Run! - Wraith's Lament 1: Chapter 1

Two tytos, joined by an old Kukuri, scouted the harsh landscape surrounding them. Volcanoes and lava fields could be seen every which way, but it wasn’t the explosions or the heat that made the trio nervous. This was the Edge of the World, as it was called… and recently there was much more to worry about than the hostile environment. King had explained to Vanical and Soul that corruption had recently begun to spread through the Stryx population. Grimm, a well known Lycan, was now locked in a cage, foaming at the mouth and dripping ooze from every orifice on his face.

It was for this reason that the trio wandered the twisted smattering of rock and lava. Vanical of all creatures lead the group. Her mismatched eyes were best suited for the bright daylight, unlike the two tytos that trailed behind her. She could pick up the smallest amount of movement, even out of the corner of her eye. King and Soul, on the other hand, were tilting their heads in the way all tytos did, trying to best capture the sound around them. They were on their toes, knowing that nearby there were likely to be wild Stryx dripping with the same corruption that afflicted Grimm.

Suddenly, Soul extended a wing in order to tap Vanical’s shoulder. “Shh, listen,” he said, picking up on what sounded like footsteps. There was a soft crunch with each step and they were getting louder. It didn’t take long for King to also pick up on the sound. The Kukuri along with them could not hear the soft noise… at least at first… but she did suddenly jolt her head over to the side. In the distance, a massive Stryx of ancient origins was approaching. Although neither of the Stryx with her could quite see him, Vanical picked up on dark teal feathers swirled with dusty silver markings.

What alarmed her most, however, was the unknown Stryx species’ glowing red eyes and blood red spittle dripping from its beak. The thing was fast approaching… and she slapped her tail lightly against both tytos. “Run!” she hissed, not waiting for them to respond.

They needed no second warning. All three animals were running as fast as their legs could carry them. Soul did not move to fly, keeping his wings tucked tightly against his body. He refused to leave Vanical’s side, as she was too heavy for him to carry her and she had no wings of her own. King, however, extended his wings and in a single flap was up in the air. “I’m not leaving you!” he called down to the others. “If that Stryx gets too close, I will give you some extra time, alright?”

“That’s suicide!” Soul called up, his head twisting backwards in order to see the soil tyto. “You’re going to get infected! We just… need to get to the ground traps. How fast is he moving?”

“Fast,” Vanical answered before King had a chance to respond. Although she had to keep her gaze ahead, she could still pick up on glimpses of the rakhos’ movements behind them. He was gaining ground… and despite her best efforts, Vanical could not speed up any further. Soul was dragging behind her, though every few steps he leapt into the air in order to catch up. 

King was up ahead now, flying much faster than either Soul nor Vanical could run. He scanned for the ground traps, spotting them up ahead. The older bird then attempted to triangulate how long it would take to get there… and, more importantly, if the unknown Stryx species chasing them would catch his two companions before they got there. “You need to move faster!” he called back to them, horrified to realize that there was little chance of Soul nor Vanical escaping the corrupted Stryx’s jaws. “When that bird gets closer, I’ll slow him down.”

“Just… be careful!” Soul cried in response. His lungs were burning. He was no runner Stryx or Kukuri… he wasn’t built for this kind of action and his legs screamed for him to stop. He knew he couldn’t, or he’d become like the ill fated Grimm… locked behind bars… losing his mind. “You can’t get bit!”

“I won’t,” King assured him, doubling back now. He moved so that he was flying almost directly over the unknown Stryx species. The bird seemed distracted by him, starting to jump up as he ran and snap at the tyto. His jaws would only come down on air, as the soil Stryx was too far above for the runner to reach, but his speed only slowed minimally. Still, it was something.

Up ahead, however, Soul was growing weary. He stayed next to Vanical, but the Kukuri could tell he was losing momentum. “Are you okay?” she asked, slowing down slightly to give the tyto a break. “You can fly. If I get bit by that thing-”

“If you get bit by that Stryx, you’re dead,” Soul interrupted. “Have you seen the beak on him? He’d break your bones and leave you to the vultures. I’m not leaving you.”

The trans dove shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t survive it… but I could slow him down without putting myself at severe risk. If I’m injured by him, I won’t be corrupted. Whatever it is afflicting him appears to be something that only affects your kind. It… it reminds me of the Contamination in my own species.” She was having a much easier time speaking than Soul.

King was listening to the conversation from behind. He sped up in order to meet the Kukuri and his fellow Stryx. “Vanical, you don’t need to do that. I’ve been slowing this Stryx down just by taunting him. He can’t fly… neither can you. You have nowhere to escape to if he catches you. Just get to the pit traps. I’ll take care of him.” He didn’t stick around for long, as the unknown Stryx species was quickly catching up. 

“Soul, go ahead and fly,” the crimson Kukuri told the snow tyto beside her. “I’ll be fine. You’re struggling to keep up and if you slow down and don’t fly, you’re going to be that Stryx’s next meal. King has slowed him down enough that I shouldn’t be in danger.”

Soul shook his head, but upon nearly tripping over his own feet in his exhaustion, he realized he had no choice. He was already trailing behind the raptor-like Kukuri. He spread his wings and lifted off the ground, but kept close to Vanical in order to cover her. Behind them, King was still taunting the unknown Stryx species by diving down only to shoot back up into the sky where the beast could not follow.

All three were relieved when they spotted the cleverly disguised pit traps. Although they were relatively obvious to anyone who knew they were there, the crazed mind of the Corrupted Stryx likely wouldn’t be able to process the change. Vanical changed her position so that she could avoid the trap. Apparently, the unknown Stryx species was uninterested in the Kukuri, as he kept his line of sight on King and Soul. King now flew up to Soul’s starboard side. He nodded firmly and both Stryx flew together over the pit, hoping the beast chasing them would continue to do so, tumbling into the trap set for it.

------------------

Word Count: 1234

Featuring: King 11, Song of the Soul 7209, and Vanical 1272