Fallen from the Stars

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A quaint life. That's what Tomari had. Never wanted more. Never wanted less. The slightest hint of desire brought forth bad things, very bad things. It was her petty yearning for something greater that put her in this situation. Looking up at the beast before her, her heart felt ready to flat-line. Stunned, unable to move, she was at its mercy.

Leering down, it studied her, committing her aspects to memory. And, though not in the same sense, she did the same. Flicking back and forth, Tomari's eyes roamed the creature's now distinguished characteristics as it stood still as a skyscraper above her.

Its eyes weren't much more than horizontal slits, contrasted by the paper thin, vertical pupils they held. Austerely smudged around what she assumed were the eyes, was a thick, inky substance, resting on rough, sand toned skin. It trailed a ways back, reaching for a ridge that defined itself on the side of the facial structure. A linear line, peppered with assorted bits of sharpened fangs, held the place of a mouth just below a flattened nasal feature. Allowing her gaze to wander upwards a bit, she realized that, what she had originally thought to be horns or rock, were actually bleached bones. And to Tomari's relief, they were not human, judging from their width and awkward bulky shapes. Twisted and contorted, they tangled and pointed towards the sky, atop a similarly colored and textured helmet. Encased by the rim of the head piece sat a gem colored by midnight, still striving to glitter in the hazy air. Below the skull was a stiff neck wrapped in a crooked, mutilated line. Tendons slipped down to its shoulders, holding gangly arms, capped off with curled talons matching the length of one of Tomari's pinkie fingers. Pale scars curled their way around the beast's frame and dense lashing tail, fit with another line, mimicking the neck as it circled round the extension of spinal cord whose length rivaled Tomari's own height of 5' 4". The human noticed how many of the scars carried onto the armor plating the chest and realized that the protective gear was most likely worn during some form of battle or fight. Ruptured wings erupted from the shoulders and back, leathery and tough to look at. It was eerie how human like the structure of this entity was, minus the extra appendages.

Tomari wished she contained the ability to memorize even more, to take this image and permanently imprint it onto her brain. Her curiosity almost covered up her blatant fear radiating from her core. Every nerve, cell and fiber in her body screamed at her to turn and flee. For her to get away, hide and stay there. But she couldn't. Her breathing was quickening and her limbs were going weak, becoming as useless as gelatin. The human's eyes flitted back to those of her captor, and she grasped the fact that it had not removed its gaze from her in the last few moments they had been positioned there.

With the same fluid movements she had seen before, the creature arched and bent down at the joints in its legs. The actions, though more precise, were also like those of a normal human. Not exact, but close.

Drawing near her face, a clawed finger came up, coming closer to her skin than she would prefer. The girl would've flinched if she still possessed the ability to do so, but now, she was helpless with no way to defend herself. A mewling kitten in view of a preying hawk.

A shiver snuck up her spine, shuttering her delicate frame as a hooked talon crept across her cheek bone. Unlike what she had originally expected, the dagger that rested upon her flesh was smooth, defying the visible texture of the body it was attached to. Though still immobile, she managed to widen her eyes. She couldn't feel the action, but was able to watch in the reflection of the jet black stone placed on the forehead in front of her. She questioned how she was able to do so, as her eyes turned to circled orbs, implanted on her face.

With swift actions, the lengthened nail left her skin, carrying a reddened liquid along with it. Tomari watched as blood drawn from the previously sliced cheek was brought to the beast's lipless mouth. Both bewildered and petrified, she sat.