From Light to Darkness

4 - The Beast

It had seemed as if we'd been frozen in terror and shock for decades, staring dumbfounded at the deadly, yet beautiful, creature that stood before us. Even though I clearly should of been frightened for my life, I couldn't stop myself from marvelling at its majestic qualities. It had thick fur which was ash grey. Its eyes were of a similar colour to its coat, perhaps a little darker and gleaming. However, there was nothing beautiful about the huge teeth which it bared. This monster could easily tear apart its prey within a second; there was no doubt about it.

I was still frozen, with no idea what to do. Edyth was gently tugging at my arm, trying to get me to move. Every inch of my body was agreeing with Edyth - telling me to run far and fast - but, somehow, I knew that moving wouldn't be the best idea. 'Maybe -maybe - if we just stand still, ' I thought, 'it'll just go away and leave us alone.' I knew it wasn't going to happen but hope was the only thing stopping me from screaming with fear and sprinting through the woods in complete darkness. I flinched. This whole scene reminded me of my nightmare: running through the woods in the dusk with strange noises and silent voices following me. My body tense and shaking, I decided that standing firm was our best option.

To my left, Elric was also staring at the murderous beauty. Only, he wasn't staring in awe as I was, he was looking at it in a way as if he was taking in his enemy, deciding how he could beat it. My heart leaped at the idea of Elric trying to fight the monster. Despite his strength and agility, he'd never be able to beat it. All of a sudden, I noticed that he was gradually shrinking closer to the ground, bending to pick something up.

With all my attention on Elric, I wasn't expecting the loud snarl that the 'wolf' suddenly gave. My body took over without consulting with my brain and I leaped backwards, unintentionally stepping on a twig which broke with a loud snap. The movement and sound seemed to anger the wolf and it suddenly charged at my friends and I. Edyth was still trying to pull me away but I stood still. An abnormally-sized wolf - with millions of sharp teeth and eyes filled with hatred - was charging at me and I stood still.

It continued charging at a high speed - although I got the feeling that it could go a lot faster if it wanted to. Too late, I realised that I needed to move - if I didn't, I would never see my family again - my siblings. But, before I could do anything, the wolf was about to attack me. I closed my eyes, hoping that the pain wouldn't last long until I died...

I heard another growl - only, this time it was different. I opened my eyes to find that the creature had disappeared. And then, to my left, I saw it leaning against a tree. It was pulling itself back up to the ground. To my surprise, Elric was also on the floor nearby, with a shallow graze on his right leg. From what I saw, I guessed that Elric had charged at the thing and knocked it over. It hadn't gone very far but it had bought us a little bit of time - but not much. Despite it's short, delirious state (it clearly hadn't expected a fight), it would soon be ready for revenge. It had already pulled itself up and it showed no obvious injuries. The same could not be said about Elric; he was trying desperately to pull himself up but I realised that the injury on his leg was more serious than I had first thought.

Edyth finally released her tight grasp on my arm and ran off to help him. But before she got there, the creature made a sudden turn and began to run towards Elric again. Edyth hadn't seen and was heading in its direction.

"Look out!"

I screamed and both Edyth and Elric immediately knew what was happening. I took a step forward, intending to help my friends but a searing pain ran through my chest and I felt my heart tighten. Without warning, the air seemed to be closing in on me and I couldn't breathe. It felt as if I was in a small room full of thousands of people. Before long, I was on the ground, clutching myself in a tight ball. What was happening to me?

Despite my dizziness, I tried to regain my balance and I vaguely saw Edyth stood between myself and Elric, unsure where to go. The monster was still approaching Elric and it wouldn't be long before it got to him. However, my best friend came running over to me and helped me regain my balance. Slowly, my vision began to clear and I could make some sense of my surroundings.

"Elric!"

I yelled as loud as I could as the wolf leaped on top of him. He held up his muscular arms and managed to keep the wolf from tearing his face off with his teeth. Somehow, he had managed to shove the monster off him - which gave him just enough time to pick up a stick from beside him. Just as it jumped back at him - snarling deeply - he shoved the stick into one of its front legs. The monster didn't seem to mind too much, it just acknowledged the stick as a simple inconvenience. However, it gave Elric just enough time to roll out of the way. Then, he quickly got up on his hands and knees and did his best to crawl towards us. It was obvious that he was in pain. Cuts and bruises covered his arms, legs and face. His nose was bleeding and it looked like he could pass out at any moment.

Both Edyth and I headed towards him. We went as fast as we possibly could - but it had beaten us. Just as we had reached him, the monster grabbed hold of his right leg with his unnaturally-sharp teeth and pulled him away from us. Elric was screaming in agony. I didn't know what to do. He was losing so much blood - the ground we stood on was seeping with it.

Think, Briana, I thought. There has to be something I can do.

My mind was blank - I couldn't think of anything. So, naturally, I didn't think. I grabbed a small stone which was nearby and received the thing's attention the only way I knew how. I threw it and it hit it on its side. It didn't injure it at all, but it definitely made it angry. I stared into its cruel eyes as if to challenge it. I heard Edyth's whimper behind me.

After the longest minute I'd ever lived, the monster ran at me. I knew this was the end. All of a sudden, I had realised how stupid I had been. How would getting myself killed help the others? But there was no going back now...

I stood there, awaiting my death. But it never came. As the creature neared me, it began to slow its pace, until it eventually stopped. The confusion in my eyes reflected onto its own. It gave a small whimper and stared at me with unwanted defeat - like it didn't want to spare my life but it couldn't do otherwise.

After a few minutes of intense silence, the wolf lowered its head to me. For some strange reason, I felt the urge to reach out. My body, once again, abandoned my brain and did what it wanted. Shakily, my hand reached out and I placed it on the head of my enemy. Its fur was softer than what I'd expected. A low growl was released and I quickly withdrew my hand. Hastily, the wolf turned and ran off into the distance. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion and I desperately wanted to know what had just happened. However, I had other things to worry about. Elric.

Edyth had already ran to him and was trying to cover hid wounds and stop him from losing any more blood. When I got to him, I realised just how bad it was. Blood was everywhere. Elric had become unnaturally pale and was slowly losing consciousness.

"Don't close your eyes. Stay awake, Elric! Please, stay awake!"

It was obvious that we were losing him. Desperately, Edyth put her hand on top of his bitten leg and closed her eyes. She mumbled a couple of words I didn't understand and then opened her eyes again. Magic. I could do some basic spells but Edyth was a lot better than me - if anyone could save him, she could.

But she couldn't. He continued to become weaker. I looked around desperately and saw the purple light glowing at the base of the tree unharmed. Edyth saw my expression and looked in the same direction.

"It won't work on him," she sighed. "It can only cure diseases, not wounds."

There was nothing we could do.

As time passed by, Edyth continued trying but it wasn't making a difference. It wasn't long before he started gasping for air. Then, just as he closed his eyes for the final time, Elric gave a weak smile.

"Save her," he said.

"We will," said Edyth. "We will get the plant to your mother; we'll save her."

He gave one last smile and then his breathing stopped...