The next few days had been unbearably dull. The camp, usually bustling with the rough banter and clatter of Krags, now felt eerily quiet. From what Varga had told him, Arieus had taken most of the warriors on another raid into the Evil Forest, leaving only a skeleton crew behind. The absence of so many fighters made the camp feel hollow, the usual noise was now replaced by an uneasy silence.
Femi was relieved by their absence, at least it gave him time to think. Varga's words about him possibly having Kuros had been gnawing at his mind. But the more he considered it, the less likely it seemed. Kuros was a gift for those born in this world, and Femi knew with absolute certainty that he wasn't. He still had his memories of his old place before waking up in the snow, and he is sure there is no lineage tying him to strange magic. Frustrated, he shelved the thought for now.
With little else to occupy his time, Femi busied himself with chores, collecting rabbits from the snares, sharpening his remaining knife, and mending his frayed clothing. The cold bit at his fingers as he worked, in the ever-present snow.
Varga had told him that this bitter cold would last until the true cold season arrived, basically winter, as if the current freezing temperatures weren't already unbearable. Femi shivered as he worked.
She had also mentioned that once winter passed, this part of the White Wild, a name that made too much sense, would undergo a dramatic transformation. Because of its closeness to the south, the land would thaw, the snow retreating like a defeated army. Lush greenery would burst forth, turning the frozen almost wasteland into something almost unrecognizable. Femi found it hard to imagine this damned place ever being warm, let alone green. Right now, it felt like the cold had seeped into his bones and decided to stay forever.
With a sigh, Femi returned to sharpening his knife, the rhythmic scrape-scrape of blade against stone filling the quiet air. The sound was almost soothing, a small distraction from the biting wind. But as he worked, his mind wandered back to his lost axe, and frustration bubbled up all over again.
Why did it have to be the axe? He scowled at the memory.
"That lousy bear." He cursed the bears ancestors and unborn generations.
He still hadn't gotten a new axe, despite the pile of spares lying around. Varga kept insisting he wait, which made no sense to him. *Why wait?* There were plenty of small axes available, and he needed one. It made no sense. If he had his axe now, maybe he'd feel less like a potential victim and more like someone who could actually defend himself.
But he still listened, exhaling sharply as he muttered under his breath, *"I wonder what goes on in that coconut head of hers."
His ears twitched in irritation as he dragged the knife across the whetstone one last time, testing the edge with his thumb. Sharp enough.
"Yippp... yipp!"
The sudden noise snapped Femi out of his thoughts. Victim, the small, furry menace, was yipping at him with exaggerated desperation, its wide eyes locked onto the rabbit carcass in Femi's grip.
"My friend, behave yourself," Femi chided, shaking his head. "Have I not already fed you?"
"Mmmyyu!" Victim whined, tilting its head and putting on the most pitiful expression imaginable, like a starving, homeless, injured orphan left in the snow.
Femi scoffed. "Look at you. Someone should give you an award for best actor. You want to eat all my rabbit meat? Your mouth is as wide as a whale's! Get out of here before I kick you!" He lifted his foot in a half-hearted threat, but Victim ducked effortlessly, causing Femi to lose his balance. His arms flailed as he toppled backward, landing hard on the snow-covered ground, the rabbit slipping from his grip.
"This dog has killed me oo!" Femi groaned, clutching his back. But Victim, utterly unbothered, trotted over and began licking his furry face, after taking a quick bite of the fallen rabbit.
Femi's round ears twitched in annoyance, but he soon surrendered to the relentless tongue baths. "I must be getting bored if I'm arguing with this tiny thief."
His mind drifted back to when he'd found Victim after Arieus left. The wolf pup had been hiding just outside the camp, near the closest snare, gnawing on a stolen rabbit. When Femi approached, Victim had yipped excitedly, grabbing his furry ankles before leaping into his arms.
"Ah, so that's where you were, you little thief" Femi had murmured, relief softening his voice. "Good dog. I knew you could survive."
