David bounded up the mountains as fast as he could. The wind whipped in every which way, ruffling his fur and tying it into small knots. This invisible force was so powerful that it whistled throughout the rocky slopes. Storm clouds roared above his head. For they threatened to unleash their fury at any moment. Lightning lit up the sky, showing the faun the safest route to take. One of his hooves slipped a bit on a ledge. He gasped and watched as a small bit of debris crumbled down the mountain. A low growl reached his ears. He looked up to see the head of the dragon peak over the side. David expected it to do something that would cause him to fall. Instead, it merely turned away and kept on going about its business.
"Hey! Hey, come back here!" He yelled at the flying lizard as he heaved himself over a large lip on the mountain. "You and I have some unfinished business!" The bipedal dragon stopped in its tracks and looped its neck back around.
"Turn around and go back home, young one. Your time will come another day." Satan rumbled in his deep voice. He then continued on his way, ignoring the small and insignificant creature.
"What's the matter? You scared of me now?" The faun challenged. It snorted and flashed its yellow eyes in David's direction. "You heard me! It's time for you to pay for all you've done to that poor town!" His golden pitchfork pointed towards the towering beast. Satan whipped back around and bellowed a hearty laugh. All the while, David saw that the wound he had inflicted earlier that day was still bleeding. The red liquid seeped between two plates of his silver armor.
"You are challenging me? The Great Satan!" His broad wings flicked upward as he roared his name loudly. "You are a mere boy! You wouldn't last a minute!"
"I'd like to see you try laughing when I shove my trident down your throat!" The faun yelled right back, still hanging strong.
"Well, if that's the case, I may just have to teach you a lesson.... Or two!" Satan hissed as he raised his wings well above his body, making himself look even taller than usual.
The opposing sides took battle stances and stared one another down to see which one would strike first. Satan ultimately threw a punch the faun's way. David quickly ducked out of the way, hearing the deafening crack of the dragon's fist collide with the mountain. He turned to his opponent after running a safe distance away. That same red fist came crashing toward him again. However, he was ready for it this time. David swiped his trident in front of him. Each of the three prongs scraped along the back of the scaly hand. Flecks of blood came off and splattered to the ground. Satan grumbled in pain and stumbled backward, clutching his hand.
The faun took advantage of the reptile being distracted by its own pain and started whacking away at him with the trident. It loudly banged against the armor and found its way between plates every now and then. Satan slowly got the sword out of his sheath without his opponent noticing. Then the two weapons hit one another. The sword, which was nearly as long as David himself, lodged itself between two of the trident's prongs. He fought to get the trident out of its hold. Satan could feel the hybrid struggling hard and merely gave a wicked smile. His long tail snaked out from behind him and whipped the faun. Poor David was tossed to the side with a yelp of pain. He instantly dropped his weapon as his body sprawled on the mountain. The faun began to haul himself up when he noticed his item just before the dragon's feet.
Shit! He thought as his gaze whipped up from the trident to the scaly face that glowered at him. Satan noticed that he eyed the weapon at his feet. No way would he allow the faun to actually get to it! With a deep rumble of the throat, he readied a flamethrower to be unleashed from his mouth. David heard his deep breath and knew that meant danger. He quickly scrambled behind a rock to avoid being incinerated. Orange flames ate at the boulder but did not get to the hybrid. David could feel the temperature heating up and removed his back from the hard surface. His heart pounded fast as he panted, hoping that he would get an opening to get his trident.
I'm just going to have to go for it! He thought and listened for the end of the raging stream behind him. As soon as it stopped, David made a dash for it. And it was lucky he did, too. For the dragon had descended upon the boulder and snapped its jaws where the faun's head had just been. It grumbled in annoyance and slowly turned to find its small adversary nearing the weapon. Satan leapt once again, his fangs bared. David grabbed his golden object and swung it back around just in time for it to sink into the reptile's gut again. The red creature roared in agony and tried to back away. But David kept right on him and moved just as fast as he did. They kept going until the dragon was up against a rock. It stood there writhing for a moment. But then Satan ceased his roar and grabbed onto the trident with a clawed hand. Instead of ripping it out of his gut, he pushed the rounded end of the item into his opponent's stomach.
