Overtaking The Throne

Eyes, Wings and Scary Ooze

Chapter Six
Eyes, Wings and Scary Ooze

I wished I could have ran away, never look back, curl up into a ball, eat some ice cream, and pretend that I had never seen such a creature.

Unfortunately, I could not do any of that. Except possibly the ice cream thing later. If, you know, I lived through the experience.

A pair of deadly antlers loomed over my head. Trailing my gaze up, I decided to ignore its body and only focus on the face. It seemed good a place to stare in order to keep myself sane. I was staring at a bulking, ten foot tall beast.

Its horns were see-through, possibly made of some light blue crystals. A heart-shaped, pushed-in nose almost gave him (I think it's a him) a cute aspect, but that was largely overshadowed by two bluish dragonfly eyes. They bore into my own.

Don't run away in fear. Don't run away in fear. Don't run away in fear. Okay, now I'm going to run away in fear.

I turned on my heel, making a beeline for the exit.

...I didn't make it. Before I even had a chance to take a step, a sickly (or was that just my stomach?) green scorpion tail wrapped around my arm. It plucked the food from my grasp. The tail then brought the food to its mouth, the beast quickly consuming my very unusual cuisine.

The beast's eyes brightened. In a second, he blinked, washing away the dragonfly-bug-whatever eyes to reveal soft ones. The beast almost reminded me of a kitten for a moment.

The thought gave me the courage to give him a once over.

A layer of dark green covered his body where shards of blue crystals grew atop. He had wings that were smaller, though not by much, than what the proportions should have been. To keep him suspended, they were constantly flapping: maybe two or three times a second. His tail swished behind him. It seemed sturdy, but a needle sat at its tip. That was largely terrifying. Especially the purple ooze bubbling down the pearly needle. The bits of ooze that touched the ground disintegrated the grass beneath it.

Note to self: avoid ooze. Thank you, and goodnight brain.

Then I noticed something, which in turn made me stifle a laugh. I mean, I understand why nature designed his species to look that way, but it was amusing nonetheless.

The big old terrible beast had no legs. The all powerful terror wasn't as powerful as I assumed. He had to constantly beat his wings to stay upright. He couldn't outrun me if I escaped. He couldn't swim. (I don't think, but he did live by a waterfall and lake. Maybe he could swim.)

That and the kitten eyes dispersed my concerns. This was just a big softy.

"Hi there," I cooed.

He flinched back, seeming offended I had called him a there. (That's a first for me. Having a scary monster actually be a sweetheart who gets offended at being called a there. This is my year of new events.)

"Well, what would you like to be called, Mr? You are a guy, right?" I asked cautiously.

The nameless beast nodded.

So it is a he.

"How about Razor, or something intimidating like that?"

He huffed, quite clearly not interested.

The next name popped into my head without warning, and I spit it out before I had the chance to process it. "Herman?"

He was delighted. His head bobbed up and down so quickly, I was worried it would act as a third wing, and Herman would skyrocket into the air.

I smiled. "Well Herman. How would you like to help me win over the kingdom?"

Herman; the name of my new friend and supporter in the take down of the wrongfully crowned.

Who thought my biggest assistance at this point would come from a legless sweetheart of a beast named Herman?