The Isle

Forest Traverse

Shard laid in the bush for a long time. By this point, the fight was out of earshot. But, at this point, the fight didn't matter to Shard. The only thing that mattered was hiding from Three-Face.

Suddenly, the sound of approaching footsteps filled the forest. Shard felt the ground vibrate as the footsteps came closer and closer. They got louder the closer they got. Even if it was Pine or Omar, Shard was still mega-scared.

Without moving the bush, Shard turned his head to see the pursuer. He almost squeaked in shock. The footsteps belonged to Three-Face. He was heading right for the bush where Shard was hiding.

Shard took no second chances. He got to his feet and bolted deeper into the forest. He heard the roar of Three-Face and the sound of a bush getting torn to shreds by his massive teeth. Shard gulped as he ran. He didn't want to imagine what would've happened if he was still hiding in that bush.

Suddenly, a tree that Shard had never seen before when he was running sprang up out of nowhere. Shard hit the tree and was knocked back. Shard got up and was about to resume running when the giant snout of Three-Face appeared behind a tangle of leaves.

Jumping back, Shard backed up against the tree as the rest of Three-Face's head came into view.

"Not so smart now, are you?" he growled, "Thought you could get me stuck?"

Shard nodded, "Yes, sir."

Three-Face curled his lips and ran at Shard. But something stopped him from doing so. Three-Face looked around and saw that his legs, arms, and tail were tangled in twisted vines and branches. He snorted and looked at Shard, his eyes flaring.

"You won't get away with this, Little One," Three-Face snarled, "Your parents didn't."

Shard was confused.

"My parents are still alive," Shard corrected.

"Not your raptor parents, you goose!" Three-Face admitted, "Your REAL parents. The ones that you should be with instead of them. Your rex parents."

Shard looked flabbergasted. What was this behemoth talking about?

"You mean..." Shard clarified, "I wasn't a raptor this whole time? I thought it was an identity mistake!"

Three-Face sighed, "You need to look in a lake."

"I'm actually a rex?" Shard asked.

"YES!!!" Three-Face roared.

Shard clung to the tree, whimpering.

"Your real parents were cowards," Three-Face explained, "Introverts. They never attended any special meetings, they never went anywhere, they never hunted... they kept to themselves, which is against the law."

"How do you know about my real parents?" Shard snapped.

Then, a nasty smirk floated across Three-Face's triple maw. He licked his teeth and huffed, "I killed them..."

Shard gasped.

"Right when they were returning to their nest after a hunting trip," Three-Face explained once more, "I striked. I killed them both with one bite to the neck. Then, I attacked the nest. Destroyed every egg there. I heard voices nearby, so I dragged the bodies into a secure location so that no one could see the carnage that I had done.

"But it seems as if I missed an egg. And that egg was you. Rescued by a pair of raptors. Taken pity on by the raptor Alpha. And, finally, those same raptors raised you into a world of lies.

"And now, I'm going to make sure that those lies will never be brought up again. This law shall no longer be broken. We shall once again reign supreme. And it all starts with killing you..."

Three-Face started to advance towards Shard, but the vines were pulling him back. As Shard watched Three-Face struggle, he made a plan, as Shard also noticed a vine that had made its home around Three-Face's neck.

"I was not thrown into a world of lies!" Shard roared to the giant carnivore, "I was thrown into a living environment that cared for me until you ugly tanks came around and ruined it! I was in a loving, stable family! And thanks to you and your 'truth', I can no longer enjoy that way of life!"

"It seems you cannot handle the truth," Three-Face interrupted.

"I wasn't done!!" Shard roared even louder. This caused Three-Face to show a face of shock, "The thing was, you let this one law slide for years. Years! So that's why the raptors took me in. Because they were disobeying a law that so many others had disobeyed!"

"Shut your mouth!" Three-Face snarled, "Or I'll shut it for you!" He started to fight the vines.

"No!" Shard growled. Three-Face's eyes started to narrow, "Because I don't listen to big meanies like you who want to get rid of a cute, innocent, baby! You're a monster!!"

Three-Face erupted in rage. His eyes flamed so much that Shard couldn't even see his pupils. Three-Face ran at the little rex, mouth wide open, ready to engulf. The forest was filled with the sound of straining vines as Three-Face pushed against them. The one vine on Three-Face's neck started to tighten. Good.

But then, one of the vines on Three-Face's legs broke. Shard grew scared again. Three-Face might actually break out. Oh god. 

At this point, Three-Face was stretching his tongue towards Shard, hoping to catch Shard in his mouth with the slimy body part. Shard continued to back up towards the tree until he could no longer do so.

Suddenly, as Three-Face's serrated jaws started to form around Shard, his head was flung back. The neck vine had done its job. Three-Face started to gag. His tongue flopped to the ground, drained of any muscle. But Three-Face didn't care. As he gagged, he continued to reach towards Shard, his tongue lolling and saliva dripping from the mouth. Shard knew that Three-Face's time was almost up. The thing was, when was that going to happen.

Then, it happened. Three-Face's head drooped. The gagging stopped. Then, Three-Face dropped to the ground, letting out his final breath.

Three-Face, the king of the Hypos, was dead.