"Oof!" David grunted as he was herded backwards. The dragon plowed forward and glared menacingly at his smaller opponent. All of a sudden, he started thrusting his wings across his body. The faun's eyes widened in fear as he saw what looked like claws on the crest of the beast's wings. And those daggers were coming right for him. David ducked away from them as best he could. He succeeded in avoiding the first few blows, but his grip on the trident made it impossible to have a large range of movement. And David certainly did not want to lose his weapon again. This started to come at a price as the clawed wings started to graze his sides. A fierce stinging burned through his body as trickles of blood ran down his torso and got caught in his thick-furred legs.
The faun was not doing what Satan wanted, which was to let go of the trident. So he changed tactics and brought out his sword. He lifted the blade high and aimed it for the three-pronged stick. David gasped when he realized that the reptile was going to slice his prized weapon in half. Acting fast, the faun removed the trident and jumped back. Even more blood spilled from the beast as it was yanked out. It seemed to take no notice and brought down its own weapon, missing both objects completely. Without another thought, David sunk his trident into the flying reptile's arm as it came down. Satan yelped and used the opposite arm to swat the meddling hybrid away from him. His bulging yellow eyes watched in satisfaction as the faun's body tumbled away while the weapon was still safely lodged in his arm.
David slowly sat up once the world seemed to stop spinning. He adjusted his helmet that had been knocked askew. The dragon showed its gleaming white fangs as it took the golden trident into its tail and far away from his adversary. David stood up, gritting his teeth in frustration. If they hadn't been in the heat of their battle, he might have noticed that the wind only howled even louder now. Rain was very near. And it wasn't going to be a light sprinkle either. For it was going to be a storm more powerful than either of them had ever seen.
Satan lowered his head and charged his opponent. With only a second to decide what to do, David jumped forward using his powerful goat legs. Their heads collided in a loud clang. The dragon found himself being pushed back a few feet before ultimately hooking his claws into the mountainside. He was surprised, and even a little impressed, that a small, insignificant creature could possibly be better at something than he. With an annoyed grumble, the dragon jerked its head up. David got tossed back yet again. But the faun kept his cool and merely did a backflip before landing firmly on his hooves.
Not willing to try butting heads again, Satan opened his mouth and went to bite the hybrid. He hoped to end it in one fell snap. David, however, jumped well above the gleaming fangs' reach. He made sure to stomp on the red reptile's head and disorient it. The faun then took a desperate leap for his trident. For it was still in the tail that was lashing back and forth. Two small hands grabbed onto the golden pole.
I've got it! David thought as his body tried to keep going. But then it changed direction and ultimately hung suspended above the ground. For the tail had not let go as the faun had anticipated. The snake-like tail still had it in an iron grip. Without looking, Satan began to violently throw his appendage around. Poor David bounced off of anything and everything up on that mountain. He cried out in pain each time he got slammed into the rocky environment. A violent fling of the tail made him lose grip on the trident. The faun got sent forcefully to the ground without his weapon. Satan watched as the body lay there without making a noise. He could sense that his opponent wasn't dead, but quite stunned. The dragon gave a grunt of satisfaction.
"Go home, young one. You were a worthy opponent, but now it is time to stop. I suggest you leave quietly or I will kill you." It snorted and tossed the trident back towards the hybrid that was starting to stir. David had heard the reptile's mocking words, and this only made him even more hell-bent to put an end to the creature. His shaggy head slowly lifted up to see his trident before him. He reached out with a hand and grabbed it. Standing the item upright, David used it to help him to his hooves. Dragging his weight on it, his body shakily rose up.
I.....can't....give....up! He thought as he clenched his teeth so hard that a drip of blood rolled down his chin. The faun swayed back and forth trying to right his balance. A blurry figure of the dragon moving away clouded his vision. It took him a moment to process that Satan had turned his back on him and wasn't even paying attention to what he was doing. Chances were that the flying reptile didn't even know he was back on his hooves. A perfect time to attack! Or so David thought. A surprise attack would certainly throw it off guard.
The faun ran toward the dragon, who was still unaware that it had not accepted defeat. A mere threat was not going to scare David away. Not when he had a mission to accomplish. The golden trident was pressed down onto the mountain as he used it to vault himself up and get more power into his kick. His hooves hit the red reptile square in the back and launched it forward. Satan was certainly surprised to receive another blow from his small adversary. Bulging yellow eyes seemed to puff out even farther as the wind got knocked out of him. The long and gangly body slammed into the mountain's wall. Such an impact caused a rockslide to crash down upon the creature. They smashed into every part of the creature's body. David watched as his opponent got completely covered by the rocks. The roar of the boulders eventually died down. Everything all seemed quiet, but the faun waited a moment to make sure it had finished off the beast. His hooves were about to turn around when a single boulder rolled from the top of the stack to its base. And then it happened....
