Run Run Run Run Run.
Those words ran through his mind like he was in a track race. He had to run. He had no other choice but to run. Or else...
'Chomp!'
That sound rang in his mind, triggering a flashback. What he remembered... if he didn't run away, that would happen again, or worse...
He wouldn't survive.
He was in a completely unfamiliar place, with things he'd never seen before, on surfaces he'd never felt before. He'd heard sounds he'd sounds he'd never heard before. He'd seen animals (albeit animal is too good of a title for those monstrosities) that he'd never seen before.
'My blood!'
He'd been through something he'd never been through before.
How the hell did he end up in this situation?
Meer moments ago, he had been continuing on his with his usual adventures, but then...
But then...
But then...
Yohan:?
He drew a blank. He couldn't remember before he ended up here. His mind was overwritten with a whole lot of other thoughts.
The bite he received from that pest.
The wound from that scratch, which in truth was far more than a scratch.
The pain in his stomach from the headbutt he received. The very headbutt that knocked him off the super strong tree he held onto.
And worse of all, the even bigger bite he received from that huge monster.
Yohan didn't know what the pest did to him, but whatever it was, the monster left a far more permanent issue.
These were the thoughts that ran through his mind while running through the tall grass. It didn't even occur to him that this was where those "wolves" would hide, preparing to attack.
He couldn't help but panic. And so, he looked back at the monster. Alongside it was its lackey, the only 'wolf' whose form he'd laid eyes on. Whether that was an act of bravery or idiocy was unknown to him.
He looked to see if they had begun to pursue him. But, to his suprise, they didn't. Or rather, he should've been aware.
***
'Ueeeuueuereugh'
A sound that was somewhat along those lines. He heard it earlier, and in response to it, he ran away from the monster.
If was more like a question than a cry or roar that any animal would make.
'Could you please stand still so I may eat you?'
The monster had never said those words, but that was the conclusion Yohan led himself to. He believed that if he ran away from the monster at the sound of that question, then it wouldn't approach. To his suprise, the first time he tested out that theory, he was, in fact, correct. And he had done so again.
But there was another problem.
'Reiiiigiigigiigih'
A sound along those lines was even worse. When he first ran from the monster, he heard that sound, and soon enough, he got attacked.
Not by the monster that asked for his consent to eat him, but it's lackey.
Despite being of a different color from the monster, they all appeared to be canines, from his knowledge of animals. They were its lackeys.
'Reeeeiiiiigigiggih'
When he heard that sound, that meant that it was telling them to chase after Yohan.
That seemed to be its Plan B for whenever its targets ran away from it. If it couldn't go towards its food, then it would have others bring its food closer to it. That's what Yohan expected would happen, but not at all.
There the 'wolf' was, standing next to its master, showing no intent to approach him. And there was its master, which had its mouth closed, almost as if it were keeping quiet.
***
'Reiiiieegh'
He could swear he heard it, but aside from his movements through the tall grass, he couldn't see anything happen. He could swear he heard it,but he probably heard it in his head and was imagining things.
Nothing happened.
So maybe he was imagining things after all
Tch!
He at least heard that.
That was the sound of him wincing in pain. The tall grass went up to his waist in terms of height. And because of that, the grass ended up grazing his injured leg as he continued to move past the grass. The tall grass would caress his open wound, which wasn't small in any sense. The wound that interacted with the grass through touch would stimulate the nerves underneath his skin, sending a jolt of pain throughout his body.
Yohan: Gah!!!
He could feel the pain throughout his whole body, and he couldn't handle it.
Yohan: Gah!!! Hah... Hah...
Even though he had to run, he couldn't handle the pain and had to force himself to take a short rest. Physically, he must've been fatigued since he had been running all this time.
He would've placed his right arm on his chest, with the hope of being able to feel his heartbeat, which had to have skyrocketed. However, what got in the way of doing so was the stick he held in that hand.
So he could've just used his right arm, right?
Yohan: Oh yeah, I almost forgot...
That he couldn't. He didn't have a right arm he could do that with.
The worst situation he could've been in.
The pain he had felt from losing it had slowly calmed down because he had focused on the pain in his wounded leg. However, just thinking about it brought back all that again.
Yohan: Argh!
He had immediately thought to suppress the pain and the blood leaking out of his... what would be the word for it? He had attempted to suppress it through pressing his left arm against it.
And just like that, he made the same mistake he made before, again.
Yohan: Aaargh!!!
There was blood, flesh, bone, and whatnot. But more importantly, there were exposed nerves where he had pressed his hand against it.
Yohan: Aarrgh!!!
The worst part was that he forgot he forgot to let go of the stick in his hand when he did so. But, through pure luck, there were no abrasive parts to the stick that caused more pain than necessary. After all, this stick came from a tree unknown to him. But that wasn't important at all.
Actually, why did he have it with him anyway?
Earlier, before he lost his arm, he had hung onto a branch that had snapped when he got his shit absolutely rocked, by the exception among the cowardly wolves.
He found it nearby after he fell, and when he ran away from the monster, he picked it up.
But for what purpose did it serve? What would a meer stick do against the wolves if they chose to attack him?
He didn't know what purpose the stick served. As a matter of fact, he deemed it useless. Nevertheless, he still gripped it onto his hand.
But whether or not it did matter, he didn't know.
After all, since nothing was approaching, he assumed that all that was left was for him to run away until he reached the end of the tall grass.
Yohan: I'm... still... here...
He was panting, unsure of whether he'd still succeed in escaping. Regardless of whatever injuries he had, he still needed to do it.
And so, he took one step...
Rustle.
That sound clearly wasn't from him stepping on the grass.
Rustle... Rustle... Rustle!
Yohan: So I was right earlier on...
And so, he took one more step, and another, and another, and he picked up speed, and he did it again... until he began flat-out sprinting through the grass.
Yohan: Why do you hate me?!
There was no one he could've said that to. Maybe he said to someone who wasn't there... but that would've been pointless. All alone, no one would answer those words he shouted out.
Rustle!
Well, forget the 'alone' part.