The night turned out to be terrible. Lim, having climbed a tree branch, tried to fall asleep, but the dream did not come. The cold permeated him to the bone, and fear paralyzed his whole body. Every crack in the bark, every rustle of the wind made him shudder. He was afraid to fall down, into the mouth to the unknown creatures that wandered below, their growling and wheezing spread through the forest like a creepy lullaby.
He never managed to fall asleep for real, just taking a nap in short fragments. In the morning, when the darkness began to dissipate, Lim felt that hunger was stronger than fear. He was exhausted and weak, he needed food to continue on his way.
Going down to the ground, he carefully looked around. There were all the same charred trees around, the same ashes under his feet, but now he felt even more lonely. He started wandering around the forest in search of at least something edible. And soon he came across it.
A dead bear lay in a small valley surrounded by debris of rocks. His body was torn to pieces as if he had been torn by giant claws. Lim, knowing how strong bears were, understood that it was the work of an ordinary beast.
He quickly examined the remains of the animal, hoping to find at least some meat, but they, almost all, were eaten and spoiled.
Before he could come to his senses, he heard a loud bang over him.
Raising his head, he saw something that made the blood frozen in his veins.
There was a monster sitting in the crown of the tree hanging over it. A huge creature similar to a crow, but much bigger and more terrible. His feathers seemed to be woven from darkness itself, and his eyes were burning with pale, inanimate light. The beak was sharp and as long as a sword, and black, sticky saliva hung on its tip. His neck resembled a huge bony hand that reached for him.
Lim froze, unable to take his eyes off this creepy picture. He has never seen anything like it. The creature, like a monster from the worst nightmares, looked straight at him, and Lim realized that he had nowhere to run.
Lim withdrew from the terrible crow, his heart was pounding like a rab. The creature, noticing his movement, let out a loud, shrill cry and rushed at him, trying to grab him with his beak. Lim, driven by instinct, rushed to the side, trying to dodge the blow.
The monster's beak ran over his shoulder, leaving a deep torn wound. Lim howled in pain, but did not stop, continuing to run, not knowing where. He knew that if the monster caught him, it would be his end. His little body moved faster than ever before, driven by fear and the instinct of self-preservation.
He saw an old tree in front of him, with a large hollow in the trunk. Without thinking for a second, he rushed to him, climbed inside, hammering into the depths of a narrow slit, hoping that this little hiding place would be able to shelter him from the monster.
There was a loud grinding of claws on the bark outside, and Lim realized that the monster was chasing him. He got into the very corner of the hollow, holding his breath. He heard a huge creature walk around a tree, trying to stick its beak into its shelter from time to time.
The pain from the wound on the shoulder was unbearable. Blood ooked, dyeing his clothes. He understood that a wound could cause his death. And even if she heals, he will still die of hunger if he stays in this hollow.
He was trapped. He could neither escape nor fight. He was helpless. And this powerlessness put pressure on him more than pain.
The monster's footsteps could still be heard from the outside, it was not going to leave. Lim closed his eyes, preparing for the worst. He knew that death was near. He has already said goodbye to his friend and even to life.
But at that moment there was a loud blow, so strong that the whole forest twitched. Lim felt the floor of the trees under him tremble. He opened his eyes with difficulty, trying to see what had happened.
Silence reigned outside. Then there was a heavy, dull sound, as if something big had fallen to the ground. Lim, struggling to overcome the pain, looked outside.
The monster's head was lying on the ground, its dead eyes were looking into the void. There was a mysterious figure next to him. Tall, dressed in dark, torn clothes, hiding her face under the hood. In his hands he had a huge, serrated sword, shrouded in darkness, as if hell itself was forged on his blade.
Lim didn't know who it was, but he realized that this warrior saved his life.
A mysterious figure, a tall and broad-shouldered man in dark, torn clothes, looked around the neighborhood. His sword, huge and serred, lay on the ground, next to the lifeless body of the monster.
He slowly approached the tree where Lim was hiding and sat down, carefully examining the hollow.
Finally, he saw Lim, his small, frightened face peeking out of the crevice. A deep wound was visible on the shoulder, from which blood oozed.
- Hey, baby, - said the man, his voice was rough, but at the same time calm. - You're hurt. Get out.
Lim, despite being rescued, did not dare to leave. The figure of the hunter was too big, too scary. He hud even deeper into the hollow, squeezing into a lump.
The man named Rake sighed. He was a monster hunter - a rare title in this world, awarded only to the strongest who were able to survive and fight back against monsters. Rake got used to fear, but he felt that there was a child in front of him who needed help.
Rake took out an apple from his bag, bright, juicy, like a fragment of the sun, which by some miracle retained its color and aroma in this gloomy world. The aroma spread around, and Lim, weakened by hunger and fear, roared in his stomach.
- Here, - said Rake, stretching the apple to the hollow. - Eat. You need to get some refreshment.
Lim, unable to resist hunger, reached out and took an apple. It turned out to be warm and sweet, the taste of which he forgot, but remembered right now. Rake, realizing that the baby's fear is stronger than hunger, slowly and carefully began to pull Lim out of the hollow.
He did it very carefully, trying not to hurt him.
Lim, feeling Reik's care and caution, finally got out of his shelter. He was exhausted, wounded, but he felt the hope that was born in his heart.