Geldar 9

Glancing over her shoulder, Lysaria caught the last light of the sunset, outlying something walking gracefully over the far hill. One moment she could see it back lit and the next her heart was throbbing in her chest.

" Did you see that? Over there where we were sitting twenty minutes ago." said Lysaria hairs standing on end. She gripped the wooden hilt of her Khopesh in a white knuckled grip.

" What? I see nothing." Replied Dakar, swiveling his head.

" We need to move faster." said Lysaria, repeatedly glancing over her shoulder as they ascended the next rise.

They marched for thirty more long minutes. The light of the day completely faded, but they kept on. With Lysaria's darkness accursed essence, she could navigate the grasslands without breaking her leg in a rodent hole.

While walking under the night sky, bathed by the faint light of the distant stars. Her eyes constantly roved the tall grass around them. Searching for the monster she knew was out there, hunting and waiting for them.

Grrrrr!

A low growl drifted down the valley from all around them, bouncing off the grass. Lysaria swallowed and stopped in her tracks, frantically searching over the grass in front of them. Her eyes drifted over the grass, looking for movement among the grass swaying gently in the breeze. Lysaria caught the faint scent of musk and the sweet smell of urine in the air. She shudder, instinctively she wanted to run away but pulled her Khopesh from her belt. If the Predator had caught up with them, they would not outrun it.

" Light, take me. I cannot see anything. What about you? With that dark, accursed essence of yours, can you see the creature?" cursed Dakar. Lysaria breathed deeply, trying to calm her nerves as her eyes came to rest on a shadow amongst the grass. Her eyes focused, and she caught the outline of large pointed ears and golden slitted amber eyes. Waving gently behind the creature was a long fluffy tail, swaying in the breeze..

For one long moment she stares into the monster's eyes. The creature's fur rippled, and it bared its teeth. She could swear it was smiling at her, In a flash of movement the creature crossed the distance and lept towards the unsuspecting Dakar. The creature's long claws lashed out, and then it darted back into the grass. Dakar stumbled, clutching his bleeding leg and trying to stay upright.

Lysaria couldn't believe the creature's speed. She wanted to help the injured Dakar. Her heart lept in her throat as she pushed back her concern. Now wasn't the time to turn her back to this monster.

Grrr!!

Once again the menacing growl bounced off the grasslands, confusing Lysaria where the creature might come from next.

" What was that thing?" Asked Dakar in a pain filled voice, clasping his claw marked leg.

" It was an enormous cat, I think it is a tiger." replied Lysaria, wincing as she got a glancing look at Dakar's torn leg. With one slash of its claws, the tiger had torn three horrible gashes in Dakar's thigh.

A flicker of fur and again the tiger rushed in, passing by Dakar and raking the man's arm in a flash of fur and one big fluffy tail. Lysaria lashed out, channeling her dark essence and aiming for the creature's retreating form. Her essence passed harmlessly into the grass, missing her target.

Dakar screamed in pain, blood drenching his bicep and his leg as the man trembled, falling to his ass.

" Light take me. I'm sorry, Dakar, its just too fast." replied Lysaria, moving closer, trying to put herself between Dakar and where the cat ran.

" Why is it running away? It's not that I want to die, but it feels like the thing is toying with us." said Dakar in a trembling voice.

She caught the flickering of movement from behind Dakar once again as the creature rushed forwards.

Before Lysaria could warn him of the threat, the Monster bowled him over. Dakar and the tiger went tumbling with him into the grass. Dakar yelped and screamed as claws and teeth tore into him. Lysaria channeled her essence from her vessel and rushed to help the Screaming Dakar.

" Get it off! Get it off!" screamed Dakar. To Lysaria's horror, the monster gripped the back of Dakar's neck in its jaws and shook him like a rag doll. There was a sickening crunch of bone breaking, and Dakar's screams came to a violent end. Anger welled up in her chest and her hands shook on the hilt of her Khopesh. She projected her aura and slashed at the Monster's back leg. The Essence forged sword, met the hamstring of the catlike monster and clanged against bone, blood spilling to the dirt.