The red dragon burst from the heap of boulders with roar of anger. Its wings shot outward and upward to physically show its hate. Once the deafening roar ceased, it panted and let its body droop for a moment. But it never took its eyes off the faun, which seemed to glow an even brighter yellow than usual.
"Now you've done it, boy! I'll have your head for that!" He boomed with literal smoke coming from his nostrils and his own blood dripping from his facial features.
"Come on then, you son of a bitch!" David challenged, readying his trident to strike again. The beast snorted and raced forward. It brought out its sword and tried to bring it down upon the faun. Trident and sword clashed together violently. If the thunder hadn't been so loud, one might have heard their powerful swings down at the village. David winded up for the most powerful hit he could muster. It collided with the dragon's sword and tossed the single bladed weapon from the clawed hand. Satan, however, didn't seem to take much notice that he was missing something. In fact, he used his arms to swing at the hybrid just as the sword would have done. The faun was taken by surprise at this. He kept whacking at the reptile that used its arms to both block and strike the trident's mighty blows. Amidst the chaos, Satan swooped a handful of claws low and pelted the poor faun away. His body spiraled as it separated from his weapon. It came crashing down onto the mountain with a painful thud. David's body shook in horrible pain as he reached for the golden trident.
"Care to try that again?" The dragon mocked as he walked towards the stunned body. David gave a look of determination as he jumped to his hooves and went to knock the creature silly. But Satan beat him to it and delivered a powerful blow to the faun's head. So powerful, in fact, that David's helmet came right off. It bounced on the rocky ground as did its owner. The flying reptile merely grinned as his opponent screamed in agony and landed on its front side. Bruised and bloodied, David tried desperately to crawl himself toward his trident that was between him and the beast. He feared that Satan would get to it first. For his body was ready to shut down, but his will said to keep going at all costs. The dragon blurred in and out of focus as his vision moved from his weapon to the creature that stepped right past his target. A clawed hand grabbed his curly hair and lifted him off the ground.
"Aaagh!" He cried as his small hands tried desperately to get the claws to let go. His hooves swung back and forth in a short panic. David was brought eye level with the seemingly indestructible creature. Its glowing yellow eyes stared into his soul. They seemed to almost emit an evil energy that made him want to cower on the spot.
"Tell me that you yield and I will show mercy....for now." It bellowed. For Satan did not want to let the faun off the hook that easily. He wanted to teach him about one's own limits and bring death another day, possibly when David wasn't expecting it.
No! Never! The hybrid silently said as he stared into the eyes of the beast with rebellion in his heart.
"Hmmm. Perhaps you're not in enough pain yet..." Satan grumbled and dropped the faun to the ground. He then held a handful of claws over the body. Invisible waves of energy kept David plastered to the mountainous ground. The dragon's powerful psychic abilities made it feel like there was a large foot on David's back keeping him down. He screamed and writhed in pain as the magic did its job.
Another scream entered his mind. And then another. They multiplied by the second. The voices were young and old, male and female. Like a herd crying out in unison. And then he realized it really was a herd. His herd, the one he had when he was a child. A psychic wave went right to his head, painfully dragging a memory out.
David looked around. He was in his homeland. But it was barely recognizable. Flames ate away at their homes and chased the poor creatures to their doom. Death and destruction was all around him. His fear from that day came back to him.
It had been a sunny and peaceful day only a minute ago. David's mother had beckoned him to come inside when she noticed a dark cloud heading their way. But as the residents of the valley watched the ominous storm cloud draw near, they realized it was no ordinary cloud. The sides of it pulsed up and down like wings. Electricity zapped from one end to the other. In the middle of it all was two glowing yellow eyes. The unknown creature had darkened the entire sky over their home. They watched as the storm cloud began to spew flames down upon them. It had destroyed nearly half the village before the mighty dragon set foot down onto the ground. Still surrounded by a black mist, the beast meant to finish off the rest of them with its own teeth and claws.
David's parents led him out the back door of their hut. The poor little faun was scared and didn't understand what was going on. All he knew was that fear and pain had invaded the fauns' world.
"Run, David! Run far away from here!" His mother told him.
"Find someplace far from here to hide!" His father added.
"But what about you?" The young faun had argued.
"Don't worry about us. We'll come find you when this is all over." David took in his dad's words, but he could tell that it wasn't exactly true. That he was just saying that so that his boy would leave and not stay and get killed along with them. "Run, David! Go!" They urged.
