TEETH IN THE DARKNESS

The enormous dog pounced for the successor, and the growling growl ripped through the clearing, savage and unrelenting. As its claws swept across his chest and knocked him back with such power that he sprawled to the ground, time seemed to slow. His weapon scampered off and vanished into the brush.

I clutched my throat where his hand had pinned me just a moment before, gasping for air. As I slid backward, separating myself from the turmoil in front of me, my lungs burned and each breath was sharp and jagged.

The successor tried to shoo the dog away with a cry that was a mixture of rage and desperation. Its size and strength overwhelmed him, and its jaws snapped perilously close to his face. It was the first time he had lost control.