Eliot pushes the willow aside as he hold his breath taking a peek of a woman under the junction of the willow trees.
The golden retriever puppy stayed in its position trembling to that woman resembled this boy's mother.
Slrpp...
That rapid movement decreases, she shoved something into her mouth and jaw continue moving.
Eliot stopped the calling, he waited for the woman to face him instead. Maybe she was enjoying something that she does not want to share with someone else, so she eat it outside of her room?
Uhuk, that woman was chocking on the thing she ate. Eliot was nervous but his mind advised him not to get further. He also did not understand why stay and waiting for the woman to greet him?
A sense of dejavu just as he started to breath again and a fishy scents entering his nostrill the boy immediately put his palm onto his face.
That woman flinched. She still made the same chocking sound because she did not chew properly and just gobbled up her meal.
Uwekkk! He took a brief glances on the woman from head to toe. Unlike his mother that always appear in a clean and styled hair though she has no special occasion. Her wavy hair would always neat.
He observe her shoulder and the waist of that woman, she has the same body porpotion as the queen. Yet his mother is a petite woman, while this thing is kind of huge though they looked the same from a simple look.
Did someone steal his mother's dress? He think so too. Was it Lady Cathlyn? He did saw the lady in waiting sneaking around.
Eliot hide his presence behind the willow tree as the woman suddenly bending down even lower than before.
The golden retriever puppy cried. Scratching his belly with its claws trying to run away from him.
The crown prince petted its head, tucking the puppy's head again in his jacket.
Crack, crack,
What if I peek again? No! I must go and tell father about this! Someone disguises as his mother and trespasses into the palace did a strange behavior.
The king would asked him what kind of strange it was, therefore he made a bold turn.
The crown prince feet paraylysed instant on the spot. Ahead of the woman's head he is able to see a dead man that still had his eyes wide opened. Gis torso is intact on his limb. While his abdomen is wide opened and the blood is gusing out from that injury.
Pricked, tiny fingers winger diging up every thing inside that man's stomach and shove it into her mouth.
The tears rolling down from his cheek is fresh notating he is still alive a couple of minutes ago.
Bark!
Eliot wantef to run away. Immediately the scream he heard a while ago flashes into his mind. No wonder it was once, that man did not scream because he is dead on the spot.
She was sniffing thus searching for Eliot presence. That woman stand up leaving the shredded corpse behind and sniffing around the Willow junctions with her bloodied fingers.
That petite body grew in sizes whenever she moves, hole with the size for adult fist was leaking out black liquid from the hole on her stomach.
"is that you?" she aksed.
Eliot did not blink at all afraid the killer will suddenly poop in front of him and he will be the next victim.
"Lina" That woman was beside him so Eliot move deeper into the willow hiding himself among the weeds.
Whoever she is calling, I bet they won't even come. Confronting something like that is suicide. Eliot quietly changes his position every seconds carefully.
The golden retriever seemed to understand the situation they are in and secured its position inside his jacket.
"Thalia?" That voice is from someone in between the age of 20. Similar to his mother's voice when she was younger now that his mother is in her 30.
But the most shocking thing was, she was calling out the Queen's name just like a companion could.
Is she mother's friend? If she's a guest it is logic she could enter the inside of the palace. But this is too from the guest house.
"where are you honey?" Nearer. Getting nearer. That woman is standing beside him. That rotten smells mixed with stench of blood made him nauseous. What will happen if puke right now?
Slowly, Eliot glided to the left while that woman coming to the front. He repeated the same action in for some time in circle until he decided to make a haste towards the opposite direction where he came from toward the small pond where he will run directly into his father's block.
Although he had to passed through the pale difigured body, he has no choice. That woman will hurt him.
He stepped on something slimy, he nonchalantly looked at it, small intestine of the man touches his bare foot. He startled to see the identity of the man.
He is the new appointed guard which he just met yesterday to imagine today is the last day he lived.
The sight of the guard's blood that got on his feets causing stir in his mind that he didn't notice, that the woman is standing still, glaring at him.
