Ok, next chapter. I've been really busy lately, so this one took a while to write.
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6 days earlier
"Hey, Pachy, wait up!" said a high, desperate voice. "You're going too fast!"
Pachy smiled patiently at his younger brother and slowed his pace. Only just reaching his waist, he knew Tuska's shorter legs and smaller build wouldn't be as efficient at climbing as he was. Nonetheless, he had agreed to take Tuska with him up the slope they were currently ascending. Steep, narrow and unforgiving, it wound it's way around the side of a grey, stoney mountain. At the top, their prize lay in wait; a group of bushes from which grew red fruit. Pachy's father called them Plant Sweets, but all that mattered to Pachy was that they were delicious and well worth the effort.
"Get a move on, squirt, or you'll be carrying all the tree sweets back down to Mom and Dad," he teased.
"Oh come on, that's not fair!" Tuska complained.
"Then I guess you'd better hurry up. It's not much further 'til we reach the top." Excerting his brother wasn't just for his personal amusement. Their father took pride in the fact that his family was independant from other herds. There was a time, he would tell Pachy and Tuska, when Domehead families lives independantly, free. In recent years, however, many had decided to join other groups and live as a pack. On one occasion when he'd been talking with the children of a passing herd, a female longneck had told him excitedly about a place called the Great Valley, where she herself had a group of close friends. When he'd asked her where it could be found, she'd replied that he should follow the path of the bright circle; that was how she always found her way there. Pachy father had snorted when he'd told him about it, claiming they could survive far better on their own. Personally, Pachy didn't see the trouble in mixing with other species, but he wouldn't have said so out loud.
Surviving was what his parents had taught him to do, ever since he could remember. His parents seemed to know everything; which plants were poisonous, which were safe to eat, the areas too dangerous to pass through. Even now, after 16 cold times he knew he still had a lot to learn from them. He had a lot to teach too; Since Tuska had been born, he'd been expected to help teach him. It was one of those lessons he was giving Tuska now - where to find Plant Sweets. They always grew high up, and gave off a strong, sugary smell which could easily help you locate them.
"Okay, how about this - we'll have a race to the top. If you find the Plant Sweets before me, you can eat the first two straight away and I'll carry the rest back down. Deal?"
Tuska grinned. "Fine, but don't cry when you end up losing." Turning, he started sprinting as fast as he could uphill.
Pachy let him go ahead for a while, then he started running as well. In just a few strides, he was able to overtake Tuska. Laughing at the expression of suprise on his brothers face, he rounded the bend, sending pebbles plummeting off the sheer face of the mountain. Levelling off, the pathway led to a broad ledge around which numerous bushes grew. Pachy stopped and waited for his brother, and when Tuska eventually made it up he put on an expression of mock confusion. "Hmn... I wonder where the Plant Sweets are?" Tuska said nothing, but concentration was etched onto his face as he looked around. Still gazing around innocently, Pachy snaked his tail around the light green bush containing their goal and tugged it slightly, drawing Tuska's attention to it.
"Hey, I found them!" Tuska ducked under his older brother and knocked some of the fruit to the ground triumphantly.
"Nice job," Pachy smiled. "I said you can have two, but save the others. They aren't easy to find, and I'm sure Mom and Dad want some."
"I know, I know. Eat only what you need, save the rest. I've been told that a hundred times before," Tuska said between mouthfuls. Then he looked up. "Thanks for helping me. I like having you as a brother."
Still smiling, Pachy bent down and pulled the remaining 5 Plant Sweets from the bush. "Yeah, well, somebody's got to stop you being totally useless." Leaning over, he butted Tuska affectionately with his head. "C'mon. Mom and Dad'll start worrying soon."
When they reached the bottom of the mountain, the grey clouds hanging overhead started to release a light drizzle. Looking around, Pachy spotted his parents taking cover in an alcove set against on of the mountains surrounding them. They looked as though they were engaged in a serious conversation. Beckoning his brother, Pachy loped forward to join them. "Tuska found the fruit. All on his own, too. Mostly." He dropped them on the ground in front of him.
"Yep! I even beat Pachy when he was trying to find them." Tuska shook his body to dry himself and looked at his parents expectantly, seeking appraisal.
