Tiny - Tomatt

Effort

Even in his giant, powerful monster form, Tom was getting fatigued. He'd wasted much of his energy on that original sprint away from the hellhole they'd been trapped in for how many days. He'd become too sore to jump for a few miles due to worn out leg muscles.

But he couldn't let himself stop. He needed to have the safety of civilization- the safety of a city or even a neighborhood - in his sights. There, if someone tried to kidnap him, it would be seen and he could be helped. Now he trudged through the tall, bare trees, his heavy tail dragging behind him limply, his clawed feet scuffing and scraping the leaves and dirt which were soggy with melted snow.

The sky above was black and cloudless. If Tom cared to look closely enough he would have been able to the faint shape of the milky way galaxy. The spindly limbs of bare trees grew over the sky like a wooden spider web. The wind was whistling through the trees, whispering gently and stinging Tom's bare back.

There was no sound on that cold winter night besides the trudging of Tom's tired feet and the chilly winter air touching everything it could get its icy fingers on. Though Tom had a thick layer of tough skin to protect him, it didn't keep him quite warm enough to be comfortable.

He was huffing with exhaustion. His arm and shoulder were extremely sore from holding Matt for so long. Every now and then he would lift his hand up to his huge eye to see Matt and make sure the delicate ginger was okay. "Hello, monster Tom!" Matt would smile weakly and give a thumbs up each time, reassuring Tom, who would let out a deep sigh of relief and then press him to his chest once again.

Tom couldn't go on for much longer. His steps became slow, shaky and unstable. He was afraid he was going to collapse on the ground. Whatever the monster had for a stomach ached for food. Soon, a strange, unfamiliar tension began to develop in his core and behind his eye, but he was too tired to worry about it.

I have to find something soon. A road. A building. Anything. He looked behind himself nervously. I hope they're not following me. One condition that worked in their favor was the fact that the snow had melted while they'd been imprisoned, which gave little opportunity for Tom's path to be tracked.

Matt was shifting around in his hand now. When the tiny human nestled against his chest, he felt the now familiar tingly sensation he got every time they made contact warm him up despite the cold. Foreign thoughts intruded into his head. He'd protect Matt. He would never let anyone hurt him, nor would he do so himself.

All of the sudden, a cramping sensation interrupted his train of thought. He stopped in his slow, unsteady tracks, and doubled over slightly, groaning. It took every ounce of will and self control he had not to clench his hand and accidentally crush Matt.

He dropped to his knees in pain and put one clawed hand on the ground, clenching it, unintentionally excavating dirt and decaying foliage from the forest floor. He shakily lowered his other hand and placed Matt on the ground beside him. Matt was watching him with worry and curiosity as he scraped the ground with both hands now.

Matt jumped with a grimace as Tom roared pitifully. Stab. Stab. It was horrible. It was as if all of his muscles were being pulled tighter and tighter without his say in it. He whimpered weakly. Fatigue. Exhaustion.

He finally gave in to it. His huge body crumpled to the ground. The tension came to a climax and snapped.

Tom's roar echoed through the forest, causing hiding nearby creatures to scamper away. The flash of white light that Tom emitted lit up the ground and the trees nearby. Matt covered his eyes with his arm and turned away slightly as it stung his eyes.

The pained roar devolved into a human groan as Matt could sense that the light faded away. He dropped his arm and looked in Tom's direction. He was on his hands and knees, facing the ground, clenching his jaw, breathing heavily and rapidly. The bandages were stretched loose, coming off his mud-covered hands and his jeans were soaked from the wet ground.