Drema: The Crimson Moon (Version 2)

The Krushi

Lilly opened her groggy eyes. She sat forward, her eyes drinking her mist enveloped surroundings. The jungle dominating the eastern bank of the swift river continued to reach for the sky. The rocky wasteland she had called her bedroll that night remained yellowed and withered.

Lilly reached into her bag, retrieving a strip of eskon. She bit the end, tearing a small chunk from the strip. For being a ration, the flavor was delicious. The somewhat sweet, and overwhelmingly salty taste disappearing from her tongue as she swallowed. She severed another piece from the strip and chewed it vigorously.

Soon her meal was finished, and Lilly took a deep drink from her water skin. She refilled it before standing, taking advantage of the Swift River's presence.

Lilly had been traveling south for four days. She wandered throughout all of the first night and day of her journey. If Shatterspear believed his daughter lived, there was suitable distance between him and herself.

She couldn't waste any time and continued walking along the river. In three more days the wasteland would become fair grass and she would reach the territory of the Windsprint Tribe. Lilly would be able to live amongst the horses for a time before moving on.

A thunderous roar rang out from the jungle. Lilly recognized the sound as the call of a krushi. They were dangerous vicious beasts, but they seldom left the Crimsonleaf Jungle. Nevertheless, Lilly would remain cautious.

Colorful winged creatures suddenly burst forth from the canopy. They flew across the river, fleeing into the desolate fields. The ground began to shake, prompting the tigress to draw her scimitar. She wondered if this was the source of the was the krushi.

A scaly skinned beast crashed forth, knocking a smaller tree down. It stood on the bank opposite the tigress, eyes red with rage. Its hide glimmered in the morning sun, shades of blue surfacing amongst the sea of green.

Its blearing eyes locked with the feline's as the krushi became interest in Lilly. It charged forward, wading through the Swift River with ease. Lilly sprinted left, narrowly missing its deadly horn.

All she could do was dodge its stampedes and stomps. Even though Lilly knew its weak points, but it would take four tigers to kill a krushi. Eventually she would become tired and fall victim to one of its powerful blows.

Outrunning a krushi was impossible for most. A horse could outpace it and a hawk could fly above it. Lilly knew she would be unable to escape it that way.

It prepared to strike again, massive horn aimed towards her chest. She readied herself to dodge once again, positioned towards a stretch of brown grass. It lunged, however Lilly found her right foot-paw slipping from beneath her.

The tigress lost her balance, tumbling towards the white water beside her. Lilly fell beneath its surface, gasping for breath as she did so. Water filled her throat forcefully, choking the air from her body. With a muffled crack, her skull collided with a riverbed stone.

Instantly the water and the krushi faded into darkness. Although unaware she then bobbed to the surface, but the river could still drag her under again.

The Swift River flowed north, and if Lilly survived she would awaken there. It was the place her father intended to go. If she ever emerged from the water, she could be in even greater danger.