Chapter #4: The Beast
1633 Words
The werewolf gave Luke glaring red eyes at his soon dying state before clenching his teeth madly and running to chase Amadeus.
“Come back here!”
He spews blood as he speaks.
“I’m not even worth finishing? — huh!”
He rolled over as he lay on his stomach, trying hard to be on his knees by pushing with his hands, lifting his body with all his strength.
“Damndest abomination!” as he looks at the almost gone werewolf.
While he stayed at his knees looking to where his brother’s remains were, he just couldn’t swallow what just happened, and they had to experience it.
‘I’m sorry, little brother, I wasn’t able to save you or myself.’ He thought as he looked down and succumbed to darkness.
Luke could hear the sound of hooves walking closer towards him. He was surprised to see a horse; it seemed like it listened to his cries. He grabbed the horse to help him stand.
“You came back for me,” as he caresses its hair.
“Let’s give that beast another beating.”
The horse neighs at him.
“I’m glad you agree,” he gave a weak laugh. “Ha—ha.”
With the horse’s help, he grabbed a sword on the ground, and he lifted himself, mounting the horse.
“Let’s go kill the beast.”
The horse rides, following the path of the werewolf and everyone.
While Princess Beatrice is running with Miran on their horse, they hear a thunderous howl.
“What was that!?”
“A beast, her highness, the old man was telling the truth.”
“What kind of beast could sound like that!?”
“A werewolf, her highness, a big one.”
Their conversations were soon interrupted by five wolves blocking their path with their teeth clenching and saliva pouring out of their mouth.
Miran pulled the reins, halting his horse to a stop.
“Whoa!”
“What are we going to do?” the Princess asked.
He unmounted from his horse slowly as the wolves growled, taking out his sword.
‘I’m a Royal guard,’ he thought.
“Her highness please stay on the horse.”
“Mmm,” as she holds the reins tight.
The wolves started growling at him more. Their paws scratch at the dirt before they jump at Miran alternately.
Miran, as he shouted, assaulted the closest one who jumped, slashing his sword upward, wounding its underbelly while he just barely blocked the second one by its teeth.
Surprisingly, the wolf bites his sword, not minding its blade with substantial force; it drips blood inside its mouth.
Miran, with disgust, had a hard time pulling it out while another wolf leapt at him.
“At your right!” the Princess said.
Using his elbow to block, only to be bitten by the wolf.
“Agh!”
Miran’s elbow being bitten, and his sword being pulled. Another wolf turns his eyes on the Princess.
“Please, no!” as she pulled the reins to turn.
Miran forcefully shifts his sword, pointing to the wolf’s mouth entryway, piercing it through, killing the wolf as he pulls it out.
Another wolf leaps at his front; he blocks the attack with the elbow where the other wolf’s been biting, repelling the wolf down.
Raising his sword to the side to pierce the centre body of the wolf who is still biting his elbow, a gush of blood oozed right away as he sliced to the front, leaving a fatal wound to its upper body to the point it lost its grip.
The Princess turns back to where they came from, and as she rides her horse, it plunges to the ground as the wolf attacks the horse’s neck.
The horse neighs hard to the ground, giving more weight to the stuck leg of the Princess.
She takes a big gulp, trying to handle the pain from her leg. The wolf walks in front of her face, her mortified look soon realising her imminent death.
She couldn’t speak to ask for help. Miran noticed the Princess on the ground hurried to her, only to get bitten behind his leg.
Understanding how helpless she was, she shut her eyes to submit to her fate, just to hear the sound of skin tearing and blood sizzling.
“Her highness!”
Comprehending, the weight of the horse is gradually subsiding. The Princess opens her heavy wet eyes and wipes her cheek.
In her front was a dead wolf with a sword gored in its skull by the Royal guard reaching for her hand.
“Are you hurt, Her highness?”
“Haah, just — my leg. Thank you!”
“Quickly, dress the princess’ wound!”
Ten of the royal guards who Amadeus helped escape came to save the Princess and helped Miran finish the wolf.
“How? Where is Amadeus, did he kill the werewolf?” Miran asked.
“I’m afraid he and Luke ordered the retreat.”
“Luke is dead and Kleon.”
“No, Luke might still be alive.”
With their conversation, another Royal guard came.
“Where is the Princess?” he asked.
“I’m here!” the Princess replied.
Unmounting his horse, he spoke to Princess Beatrice.
“Are you alright, her highness?”
Looking at the princess’ leg, he continues.
“I’m afraid we need to go now while Amadeus is luring the beast.”
“Amadeus — Where should we go?” she asked.
With a torchlight in his hand, the guard observes the map.
“We should continue the path. As soon as we cross the river we will soon be free from danger,” the guard said.
While they ready the horses, Miran asks.
“Where is Amadeus?”
“He lured the beast inside the forest, as it seems he is being targeted.”
The royal guards mount their horses.
“We should go now though, or Amadeus’ effort will be in vain.”
They ride their horses; even being tired, they make haste for the river.
Seeing the river, most of the men sighed in relief; it was steady and low enough for their horses to pass without difficulty.
“Finally!”
“Yes, I hope the rest can escape and leave this place too.” the Princess said.
“Amadeus is strong and smart; he will lead the rest of them out of here, Her highness,” Miran said.
The royal guards calm a bit with that being said.
“Let’s cross the river!” one guard said.
All of them were interrupted by a torn torso thrown in the river. The river envelops the body and turns into a reddish pink. The fear the royal guards once lost has returned with the beast jumping between them and their freedom.
Their dark eyes and teeth were frozen in space, adding a loud growl from the werewolf’s gut.
“Was that Amadeus’ body?”
“What should we do now?”
“Oh, no!”
“Let’s turn, let’s go,” Miran said.
Miran, with the Princess and the Royal guards, hurries back to the other side.
At their back was the mad werewolf, ripping the guards in half and the horses one by one. Bloods and their cries have mixed and echoed far.
The werewolf leapt for his last target as he clawed the horse’s back, resulting in Miran and Princess Beatrice plunging into the dirt.
He gets up from the ground and gropes on his side, merely discerning his sword is gone.
In front of him was the Princess, who was unsteady from being thrown.
“Run, run! Princess!”
“Woah!”
Miran being lifted incredibly with all his body; it was the werewolf’s hand in his body.
‘This is it I’m going to die,’ Miran thought.
“Damnation!” as Miran yelled his heart out.
It exchanged with a gurgling sound as the werewolf pierces its claws at the back of Miran’s head through his mouth.
The Princess saw Miran wiggling his eyes as he looked at her; he was in such pain, but he was still alive.
While in a blood frenzy, the werewolf tries to laugh menacingly before turning his claw into a fist, breaking the head of Miran as it tears out of his body.
In front of the Princess was the decapitated body of Miran, and standing there was the bloody, silvered werewolf.
There’s no stopping her from crying now; she has been through a lot in just a few hours.
The werewolf saunters, enjoying the sound of the sobbing Princess.
The Princess could hear a loud humping with the man yelling as the horse neighs while it jumps from the forest to the werewolf’s head.
It was Amadeus. He efficiently pierced his long sword through the eye of the beast, clinging to it as he released himself from the horse.
While the werewolf tries to grab Amadeus’s body, he lifts himself by the sword to get the werewolf’s back from evading its deadly claws.
Princess shivered at what she saw; she jumped away from the fight. Shortly she felt a hand that was lifting her arm to get her on the horse.
There it was, Luke, coughing with blood as he gallops away through the river. With the Princess now on his back.
- Writer
