Prologue:
A deep sea fishing trolley has found itself lost. The ship sails towards dark clouds and fierce waves. A hurricane seemingly stuck in place around an island. Jagged rocks make the waters around it even more treacherous. If anyone else was in the area and could see the ship they'd think the crew had gone insane. But the truth is that they are sailing into this storm for safety. For something much worse has been chasing them, and land is their only hope for safety.
The ship fights past waves taller than some buildings, past winds that belong in a hurricane, and past rocks larger than the ship itself. The ship's entire thirty plus crew are all inside the ship staying as far away from windows and doors as they can. The Captain of the ship is at the helm and working hard against the elements to make certain his crew makes it to the island he found by pure chance.
The ship's sonar detects a large creature coming up from below. It moves fast, coming towards them. Far bigger than the ship the Captain tries to increase speed while fighting waves to keep the ship from capsizing. The ship lurches forwards as they crest a wave and makes it to peaceful waters. The sun shines in the eye of the storm and the crew give a cheer believing safety is theirs at last as the Captain slows down to get closer to shore.
Giant tentacles wrap around the ship in several places. The Captain tries to push the engine forward to escape the beast's grasp but the tentacles are unyielding. The ship is lifted out of the water as the people inside are tossed around. Some of the tentacles break windows and drag crewmen out to be pulled out of sight. The tentacles raise the ship a good twenty feet when suddenly they go slack and the ship falls back into the water with a crash of water.
The Captain wastes no time as he floors the boat in a bid to make for shore. He doesn't know what that squid, that modern day kraken was, but he does know what the green hand that pealed the tentacle off of him was. Like his crew the Captain is far more scared of the creature that hand belongs to than the tentacles that came from the depths. The crew is so shaken and scared in their bid for land they don't see the shoreline creeping up quickly on them and end up crashing on the beach.
As the crew recovers they look out over the waves. The waters churn as a battle under the waves takes place. The Captain begins to shout commands to grab whatever they could, arm whatever weapons they have, and to follow him inland to safety.
Little do they know the lands of this island are just as dangerous as its waters. For life on Skull Island is nothing if not hostile.
Chapter One: Calamari
The giant leviathan that tried to crush the ship is known as a Mire Squid. It's species inhabit the shallow waters around Skull Island where it awaits prey to ambush them. The creatures regularly grow to anywhere between 90 and 110 feet long from head to tentacle tip. This particular individual is only around 88 feet, a young one. It believed it had scored easy prey when another predator grabbed its tentacles and forcibly removed them from the ship.
The Mire Squid released its prey to confront the intruder. It suddenly finds itself facing a predator larger than itself and more aggressive. The beast is humanoid, has green colored fur helping it camouflage in the green algae and seaweed forests of the ocean. It has a human-like face but with a large wide nose, tusks protruding from the mouth, and long elf-like ears. The beast's eyes see clearly in the water and the squid is the target of its sight. The squid attempts to strangle the strange green beast but quickly finds its tentacles ripped by strong hands and devoured in front of it. The beast, known to humanity as the monster Gaira, grabs several tentacles and begins heading towards shore.
When he can, Gaira stands up in the shallow waters and then spins in a circle tossing the squid into a cliff across the water. The cephalopod hits the stone and then falls into the water. Injured and battered the terrified squid scrambles for deeper waters. Gaira does not pursue. Instead he smells the air tracking the scent of the humans it followed here.
Gunshots, screams, and a roar signal the direction the humans went. Gaira quickly rushes towards the sound. The humans are his prey, no other may have them.
Chapter Two: Hunted
The Captain bravely led his men into the forest. His first mate right by his side every step of the way. The first mate died first.
As the crew matched into the woods the sounds of roaring and fighting behind them became apparent quickening their pace. Soon the sounds of battle faded and the quiet serene noises of the woods soon enveloped them. The first mate runs to the front of their group where the Captain leads them, his eyes scanning everything for movement as the group rushes forward.
"Sir, headcount is 26. The damned tentacles took at least 3 of us and one of the new men was crushed when their boat crashes onto shore."
"Thanks for the update Simons, we'll get out of this yet with luck."
"I hope so sir, I've go- GUK!"
The sudden silence and slurping choking sound causes the Captain to turn around immediately raising up his rifle to whatever has just happened. A tree seems to have sprouted where Simons was. A bamboo tree like those all around them going through his body and out his mouth impaling the poor man.
"What the fu-"
One of his men starts firing up into the foliage above them which is when they see an insectoid body connecting several of the trees. The beast hisses and chitters at them as it removes its leg and begins to attack. Then another tree towards the back of the group kills another man. Two of the beast. Chaos erupts as everyone begins to either fight for their lives or run into the woods to escape the threat.
The creatures are known as Mother Long Legs, spider-like megafauna that have adapted and evolved to be perfect ambush predators in the bamboo forests of Skull Island. As such highly developed ambush predators the humans in their territory are at a distinct disadvantage as they were already frightened, exhausted, and on the run unable to think clearly. However above the sound of gunfire is another sound, one that neither the Mother Longlegs nor the humans could hear. The thunderous footsteps of an approaching predator.
