Fleeing

Myrven and Corriel stood by the village entrance. Nyell, Lapis and Hersyl had disappeared into the jungle a few hours back, and they were starting to worry. Not for Nyell, of course, but for the two pigheaded persons who refused to drop the chase. The other party members had been smart enough to return after losing sight of Nyell, but Lapis and Hersyl were too stubborn to give up.

"Do you think something happened to them?" Corriel asked, frowning. "It's that time of the year when beasts are out and about, searching for a breeding partner. They're quite anxious and violent toward other species."

A sigh escaped Myrven. He had a hunch something was off when they met a manticore two weeks back. They usually resided further inside the jungle.

"I should have gone after them." Myrven ran a hand in his hair, nervosity making him tremble slightly. "Although Hersyl is a seasoned warrior, Lapis is a shaman. If he gets separated from Hersyl, he won't be able to defend himself."

"Don't blame yourself. You couldn't guess they would throw caution to the wind," Corriel comforted. "I'll go search for them. I may not look like it, but I'm an excellent tracker, the best in my tribe. I just haven't had the chance to prove my worth yet. Your chief is a little too good at hiding his trail… Is he in the habit of sneaking out?"

A small, wry laugh was Myrven's answer. 

Allen indeed liked to sneak out. He loved freedom like nothing else, and he made it a duty to seek out the trouble in his tribe himself. He lived by the idiom "You're never better served than by yourself" to the letter. Even when he sent people to investigate, he didn't wait for their reports and went to look into the problem himself. It was quite the headache.

"Do you want me to accompany you?"

"No need. I'd rather you wait here in case these two come back. I fear they'll try to find Nyell again after a moment of rest, and as it wouldn't be very diplomatic of me to tie them up and throw them in a cellar…"

"Oh, I'll gladly do it for you." Myrven laughed without restraint. He might not have thought of confining them in their tribe as Lapis was still the beta, but in another tribe, he wouldn't say no to a bit of discipline. These troublemakers had to learn to stay put. One Allen was enough!

.

.

Corriel followed the fresh footprints left on the ground. They weren't easy to spot as the lush leaves and moss spread like a carpet, hiding the said footprints. Meanwhile, broken branches and similar signs weren't of much use because they were sprawled out everywhere. Beasts and animals went about their daily lives and created overlapping marks over Lapis' and Hersyl's trail.

But at least there was a trail left behind this time, unlike with the missing persons.

Still, the only thing Corriel could genuinely depend on was the footprints. He would usually use his sensitive nose, but because of the scent pouches planted by the ex-shaman of his tribe, he couldn't smell anything of note—a floral smell masked the werewolves' typical odors.

A frown creased Corriel's brows. He found traces of fresh blood. Some had splattered onto plants, and a puddle the size of a grown man's fist rested on the ground. It wasn't alarming yet, but it told him Lapis, Hersyl, or both were hurt. What was strange was that there was no sign of struggle. 

How did they hurt themselves?

Corriel pushed the leaves aside, seeking clues, when his eyes landed on bony spikes embedded in the ground. A few inches away, another puddle of blood, bigger and brownish red, stained the moss and leaves. 

"…"

It seemed like the manticore Nyell encountered two weeks ago wasn't the only one in the vicinity. It might have gone after a female manticore in heat, or they were already partners traveling together. Whatever was the case, Lapis and Hersyl were out of luck.

A curse escaped Corriel's mouth as he sprung to his feet. He didn't have the time to trace their trail carefully, so he made out the general direction they seemed to have gone and dashed toward it.

***

Lapis sat on the ground, trembling. He peered at Hersyl's lifeless face. Her eyes were still wide open, and blood was trailing down her chin. She had died protecting him, using her body as a shield. And now, her mutilated corpse rested by his side.

The manticore stood before him. It was smirking, showing its sharp teeth. 

It could have killed Lapis long ago, but it was having fun toying with its prey. It could tell the man was weak and didn't pose any threat. He couldn't do anything but crawl on the ground like a worm.

