Chapter 11: Misdirected Chaos

  Time: 6:34, Day: Gibrandr, Week: 3, Month: K?rgoyde, Year: 36651

  Ayanna awaked to the sound of birds chirping and a baby Owlbear nudging her.

  She swatted at the creature.

  “Just let me sleep.” She cried out, closing her wings tighter around her and hiding her face in her ebony locks.

  The lone Owlbear cub shook its owl-like head and knocked the wind out of Ayanna with its powerful paw to her abdomen.

  Her eyes snatched open as she wheezed, clutching her abdomen.

  The Owlbear cub was a little bigger than she was, but sat on its haunches watching her, tilting its head side to side in confusion.

  Her wings fluttered, as tears streamed down her cheeks, her eyes vibrant pink in anger as she stared the cub down.

  “Do not fault the creature, it was only repeating what was done to it.” The soft feminine voice sliced through Ayanna's mind, with an end of humor.

  Ayanna couldn't respond, not yet, but she couldn't just let the Owlbear get away with abusing her like that either. After a few minutes, her diaphragm began to move again, allowing her to breathe.

  “F-fuck!” Ayanna scowled at the beast that watched her intently. Her hands still on her abdomen.

  The Owlbear cub stood, its eyes focused on Ayanna, its clawed hands frantically clutching at air as it tilted its head to the left, then to the right. Then it let out a quick shrill screech. Then focused back on her.

  “Wh-where… is…” Ayanna spoke through labored breaths, painfully taking deep breaths to balance herself. As she squeezed her abdomen, she could feel at least two broken ribs on her left side.

  “Gone, long before you woke. Probably watching. Though, he did say that you can always call him or Cinder and they would come to you.” The voice answered Ayanna's half asked question.

  “C… Cinder!” Ayanna shouted, the pain making her fall to her knees.

  The Owlbear cub fell to the ground next to her, letting out a loud whining screech.

  After a few moments, the massive red furred Berserker Wolf appeared from a ball of flame that was slightly larger than the Owlbear cub.

  The Owlbear cub quickly rolled to its stomach and stood tall. Taking a defensive stance between Cinder and Ayanna, claws ready and the feathers on its neck bristled.

  It took in a deep breath, eyes focused on Cinder as she lowered her head and bared her fangs. The low growl coming from her throat was almost immediately masked by the echoing shriek of the Owlbear cub. Ayanna's hands flew to her ears, as the shriek even drowned out anything the voice was trying to tell her.

  The Owlbear’s shriek lasted almost a full minute, its hind leg’s claws scraping the ground as it lowered its head, preparing to charge at Cinder.

  Cinder raised her head and sat down, her expression almost read as bored yet her eyes were solely focused on the cub.

  Just as the Owlbear cub began to charge, Cinder expelled a burst of black flame from her nostrils. The Owlbear cub slid to stop, and let out a growling shriek as it rolled onto its back. Cinder scoffed, and let out a bark that scared the cub and made it roll over to its stomach and run off on all fours. Cinder shook her head and slowly made her way to Ayanna.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Ayanna had her eyes squeezed shut and her hands pressed hard against her ears, a trickle of blood coming from her nose. She screamed and fluttered her wings as Cinder licked her face.

  Cinder sat down and barked, before licking her face again.

  Ayanna slowly opened one eye, then both as she came face to face with Cinder.

  “Thank… the Gods.” Ayanna said, her broken ribs disturbing her breathing.

  Cinder’s eyes flared red, and as she opened her mouth a white flame came out, engulfing Ayanna.

  Ayanna was too shocked to move, but she could feel the flames healing her wounds. She winced a few times as she felt her ribs pop back into their proper places. She fell to her back, taking easy breaths as the white flames dispersed.

  “Well if being a Nephalem isn't to your liking maybe beast taming will be.” The soft feminine voice rang through Ayanna's mind with a laugh.

  “Funny, very funny. It was probably just looking for a mother.” Ayanna said, sitting up to pet Cinder.

