¹ Claws of Legacy: Legacy's Descent ✓

Chapter 14: A Monster at Heart

The beast snarled, nearly bowling Chad over, and began circling him. Its tail lashed, teeth bared, emitting growls and barks that sounded like its own language. Mal recognized that it was Y/n in her transformed state. They had witnessed her previous transformations, which made sense, given her parentage as the Indoraptor.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Chad whimpered as the beast closed in, its presence overwhelming. The beast pressed its snout against Chad's head, sniffing him intensely, a deep growl rumbling in its throat. Mal knew she had to intervene before Chad ended up seriously harmed, but for some reason, she allowed the beast to do as it pleased. The sleek dinosaur stepped away, its claws clicking against the ground. Then, it turned its head towards Mal and her friends, and Mal caught a flicker of familiarity deep within its golden-red eyes. They were unmistakably Y/n's eyes.

Mal opened her mouth to speak, but the Indoraptor silenced her with a snap of its jaws. After exchanging glances with her friends, including Ben, the beast dipped its head and ran off, leaving Mal and her friends staring in its wake.

As Chad recovered, straightening his jacket while glaring toward Mal, he walked off with the rest of the AKs. Ben attempted to get Mal's attention, but she shook her head, raising a hand to stop him. "Ben, stop. We have to find Y/n," she asserted. Ben grabbed her wrist gently, turning her to face him. "If that was Y/n, she's long gone," he said, his eyes penetrating hers. Mal didn't want to believe him, but deep down, she knew he was right.

Her father was a killer, and now Y/n seemed to follow the same path. No matter how much she tried to save Y/n, she appeared to be a lost cause now.

-ˏˋ♥̩͙♥̩̩̥͙♥̩̥̩ ⑅

Y/n continued to run, her breath ragged and adrenaline coursing through her veins. She couldn't stop running, not even for a moment to catch her breath. The realization of what she had become, an Indoraptor, weighed heavily on her. It was something she had promised herself she would never become, and yet, here she was.

She could still sense the fear emanating from Chad and those around her. The fear of her monstrous form and what she was capable of. It was a harsh reminder of her power, which both intrigued and terrified her. Her mind taunted her, snarling with a mixture of pride and disappointment. You don't even know what you can do, it mocked. You should've killed that arrogant fool to show him that no one messes with our pack. But what did you do? Take the coward's way out. You ran away, for God's sake!

Y/n snorted, trying to push away the conflicting thoughts and emotions swirling within her. However, her escape was short-lived as she suddenly tripped and found herself sprawled on the ground, her nose puffing out air harshly. She looked up; her gaze fixated on the swaying treetops above her, the sound of bird songs filling the air. Everything had come to a halt, leaving Y/n alone with her thoughts and the haunting reality of what she had become.

As something wet trickled down Y/n's cheek, she instinctively moved one claw to touch it, flicking her tongue out to taste it. The realization hit her: she was crying. Confusion washed over her as she had never shed a tear before, not once in her life. Even living on the Isle of the Lost, where there were plenty of reasons to cry, she had remained stoic. She sighed heavily, placing her claw back down and lying on the forest floor for a few more minutes, feeling the gentle breeze rustle through her rugged scales.

Gradually, she gathered herself and stood up, shaking off the remnants of her internal struggle. The blood no longer thundered in her ears, and the sounds of the birdsong and the sudden chill in the air became clearer. Y/n surveyed her surroundings, realizing that she didn't recognize the place. The scent of the school and its inhabitants lingered in the air, but she disregarded it.

I will have to find wild food then, she thought, shaking her head as her quills quivered. Determined, she walked away, venturing deeper into the woods, further away from her pack, which had been broken long before it fell apart.