Chapter 34: Desperate Dance

The first rotten bird screamed again, a shrill call that seemed to summon the others. One by one, they descended, their wings slicing through the air with a sound like tearing fabric. The raven's mind raced, every instinct urging it to flee, but where could it go? The desert was vast and empty, and now the sky was no longer a sanctuary but a trap.

"Stupid me... I was played, I am trapped", the raven said realizing it was lured to their trap.

The raven took a deep breath, its sharp mind calculating its next move. It knew this was no ordinary hunt. These creatures were something else... dark, something malevolent. If it was to survive, it would have to outthink them, outmaneuver them, and find a way to escape their unrelenting grasp.

As the first of the rotten birds landed, its claws sinking into the sand with an unnatural crunch.

The air was thick with tension as the raven launched itself from the rock, its sleek black wings slicing through the dry, searing wind. The rotten bird that had landed lunged immediately, talons outstretched like rusted daggers. The raven twisted midair, narrowly avoiding the attack, the putrid stench of its pursuer brushing against its senses as it passed.

Before the raven could fully recover, another rotten bird descended from above. Its sharp, skeletal legs shot forward, aiming to pin the raven to the sandy floor. Thinking quickly, the raven beat its wings fiercely, kicking up a cloud of fine desert sand. The golden haze momentarily blinded the second creature, its grotesque form hesitating mid-strike.

"Suit you well", the raven said with a mocking tone.

But there was no time to rest. Another screech split the air, sharp and grating, as a third rotten bird dove from the sky, its decayed wings tearing through the desert heat. The raven darted sideways, its movements growing less precise with each attempt. This time, the creature's talons grazed its side, leaving a thin streak of crimson against its glossy feathers.

"Ack!!", Pain flared, but the raven couldn't stop.

The sky above was teeming with its pursuers more than a dozen of them now, circling like vultures. Each dive, each attack, was more calculated than the last. They were relentless, their movements chaotic yet strangely coordinated, and the raven was quickly losing its rhythm.

"Come on you guys has to have some kind of pattern!", The raven said desperately.

It tried to study them, to find patterns in their attacks. Were they moving in tandem? Did one signal the others? Each time the raven thought it had deciphered their strategy, the rotten birds shifted, their formations altering with maddening unpredictability. Their glowing eyes seemed to mock the raven, as though they knew it was struggling to keep up.

"You fools!" The raven said. And thought, "they are just too smart".

The raven dove low, skimming the desert floor in a desperate bid to create distance. The sand beneath its claws was hot and shifting, offering no solace. Another screech erupted behind it, and it glanced back just in time to see a fourth rotten bird hurtling toward it. The raven banked sharply, feeling the searing pain of talons scraping its wing.

"Ahh!"

It landed awkwardly, stumbling as exhaustion began to take hold. Its sleek feathers, once pristine, were now ruffled and marred with blood. Its chest heaved with each breath, and its sharp eyes darted between the circling predators. They were faster, stronger, and impossibly adaptive. Every move the raven made seemed countered before it could even think of the next.

"Just what are these rotten disgusting birds"

The raven flared its wings, trying to make itself appear larger, but the rotten birds were undeterred. They dived again, this time in pairs, their gnarled claws tearing through the air with terrifying precision. The raven dodged one, only to be clipped by another. A sharp pain shot through its leg, and it stumbled again, barely managing to stay upright.

'I can't take it anymore', it thought.

The world was narrowing now the horizon blurred by heatwaves and the chaos of flapping wings. The raven's mind raced, searching for a solution, a way to escape the nightmare that had descended upon it. But with every dodge, every desperate leap, its strength waned.

'All my plans are utterly useless', it thought.

For a moment, the raven hesitated, its wings trembling as it crouched low in the sand. The realization was dawning, cold and cruel: it was losing this fight. It couldn't outfly them, couldn't outthink them. Its sharp mind, and days of survival, was no match for their sheer ferocity and adaptability.

And yet, deep within its pounding chest, the raven felt a flicker of defiance. It wasn't ready to give up not yet. If it was going to fall, it would do so fighting, claws outstretched, wings unfurled and dying with them, not alone.

As the rotten birds closed in, their hollow screeches filling the desert air.

Then Something Unexpected Happened...