Now, back in the present, Femi pushed himself up from the snow with a sigh. He picked up the half-eaten rabbit, stuffing what remained into his pack for Victim's dinner later. As he trudged back toward camp, his breath fogged in the frigid air.
When I get back, I have to skin this, then tan the fur. Another uninteresting day.
For once, he was so bored he wished something interesting would happen, like garri falling from the heavens, or a pot of egusi soup appearing out of nowhere. Or his favorite... Wait, what was his favorite food again?
Before he could recall, a deafening CRACK split the air.
Femi flinched, his fur standing on end. The sound of splintering wood echoed through the trees, followed by panicked shouts from the Krags. His ears swiveled toward the noise, his pulse quickening. That's doesn't sound good.
This was not what I wanted when I asked for something interesting! Why not garri? This can only be the work of my village people, even in times of peace, they can never stop their wicked ways!
Cursing under his breath, Femi hurried toward the camp entrance, Victim trotting beside him. His concern deepened when he realized the chaos was coming from inside the camp. As he neared, he spotted a massive hole torn into the thick log fence that surrounded the settlement.
"O boy, na Hulk burst this fence?" Femi muttered, eyeing the splintered wood.
No guards stood at the entrance, whatever was happening inside was bad enough to draw them all away. Femi hesitated, his survival instincts screaming at him to turn back. He glanced at Victim, who also seemed reluctant to enter.
"Agreement reached," Femi muttered deciding it wasn't worth it."We go back to the forest. Safety first."
But just as he was about to disappear into the , now less frightening trees, Varga's commanding voice cut through the chaos in the camp.
"Get into formation! Don't panic!"
Her tone was sharp, decisive. She seems to have it under control. What could I even do to help?
Then, a bone-chilling screech tore through the air.
Femi's fur bristled
A scream followed, then he saw something that, would give him a new type of nightmare.
A green arm went flying through the air, landing near him with a wet thud. Blood pulsed from the severed limb, staining the snow crimson.
Femi's breath hitched, as he saw something else soared overhead, slamming into a tree behind him with a sickening crunch.
Against his better judgment, Femi turned.
A Krag's almost lifeless face stared back at him, pure anguish written on it. With a look Femi was sure, he wasn't going to survive, because the lower half of the warrior's body was gone.
Not good. Not good at all. Something terrible is inside there and he wanted as far away from it as possible. Femi tried to move but.. his legs refused to move.
They wouldn't budge.
"Don't tell me you've died of fear, you useless legs! Don't betray me now!"
A weak groan drew his attention. The dying Krag gasped, blood bubbling at his lips
.
"Help," the Krag groaned desperately between gasping breaths.
Femi was pretty sure this man was a dead man. He wasn't a juju priest that could perform a miracle for him.
"H-help… the camp… is under attack… the." The Krag was unable to finish his words as his eyes glazed over, his final breath leaving him as he stared toward the camp, as if wanting to will himself to stand and fight again.
Inside, the battle raged, shouts, clashes, the occasional screech of those… things. Femi's instincts warred with a strange pull toward the camp.
Femi could hear several swear or shout in surprise. He couldn't help but shoot towards the welcomeing forest that seemed to strech out her arms to embrace him to safety. Then he heard it .
Then Varga's voice rang out again.
"I'll hold it off! The rest of you, FORM UP!"
Femi froze, one foot hovering over the forest's threshold. What was he going to do now, but before he could decide
Victim growled, hackles raised, yipping at the camp as if ready to charge into battle.
"So you want to gamble your life and become an actual victim, eh? This stupid dog."
Yet before he could stop himself, Femi was already running toward the entrance, with Victim at his side.
"Damnit! This dog is leading me to my death, and I'm foolishly following!" Femi cursed as they reached the entrance just in time to witness the nightmare unfolding inside.
Of course my enemies can not carry last in their hate for me. Femi thoughts could barely comprehend the nonsense in front of him.
His eyes widened in horror as he gazed upon the bizarre creature before him. A creature straight out of a fever dream, an overgrown chicken with a woman's face seemed like a demonic aberration, and he couldn't believe his eyes.
