Kamyla felt her entire body go numb with fear as her eyes locked on the bloodthirsty gaze of the brute canine above them.
Its hackles raised as it snarled, foaming from the sides of enormous jaws to reveal the blood-stained roll of razor-sharp teeth.
Its eyes slitted, leaning closer to Kamyla's gobsmacked self as she couldn't find the courage to move.
Her legs slowly went weak, letting herself fall to her knees as her lungs forgot to breathe and her heart thudded violently.
With her eyes refusing to blink, the screams in the air started to fade to an unusual deafening silence the longer she stared at the werehyena.
Her lips gapped.
'Mama! Mama! Papa! Papa!' A faint childlike cry erupted from the back of her mind.
'Papa!! Papa!!!' Her eyes slowly watered.
A strange sensation suddenly engulfed her entire being, pulling her into a pool of emotions she had long forgotten how to feel. Emotions that once controlled her; Her mind, body and soul. Emotions that submerged her into a grave of her own grief and frights combined.
Emotions she had hoped never to feel ever again. Never...
'Papa! Mama! NO!'
The unvivid hue of her surroundings slowly blurred, hearing the child's scream get even louder in her mind as a triggering horror scene replayed.
'PAPA! MAMA!' The screams of a young girl child nothing more than four, pitched higher, stretching out her small hands as tears rolled down her swollen face.
"PAPA!"
The louder cries of adults overshadowed her voice, feeling her little body bounce vigorously in the arms of the man that clutched onto her while running between the panicking crowd.
With her gaze locked over his shoulder and her eyes darting behind the heads of the other terrified villagers racing behind them, Kamyla's dried throat still fought to scream, 'MAMA! PAPA!'
The moment her teary eyes then caught sight of her parents, her heart sunk.
Her father's lifeless body hung in the fist of the werehyena, slowly being lifted in the air and above the beast's mouth as it extended its jaws widely.
In a single snap, his body was devoured, having blood spill out between its teeth as it chewed on him savagely.
Kamyla's eyes couldn't blink, slowly lowering her gaze to sight her mother underneath the hyena's other hand.
The terrified eyes of her mother locked on her as her body was pinned to the ground by the large claws stabbed into her back.
Blood splattered from her mouth as the hyena beast above her then clutched her insides and ripped her open.
Despite the thick crowd of the villagers struggling to escape from the rampaging hell behind them, Kamyla's eyes still perfectly witnessed the creature pick her mother up and wrap its tongue around her before carefully gulping her as a whole.
Kamyla's face ran pale.
The werehyena suddenly busted into laughter, snapping its devious gaze at her. She froze.
The were-beast tittered, licking its bloody lips as its bright yellow eyes slitted.
"KAMYLA!"
Kamyla's mind immediately snapped back to reality — a sudden force pulled her to the side, uplifting her body from the ground and onto a horse's back.
Before her mind could think, a set of flaming arrows struck the face of the enormous werehyena, causing it to look away from them.
The horse darted forward and out of the broken house, charging in the opposite direction.
Kamyla blinked her eyes repeatedly, looking forward at the rider. "Aj- Ajefe!?"
"What the fuck, Kamy! Are you suicidal now?" Ajefe shouted, pulling to a sharp bend.
Kamyla took a few moments to respond. "I- I don't... I don't know what happened..."
"Of course, you don't", he hastened his horse to proceed south.
Kamyla then gazed over her shoulder, sighting two other horsemen carrying a pair of the children from the house and her kuiza.
She then looked back at Ajefe, exhaling softly. "Thank you".
"Don't mention", he smiled. "You should also thank the Ancestors that werehyena was just staring at you all while you were zoned out".
Her brows furrowed. "What?"
Ajefe nodded. "I was scared we wouldn't reach you in time. Luckily it just stood in front of you, glaring".
Kamyla grimaced in confusion. "But... That's strange. Why didn't it attack me?..."
Ajefe shrugged. "Maybe werehyenas like big breast".
"Shut up!" She smacked the back of his head.
He cringed, touching his head with one hand. "Really!? Now!?"
"Just drop me, you pervert", Kamyla hissed.
He immediately halted his horse, pulling it to stand on its hindlimbs — Kamyla's body rolled off and landed hard on the ground.
"OUCH!!" She grunted, clutching her head as she looked up at him, "Really!? Now!?"
Ajefe chuckled, lowering his horse as he turned.
"Go meet Danji at the East and help round up the surviving villagers. Me and the rest will attack and distract the weres with fire".
One of the other horsemen finally reached them, dropping Kamyla's sword and proceeding to the safe zone with the children.
Kamyla slowly got up, picking up her kuiza as she then asked, "How many weres?"
"Apparently just twelve. Seems like Rhou killed four, you one, Danji one, leaving about six more. I advise you and Dan to avoid confronting any until necessary till you get a chance to escape".
Kamyla nodded.
"Especially that big one with metal spikes on the back. We don't know exactly what that one is, but it seems to be the alpha".
"It could be—"
An echo of ominous laughter instantly seized their attention, causing them to snap their gazes in one direction.
Kamyla's eyes widened.
The alpha hyena stood on its four limbs in the centre of the inferno village, staring straight at Kamyla.
It let out a devilish giggle.
It took Ajefe and Kamyla a few moments to realise what it was doing. Their brows quirked.
The remaining werehyenas approached from all corners of the village, slowly crawling up to stand behind the alpha.
Kamyla stepped back.
All six weres stood before them, glaring hungrily at them as they tittered.
Kamyla gulped.
Recalling their teachings, Werehyenas were easily distracted creatures that found it enjoyable chasing after their preys in the middle of their attacks, making it easier for the warriors to slip in and save the lives of those the hyenas hadn't locked their attention on yet.
But the moment a group of werehyenas placed their attention on a single target, then it was sure that not even bones would remain to tell the tales.
Kamyla knew very well that not even a miracle could save them now. Even if Rhou arrived, their chances of survival were slim because Rhou would definitely be outnumbered and shredded to pieces as well.
Ajefe and Kamyla took a step back, unsure of what to do for their lives.
"This is it..." Ajefe whispered as the alpha took a step forward.
Kamyla went mute.
The alpha suddenly laughed, turning in the opposite direction and running towards the forest.
The others trailed after it, giggling loudly. The group of hyena beasts bolted straight into the forest and vanish between the tall trees.
Ajefe blinked twice. "W- What just happened?"
Expecting a response from Kamyla standing next to him, a loud thud reached his ear.
He snapped his eyes at her, having his brows instantly quirk. "Kamy? Kamy!?!"
Kamyla laid unconscious on the ground.