"Oh... that's good..." Thier mother seemed distracted.
"Is something wrong?" Pachy asked, glancing from his mother to his father.
Thier father crossed his arms irritably. "No. There's nothing wrong." With the same raspy voice and skin colour, Pachy's father, Pacha, was almost identical to him, except in size and personality. Tuska, however, more resembled his mother, Suuna, with light grey colouring and a softer, more reserved voice.
She was usually very tolerant of Pacha's cocky attitude. Now she just sighed and rolled her eyes in exasberation. "It looks like Mr. All - Knowing over here can't find the way out. If you're lost, Pacha, we should just retrace our footsteps. We can always just go around."
"I've told you before, we're not lost! It's just taking me a little longer to find the way out than I thought." For almost an entire day, they'd been passing through a narrow network running between the mountains towering over either side of them. Every so often, the path would fork off in several directions, sometimes offering them as many as three different routes to take. They all looked identical. After wandering around all this time, after meeting all those dead ends, it was impossible to deny it; they were lost in a maze. But Pacha's pride wouldn't let him turn back. Pachy realised that his parents had probably sent him and his brother away to find the Tree Sweets so they wouldn't be seen arguing.
Suuna sighed again. "Pacha, listen. There's no shame in being wrong once in a while." She took a step out of the shelter into the rain and indicated with her tail. "Look, if we go back the way we came, we should be okay."
That was when the first fast biter landed on her.
It came from nowhere. Dropping without a sound into their field of vision from outside the alcove it fell heavily onto Suuna, latching onto her upper back. Gasping, she was thrown onto her front from the unexpected force of it's weight. Still inside, the three domeheads stared in shock at the attacker. At its grimy blue skin, its yellow eyes narrowed in hunger. Then the fast biter fixed its sight on Suuna's neck and opened its jaws wide, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth. There was no time to say anything. Pacha lowered his head and charged. Sensing movement, the fast biter paused and tilted its head. His eyes widened and he tried to dive out of the way as Pacha came bearing down like a missile.
Too late. Still running at full speed, Pacha lauched himself into the air, out of the cave and ploughed into the side of the fast biter. Carried by the momentum, it remained glued to the crown of Pacha's head until they landed. Then it carried on, flying across and striking the rock wall on the other side with a crack. The fast biter hissed in pain as it slid back down, then it looked up and stared at Pacha, face twisting in an expression of hatred. Pacha lowered his stance, bracing himself for another attack.
"Dad!" Pacha heard his elder son scream from inside the cave. He turned, vision blurred by rain in his eyes. A gaping jaw full of pointed, cruel teeth loomed into focus, just inches from his face. Pacha ducked his head quickly, heard the snap as this new attacker just missed its bite. Then he arched up, catching it in its middle and catapulting it over his head. Pacha looked over his shoulder to follow the aggressor's journey. It was another fast biter. Green skinned and with ugly orange eyes, it twisted nimbly in midair and landed on its feet, skidding to a halt next to the blue fast biter. Blood pounding in his ears, Pacha watched the two of them. The pair looked at each other and then started to back away. Still staring at them, not daring to blink, Pacha called behind him. "Pachy, Tuska! Come out here and stay right behind me." He lowered his voice. "Suuna, are you okay?"
She stood shakily and ushered Pachy and Tuska next to her. "I'm fine. What... what do we do?"
"Back away. Slowly. Don't take your eyes off them for a second."
"Pachy didn't think he would have been able to look away if he'd wanted to. The two fast biters continued to observe them, expressionless, not moving a muscle. The only sound were the rain pattering on the ground and Tuska shaking in terror next to him. "Dad... why aren't they attacking us?" he whispered.
"I don't know," Pacha replied under his breath, continuing to edge his family away. "Just keep moving."
The pair of fast biters turned to each other again, exchanging a knowing look. Then they turned slowly back. Pachy's heart skipped a beat. Was it his imagination, or were they smiling, their lips streched over their teeth in a grotesque imitation of joy? The blue fast biter tilted its head back and screeched loudly. They sound pierced through the air, causing Pachy to flinch and Tuska to gasp out loud. "They're trying to panick us!" Pacha started. "Don't..." He was interupted by the loudest roar Pachy had ever heard in his life. Long and gutteral, it seemed to come from everywhere at once, reverberating through the air and causing the ground at their feet to vibrate.
