Final CTD Masterpiece

A Boar's Struggle Part 3

The sounds of battle and violence became muffled, and a dull ringing filled Okkoto's ears, as he watched his brother twitch on the ground. Blood poured from the wound and a black, tar-like substance streamed from his inside. "Nago!" Okkoto yelled as he began to recover from his momentary shock. "Brother! Can you hear me?" Okkoto knew that the bullet had pierced his heart when he saw Nago's chest. When he rested his lower jaw on his neck, he could feel no pulse. Okkoto looked around for a doctor even though on the inside, he knew it was too late.

Straightening his back, he stood up tall. He looked at the battle raging behind him and then back down at his brother. Turning his head toward an unsuspecting battalion of escaping soldiers, he pumped his legs up and down so that the group of humans was unable to think of what to do to avoid Okkoto's attack. They went down in a bloody mass. Okkoto's rage did not end there. He continued to strike down human after human. Not one had the reflexes or fearlessness to respond quick enough to escape or wound Okkoto. Soon, the grass was stained in the bright scarlet color of blood. Okkoto was still running around in a blind rage after the last human had been overcome.

Okkoto's heavy and shallow breathing filled the ears of many soldiers as he began to calm down. "O-Okkoto?" asked one of his war leaders.

"Yeah?" said Okkoto, still breathing heavily. "How many people died today?"

"Only twelve. But, Nago's gone." Okkoto stopped in his tracks. The flaming wreckage of the human establishment burned louder in the background. The crackling and pops grew louder, pounding against Okkoto's eardrums. A small piece of ash landed on his tongue and melted, leaving a dry and dusty taste in his mouth.

As Okkoto returned to where Nago had fallen, the only thing where he had lain were some red and black worms. Okkoto realized what had happened. "Lord Okkoto," began one of his followers. "What-"

"He's become a demon." Okkoto said. Silence reigned supreme after he said this. "His hatred for humanity and fear of death overcame his common sense and rationality and he lost control." Okkoto smelled the earth where the red and black worms wriggled. His furry nose twitched and the scent of the curse turned his head towards a withered trail of grass. There were more worms writhing around in the dying grass.

Okkoto began to gallop at a steady pace, following the withered and blackened grass's smell. The path lead deeper and deeper into the forest, until even Okkoto felt unsure of where he could be. When he listened to see if any of his officers had followed him, he was slightly panicked to hear nothing but his own breathing. He traveled deeper until he couldn't feel any inkling of sunlight on his back. However, the scent of the worms and rotting flesh got stronger. Okkoto then came into a clearing that was clearly very large. On the other side, a dark shape huddled. It almost resembled a spider, except it was huge and covered with constantly moving red and black worms. Its eyes glowed a vivid red.

A colossal screech of wrath and anger emanated from the other side of the clearing. It was obvious that Nago had indeed tried to escape from Okkoto. "Brother?" asked Okkoto with a hint of hesitation. He was responded by another foul screech. Maybe it could have been a little quieter that time. "It's me. Okkoto." Another wretched cry pierced the air, noticeably closer. "Can you hear me through that mess of a body?" A small whimper came from an area that was very close to Okkoto. He recoiled a little, as he hadn't gotten the idea that Nago stood so close. Then he relaxed and became comfortable with his situation.

"Nago. You don't have to stay this way." Okkoto continued. "Demons can be overcome. It's your choice. You have to be strong." Nago, or whatever remained of him, drew close to Okkoto. His presence felt gentler than before. Okkoto could see in his mind's eye, a grouping of worms, reaching out towards his snout. He could smell the oily scent of Nago's demon as if it was his own. Then, suddenly, the worms slid around the end of his nose in a one fluid movement. Okkoto let out a scream of his own, as the worms burned his flesh with pain he had never experienced before. He lept backwards and in the process, kicked Nago in the head. Nago let out a blood-curdling scream and scuttled away through the tall grass and into the trees.

Okkoto felt the tip of his nose where the worms had touched him. The hair there had completely burned off. He then realized that he couldn't smell the oily scent of Nago anymore. Come to think about it, he couldn't smell any of the normal forest smells. He hunched his shoulders in shame and began to work his way back to where his people remained. The walk seemed much longer on the way back than forward. Maybe he circled around a bit, but he eventually found one of his followers, who led him back to their home. He retold the story with Nago again and again for all to hear. He thought that telling it would maybe lessen the pain he felt in his heart.