"What in the world...?" he muttered, as he began to question his sanity.
The creature's wingspan stretched wide, its needle-like teeth bared in a hiss, it's demonic stare sending shivers down Femi's spine.
The abomination was taller than a man, its body covered in flowing white feathers that shimmered unnaturally. Its face was eerily feminine, with crimson eyes and a mouth full of sharp needle like fangs.
The most terrifying thing about the creature in front of him was..
It wasn't alone.
Twelve more of these horrors darted through the camp, tearing into the Krags with terrifying speed. The warriors had the number advantage and fought back, forming loose defensive circles, trying to keep their backs safe, but the creatures were too fast, evading their attempts at its life dodging strikes, skipping over blades and lunging for exposed throats, sides and even .....private parts.
"ARCHERS! FIRE AT WILL!" Varga bellowed.
Femi's gaze snapped towards the direction of the voice, and saw her. She was fighting one of those creatures on her own. Her blade was slicing through the air with deadly precision, behind her some other groups of krags were surrounded by the snapping creatures,with their spears they kept them at bay. Some fired arrows, and the creatures stepped back with an agility that didn't match their size.
Despite her skill, she was struggling, the thing was fast, dodging her swings with unnatural grace. Varga swung her blade again, was able to leave a cut on one of the creatures' wings. It let out a pained screech as it stepped back. Femi could see her eyes glowing like lanterns in the dark, and she was breathing heavily. He couldn't understand why she was having so much trouble with this, given all he had seen her do before.
Then Femi understood why.
Another creature lunged at her from behind. She twisted, barely avoiding its claws, while slashing at it, and it stepped back. The effort left her visibly panting.
This thing seemed to be trying to attack her from different directions, but despite her best efforts, she was struggling to kill one. She was still trying to defend the group of krags that had been surrounded.
"Things are not looking good for this camp," Femi thought grimly.
As he thought about how he could help her, without dieing, a sense of danger swept over him. One of the creatures had spotted him. Its red eyes locked onto his, blinking slowly.
Femi stepped back. Victim growled, trying to scare it off, but the beast ignored the pup, creeping closer. It's mouth opened wide revealing needle-sharp teeth, and crooking it's neck from side to side.. Femi's heart skipped a beat as the creature crept closer, it's eyes fixed on him.
He gripped his only weapon tightly, the knife shaking slightly in his hand and his heart was pounding in his chest. "Stay back!" he warned, his voice firm but trembling slightly.
"I swear I'll cut you down if you come any closer!"
The creature continued its slow, deliberate approach, its eyes fixed on Femi. Femi's instincts screamed at him to turn and run, but he knew that would be a fatal mistake. Instead, he backed away slowly, his eyes locked on the creature.
"I mean it!" Femi warned, his voice firm but laced with fear. "Stay back! Don't tempt me, or I'll...I'll assault you with this knife! You juju, you dirty unwanted spirit." Femi's backpedaling slowed as he searched for an escape route or a place to get an advantage. The creature's unnerving gaze seemed to bore into his very soul.
Panic set in as Femi realized he was in deep trouble, his only aid was a puppy. The creature in front of him continued to close in, its eyes fixed on him, he eyes flickered for a second to the small knife in his hand and his thoughts went to the axe he lost.
"Oh my axe, if only you were here." Femi, more than ever lamented over his lost axe.
But things was only getting worse because at that moment, he released why the Krags and Varga was truly having trouble with this creatures.
He heard the sound at the last moment, but thankfully his body was already moving to dodge the second creature that swooped down, talons raking the air where his head had been.
"Ah, so you can fly? But aren't you a chicken?!" he yelled at them in disbelief.
The other identical creature having missed its prey, decided to move to Femi side, behind him. Femi's heart sank as he realized he was trapped.
"No, no, no," he muttered, his mind racing with desperation.
The creatures' slow, deliberate movements seemed to be savoring his fear, and Femi knew he had to think fast if he wanted to survive.
"Truly my enemies have set me up," he thought.