The Unwanted Prince

Ch. 19 - Reader

*Author's Note: I was being a dumbass and accidentally wrote this chapter in 3rd POV and didn't realize until near the end. So enjoy this weirdly written chapter in 3rd POV. We will be back in the first-person perspective very soon!*

"Keep your eyes open."

Adrian wasn't sure how experienced Mar was fighting against magical creatures, but he knew Oliver didn't stand a chance in a fight.

Adrian's come across a couple of tree-walkers before. They're a pesky bunch, usually living in solitude. They were super territorial of their homes, so any intruders they spotted were in for an attack.

Tree-walkers were long-limbed creatures whose flesh was a pasty pink color. They were incredibly ugly, something the three humans could clearly see. Its big yellow eyes bore into their souls, never batting an eye.

"Tree-walkers' eyeballs are too big for its skull, so its neck can turn 180 degrees to see around it." Oliver started to explain, remembering things he's read about this creature. He was baffled. Tree-walkers were supposed to be extinct, how could there be one right here?

And Adrian made it clear he's encountered it before as well.

Adrian gave out a grunted curse as the tree-walker turned invisible, letting out a chittering noise. "Tree-walkers aren't extinct, people just think they are because it's hard to spot them. They blend into the trees. Anyone who encountered them is dead from their rakes."

"Rakes?" Mar questioned.

"The fingers. They're like rakes, very pointy too." Oliver had answered. He stayed between the prince and knight, holding to the reins of his horse tightly. 

They could possibly go back the way they came. But they were already halfway through the forest. It'd take another half hour to get out. The creature could kill them by then.

Adrian glared around, trying to figure out where the tree-walker was.

The thing about the tree-walker was that their chittering, which was their only voice, was so loud it was hard to pinpoint where exactly it was hiding.

Adrian stared at a twisted tree, noticing a small trail of blood leaking from it.

Bingo.

Cracking the reins, Rat knew instantly where the prince wanted to go. Racing to the twisted tree, Adrian, without saying a word, brought his sword onto the tree.

Hearing the mangled scream of the creature along with a loud crack, Adrian drew back as the tree-walker reappeared. It toppled to the ground, one of its limbs bent at an odd angle. Blood was trickling down the twisted arm, jagged bone peeking out from its pink flesh.

The tree-walker stared at them, void of any emotion. It didn't help that the creature had no mouth.

Suddenly, a large shrill shook through the forest. It was so piercing, the three humans were forced to cover their ears.

The horses whined, jumping back and forth in nervousness as the tree-walker continued screaming.

"RAT!" Adrian screamed at the top of his lungs.

On command, Rat shook her head and leaned on her hind legs. Using the force of gravity, Rat went to stomp on the tree-walker.

But the creature stopped screaming and skittered away, jumping onto another tree and vanishing.

"Shit," Adrian cursed, looking around frantically for the monster.

Mar turned around on her horse, hearing the shrill of the creature start behind her. Quickly, Mar slashed her sword on the nearest tree.

The tree-walker appeared, jumping out at Mar and throwing her to the ground. Mar looked up, horrified as the tree-walker climbed onto her.

She couldn't hear anything but its high chittering. Mar had let out a scream as the tree-walker's face began to split, the flesh ripping around to reveal sharp pointed teeth.

Did it also mention that tree-walkers like to feast on humans?

In a panic, Mar punched the creature in its eye, causing it to fly off of her. Mar reached for her sword, not waiting for a moment as the creature screamed at its injured eye, Mar slashed her sword across those yellow eyes.

Once again, the tree-walker let out a mangled cry. It clawed at its bleeding eyes, twisting its head in the oddest of angles.

Adrian jumped off of Rat, immediately running over to aid the knight.

Adrian swung his sword, aiming for the creature's bony neck. Hearing a rather disturbing breakage of the neck, Oliver nearly vomited as he saw the head of the tree-walker fly away. Mar, speechless at what Adrian had done, backed away as the head rolled on the dirty ground, blood painting nearby trees.

The prince kicked down the fidgety body of the tree-walker to the ground, the body soon growing limp under Adrian's foot.

Mar watched as Adrian kicked the creature's body again, turning it over with his foot.

Oliver had come down from his horse, rushing to inspect the dead creature. He knelt down to the detached head, quickly taking out his journal and a pencil. "Fascinating, tree-walkers actually do have mouths. I thought it was just a myth," He said, writing down notes on the animal.

Adrian stepped off the dead body, making his way back to Rat. He slipped his sword back into its sheath, telling the others, "We better get out of here and find a town or something." Reaching Rat, the horse nudged his cheek gently. It prompted the man to realize blood had splattered on his face. Adrian simply wiped it away with his gloved arm.

"There should be a town just a couple miles from here," Mar said, following the prince. She stopped for a moment, yelling back at Oliver to hurry up.

Climbing back onto their horses, Mar had suggested they go off the path to avoid the blockage. More time will be wasted, but it was better standing there.

They went off the trail, maneuvering their horses through the trees.

All the while, a crow that had been keeping a watchful eye on them flew into the sky.