  “Those Owlbear steaks had to come from somewhere.” The voice took on a darker tone.

  “Oh shit, we ate its mother last night…” Ayanna's hand came up to her plump lips as she looked in the direction the cub ran off in. Ayanna thought back to her argument with Grim last night about whether Deer or Owlbear steaks would be better, “Well it wasn't my idea, but damn they were good.”

  Ayanna stood, dusting herself off. She looked deep into Cinder’s eyes.

  “You know, there's not too much I know about Berserker Wolves, but I feel like being my height is cheating.” Ayanna smiled, “Can you help me get back home? I'm done exploring for a while, time to do some real training.”

  Cinder licked Ayanna's entire face with one swipe and nodded, turning to the northwest and beginning to slowly trot. Cinder stopped and looked back at Ayanna, as if to ask her why she's not moving.

  “Can't we just use a portal or something? It took me three days to get this far.” Ayanna put her hands on her hips.

  Cinder scoffed, and reluctantly, with a growling bark, opened a portal.

  Cinder immediately hunched down and began baring her teeth and growling, loud and ominous. Ayanna relaxed her stance and moved closer, her tail twitching with excitement, that quickly turned to fear as she looked through the portal.

  The stench emanating from the portal hit Ayanna with a force that made her eyes water. Death, blood, fire, all topped with the sweet scent of decay.

  “How did they…” Ayanna whispered, shaking her head and covering her mouth. Her tail wrapped around her waist and her wings shuddered. All she could see was a mob all clad in the armor of Salem Kingdom, and it shook her to her core.

  Ayanna looked at Cinder, fear emanating from every pore on her body.

  Cinder caught Grim’s scent and relaxed.

  “How can you relax right now? Defend me!” Ayanna whispered, sucking down on her hands and knees as if they could see her.

  Cinder scoffed, and nudged Ayanna. Ayanna sat firm, cowering and sobbing in the safety of her wings.

  Grim purposely stood in front of the opened portal, as he noticed both Cinder and Ayanna's scents. He shook his head, looking at the ball of feathers that was Ayanna. He stood with his back to her, his arms crossed as he watched the mob search the Obsidian Cottage for any sign of Ayanna. Against his better judgement, his tail snuck through the portal and into her defensive feathery shell.

  Ayanna looked up to see the soft thing that was brushing against her horns. She immediately recognized the blue-silver fur as Grim. She didn't put any thought into where he was or why, she just grabbed his tail tight and sobbed into it.

  After a few moments of her holding his tail, he snatched her through the portal with a powerful whip of his tail. Cinder shook her head and stepped through, the portal closing behind them.

  The three of them were about 70 yards away, hiding in the tree line.

  “Stop being a baby, it's not as bad as you think.” Grim said, his eyes focused on the mob as if he were searching for something.

  “They're going to catch and kill me, so how is it not as bad as I think?” Ayanna's wings shuddered with every word she spoke, though her clutch on his tail did not ease.

  “I thought Nephalem could see Essence and Souls without using magic? Can't you tell that most of these are just corpses? Not even strong corpses.” Grim scoffed, “Still doesn't make sense why they're here though.”

  “Corpses?” Ayanna repeated aloud, her wings opening up, and Grim snatching his tail from her clutches. Ayanna looked around, and noticed that despite being clad in soldiers armor of Salem Kingdom, the mob wasn't actually doing anything.

  “See? What danger could you be in?” Grim asked, offering her a hand up.

  Ayanna didn't take Grim's hand, instead she noticed a purple light coming from inside the cottage, and immediately recognized it as her sister's wife, Elstraya. She immediately took flight and came barreling into the cottage in seconds.

  “EL! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?” Ayanna shouted, as she landed gracefully on her feet, between Elstraya and Lilith.

  — The Curator’s Notes —

  you realize this chapter wasn’t about danger at all?

  The next chapter is stalking. The forest is watching. And so are the dead.