Under The Starry Night's Sky

Chp 1: Cornered

"Thanks for the help!" shouted Leon as he waved goodbye.

"No problem," Arya smiled, waving as she walked out through the front gate.

She looked down at her watch and silently swore. Damn, my parents are gonna kill me. She had promised to be home by five, but it was already six! At least Leon was able to get his head around some trigonometry. Now she could go on to finish the rest of her homework. But it would surely take a while and she had a lot of work to get through. 

Arya took a right turn, wandering onto the gravelly path of the local creek. She strolled past the numerous trees with the dazzling puffs of golden wattle and the birds calling in sweet sharp trills. The sun was starting to set casting a heavenly glow through the trees. Arya smiled, breathing in the air and relishing her surroundings glad that she was walking in spring. If it were winter, it would have already fallen dark and her parents would have murdered her for coming home so late.

As she was crossing the bridge over the small trickle of a stream that made up the creek, she noticed a flash of green on the path behind her. She glared back along the path she came from, peering over the railings of the bridge. It was probably a breeze rattling the leaves, she thought to herself and continued onto the other side and onto the gravel. 

But Arya couldn't shake off a threatening tightness lingering in her chest. She knew the creek in and out. She knew how she often came here at around this time, walking her dog and feeling very safe. So why do I feel so uncomfortable now. 

Glancing back to an empty path, Arya quickened her pace. She wanted to get out of the creek and home as soon as possible. She stole a quick look behind again to an empty path and then slowed. This was absurd. She knew it was safe here, that she was almost home, and she had probably just been imagining it. But then it hit her... she hadn't seen a single other walking in the creek. It wasn't normally packed, but on a pleasant day like this, she was bound to run into someone... No, nothing was wrong, this was just her making excuses for the tightness that hadn't let go. 

Arya pulled out her phone and continued walking. She decided she might as well call Leon to soothe her tension. Her best friend would always crack a good joke or two, and if something did manage to go wrong (even though it was highly likely that it wouldn't ~ she told herself), she'd have him help.

Just as she finished pulling up Leon's number, Arya turned a corner and stopped dead in her tracks. All the comfort the thought of her best friend had held, evaporated as she withheld the sight before her. 

A humanoid creature, with painfully sharp looking claws on his muscular legs and green scales armoring the creature up to the head. Sharp, salivary-drenched fangs sprouted from his elongated muzzle and golden eyes glowed with a dangerous thirst. 

It's eyes met Arya's. "HAHAHASS" it screeched. "The lamb iss too ssshocked to runn."

It was then that Arya realised she was gaping. Fear and shock had frozen her body but his words had slapped her hard so she shut her mouth and started to slowly edge back. This couldn't be real, she thought. But as much as she wished to deny it, it was there, standing in front of her like a lizard-creature out of a Legend of Zelda game she played (except she wasn't the chosen hero of the goddess armed with courage and shield and sword.). 

Suddenly a thump behind her interrupted her brief thoughts. Arya spared a brief glance behind her to see another one of those creatures who had landed with a strong thud, creating cracks in the ground.

No... no this can't be real. 

She had thought to run back but now she had no chance. She was cornered with trees and uphill to one side and a stream to the other. She was really a lamb waiting for slaughter.

 As if sensing her thoughts they both laughed, that screech so jamming that Arya had to cover her ears. "You'll sssooon be dead like the rest of them" said the one in front of her.

"The rest of them?" Arya squeaked, her voice foreign to herself. 

"The othersss we huntedd," the one behind her hissed. "None could do nothing againssst our ssskill HAHAHASSS."

Arya cringed at the screeching laughter as the other in front of her continued. "Like your kin HAHAHASS."

The world stopped for Arya "What did you do to my family!" she demanded this time clear and strong. 

"We ssssslaaughhtteerred them HAHAHASSS" the front one screeched.

No...

Hot tears welled up in Arya's eyes. She had no idea what was going on. Her family was... dead. They were kind and loving and... She hated the creatures. She hated them for taking her family away. Her loving parents and troublesome yet sweet younger sister... The fear inside her heart was burnt away with a fiery rage. She wanted to nothing more than to tear these vile creatures apart. To erase their existence.

Green flashed before her and she barely registered being jerked against a tree, trapped between the claws of the monster. It grinned at her choking her. But she barely registered the pain. All that was within her was rage, and with that rage she thrust out her fist, punching the creature's muzzle and fell to the ground as the grip on her throat loosened. 

As she scrambled up, head dizzy she saw that half of the creature's head had vanished, with the flesh softly glowing white. She rubbed her eyes and looked again but it was as if an artist had taken an eraser and decided to erase part of the creature's head. What on earth happened?

"NOOOOOO" the other screeched breaking Arya out of her shell of shock. But as she turned to face the green figure, she could barely make out his threatening words. All she remembered was her energy fading and flickering out. Her vision started blurring and she vaguely felt herself falling as the green blur sped towards her. The last she remembered was a white cloak in front of her and gentle yet strong hands preventing her fall.