Legends of Shahreza

Juva: Escaping the goblin horde

Juva froze, her blood curdling as distant screams pierced the night's gloom. The Goblin Horde was coming to kill her only friend.

Desperately, Juva pulled at the man's leaden arm, struggling to drag him further into the marshlands. But she wasn't strong enough, and her heels sunk into wet black muck. Knee-deep, Juva felt the mud suck at her feet, threatening to swallow her. Yet, despite her efforts, her friend remained lodged in place. Her eyes darted, searching for branches or shrubs useful for cover. But truthfully, she knew there was no way to hide him. He was wounded, and his blood had left a fiery trail of molten stone.

Juva's grip slipped, and she fell into a frigid puddle. Thick tears spilled and her raven-hair caked against her cheeks. "Please, you have to wake up. We have to go. They'll hurt you." They would hurt her, too. But Juva didn't care. All her life, she'd been treated as a curse ... a bad omen. All because she wasn't like her brothers; she was a girl.

Her friend grew weaker by the moment and Juva could do nothing but watch helplessly as his crimson skin dulled, becoming almost black. "No—" Her breath cut short. Something snapped and crashed behind her, and she spun, her heart leaping to her throat. Had the Horde surrounded them already? The murky puddle rippled, pulsing with each earth-felt tremor. No, this wasn't the Horde, but something large and singular that stalked unhurriedly toward them.

From the mist, the thing took shape, and Juva staggered to her feet, putting herself between it and her friend. "Who's there?" she called out as a tall shadow grew among the trees. A low rumbling growl followed, droning through the darkness and rattling her bones. The figure didn't speak until its large feline head towered over the mist, its bright yellow eyes gleaming in a glow of molten blood. It mewled a feral pitch, then its gaze settled upon her.

"Who are you, child?" it asked in an imperious tone, though the being gasped before Juva could answer. "Where did you find that?"

Juva blinked, wobbling on mired feet, the coldness that had bitten into her shins forgotten. "Find ... what?"

"That thing around your neck."

Juva protectively clutched the ceramic vial against her chest. "This? It-it's nothing. A trinket I found in the grotto," she lied.

The creature leaned in, taking a closer look at the unconscious man, dark stripes swam across its thick pelt in hypnotic waves. "Could it really be..." it said, teeth like daggers flashed from under its white-bearded crest.

Juva nibbled her upper lip. She'd never seen a being like this, but it seemed to know about her friend somehow. Did that mean it could help them? "He's hurt," she said. "Can you save him?" The shouting drew closer. Any moment now, the Horde could be upon them. "Please? He's dying."

The beast crouched and its predatory eyes fixated on something, as if they could pierce the milky-white fog .

"Please!" Juva cried, unable to keep the sobbing from her voice.

The giant feline straightened slightly, its gaze finally returning to her, and it reached with a paw as big as she was tall. "Come with me, young goblin."

"But what about my friend?" she protested.

"Do not worry. I will carry him."

Juva's jaw fell slack, and hope dared to blossom in her chest. "You will keep him safe?"

"More than that."

Juva clenched her jaws. The shouting grew louder and louder. What choice did she have but to trust this stranger? "Alright ... we'll ... we'll come with. But-But ... can you tell me your name, at least?"