Chapter 4 - Four - Predator to Prey (2/2)

No, brother, I need to help him.

With my eyes half closed I turn my face, my vision misty as only an immobile shadow on the ground came to view.

Oh no.

– Berserker mode off – Side effects inbound – Unable to move for 2 hours – Counting start…

And then I pass out.

~~~~~

My body is stiff, my mouth dry and with a weird taste to it. My eyes were heavy, so heavy…

Voices, voices nearby.

Brother.

I open my eyes only to close them again at the blinding light of the rising sun. Shit, morning already? We lost our advantage. With trembling limbs I stand up, scaring the life out of the little scavengers and birds.

Shh, shut up.

I try to take a step but fall miserable and roll down the dirty ground. Taking a deep breath to calm down, I try again as the voices came closer, urging me to go quicker.

”Brother. Brother wake up”

My voice came low and dry. Never thought I could sound so beat and desperate. If… if anything happened to him, I could, I couldn't… It would be better to deliver myself to the humans than have to live that fate.

With trembling limbs I approach my brother only to see his muddled shoulder with an open wound covered in a bloody mess. A shallow breath coming from him gave me some relief, but the state of his wounds didn't.

I have to stop the bleeding somehow… Fire, I can cauterize the wound. It won't end pretty, probably will scar, will hurt like shit, but he should survive.

I start a fire inside my belly, felling the warm go up my throat. Acc.u.mulating enough heat, I slowly start spitting fire on the base of my paw over my talons.

Ding – Magic learned – Fire Breath 1

When my skin turned red I looked at my brother again. Coming closer I wrap a paw on his back, holding him in place, as I put my mouth over the wound to hold the skin close, starting to pass my blazing paw over the wound.

Let just say it wasn't pretty or easy, as I needed more than one go to make it work. At the end he was still unconscious and breathing heavily, a frown of pain formed on his face, but at least the wound had closed and cleaned with my saliva.

The lively ambiance of the forests was a little annoying as the bird chirped and the squirrels climbed the trunks.

The voices were getting closer, and I needed to act, now. But what to do… I couldn't outrun them, not while carrying my brother, no…fight them? No, they were organized and prepared.

I needed to distract them.

And I knew exactly what to do.