The Mother Long Legs have killed and begun to consume 8 of the crewmen (leaving about 18 left. The humans have managed to run as they saw the tide shifting against them. The insects are so busy consuming their prey that they don't even hear the predator until it is too late.
A Skull Crawler, one of the larger ones on the island, about 60 feet tall, stalks the Mother Long Legs. Skull Crawlers love humans as a food source but these apex predators aren't picky. The Skull Crawler leaps onto the back of the Mother Long Legs its sheer size and weight causing the strong legs to buckle and drop. The Skull Crawler begins to eat, tearing off the head and jaws that were moments previous consuming a human. The monster swallows the piece whole and then roars to the sky announcing to other nearby Skull Crawlers that it has found food and that this kill belongs to it. The second Mother Long Longs grabs one of the human corpses and rushes away from the Skull Crawler.
Once the Skull Crawler has consumed a majority of the Mother Long Legs it makes a sound similar to a bark, other Skull Crawlers move in from the woods and feast on the leftovers. The large one smells the air and begins tracking the humans. It barks again and two of the smaller ones peel off the corpse and join it on the hunt.
Chapter Three: Invasive Species
The smell of blood in the air causes Gaira to quicken his pace. He runs into a Mother Long Legs running away from the source of the blood. Normally Gaira would simply walk by the creature as it wasn't his target but his sensitive nose told him otherwise. Gaira shoots out an arm and grabs one of the legs pulling the spider megafauna to him. The creature screeches and tries to stab its attacker but Gaira breaks off a few legs to show it who is in control. The creature screeches in pain as Gaira sniffs its mouth and head smelling the human flesh and blood it consumed. The Mother Long Legs tries to bite Gaira's nose hoping to escape. The bite only furthers to enrage Gaira who bites one of its legs off.
Gaira leaves the creature with no legs. Each one pulled or bitten off and a large bite taken out of the body. Leaving the head alive to feel the slow helpless death in the time it has left. Gaira's roar fades into the distance as other animals begin to creep closer to the wounded Mother Long Legs.
Two juvenile Skull Crawlers and feasting on the carcass of the first Mother Long Legs. The two creatures are barely twenty feet tall and are engrossed in their meal. Then don't hear Gaira approach them. The green giant watches with curiosity, then he sees what they are having with their meal: a side of humans. Gaira pounds his chest and charges.
The first Skull Crawler doesn't seem him coming as it lifts its head to help swallow a particularly large piece of flesh. Gaira steps on its back forcing it to the ground before leaning down to snap its neck with his hands. The first one goes limp. The second one seeing Gaira dispatch its kin lunges in rage jumping on Gaira's back while wrapping its tail around his neck. Gaira stands up and tries to throw the Skull Crawler off of him. The beast bites down on his shoulder, tearing like a dog. The grip on his neck tightened, causing Gaira's vision to go spotty. Gaira reaches up desperately trying to breathe, he grabs and bites the tail causing the young Skull Crawler to yelp in pain and release his neck. Gaira breathes hard. As his hand shoots out to pin the Skull Crawler to the ground by its neck. Gaira looks at it with a hideous smile. Then he digs one clawed finger into its left leg causing a stream of blood to begin flowing and the Skull Crawlers' screeches of pain fill the forest.
-Meanwhile-
The Skull Crawlers that followed the Alpha have given chase to the humans. They lash out in the jungle, striking hard and fast. Their long tongues grabbing members of the crew and sending them to a horrific end. The crew have been running for hours at this point. The sun has begun to set. The Captain rushes into a clearing and tells his men to form up. They light flares and drop them at the edges of the clearing and then come together in a circle with all their guns facing outwards.
The Captain lights the last couple of his flares and drops them in the center of the circle, using one of them to start a fire out of some sticks and dried grasses in the clearing. The fire is small but every bit of light helps. The crew is silent except for the sounds of their laboured breathing. Every member of the crew is tired, scared, and exhausted. The only thing keeping them standing is the fear and adrenaline from being in one monstrous situation to the next.
The Juvenile Skull Crawlers caught up with the crew first, they are circling the clearing, clearly not trusting the flares. The men watch as the things pace around the camp. They know their time is limited, flares can normally burn at most an hour. Stopping was a bad idea because now the two Skull Crawlers have them boxed in on both sides. Some of the crew try taking shots at the beasts but it only serves to enrage them more.
The big Skull Crawler finally shows up. It begins to clear the trees around the clearing with its large tail. Some of them fall onto the flares extinguishing them. The sun is fully setting now, darkness begins to encroach the humans sad safety zone. But that is when they hear it: the roar.