Reluctantly, the young faun ran far away from the carnage, not looking back even once. With tears streaming down his face, David ran and ran. As far and as fast as he thought possible. And even then, he could still hear the cries of agony from his herd. Eventually little David found a hollowed out fallen tree that he squeezed himself into. He stayed there the rest of the day and all night. No one ever came for him. The young faun crawled himself out of the log and kept going forward, each day foraging for his own food and water. He eventually came upon a sailing vessel that he climbed aboard. Okay, more like stowed away on. Little did he know that ship was going to Inkwell Isle where he would meet a couple that would adopt him.
Memories flashed through David's mind like bolts of lightning. But one fact stuck out in his mind: this dragon, Satan, was the one who murdered his parents and his herd. The screams filling the faun's mind turned to cheers. They encouraged him not to give up, to get back at their tormentor, to avenge what had been taken from him.
"You can do it, David!" Cheered his mom's voice.
"Come on, son! Don't give up!" His dad roared.
And he obeyed without question. Drawn by a power that seemed to blossom from his heart, his arms slowly pressed against the rocks beneath him. The dragon saw the faun trying to get up.
"Stay down!" Satan roared and tensed his claws. The energy seemed to constrict around David's body and sent him back down to that vulnerable position. Determined to see his mission through, the faun tried once again to get up. The beast was impressed by the mortal's efforts, but he would have never actually admitted that to anyone. By the time the hybrid had made it to his knees, the red reptile had ceased his psychic wrath. Poor David's body heaved as it struggled for breath. His bloodied sides shook as the pain still drove deep into his soul.
"Why don't you just admit defeat and save yourself from this senseless pain?" For Satan just couldn't understand why this mortal desired to risk his life to protect a town he barely knew.
David remembered back to when he saved the yetis from the dreaded lava worm. He had held the jewel that was so precious to them and did not freeze like many others who had touched it. The leader had told him that he was worthy of wielding great power but still remaining true to his heart. He remembered the elderly yeti's words and let it fuel his soul. For they brought warmth to his heart and confidence to his mind.
"I....am worthy." The faun mumbled to himself, still staring at the ground.
"What was that?" The beast questioned and leaned down to hear its opponent better. David sensed that the dragon's neck and chest were within reach. All he had to do was grab the trident without him noticing.
"I said I'm worthy. Worthy of being a great hero." David said, distracting the dragon as his hand reached out for his weapon. He was careful not to make any sudden movements and alert the reptile. "And certainly not to beg for mercy from an asshole like you!" He yelled and shoved the trident into the creature's chest plate. Satan roared in surprise and pain as the thick silver plate was thrust off him. It exposed the dragon's soft and vulnerable underside. The faun went to get in another strike just as he realized that gleaming fangs were coming his way. With a quick gasp, David turned tail and tried to get away from the snapping jaws. Something sharp closed around his leg and tripped him up. He squealed in pain and crumpled to the ground. The snake-like fangs let go as they prepared for another bite. Furry leg now wet and bloodied, David turned himself around just in time to see the thick dragon head aiming for his upper body. The faun dropped flat to the ground and shoved the trident upward, hoping to keep the beast away. Its three prongs made a loud squish sound as they impaled the flying reptile through its upper jaw. Satan roared in absolute anguish as blood exploded over his face and dripped down toward his opponent. David watched for a few seconds as the beast seemed to just flap its wings and just scream at the top of its lungs. It was otherwise frozen in place. He eventually yanked the weapon out, causing a pool of blood to fall on himself. Satan keeled over to the side and collapsed, breathing deeply.
Now's my chance! The hybrid thought as he went to stand up. Sharp pains raced through his right leg as he put weight on it. He stumbled toward the dragon and looked down upon its face. For it was ridden with pain and even fear. David knew that it wouldn't be down for very long. Any measures to keep it still were greatly needed. Without another thought, he pushed his trident into the creature's neck just below the head. The beast roared in agony as the prongs went through the armor and pierced his scales.
That should keep him still for a minute. David panted and went to get the dragon's own weapon. It was such a large sword that the faun had a hard time lifting it up. His muscles strained as the pointed edge dragged along the mountain. One big heave and he was able to get the end of it up for a little bit. He pointed it to the dragon's exposed chest. The bloodied head looked like it could barely see anything. Yet it still gave a wicked smile the faun's way. That smile looked like it was saying that it wanted David to kill him. A gurgly and strained voice came to the creature's jaws.
"Are you going to kill me?"
