Fear The Light

Hunting For Cruor

Our boots crunched against the blankets of white. The snow flakes appeared sparse, fluttering down scantily over the tree tops. The night sky over cast by light grey clouds. Our breath puffed out in large white clouds ahead of us as we lumbered through the forest in search of life.

"I'm cold" I said absentmindedly.
"It has been several hours Lula. You need to warm yourself"

Stopping for a moment I passed an irritated glace to Olmuras who looked unaffected by the cold. I turned forward once again. It was still and silent. I listened to our surroundings. Long arms wrapped around my shoulders. A silent pythons grip. I didn't complain as my back warmed marginally. A quick light crunch of snow was heard not far from us.

"I hear something...That way" 
I pointed to the East of us.
Instantly detaching, we made pace. Quickly but quietly we came close enough to see a small herd, at least twelve to thirteen, travelling Cruor. Swiftly I crouched behind a tree readying to stalk my prey. Turning back to look at Olmuras I immediately panicked when he wasn't there.

A hard dry icy wind blew. I gripped my jacket trying to trap my warmth inside in. Then from behind me an array of sounds came like an eruption of noise. An echoing static in an abyss of quiet. A flurry of running cruor, a deep bone shaking growl, and the sickening gut wrenching sounds of ripping flesh and the breaking of bones. Sitting down I faced the place where he once stood. Boot prints in the snow. A nauseating feeling burying itself in my stomach. Covering my ears with my hands my mind grew fuzzy and with it my world wavered. I stared at the ground a horrific deafening silence befalling my senses. I couldn't turn around to see it. I knew that if I did I wouldn't be the same.

My skin grew hot suddenly, a burning beneath it before the memory flashes began. Like a horrific projector screen before my eyes; pictures of the blood, gore and the rotten stench of decaying meat permeated my senses. For an eternally relentless moment I was in the midst of the death and chaos that I had continued to stumble into and I couldn't breathe. Grasping at my throat tears welled in my eyes.

I held my stomach as I bent over violently throwing up. I screamed when a heavy hand touched my back. My eyes flickering to Olmuras. I blinked.

"Th-there's no...no blood ri-right"

I looked around at the trees behind Olmuras as he crouched beside me. Remembering where we were and I took a breath.

A panic attack.

"I was sure to not get anything on me. Are you alright Lula!? Are you sick again?!"

I wanted to say no but I couldn't get the words out as another bout of vomiting began. After a few minutes and some water I finally stopped throwing up. Suddenly my figure was up off the snowy ground. Wrapped in Olmuras's arms, my feet dangled as he readjusted. Placing his arm beneath my knees and around my back, I laid my cheek on his heart. My head tipped up peeking over his broad shoulder to the small clearing. It's once pristine snow now coated in harsh angry trails of red; a large pile of broken mangled cruor corpses littering across the small meadow. I cuddled into his embrace, closing my eyes. Slowly coming to terms with the severity of the situation it really was. Shutting my eyes tighter a cold, sickness endured sleepiness came into effect. Like a drug induced darkness, I hadn't made it near half  way through our long journey back to the cave before, I gave into the exhaustion.