I am running as fast as I can, the raccoon essence helping increase my speed by a good margin. Which is the only reason I am still alive as another three raccoons are chasing me from behind leaping like me across the tree's. Makes me wonder if monkeys are related to all the creatures in the forest since it seems everyone can just treat the trees as the ground it seems.
Complaining about nonsensical things helped take my mind off my impending death as the bigger of the three, probably the mother or father has caught up to me and takes a swipe at my back.
I spin around swinging my sword spitting its arm into two half arms earning me a scream and them backing off a little to investigate what happened eying my sword with wariness.
Though they don't back off completely as they are still keeping step with me, but I am almost to the stone teleporter thing.
But as I am leaping one of the branches that I land on has wood shoot up and entangle my left foot stopping me in my tracks which one of the two smaller raccoons rushes in with incredible speed and slashes my side. A good slice of my body opens up with blood spurting out everywhere.
I turn and move my side which lessened the wound i would have gotten that would have definitely have killed me.
The pain is intense which almost makes me loose all calm and rationality, I want to so hard just break down and cradle my wounded side, but I focus through the pain and tears and watch the raccoons waiting for the nest move while I cut off the wood that held me.
I start thinking of the different tactics i can do and then remember that crazy bear. I look around to see what I can do using my talent outside the box and try to figure ideas out when I thought of something.
I remember one of the clan guards showing off a long time ago and that he made a little ball of flame hover in midair and if something hits it the flame bursts a little and then goes out. He said this little trick can startle your opponents and might even catch them on fire for a few moments givng you an opening to attack. H showed me how to do it as well.
I focused on my feet and started compressing my fire under me remembering how you can made fire explode that I learned from one of the guards in my family. Then I waited, with my blood running down my body letting me know i don't have much time left when the parent charges at me again.
Using its three good feet to run at me while swinging its claws while stakes come out of the ground to supplement its attack while obscuring its own claws so I don't know from which direction its coming from.
Clever plan once again, but I then smile and jump backwards, upon landing on my previous spot chasing me with its attack it failed to notice there was a small flame levitating in the air and upon its body making contact it bursts out.
Its only a very small explosion like a very small firework, but with a Lord rank even low level lord rank quickly caught fire on the raccoon and it quickly spread to the whole body.
The monster tried everything it could to put it out, even all three using there power to draw out a large amount of water to douse the flames, to no avail. It only took thirty seconds until essence started flowing into me which I started putting into my manna while it also healed up my wound a good amount.
The two younger raccoons retreated away from me and left, not wanting to loose anymore to me i think. I soon made that last stretch and got to the stone platform and teleported into the shrine tunnel.
I can already feel the adrenaline fading away with each step I take, I started making my way through the tunnel one slow and painful step at a time. Essence, what still is left, moved around my body slowly healing me.
The door opening by themselves I walked into my little home "I finally made it" relief overcome my body, then I fainted and collapsed to the ground.
--
Coming to I heard some scratching noises, opening my eyes there was a bunny rabbit about my size with snow white fur and blue eyes scratching at one of my chests.
My movement alerts the rabbit as it turns its attention over to me, hoping over to my side in a very cute way that looks like a white bouncing dumpling.
"How did you get in here little rabbit" I question it wondering why and how its here.
Then I remember about the hole in the tunnel I fell through "you came through that whole didn't you, I need to plug that thing so I don't wake up in a monsters belly next time." I state to my new pet.
"Your name now is Captain Scratchy, Scratchy for short" I say holding my head held high. As Captain Scratchy continues to try to get into the chest.
"Why are you trying to get into my chest are you after my essence orb reserves for emergencies" I ask it not expecting an answer in return.
Captain Scratchy looks at me then which makes me marvel at these creatures intelligence before I go over and take an orb out to give it to it.
Watching it happily chomp down on it as it slowly eats the orb makes me now have to take a little of the essence I get everyday and save it for Scratchy now. Speaking of which I check my wound to see it mostly healed and head back out to hunt some more essence.
"I will be back with some food scratchy" I say as I head for the teleporter. Not noticing that Scratchy is watching me leave with its blue eyes having a sinister tint of red before going back to normal.
Leaping through the forest once again I learned to be extra quiet and careful so I wont almost die this time. While searching around I come across a lone forest monkey eating some nuts and leaves and fruit off a nearby tree. I creep closer to it without alerting the monkey.
I watch it for a minute before I see a good opening and quickly charge at and behead the monkey and get a good amount of essence. I learned from yesterday to evenly distribute my essence thus I put it into my body this time while saving a little to turn into an orb for scratchy.
Yet when I look around I to move elsewhere I lock eyes with another monkey at the tree next to this one, then it screeches just like the dang raccoons. "Fuuuuucccckkkkk again!" I book it back to the stone teleporter while the dang monkey follows behind making constant whooping noises probably so the horde can find him.
I should have checked the surroundings and killed it without revealing myself gosh dang-it Sora stop being stupid! Didn't I just tell myself I learned to do better! You are making yourself look stupid!
Running through the trees with the monkey hot on my heels, the monkey all of a sudden catches on fire after jumping onto one of the branches I just leaped from and it falls to the ground dying instantly.
I jump to the ground as well landing on top of a bush to cushion my fall then quickly absorb the essence, I book it back into the bush after finishing and hide inside while a large group of around 30 monkeys are rushing through the forest following the trail I was taking while one of them leaves the group, takes the monkey corpse and runs back.
I take a few minutes to make sure they are gone before I come out and breath a sigh of relief. I put most of it inside of my manna except that little bit for Scratchy. I continue to search for more prey but this time I take note of the surroundings when I find one and nab two squirrels and a chipmunk and head home.
When I get back Scratchy walks up to me and licks my hand while I compress a essence orb and feed it to him.
Laying down on the floor after making myself a bad of very large tree leaves after I plugged the hole, with Scratchy laying next to me I start to wonder think about different things.
"Scratchy do you think everyone forgot about me" I quietly speak out loud mostly to myself. I am just... lonely.
"The children of some of the servants were nice to me in the clan even when the rest turned their back on me."
"Two of them were especially nice to me and played with me, Jina and Trevor, Jina was cute and always brought me around to do things and play with here. Trevor, he talked back at the bullies whenever they came around and got food for me when they would not give me any."
"I miss them" I started petting Scratchy while talking, he stood still and seemed to fall asleep, my own eyes were slowly closing themselves as well. Falling into dreamland and memories.
I dream about my family and life before I turned nine, when everyone loved me and treated me well, when I always smiled and laughed with my father holding me whenever I hurt myself or was scolded. Yet all of a sudden my surroundings turned dark and the shadowy faces of the clan all around me laughing and jeering and insulting and bullying... and hurting me.
"AAAAAHHH" Sitting up quickly looking around the storage room I calm down, it was just that nightmare again. I lay back down and toss and turn with a restless night.