Lapis wanted to live. He knew he couldn't win, but he wouldn't go down without a fight. He picked up a branch and swung it toward the mythical beast. It used its scorpion tail to deflect it, and the branch flew out of Lapis' hand—a useless move.

"Don't come near me!"

Lapis screamed, throwing pebbles and dirt at the manticore while scrambling backward. He did so until his back hit the trunk of a giant tree. He tried to get up, only to realize his legs had become jelly. They were too weak to support his weight, and he tumbled headfirst.

The darn thing took its time to close the distance between them, not even bothering to avoid the debris. It let out a weird sound that resembled a chuckle, sending shivers down Lapis' spine. Its human face was unnerving, for it was too expressive to be the one of a mere beast. Mischief and wickedness distorted its horrible facial features. It was enjoying this moment.

Fucking sadist! 

Lapis wanted to scream, but fear was now paralyzing his vocal cords. The manticore was an inch away from his face.

It opened its mouth, ready to chop off the man's head. Lapis instinctively lifted his arms before his face to protect himself, even though it wouldn't do much. The manticore could snap its forearms in half with a swing of its paws. 

"You stinky beast, look here!"

Something crashed into the manticore. It stumbled on its feet before glaring at the man who had bolted into it, sending it away from its prey.

Lapis blinked. What happened?

"Excuse me."

Corriel apologized before taking the man into his arms, firmly holding him against his chest princess-like. He didn't have the time to put him on his back, and a piggyback ride would have put the shaman in danger. At least, in this position, Corriel could serve as a shield.

He didn't know that Hersyl had had the same idea, and it cost her her life. The manticore slashed open her back after weakening and slowing her down by throwing spikes into her limbs. Corriel had seen her corpse, but he pretended not to. He couldn't do anything for the dead.

With Lapis in his arms, Corriel fled.

He managed to land a hit only because the manticore had been too focused on its prey. It wouldn't happen twice. And although he hit it, it didn't leave any damage. He had used all his strength, but the thing's hide was too tough.

The manticore roared in rage and gave chase. It was furious even if Corriel's kick didn't leave any injury, for he disturbed the "little moment" it was having with its prey. 

Spikes flew toward Corriel. He avoided them by zigzagging through the lush vegetation, nimbly jumping over obstacles. Giant roots were used to his advantage as he crouched behind them to hide after leaping over. The movement crushed Lapis between his chest and thighs, but it was better than a spike through their bodies.

The sound of the tree bark being pierced reverberated throughout the jungle. It rang as loud as thunder in Corriel's ears. If these things impaled him through his chest, he wasn't sure he'd survive. No, in fact, he wouldn't.

Corriel forced his legs to move faster.

Even though he was carrying another man in his arms, he was still quick on his feet. And Lapis, who had been in shock until now, finally reacted, encircling Corriel's neck with his arms to help stabilize his body. The ride wasn't exactly smooth. It was chaotic, with the Black Moon tribe's chief leaping over obstacles and veering left and right at the last minute. 

Lapis forced himself to glance over the man's shoulder. They had already gone too far into the jungle, and he couldn't see his friend's body. Lapis shook his head. He couldn't grieve at the moment; he had to survive first.

With pinched lips, he turned his eyes toward the manticore. He couldn't do much, but he could always tell Corriel what the thing was about to do. And he snapped his head toward it just at the right moment.

"Crouch!"

Corriel didn't ask questions and obeyed. A scorpion tail passed just above their heads. He would have been beheaded had he been any slower. It made him grit his teeth. That thing was vicious and going for the vital points.

Because they couldn't fight back, all Corriel could do was flee. But his stamina wasn't endless. They needed a place to hide from the beast and recover.

The only thing that came to mind was the memorial cave, which wasn't far from their current position. The manticore shouldn't be able to enter the passageway. They would be trapped inside, but at least, they would be alive.