Chapter Four: Showdown
Gaira has been sprinting all out through the woods clearing a path as it tracks the wounded Skull Crawler. The path it takes is direct and easy to track. The creature is acting just as Gaira hoped; it is running towards the others, towards the humans. The sun begins to set and Gaira suddenly finds a new scent in the air: the chemical scent of human made flames. Along with the scent of gunpowder, and the presence of something larger than most of the creatures Gaira has come across thus far. He sees the injured Skull Crawler about to cry out once more for help. He leaps towards the little one and crushes its head beneath his foot killing and silencing the beast. Gaira pulls a nearby bamboo tree out of the ground and begins to move forward silently.
The Captain tries to rally his men as the flares begin to die down. His men light the last of their flares but there are not enough to fully circle them so they huddle together and hold the flares like crosses against vampires. But these monsters are far more deadly than any bloodsucker of legend. The two juvenile Skull Crawlers close in on two sides while the Alpha makes itself known with a roar closing in from the third direction. The humans try firing their weapons to no effect. One of the Juveniles gets over eager and rushes to get the first bite from the humans.
A figure leaps into the air far above the humans its sheer size blocking out the moonlight above them. The creature comes crashing down upon the Skull Crawler's back flattening the beast. It then bends down and uses its claws to slice the neck of the Skull Crawler causing it to drown in its own blood to death. Then standing upright and using the blood to draw twin lines on both cheeks.
The Captain looks on in shock alongside his men who were all knocked to ground by the impact. The blood drains from his face as he looks up to see what has momentarily spared their lives: Gaira. The very giant they had been running from for days.
Gaira locks eyes with the captain, his scent familiar, the humans he had been tracking. A roar draws Gaira's attention back to the task at hand. The smaller Skull Crawler is charging directly at him full bore. Gaira stands still, holding the tree he uprooted earlier behind his back. The Skull Crawler draws near, leaps into the air and opens its jaws aiming at Gaira's throat. Gaira remains still appearing like a statue of fur and flesh, until he moves in a blur of power and speed.
The bamboo suddenly whips out from behind him and lashes out quick as a whip. The edge of it, broken and sharp. It would've gone down the Skull Crawler's throat impaling the creature using its own momentum. However things do not go as planned when the larger Skull Crawler saves the other one by coming up from behind Gaira and using its long powerful tail to drag one of his legs and trip the green behemoth saving the younger Skull Crawler while also disorienting the humanoid kaiju.
At least that is what the Alpha hoped would happen. It does manage to trip Gaira but the Young Skull Crawler's momentum sends it flying over Gaira. The Green giant reaches out with his bamboo and stabs it into the underside of the Skull Crawler. The falling predator's momentum wretches the makeshift spear out of Gaira's hand as the poor creature goes flying, and an arc of blood follows its wake.
Gaira has no time to recover as the larger Skull Crawler is suddenly upon him, digging one large claw into his shoulder to keep him pinned. Gaira roars in pain and struggles against his captor. The Alpha's tongue shoots out of its mouth and around his neck as it lowers its jaws to engulf Gaira's head in one large bite.
Suddenly desperate Gaira begins struggling for all he is worth. As the moon is blocked out by the monstrous maw Gaira gives in to savage instinct. If he is going to go, he is going to cause as much damage as he can before going. Gaira's free arm reaches out around the head to try to hit the Alpha in the eye. Meanwhile he bites tongue wrapped around his neck and tears a large chunk out of it. The two injuries occur at the same time, a fist to the eye and a sudden hole in its tongue. The Alpha Skull Crawler rears back screeching in pain, thus freeing Gaira from its grasp. Taking some deep breaths Gaira gets up and begins his assault. He comes at the Skull Crawler from its good side and swings a double fisted strike into the side of its head knocking the beast several steps to its right.
Leaping to his feet Gaira advances on the now injured Skull Crawler. The disoriented beast shakes its head and turns back towards Gaira just as a double fisted punch comes from the side knocking the beast to the side once more. Gaira doesn't let up as the green goliath leaps into the air landing atop the Skull Crawler reaching around and digging both clawed hands into the Alpha's jugular. The beast feels the power and pressure Gaira's hands exert on its body and begins to struggle. Bucking like a bull, it attempts in vain to dismount Gaira. But the giant remains firm as he puts pressure on both sides of the megafauna's rib cage to steady itself.
Before the battle can shift once again, Gaira digs his claws into the flesh of the Alpha Skull Crawler before tearing the beast's throat open in a gush of blood and gore. The beast drops to the ground and is dead within seconds. Gaira steps off of the beast's body before a sound draws his attention. The Skull Crawler he had impaled earlier was just barely alive and was calling for help.
A fiendish smile crosses Gaira's face as the giant walks to the downed juvenile and crushes its skull beneath his foot ending the beast's life. He pulls his makeshift spear out of its side and then turns to face the last thing that has his attention before he eats.
The Captain, and all of his crew, feel their blood run cold as Gaira's gaze turns upon them. Several of the survivors run into the forest, a few others attempt to shoot at the beast in vain. The Captain, however, simply watches while remaining still. He knows that no matter what he does the result is the same: death. It isn't until Gaira begins scooping up people and throwing their still alive bodies into his mouth that the sound and sight becomes too much for the old sailor and he passes out.
Gaira would feed well this night.
The End.