8 A creature friend

The girl landed on a vast ochre and purple rocky area. Fortunately, her costume had prevented her from getting hurt.

Ivy had lost her bag in her fall. Getting up painfully while groaning in pain, she looked around again and saw large roots invading the sharp rock platform, surrounded by bushy, very thorny shrubs.

Something suddenly stirred in the leaves of these countless shrubs, causing her to jump and retreat as far as possible from the suspicious spot. Kneeling behind a huge dark root, she watched in horror as the leaves grew more and more agitated, looking even more terrible in the falling dusk. Then a beast emerged with strength and grace from the turmoil. Screaming in terror, Ivy, fortunately, realized quite quickly that the creature that had just appeared before her was totally harmless. Very relieved, Ivy now admired the animal in all its splendor. It was an enormous creature covered with a beige fur strewn with tiny white stones that shone like crystal. Its slender and disdainful head was made of wood as black and shiny as its eyes.

With a smile on her face, Ivy got up and left her hiding place to walk towards the peaceful beast.

- You are so fascinating. You really are. And yet, I have trouble defining you. I don't know exactly what race you are and I've studied a lot of them. Shame on me. Linelle would be laughing at me if she were present, gleefully rambling on about the nondescript moments I've spent studying, only to end up with such blatant and annoying ignorance at the appropriate time.

At the sound of the stranger's voice, the beige creature approached in turn, moving its ears.

- I bet that with your eyes and the pink color of your ears, you can only be a hybrid. A mixture of Paroxa and Trilem.

The girl's enthusiasm grew as her instincts spoke for her.

- Yes, I'm sure that's it. And since the dominant side must undoubtedly be the Paroxa, you are therefore a hybrid of Paroxa. Ah", she breathed a brief but intense sigh of relief. "It had been worth it, all those hours of study after all, despite the often annoying taunts of my friends. After the first moment of panic, I was able to identify you.

As if he understood the words of the young stranger, the beast nodded and turned around her, contemplating her for a long time, smelling her with an obvious delight while trying to feel her magic.

- What? Ivy asked amused as she turned to follow the beast's gaze upon her. What are you trying to find out about me, honey? Or rather, what do you think you should find out about me?

But without listening or even seeming to want to answer any of the stranger's pertinent questions, the creature continued to gaze at her in awe. Then, at a given moment, he finally approached her with the very naughty aim of removing her magic suit in order to play with it, or more exactly to tear it apart

- Hey, what do you intend to do now? Ivy, amused, asked while trying to push him away with force.

- I'm sorry my beau, but this suit cost me all my savings. She added when she understood what her new friend had in mind. And although it is now in a real bad state, as you could perfectly notice it, I will not allow you to play with it, and to damage it even more. Do you understand?

They played for a while, letting each other meet and discover each other. Then Ivy finally stroked the wonderful fur of the hybrid creature, who felt confident enough to agree to help her.

- It's already very late, my boy. Everyone must be worried about me. I need to get home, but I don't know how.

The young stranger sighed.

- The magic that sustains this empire is so powerful that none of the foreign magic has any effect on it. So I need your help to get out of here. I beg you!

As he listened attentively to the prayers of this person, so young, so beautiful, and lost in his vast and frightening territory, the beast could not help but be touched by her innocence and the light she emitted. He thought of the immeasurable contrast between his nature and that of the one who reigned at the top of this empire where he had lived for decades. Then, jumping happily around her, he let her know that he agreed to take her to the border.

- Oh, thank you, my good boy. You are really adorable, like the Miolts!

Happy, Ivy quickly jumped on the back of the creature with black wood. Then, holding on tightly to its soft fur, she signaled that she was ready.

But as soon as they made the jump, a terrible shock suddenly occurred not far from them. Shocked, they turned together to the focus of the shock to see what had caused it. And just like the beige creature before, they saw a monster springing up from behind a huge, already decaying root. But unfortunately not as putrid as the filthy creature he let out of his damaged body.

It was a giant, with a greenish-brown body, which was slowly falling apart and giving off a smell as strong as it was disgusting, and which seemed to reflect well the deep nature of its owner. Its large head had globular, yellow, bloodshot eyes. For clothing, he wore a loincloth around his chubby, disgusting waist, and huge chain bracelets surrounded his wrists and ankles.

Sniffing the air, he had no difficulty in detecting his prey and when he turned his head towards them, he wore a devious and satisfied smile, even licking his reddish lips with anticipation to show them what he intended to do with them.

- It's disgusting! Ivy exclaimed with contempt and fear.

Then, addressing her creature, the young student urged it to turn and run away at high speed.

- Sweetie, I bet it's vital for us not to linger here and get away from this atrocious monster as quickly and as far away as possible!

- Let's go," she shouted to communicate her instinct and strength to the beige creature. Lifting its two front paws for momentum, the beast dashed as fast and as swiftly in the opposite direction of their enemies as Ivy had instructed.

Its speed and agility were incredible. But unfortunately for them, the hunters' speed and agility were even more. Even worse, more explosions occurred and more monsters joined the first ones to chase the beautiful beige beast and its host.

Soon, the pursuers became a whole group of heartless, rotting monsters. Along the way, they encountered various small creatures, some winged and some terrestrial, which the monsters mercilessly seized and devoured without transition. One, in particular, caught the girl's attention, a large animal with brick-red, dusty skin and shiny antennae. Its body was so fat and sulky that the monsters couldn't help but fight over its body, abusing it and tearing it apart. Everyone got their share and devoured his flesh with obvious pleasure that disgusted Ivy.

- But why do they want us so much? I don't understand. When it is more than obvious that the forest provides more than enough food. Why do they pursue us so hard?

The creature knew exactly the reason for their terrible persistence on them. It wasn't him, nor his flesh that they wanted so greedily, although this one, he was perfectly aware, would be able to satisfy them for weeks, not to mention his magic which would no doubt greatly increase theirs. No, what they wanted was this girl, pure and alien, who radiated an incredible inner light and seemed to draw so much darkness around her that it was disturbing, and which the creature rightly knew was the worst of all.

Ivy often turned around to see where the group of greedy monsters were. And unfortunately, as they both feared, they inexorably approached their prey, destroying everything in their path, animal or thing.

- Come on, beautiful! Don't stop, don't turn around!