Then it stopped abruptly. His ears ringing, Pachy forgot his father's instructions and arched around, desperately trying to find where it had originated from. Nothing. Some pebbles landed on the floor next to Suuna. Instinctively, they domehead family looked up, and found themselves staring up into the bloodshot eyes of the largest sharptooth they had ever seen. With grey skin and a blood red claw, it was perched high above on a ledge, glaring down at them, apparently enjoying the terror he was causing. Each time he breathed out, a rotton, pungeant smell washed over them.
It seemed they'd been staring up at the sharptooth for an eternity. One of the fast biters made a low hissing noise, which could almost have passed for a snigger. "It was a trap..." Pacha muttered, his eyes flicking from the sharptooth to the fast biters. "Tuska, climb on Pachy's back. We're going to have to run." Still trembling, Tuska clambered onto his brother and clung on tightly round his neck. Suuna braced himself. Pacha took a deep breath. "RUN!"
The tense silence was broken. The blue fast biter let out another piercing screech, then looked up at the sharptooth. Despite himself, even as he turned to run, Pachy followed the fast biter's gaze. The sharptooth crouched down. No way... Pachy thought. It's too high. There's no way it can... It did. Launching itself in the air, it leapt off the ledge it was resting on and plummeted down. To Pachy, it almost looked as if it was traveling in slow motion. Then the sharptooth slammed to the ground in front of the fast biters. the ground trembled violently enough to bring Pachy to his knees and almost knocking Tuska from his back. "What are you waiting for? Run!" Tuska screamed. Tearing his eyes from the monsters behind him, Pachy scrambled to his feet and took off after his parents. The huge sharptooth watched them flee, growling under his breath. Then he threw his body forward, giving chase, the fast biters on either side.
There was nowhere to hide. Mountains reared up to their left and right, funneling them along, too steep to escape up. The path wound to the side, and then in front of them it split in two directions. A thought passed through Pachy's terrified mind; one wrong turn could lead them to a dead end. Pacha lead them blindly to the left. "Keep running!" he yelled. "Nothing that big can keep up with us!" Pachy looked back over his shoulder, and his eyes widened. The sharptooth was keeping up with them. More than that, it was catching up, sprinting after them. Then he turned back, and his heart sank. A rock slide had blocked the way ahead of them. They were trapped.
"There! Look!" Tuska pointed over to the side. There was a crack in the mountain, leading further in. There was room for Tuska, and just enough for Pachy, but there was no way Pacha and Suuna could fit.
Pacha saw it and slowed his pace. "Suuna, get them to it."
She started to stop. "What're you..."
"Just do it!" He turned to face the carnivores bearing down. "I'll hold them back."
"Dad..." Pachy started.
His father smiled sadly. "It's okay. It'll catch up with you. Go on." Pachy swallowed hard and followed his mother, leaving his father alone. The sharptooth focussed his attention on the lone domehead staring at him. He brought his head down as he ran and opened his jaws, fully anticipating the satisfying crunch when he would bring them together and end the domehead's life. The fast biters held back, knowing they would get the scraps. An easy meal.
Though every fibre of his being told him to run, Pacha held his ground. He waited till the sharptooth was close enough to look into his cruel eyes, to smell his dead breath. Then he feigned left and jumped right, leaping to the side of the sharptooth's face.The horn on the end of his nose snagged in its skin. As the sharptooth's momentum carried it forward, Pacha's horn continued to cut, slicing deeply along its face and down its body. The sharptooth skidded to a halt, whirled around and roared in pain. Pacha landed and turned around shakily, suddenly feeling exhausted. It shook its head and looked at him with an expression of pure rage. Pacha noticed with some satifaction that the sharptotth's eye had turned blood red, and that the cut looked deep enough to leave a mark. Suddenly it charged again. Caught off guard, Pacha attempted the same dodge. But this time, the sharptooth expected it. Bending to the side, it caught Pacha in midair and brought its jaws together in a crushing bite. Pacha gasped for breath, then his eyes closed as life left him. The sharptooth hung on for a few seconds more, then tossed his body to the side. Then it looked up to see the other large domehead crouching next to a crack in the cave.