"Give me a reason I shouldn't. Go on!" David gestured the sword to tell the beast to keep talking.
"If you kill me, then you will end up no better." Satan answered. Blood pooled out of its neck and mouth. He coughed like he was going to choke on his own blood. "Take my advice: put down the sword and go home. Trust me, you really don't want to do this." The dragon didn't normally care what mortals did, but he knew the consequences for what the faun was about to do. And that wasn't something to be taken lightly. For Satan didn't truly wish for others to suffer from his role. But he also wouldn't argue with being freed from his dark responsibilities.
"I'm sorry, but I must. For the sake of the town and everyone else that you torture! You murdered my family and I will never forgive you for that! You took away everything I had!" The faun said to the reptile. It merely gave a sigh of defeat as the hybrid seemed to not be swayed from his course of action.
"Then I give you my most sincere condolences." Satan said with no emotions attached to it. The yellow eyes gave a slow blink, awaiting the death blow. David, however, still thought the creature was being mocking and sarcastic. For he did not realize that he had reached the last sliver of sanity within the red dragon. The beast was being the most thoughtful and sincere than he had ever been in hundreds of years.
"Go to Hell!" David insulted and drove the blade deep within the creature's heart. Satan gave a moan as his eyes rolled back and accepted death. His battle-scarred body was finally put to rest. The faun looked up as a loud clap of thunder filled the dark sky. Drops of rain splashed into his eyes as the clouds began to cry at the loss of the great creature's death. The torrent was so thick that David's fur was soaked to the core within seconds. He looked back down to the motionless body of the dragon. The truth of what he just did started to sink in. Thoughts of how this would affect the village and his friendship with Kettle swirled in his mind. He smiled at the thought of things changing for the better.
"David! David, wait!" Came Kettle's voice over the roar of thunder and rain. The brown glassware slowly heaved himself over the last bump in the road to catch up with his friend.
"Kettle, I did it!" He beamed. "I killed the dragon all by myself! I'm not so much of a sidekick anymore, now am I?"
"You....what?" The kettle stuttered as he strained to understand all that the faun was saying.
"See for yourself." David gestured to the limp body behind him and got out of the way so his friend could see. Kettle stared wide-eyed at the deceased creature. He instantly remembered what Tiberius had said about what would happen if he did so. The two of them watched as the gangly body started to turn to ash.
A little farther down on the mountain, Chiron and his group saw this happening as well. Their fears had been realized as they gazed onward in disbelief. This was especially true for the centaur.
"Oh no!" Ceramica gasped as she stepped up beside him. Her vision swept up to the hybrid's head. He looked distraught that he had lost someone that he considered to be a friend and worthy warrior. "I'm so sorry." She added.
Chiron lowered his head and removed emotions from his heart. For he had to remain loyal to the village first and foremost.
"It must be done." He said as a knot formed in his throat. Chiron quickly shook it away as he led the group forward.
Meanwhile, David turned back to the glassware. He was so focused on how it would positively affect everyone around that he didn't stop to think that it could possibly be bad.
"There! Problem solved! Everyone's safe, and we don't have to stay here forever!" He beamed. The kettle's gaze swept to the ground as the ash clumped into a uniform pile and went toward the faun's trident. Moving on its own, the supposed inanimate black dust absorbed itself into the golden weapon. David went to pick up the trident, having no clue what had just happened. His friend tried to warn him.
"No! Wait, David! Don't touch that!"
But it was too late. For the faun had already yanked it from the ground. He rested the rounded end of it upon the ground. Black hooves went to take a step forward when a wave of nausea came over him. David started to feel dizzy as he swayed uneasily back and forth.
"Oooh." The hybrid moaned. "Suddenly I don't feel so good. Will you help me back, Kettle?" His body stumbled forward a bit, holding out a hand. Kettle, however, backed away with a look of horror on his face.
"What's wrong?" David inquired. But then he saw thick black fur forming on his arm. He gasped as his hands and fingers began to turn gray and elongate. White claws popped out of the ends of the fingers. A terrible pain seized his whole body as he began to snap and grow. His arms jerked involuntarily, nearly breaking themselves and causing David to drop the trident. The pieces of armor tightened against his body and started to crumple before ultimately popping off like they were bottle caps. His horns grew long and skinny with a sleek white sheen to them. Goat ears folded against his head and curved down into imp-like ears. Kettle watched as his friend's eyes instantly changed to a piercing yellow. The transformation continued down his body and covered the poor faun in that thick black fur. His stubby little goat tail elongated and ended in a sharp spade. And, finally, his powerful hooves grew into three-toed gray feet.