By the time Eliot realised, a cold greasy fingers caressed his cheek. The crown prince stopped his breathing, he gulped. The puppy is in tantrum and began to whimp as it did earlier.
His whole body is shaking, he tried to hush the puppy yet he is also unable to move. Her fingers glide underneath his jaws, admiring his neck and began to prick her pointy nails onto the softest skin on human body. The crown prince scream silently.
No!
Her neck grew longer, peeking his face wanting to identify who he is. Eliot had didn't dare to completely shut his eyes just in case there's an opening and he had the chance to run away, until.
Bark
Their eyes met. If it is not a live and dead situation Eliot will compromise and gladly faint on the spot.
"what" It is not a woman, Not even human, meanwhile she also isn't an animal. Is this the spirit of Egyptian god Anubis that lost her direction in the desert into Willow Palace?
Slurp, the dog- the woman with a body build of a petite yet tall woman is licking his face while looking like a dog.
The headless dead dog! What is going on? Is this one of my nightmares, I need to wake up.
Had enough, he swinged his arm and smack the weird looking woman with all his might, she reacted to his smack by pushing her nails deeper on to his shoulder.
"Aaahhhhh!" he was twirling himself to the pain.
"hehehehehe" That dog headed woman laughed thrusting her nails in and out of the boy's flesh. Enjoying his misery.
"mother" Eliot cried.
"Arghhhh!" Eliot had no idea if this thing carries humanity trait, but she releases her fingers though her nails is intact in his flesh, she began to howl.
Eliot took that chances to run away. Boldly smacking her fingers Eliot spit the blood that was piling inside his mouth hoping she cannot see him.
"urggh" Eliot covers his bleeding shoulder. Just as he is about to run, he twisted his ankle and fall directly on top of the dead guard.
"huarh!" Eliot screamed and puked.
"another one?" That was was talking to herself.
"another born?" She licked the spit and grinned.
The puppy fall from his jacket when he Eliot, whimping alongside the crown prince telling him that the dog headed woman is approaching with her mouth wide open.
No! This is not a dream! This is reality! It hurts!
His vision is blurry his dizziness became worse. He shake his head few times when his ear began to ring.
The boy reached out to the golden puppy, he got up and run into the pond to make the path shorter. He didn't care if the water will slow his movements, if he chooses the normal path, he had to climb over those bumpy ground.
I won't going to make it! Fatigue is coupled with fear of making him run in a breathless state Eliot crash. The woman laughed again.
She is definitely not a human being, none human beimg could buried her hand in the ground and stretch it and gripping whoever feet in a long distance.
But before she could ever do so, Eliot stepped on the hand and run with no concern of looking back. Leaving all behind.Running straight into the king's room.
°°°
Before entering, his father would always remind to to knock on the door and waited for his call before coming in.
There were no guards guarding the door, so he let go of the courtesy and slammed the door with all his might and scream.
"FATHER! HELP!" drenched in a filthy water, the jacket was not in a good state in neither keepimg him warm nor covering his see thorough white pyjamas.
Gasping for air, half of his body is inside the king's chamber, palm covering the leaking blood from the hole on his shoulders.
The person he was desperately searching for, is lying on the bed comfortably while a half naked woman was sitting on top of his father.
Her face was covered by her long hair. Even so, judging by the colour, the crown prince knew who that is.
"father" he called again. This time his voice was trembling.
"mother?" He knew he wasn't seeing things due to fatigue, somehow he was hoping that is the case.
The jet black haired woman screamed and hide inside the blanket realising the door is wide open and a little boy was watching.
The king arise from the bed "take him out!" Samuel stand in front of him, his face had no expression at all staring the down under him.
Violently, the kingman dragged him ou of the room, Eliot was in shock, that his eyes is still in contact with his father.
"get lost!" Samuel threw him like a sack of rice. Again, his head is dizzy so he refused to get up.
"get the hell out of here half blood!" Samuel hit his head with his unsheated sword.