Tide of Shadow

3

Fatigue filled Kamau's body and dragged at his limbs, but he would not stop. Foliage lashed at his face as he ran, the sound of Kauri's last cry filling his mind. She can't be dead! Kamau mentally screamed at himself. Kauri was so huge and powerful and wise, surely nothing could kill her so easily!

But deep in the darkest pit of his heart, he knew the truth. If Kauri lived, then she would still be fighting the monstrosity back in that cursed clearing, and he could no longer hear her roars. At this thought, Kamau nearly collapsed. If it could kill Kauri, it was invincible. His parents and everyone else in the cove would be powerless to stop it. It would kill everyone, or do to them whatever it had done to the dragonixsauria bull.

Somehow, the thought of that made Kamau feel sicker than the idea of a horrible death did. He felt himself slow to a stop, stomach churning with nausea. All he wanted then was to fall onto the blessedly soft dirt and give in to sleep. But he thought of his parents fighting that horrible monster, and let out a terrified whimper. Immediately, he forced his jaws closed. Wardens knew what could hear him out here. Where are they? His mind screamed. Where are Mother and Father? He felt pathetic at the thought, a hatchling mewling for its mother. But he had just seen a monster out of a den tale, and had bore witness to a murder. Kamau curled up, feeling like he would collapse into himself. All he could think was that his parents were gone, probably slain by the same beast that had silenced Kauri. He couldn't stop the cries now, pitiful nosies spilling from his mouth, ringing out into the darkness. All the trees were black pillars in the night, every shadow radiated malice, and Kamau felt very, very small.

There was movement in the canopy above. All it was was the tiny rustle of a displaced branch, but Kamau's keen fellisio ears picked it up nonetheless. A ray of hope burst through his heart. Was it his parents, come to wrap him in their wings and save him from this nightmare? But then there was the all-too-familiar sickly sweet smell, and a rasping shriek which swiftly descended into a wet, hacking cough. Kamau's blood ran cold, and he went silent. This was not his family.

Kamau pressed himself against the dirt, desperately willing himself invisible. Another shifting in the trees, the location of which Kamau couldn't place. The sound got louder, closer, and Kamau prayed to all the Wardens that whatever was up there hadn't seen him. But then, there came a voice. Wet and scratching, it slithered through the air to Kamau's ears. "I know you are there, child." It took all of Kamau's willpower to stay silent at that moment, as horror and revulsion coursed all through his being. "Reveal yourself, and make this easier for both of us."

Kamau craned his head upwards, and in the canopy there was a pair of luminous white eyes, followed by four smaller pinpricks of light, seeming to hover in the darkness. It was right above him.

The thing looked to the side, and Kamau could see the telltale curving outline of the modified upper lip of a trutholbyeva, its edge covered in wickedly sharp teeth. Its left head angled downwards, and Kamau saw its nostrils flare, searching out his scent.

Infinitesimally slowly, Kamau began to move, creeping deeper into the trees. Maybe if he could find more cover, it wouldn't be able to find him. He kept his eyes trained on it as he inched forward, all too aware that one wrong move would give away his presence. "Come out," the thing masquerading as a trutholbyeva crooned, its voice like a slimy worm crawling into Kamau's ears. "I will not harm you, child. I only wish to shield you from this world's evils." Rage flared through Kamau at its words. Shield him? He knew somehow, deep in his bones, that this not-a-trutholbyeva and the monster that had killed Kauri were one in the same. He wanted to let his invisibility fall away, and shred the thing for daring to suggest it was in any way helping him. But the feeling was quickly trounced by fear as one spindly winged limb and then another reached out to grab a branch above Kamau's head, and the abomination pulled itself across the trees and ahead of Kamau in one leisurely motion.