Screaming in agony all the while, David found himself grasping his head in his hands once the transformation had completed. He breathed erratically, trying to free himself from the major headache he suffered. Then he realized that his feet felt different. These new, clawed feet were very unstable for someone that had spent his whole life with hooves. David fell forward as his toes wiggled and freaked him out. Letting go of his head, he caught himself from doing a face plant into the mountain.
Poor David didn't even have time to take a breath before the centaur led an assault on him. He watched as figures raced toward him and ultimately closed around in a tight circle. Every which way he turned, there were people jabbing at him with weapons. Some had sharp ones and others had blunt ones. David couldn't make out who any of them were through the sheer strength of the storm. Stumbling around on all fours, the sharp ones poked at his sides while the blunt ones made for his head. His long and gangly body ultimately collapsed to the ground as the blunt clubs bludgeoned him and made big dents in his skull. The team eventually backed off after giving a few extra whacks to make sure the creature was down.
Kettle stared in utter shock as his friend's jaws hung open in a limp fashion. Sharp canine fangs protruded from his gums instead of the human set he used to have. A long snake-like tongue lolled out of the mouth as it unconsciously tasted the earth. The body of the newly formed creature was badly mangled. It was an odd, furry creature that none of them had ever seen before and, with any luck, would never see again. It was the group's hope that they had disoriented him enough that he would not be able to find his way back to town again. The brown kettle thought for sure they had killed him in their brutality.
"Y-you killed him!" Kettle gasped and pointed to the body that was once his friend.
"No, just stunned." Chiron answered tersely, putting away his heavy bow into its holder. "And we better get moving. He won't be down for long."
The pink glassware grabbed the kettle by the arm and urged him away. His spout kept trying to go back over his shoulder, straining to see his friend as they ushered him farther and farther from the twisted and seemingly dead body. Kettle didn't feel right about leaving the former-faun behind. For it was out in the storm and it would most likely be very distressed when it woke up. Chiron saw the person's worry and assured him that this was for the best, even though he hesitated to leave a fellow comrade behind as well.
"There's nothing more you can do for him now. He's not our friend anymore..." Even the centaur's voice dripped with sorrow as he forced himself to not look back. Looking back would only cause him to have second thoughts. And that would be going against what Tiberius had told him. No, the village had to come first.
Ceramica noticed that Kettle seemed to drag his feet as he clung to the female. Her touch provided him with both mental and physical support. For he was still trying to comprehend what had just happened and what that would mean for everyone in the future. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine he would be losing his lifelong friend. And the truth of it just hadn't settled in yet either. He and the others traveled back to the town despite the forceful winds and rain pelting on them like a million daggers.
Chiron had dealt with the dragon for long enough that he knew David would not be down for long. That was why they had to make haste while they could. A newly formed creature from the dark spirit would only be down for a couple minutes. For the body had not been exposed to age and abuse yet. Satan had lived for hundreds of years, but a healthy dragon would live that any day. It was when he was coming to the end of a normal lifespan that his healing abilities began to slow and gave him nasty scars that stayed forever.
Mere minutes later, David started to stir. His cuts magically sealed up and the dents in his head buffed out to give the skull its normal shape. Yellow eyes slowly opened up as rain drops poured down into them. The sky flashed white above him. A loud crackle accompanied it. He realized that his tongue was basically licking the mountain and retracted it into his mouth.
Wh-what happened? He wondered as his new gangly body shook as it went to stand up. David tried to stand on his hind legs like normal, having forgotten about the terrible transformation he had just undergone. The skinny legs wobbled and forced him back to all fours.
I've gotta find shelter! He instinctively thought. His body galloped along the mountain awkwardly. Yellow eyes could barely see in front of him. The former faun tripped and ended up splashing down into a puddle, skinning his arms. His round head picked itself out of the water. A flash of lightning showed him a cave mere yards away from him. Ignoring the stinging in his arms where he had fallen, David pushed himself up and collapsed once he got into the dark hollow. His gangly body curled up as he panted and watched the spectacle of nature from a safe distance.
Guess I'm stuck here until morning....
With that, he rested his round melon on crossed arms and tried his best to doze off for a while. Fear and confusion pounded in his heart. David could only hope that this was all a bad dream and that he would wake up from it in the morning. That he would be back in the village with Kettle, and even Ceramica. Anything was better than being out alone in the storm, still in pain.