"Pachy, take your brother and get out of here," Suuna said, pushing her two sons through the gap. Tears streamed down her face.
"Mom, come on, you can fit in as well..." Tuska said desperately.
"No, I can't." She looked at Pachy. "Promise me you'll keep him safe."
Pachy nodded, trying to keep from crying. "I promise - " There was a roar from outside, and Suuna was suddenly dragged out of sight without another word. Pachy and Tuska started in shock at the empty space. There was deafening silence. Then it was broken by a clacking sound coming steadily closer. "Mom..." Pachy whispered. Something moved outside, stopping at the entrance and blocking out any light. Pachy squinted in the sudden darkness. There was a scrambling sound, and something hissed. Pachy's blood ran cold. It was the fast biters. They were following them in. Pachy turned awkwardly in the cramped, narrow space and pushed Tuska forward. "Keep going!" he whispered urgently. Tuska gulped audibly and obeyed him, feeling his way forward blindly. Pachy followed right behind him. He could hear a scraping sound as the fast biters pushed themselves through the passageway, persuing them mercilessly. He was all too aware of his tail trailing behind him, and at any second he expected to feel sharp teeth seizing it and pulling him back. Then Pachy became aware of another sound, low and rumbling. He realised it was the sound of running water. A way to escape.
All of a sudden, the narrow space widened so he couldn't feel the sides any more. Tuska stopped uncertainly and Pachy bumped into him. In this larger, cavernous space, the noise of the running water echoed, making it impossible to tell where it was coming from. Pachy bent down, grabbed his brothers hand and pulled him over to the side, edging his way slowly. They were blind here in the total black, but that worked both ways - the fast biters couldn't see them either. If they moved as quietly as they could around the edge of the cavern, they could find it and use it to escape. Though he listened as hard as he could, Pachy couldn't hear any sign of the fast biters. He didn't dare hope that they had given up and left. Suddenly, Tuska squeaked loudly. "Pachy, something splashed me! There's water nearby!" His voice carried loudly in the darkness.
Pachy winced. "Be quiet Tuska!" he hissed. "We have to - " His voice was cut off by a sudden, cutting screech next to them. He heard Tuska shriek, then felt Tuska's grip on his hand torn away. At that moment, Pachy lost all reason. "Tuska!" he screamed, "Tus - " Something slammed into him from the side. Pachy yelled as he felt it gripping him, heard teeth snapping madly. He thrashed around, twirling in the dark as he tried to throw his attacker off him. All of a sudden, the ground dissappeared from beneath his feet, and Pachy felt himself fall into nothing. The sound of roaring water increased, then he struck it at full force. He was stunned by the sudden icy cold, and started to panick as he felt himself being dragged along by the current. Completely dissorientated, he couldn't tell which way was up, which was down. Then his head broke the surface and he gasped a lungful of air. Still coughing, he let the water carry him along. Then the speed increased as the river dropped steeply. Bright light hit his eyes, blinding him, and he felt the support of the water give way. As Pachy fell, he was just able to process the fact that he'd fallen froma waterfall leading out of a cliff on the other side of the mountain. Then he hit water, and all of the air was forced out of him. Struggling, trying not to drown, he flailed his arms weakly and felt his hands hit rock. Gripping on tightly, he dragged himself up and onto dry land, using his tail as support. Blinking, Pachy looked around and saw he was lying on the bank of another river continuing from the waterfall. He was lucky - it was a long way to fall, and if he'd overshot he would have crushed himself on the ground. As he struggled to breath again, images of his family flashed in front of him. He choked back tears and didn't register the dark forest stretching behind him.
The two fast biters stared up nervously at the sharptooth as he ground his enormous teeth in rage. They knew it wasn't a good idea to make him angry. Initially, the sharptooth had seriously considered eating the two of them. He didn't like to let anyone escape, and the fast biters had let him down. Then he'd realised they could still come in useful. His hatred wasn't reserved solely for the domehead who had injured him, something nobody else had ever done before. He needed to wipe out everyone connected to him, including any who had escaped.
And the fast biters were good trackers.
