sharply. »I think it's twisted.« He said in a low voice.
    »Can you walk?«
Unus looked up with an crooked smile. »Not like there's a choice.«

The forest had turned quiet. There was a faint light coming from the sky, but Annus could not make out any stars.
A wave of uneasiness hit him. In fact, it had grown too quiet. The fighting behind them had stopped, and the dogs seemed to have disappeared.
Like picking up a silent signal, his friend noticed as well.

Both of them froze, listening for any sound. The rush of his blood seemed incredibly loud to Annus.

A dark figure broke out the undergrowth. It's massive body hit Unus, pulling him to the ground. He screamed. Blotchy teeth buried themselves in his arm. The creature violently shook it's head. Annus heard a dry sound, like ripping paper. It was the same sound he heard when stabbing the monster in the arena.

He blindly grabbed for a robust branch, swinging it at the creature. The dog yelped as the wood smashed into his side. He fell off Unus.
Without giving him a chance to get back up, Annus swung at his head. It made a disgusting crack. Then the monster layed still. Blood was turning the mud beneath his head dark.

Just as he helped Unus up, a growl sounded out from behind them. Three more beasts crawled out of the dark.
They formed a semi-circle around them.
Annus threw the branch at them, before turning on his heels. All his pain was blown away. They bolted deeper into the forest.
Unus held his arm close to his chest while running. Dark blood shimmered on his hand. His face was covered in dirt.
Annus jumped over a root sticking out of the ground, before spotting a faint light through the trees.

He waved for Unus to follow, and ran towards it. They came to a halt on a gravelly beach.