Fight or Flight

Chapter 14: A Brush With the Malenue

(AN/ Hey guys, to make a long story short, my dog had puppies one died, the rest got an infection, the mom's got mastitis, and it's been hectic. Warning, if you are sensitive to violence then you might not want to read this next part... I mean to me it's not that bad but what do I know? Anyway tell me what you think in the comments and vote by pressing the little star-thingy in the bottom corner.)

Warren's POV:

Warren propelled himself through the dense forest his vision tinted red and his blood thundering in his ears; Two days ago he had made a huge mistake. He had let his impulses get the better of him, he had been seen by the Kymari and now they were hunting him. He careened over a fallen tree swerving to avoid crashing into what must have been a hundred-foot bolder.

The Kymari were unfortunately limber for their sizes, actually keeping up with him when he would have outrun most predators.

His wounds were slowing him down, he could hardly breathe and he couldn't fly; a howl boomed from the northeast causing him to crash, tumbling bodily down a ditch.

The malenue! They were at his den! He had been trying to keep the Kymari away from there, but if he didn't get there–.

Something made a noise and Warren swiveled his head barely catching a glimpse of pale green before scrambling up the steep incline, his back leg slipping.

"REN!" Sela's mind voice interrupted the chaos in his head, distracting him from the pain in his leg and chest. "Ren help!"

Torren's POV

The fire lizard was slower than it had been when he first saw it, the injuries Jia had pointed out were becoming more evident in the way it continually slammed into most every obstacle in its way.

Torren's heart was pounding at a good rate, his muscles used to more rigorous exercise; he hadn't planned on chasing the fire lizard, but since it had somehow avoided his snare... he made an exception. When he heard the dire hound and saw the lizard suddenly bolt in the same direction the call had come from, he thought it odd. That is until he remembered the fire lizards seemed to always live in a flock.

A screeching roar tore through the air followed by a hot gust of wind carrying the smell of smoke and death.

There was most definitely another fire lizard, and the male was going to it; Torren ducked under a low-hanging branch narrowly avoiding getting a face full of thorns.

The sounds of the dire pack got louder, barking, yelping, and angry snarls mixing with a hissing that sounded as if water was being poured over hot coals.

A blast of dark red flame plumed into the space between him and a freshly burnt clearing, dying flames struggling to keep a hold over the damp brush. Torren, out of reflex, drew his phaser and fried a moment later, the blast hitting a dire in its bony mask.

It only fell backward, writhing quickly back to its feet and charging at him again, mouth closed.

To say he was irked wasn't an understatement, of all the predators on the planet to pray on the fire lizards it just had to be–.

The dire snarled whirling around to snap at something else only for it to recoil several gashes carved into its mask.

Without another thought Torren blasted the sicora, burning a bloody hole in its side exposing its ribs.

The sicora shrieked lashing out at him with its tail, the dire lunging and latching onto its foreleg almost ripping it off and spraying brownish blood in the air.

He blasted it again and again, dodging its wild attacks as more of the dire pounced on it begging to tear it apart.

A leg gone, then the tail, a gaping hole ripped into its throat, still, it kept thrashing, getting several of the dire hounds before they finally managed to chew its head from its body.

Only a few glances were cast at Torren as the pack began tearing into the scattered dead sicora, the black voids in the sockets not seeing him in the hazy darkness.

He was lucky they had poor night vision, otherwise, they might have gone after him as well, but then again, they might be satisfied with the carnage left from the fight.

He slowly backed away, careful not to disturb anything; he was disgusted by the way they tore into the sicora, part of him thought it was a shame they couldn't be tamed, a creature like them could benefit all Kymari kind. Once a good distance away he found himself where it must have all started.

The foliage was chard, the ground at the base of a tree gaping open, claw marks carved into the mud; he carefully neared it, peering into the dark tunnel only to find that it turned abruptly cutting off his view of the den. Turning to go, something caught his attention and he reached out scooping the shard in his hand.

He brushed the mud off it with his thumb, turning it around to examine it fully. Clay. How had it gotten there? He tucked it away, his eyes scanning the forest floor for tracks further out, those fire lizards were different in more ways, something about them... the way the blue one always managed to avoid him...

He shook the thought off and continued on, his phaser lost to the dire pack, and the forest swallowed him in its darkness.