The Survivors

The Suris

The next morning, Levi and I were subject to an abrupt wake up call. A smell that can be attributed to rotten eggs wafted over the area and our eyes immediately zeroed in on its source. The thing that emerged was a hideous beast.

It resembled a crocodile from Old Earth, but with legs that raised it to the height of a horse. Its tail was long and had sharp spines along it. It's scales were a dull gray and it's teeth protruded outside it's mouth. The eyes sat on top of its head, slitted and red. If I hadn't been paying attention, I probably would have missed the forked tongue that tasted the air, allowing it to focus in on our forms in the trees.

I snarled low in my throat, my wings halfway unfurled as my body thrummed with anger. I didn't dare take my eyes of the creature to note if Levi was taking the same position. "What is it?" I hissed violently, saliva dripping from my teeth.

I felt a ball of heat build up in the back of my throat at the same time that a tingling flooded my teeth. It seemed that whatever this was, my flame and venom were going to be needed.

"I am not sure, but whatever it is, I feel the need to attack it," Levi responded. His hissing grew louder as the creature stalked towards us. It was when it placed its front legs on the tree that we took flight.

Our small forms shot into the air and we began to circle the tree and the creature. Our hisses matched its own in ferocity. The buildup of heat in my throat began to get uncomfortable and I spat a fireball at the creature.

The flame singed it's scales the slightest bit that it grunted in pain, but nothing more. Levi repeated the fireball attack, focusing his aim on the same place as myself and that seemed to produce a response. The scales seemed to melt away from the circle where the fire had struck, resulting in a painful shriek from the creature below.

I dove down and slashed my claws into the wound, receiving a cry from Levi. He didn't want me to hurt myself, but I trusted that I wouldn't. Banking to the left to avoid the whipping tail, I rejoined my companion in the air above it.

It was now my turn to cry out as Levi dove down to the creature. My breath was cut short as I watched in slow motion. The head of the creature snapped around at the same time that Levi had made it to its flank to slash it.

The sharp teeth sank into Levi's wing and it jerked its head to the side, effectively tearing the thin membrane and snapping the delicate bones in his wing. My vision went red with rage at the sight. I screamed a cry of anguish and anger.

I landed on the right flank of the creature and sunk my claws into the stabilize myself. In a matter of moments, I sunk my venom coated teeth into its flesh. A foul taste filtered into my mouth as more venom pumped into its bloodstream. I could only pray that it would soon collapse.

It seemed my hopes weren't answered though, at least not completely. The creature did collapse but not from my own venom. A spear had been thrown and lodged into the head of the creature, causing its collapse. Unfortunately for me, that collapse was right on my smaller body.

I could feel bones breaking from the weight of the creature and I began to spot black dots in my field of vision. My eyes focused on Levi once more, wanting a final look before I felt that I would succumb to my injuries. His own eyes locked on with mine and before I collapsed the name of the creature was revealed to me through the Mandatas that had killed it.

It was called the Suris.