In My Dreams

Notherbeast

"Clara!" Rok screamed. He watched her fall out of the hole in the wall. He tried to grab her, but it was too late. Her dress fluttered in the wind, her hand reaching out, her eyes wet with tears. He felt more hopeless than when his mother had died. He felt more hopeless than when his father was turned to stone by the enchantress. He felt more hopeless than when he had turned. The pain in his chest was more profound than he thought capable of feeling. He walked back slowly then jumped out of the manor. 

For a moment, he flew. For a moment, he had the heart of a dragon. Then, he began to fall. He bent his body down, spun in the air, and collided with the earth on his two feet, stomping an impression in the dirt. He slowly rose, his eyes glowing. He pulled out his shotgun from its sling. Any mortal man would've had to carry it on their back, but it was just the right size for an orc. He hiked it up to his shoulder and started to run toward the enormous white Notherbeast. 

The Notherbeast had caught Clara in its claws and had run away from Aronin's courtyard. It ran into the woods surrounding his estate. Rok stopped to aim and shoot, but it escaped into the trees before he had a clear shot. He snarled and bared his teeth. He ran into the woods after it. Even with his large steps as an orc, the Notherbeast was five times bigger and had the agility of a wolf. He struggled to catch up with him. He wasn't used to running. He was more of a hide and shoot kind of orc. Unlike Blackthorne Forest, these woods were farther apart and much more kind to visitors. The leaves overhead were green and lush as birds twittered with glee.

He slowed down to take a breath. He huffed through his tusks and looked around. He noticed the flash of white. He stepped through a crowd of shrubs and walked out into a clearing in the woods. The Notherbeast stood on all four legs over Clara, who looked to be fast asleep. Her lips were frozen in a small smile, her face as peaceful as a napping lamb. Her long wavy hair was laid gently over the flowers in the clearing. She was beautiful. He froze when he saw the haze hovering over her...coming from her. 

The Notherbeast had its large jaws open, its blue eyes shining in the sunlight. It looked to be...drinking the haze...absorbing it. A chill ran over Rok's body and paralyzed it. The Notherbeast was eating her soul. As if he were struggling in an ocean, he forced himself to raise his shotgun. It felt like he was watching himself, like he couldn't bear the pain and his body was doing the motions for him. He began to run. 

"Clara!" he bellowed. Birds screeched and ran away from the trees. The Notherbeast closed its jaw and looked up straight into Rok's eyes. "Clara!" he kept calling. He hiked up the shotgun, stopped, and aimed. He started to shoot at the beast. It flickered like a ghost and transported to the other side of the clearing. Rok swung around and followed it with more bullets. He screamed for Clara as he tried to shoot the beast. He couldn't land a hit when it kept transporting quickly from place to place. Rok let out a frustrated cry when he ran out of bullets. The Notherbeast saw its chance. 

It transported right in front of him and slashed him aside with a claw. Rok only barely blocked it with the shotgun. It split in two. He flew across the clearing and landed a couple of inches from Clara's own peaceful face. He scrambled to his knees and leant over Clara. He shook her shoulders gently. He needed to wake her up. He needed to snap her out of the Notherbeast's spell! He looked up to see the beast baring its sharp teeth and crouching low. It walked towards them, slowly, deliberately. Its hunger burned through it as it gazed at two new offerings instead of one. 

Rok carried Clara's sleeping body and hugged her close. He turned his back on the beast to shield her. "Bin mog g'thazag cha!" he whispered desperately by her ear. His heart stuttered when he saw her eyelashes flutter. She had heard him. He knew it. She was waking—Rok screamed as talons stabbed into his back. Pain seared through his body. He lost his grip on Clara. She dropped to the ground. Rok felt himself being lifted into the air by his back and thrown across the clearing. He crashed into a tree and collapsed in a heap. 

His whole body burned. He felt like an entire vessel of white hot pain. He spotted the Notherbeast crouching over Clara. He tried to flex his muscles, to force himself to stand up, but he couldn't. He called for her desperately as the haze from her body began to rise.