Hard Vacuum: Short Episodes In The Future

Lord Of The Black Wood

The simian horror howled at the sky with a primordial rage.  It stood twice as tall as Belith and probably weighed over ten times as much, all heavy muscle. It's lips peeled back to reveal sharp, oversized teeth with almost tusk-like fangs.

Belith had made the mistake of entering into its territory. She didn't know that she had done so until it dropped down from its resting place in the boughs of one of the giant black trees and pounded its chest.

She lunged at it with her spear, but it grabbed the shaft and wrenched it away from her, flinging it into the brush. It dove at her and with coiled power and she was barely able to leap out of the way. It moved quickly for a beast so massive, and it ignored the deep gashes that she rent into its flesh with her copper blade.

Another quick leap and she was behind it. It had overextended just briefly, but it was enough for her to get up onto its massive back. Now she could seize the advantage. Grabbing a fistful of hair to hold on, she prepared to plunge her blade into the nape of the creature's neck.

But the monster reached back with both hands and grabbed her. With a mighty overhead thrust of its arms, it tore Belith from its back and hurled her through the air.

Her body struck the hard trunk of a tree with a great crack, and she fell surprisingly far to the ground. Running on pure fight instinct, she launched to her feet to the sensation of excruciating pain that seemed to blast her from head to toe. For a moment, the world went black, and she dropped back to the ground.

The hulk lumbered towards her with uncomprehending death in its eyes. Her sword was lost from her, she must have dropped it when her body hit the tree. She could not stand, and something inside her was broken. She could barely remain conscious enough to face the end.

A shadow fell over her. There was a large form between her and inhuman death. It had leapt out of the woods to stand between the two combatants. Hunched and growling, the giant wolf turned on the ape, teeth bared and hair on end.

The hulking monster threw its fits up and shouted at the sky, enraged at the interruption, but it had no chance to attack, as six more wolves appeared and surrounded it.

Belith struggled to sit up, and even managed to painfully regain her feet,  braced with her back against the tree that broke her. She watched as the seven wolves that had hunted her just days before were now bringing down the overwhelmed ape.

In short time, their grizzly work was done, and their attention turned to her. She wasn't sure she could fight again. One of the beasts stepped ahead of the others. It was the one that snapped at her from behind while she killed their pack leader upon their first meeting. It sniffed at her, from foot to head, then turned its back to her with a snort.

The wolf darted into the woods, and the others followed, leaving the wounded warrior alone and bewildered.