𝑨𝒍𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒚

Chapter 4: The Savage Beast

The environment was humid, with the air very damp and fresh yet hot—the feeling upon their skin felt relieving, but it caused them to sweat constantly due to the weather condition. Especially Chiapa, from all that fur, he was sweating so much, sometimes, Rico would almost fall off. The roar and cries of animals filled every corner of the wetlands; the four carefully walked through the thick plants and vines, and Maya, dying from the heat, finally told Chiapa that they could take a break from travelling for so long. Their battle cat immediately plopped onto the wet grass of an opened field in the middle of the forest.

Chimi began growling, her teeth grinding together as her throat purred to allow the other to be alert that an enemy was near. Maya and the three brought out their weapons, their talismans glowing in response to their courage and bravery. They all stood closely; the bushes rustling were heard, the sound became louder as a  creature approached them, but as it was about to reveal itself from the scrubs, it stopped.

Thinking it was a false alarm, the others put their weapons down and returned to rest, but Chimi wasn't convinced and let out another growl as she shot one of her arrows into the trees and a fast blur fell. A loud thump could be heard, and the judge from the fall sounds like it was the size of a cougar. Everyone returned to their positions and prepared themselves for battle but were shocked to see a human waddling to them.

The woman had the skin of a jaguar as a cape, hiding her backside and hair as it revealed a rose gold seamless top and a denim skirt. Her skin had markings like a barbarian, resembling their tribe, but Maya had never seen marks that consisted of patterns and shapes before. She raised their head and revealed that Chimi's arrow managed to pierce through her skull; everyone was frightened from this gruesome sight. She didn't flinch in pain and brutally pulled the arrow out as if it was a splinter; On the tip, it contained a bit of blood, and Rico started to get anxious. The woman threw it across the open field as she brought her body onto the floor and crawled like an animal, letting out a more animalistic growl than Chimi.

She approached them slowly, careful moving and putting full focus on the four so that they wouldn't run away.

"Please, we don't want to hurt you." Maya tried convincing her, but she didn't bother listening, although she was surprised and impressed in a way that someone could manage to survive a direct shot in the head.

As her movement became more energetic and her snarling became louder, she pounced on to the group, and Chiapa came in and defended his friends. But the woman leapt over him and used his head to jump again and land behind, only to let out an inhuman screech to another creature. The atoms in the air vibrated due to her screeching; the other covered their ears from such a battle cry. The group turned and landed their eyes on what appears to be a disfigured creature, with the head of a skinless baby chick gruesomely fused with the body of an albino reptile. Its legs bend and move like the ones of a mosquito, but they more look like puma limbs. Unlike an ordinary chick, it had to fade red white and tiny sharp teeth that rowed on its beak.

She stared intensely as if they were communicating with telepathy, and with that, the monster's sharp eyes turned into curved, terrified ones. Its arms twisted and turned along with the sound of bones cracking, the hybrid ran away as loud pieces of wood and vine snapped, and trees bent from the creature to make an access exit.

"Uh oh...." Her eyes widened in fear, everyone else looked back to her, and they all expressed a confused yet anxious face. They all seemed to have the urge to ask her what was the problem, but Maya questioned her before the others could.

"What do you mean 'Uh oh'?" She began to panic as well but still kept her cool. Due to the unfamiliar environment that they now surround themselves in, the predictions of danger are unknown. The woman didn't give them an immediate reply but instead quickly instructed them to hide behind the trees; oblivious to this new land; the others did what she told her and hid. For Chiapa, he could blend with some bushes, and the woman pulled her jaguar hood to reveal it had an extra eye. She gestured them to stay quiet, watching the open for someone or something to come out, and her instincts were correct because another horrifying hybrid appeared before them. Only this time, it was a creature with a new set of combined animals; this made Chimi feel terrified, for the first time looking at a creature that she was afraid of.