Lysaria gasped for breath and stumbled back as the monster aura hit her. She stumbled, the weight of the tiger's essence overpowering her own. Lysaria couldn't believe it. The tiger's power felt as though it was on the edge of ascending to the third rank. Lysaria shudder, widening her stance and expanding her aura. She channeled nearly all of her power, slashing with her curved blade. Her blade shrouded in yellowy black essence sent a thin crescent of essence towards the giant cat's side.

The swirling essence of her attack crossed the brief gap in the blink of an eye. Her attack slammed into the thick fur and wispy aura of the cat. Under the evening stars, two predators clashed. Lysaria, who desired revenge and the tiger who desires only her suffering and to take her power for its own. The tiger yowled in pain and retaliated. Lysaria gasped as wicked claws tore through her aura and the muscle of her thigh.

Lysaria watched as the tiger stumbled back, favouring its hamstrung leg, circling her wearily. Taking her chance, she pushed her aura to her limit, making a dome of dark bubbling essence surround her. Her darkness shrouded her and the tiger. Wisps of smoke rose from the grass, dirt, and then the tiger. It hissed in anger, its aura of essence unable to completely block her corrosive aura. Head swimming with pain, Lysaria spun on her heels. The tiger's muscles rippled as it lept just outside of her swirling essence. It stares straight into her eyes, bearing its finger length teeth.

Lysaria glanced at Dakar's unmoving body, regret filling her chest. She realized her mistake too late, as the tiger lunged forward and lept, claws Un sheathing. Lysaria dodged to the side, thrusting her Khopesh towards the monster's neck. The massive cat slammed into her. She felt her sword his something hard and then pass through it the weight of the tiger helping her thrust.

Lysaria tumbled onto her back, the air leaving her chest as pain bloomed over her entire body. The tiger gurgled, its thick blood spilling over Lysaria. She screamed as the pain of her broken arm made itself known. Eyes blurry with tears and blood, Lysaria gasped weakly for breath. She could feel the curved claws of the tiger on her back and side. Coughing up blood, Lysaria sniffed, gagging at the foul stench of cat urine. Sure tried to move, but the heavy weight of the cat held her down. Pain flared in her back as even the slightest movement dug the claws deeper.

Why wasn't this light accursed cat being turned to essence? She coughed more blood, only now noticing the slight rise and fall of the cat's chest. The monster was alive, although just barely. She wasn't doing any better, however. Even with her inexperience with healing, Lysaria knew that coughing up blood meant she had a punctured lung. That must be from the excruciating pain in her right side. It was hard to make out, but the hilt of her Khopesh was protruding from the cat's neck, right next to Lysaria's broken left arm. Her head swam as she saw her arm bent in the completely wrong direction.

Her stomach did a flip as she gagged, the tangy blood tasting of metal as it entered her mouth. Well, this was not ideal at all. Her left arm was broken and useless and her right arm was stuck between the cat's weight and her body. She tried to move her unbroken arm and with all of her strength could only turn her palm to face the cat. She began channeling her essence, forcing a ball of essence into the cat's chest.

One large pain filled eye flashed down to her as the cat's eye shot open. She stopped, only now realizing its face was so close to hers. Its maw had stopped inches from tearing out her throat. She felt its murderous gaze on her, but the cat didn't move. Only its slitted eyes, pain filled orbs of amber that glared hatefully. Firming her resolve, Lysaria channeled a thin, knifelike stream of corruptive essence into the cat's chest. For some reason the cat wasn't moving?

From what she could see, its leap had buried the Khopesh to the hilt on the side of the cat's neck. Maybe she had severed its spine? Whatever was the case, the tiger could not even move as she pushed her fingers covered in her vile essence into its chest. The cat's breaths slowed, and it coughed blood on her. She pressed on and with one last sigh the creature stopped breathing, her hand sunk to her wrist in its chest.