Sayda remained rigid in the middle of the forest, his breath laboured, a knife still grasped in his quaking palm. His eyes was directed onto Zagar's inert form. He wasn't the one who killed him, but guilt constricted his chest like iron shackles. The woodland fell silent, as if nature itself understood what's going to happen. Then came a voice, hoarse, fractured and brimming with unrestrained fury.
Zauran's body trembled, not because of fear but to resist the outburst of anger. His breath uneven, his chest heaving with the weight of disbelief. He witnessed the death of Zagar itself, murdered by the wolfkin.
"Zagar"
He rasped, suddenly his eyes wide with horror.
"No...no...no..."
Sayda stepped back, his hair stood on end. He wanted to say something...anything...but the word lodge on his throat. Suddenly, Zauran's eyes snapped towards Sayda, imbued with void and fury.
"You...!"
Zauran's voice cracked the silence.
"YOU DID THIS!"
"No..."
"Both of you!, A wretched, statusless race... the filth of this world"
Zauran was furious. Without wasting a second, he charged at Sayda with lightning speed. His hand transformed into a tiger's claw, poised to strike him with a devastating blow.
Nonetheless, Zauran's attack driven purely by blind rage was easy for Sayda to predict and dodge. Spotting an opening, Sayda quickly slammed his fist into his stomach sending Zauran staggering back, clutching his stomach as he gasped for air. With eyes burning with anger.
"DAMN YOU!..."
Zauran, without a moment's hesitation, charged at Sayda again. But, Unfortunately...
DUUMM!
He was hurled to the side, gored by the wolf, and slamming into the ground, sending a cloud of dust into the air. Slowly, Zauran pushed himself up. However, deep down, he had already begun to feel that there was no hope of winning.
"No... this isn't fair... Damn it! I will not die!"
Zauran struck once more, this time targeting the wolf. But the wolf quickly pounced on him, pinning him to the ground just as it had done to Sayda before. With the last of his strength, Zauran seized the wolf's neck with both hands to keep it from devouring him. His knees shifting into their half-tiger form, and he slammed one hard into the wolf's stomach caused the wolf to fall from him.
Wasting no time, he quickly stood up and prepared to deliver the final punch to the wolf laying in front of him. But, before he could do so, Sayda, who was already behind him.
"This is it"
Slammed his foot against Zauran's leg, attempting to knock him down.
DUGG!
However, something unexpected happened. The moment his kick landed, the spot it struck transformed into thick fur and solid muscle, an insane natural defense that swallowed the impact. It was like kicking a living stone wall!
Sayda gasped, his eyes widening as he saw Zauran standing rigid before him, not moving even an inch.
"Augh...What the hell"
Zauran slowly turned his head, his eyes gleaming with a feral glow, half-human, half-beast. But then, a single drop slipped down his cheek and fell to the earth. He was crying. His glassy eyes lifted to Sayda, voice trembling, hollow, carrying the weight of despair.
"Why..."
Sayda froze, stunned, shock gripped him as the enemy before him broke down, tears spilling unexpectedly.
"Why is he crying... ?"
Sayda's voice laced with astonishment. Zauran continued to speak, his voice quivered, broken and raw.
"In a world full of oppression, why... did I... die at the hands of creature lower than trash? This should not happen..."
His eyes glowed red with emptiness, tears streaming endlessly, stared at Sayda with a vacant stare.
"We corrupted ourselves, became the most depraved just to climb higher… only to fall at the hands of a race lower than the lowly?"
"No"
"This should not have happen... no... NEVER!"
Suddenly, The emptiness that once haunted his face gave way to furious madness. Veins bulged as he struggled to contain the rage, his voice hoarse and raw. Claws emerged from hands now cloaked in thick fur, tiger fur crept across his cheeks, and his teeth lengthened into sharp, shining fangs.
"I will not... Accept... ANY OF THIS!..."
Sayda astonished by the transformation, swiftly jumped to the side knowing Zauran's attack, which came with an unrestrained wrath.
"He's crazy... monster"
Sayda murmured, his breath faltering.
Zauran let out a wild roar, his voice reverbrating through every corner of the forest. With one violent motion, Zauran pounced on Sayda. He shouted as he leapt high, his claws lashing like a tiger ready to rip its prey apart. With a swift duck, Sayda dodge the tiger's strike slicing past him, forcing Zauran to stumble backwards. Sayda turned swiftly and saw Zauran right behind him, his eyes glowing red, saliva dripping onto the ground, his face twisted with absolute anger and hatred. In that moment, he no longer looked like a sane human being, but a wild beast who had cast aside every trace of his humanity.
Sayda's eyes widened, his body froze in place, as heated breath escaped Zauran's mouth in a smoky haze. Sweat dampened his face, and for a moment, his hand trembled as he held the knife pointed at Zauran. The tiger wasted no time, running towards Sayda like a starving beast, his fangs gleaming in the sunlight as he prepared to tear his victim to shreds. But Sayda didn't move, couldn't move, leaving only the trembling of his flesh to betray the storm within. Suddenly, a question pierced through his head.
"Am I going to do it...? Do I have no choice...?"
Zauran closed in, moving at insane speed, the thunderous pounding of his steps shaking the ground. Suddenly a leaf fell from a tree, drifting slowly, swaying in the air. Zauran, running at full speed, suddenly slowed, everything seemed to freeze. The sound of Sayda's heartbeat thundered in his chest, his breathing ragged and uncontrollable, his hands trembling violently.
"Will I do it...? Ki..."
A leaf landed on Sayda's shoulder and —Tup— everything started moving again. Zauran's frenzy quickened and it was only a few feet before he reached Sayda, his mouth wide open, saliva filling his oral cavity, ready to devour Sayda. Just a few inches away from the tiger's jaws closing over Sayda's frozen face. All of sudden...
DUMM !
For a moment, Zauran's vision flipped, as though the world itself had been overturned. In an instant he realized, In his inverted gaze, Sayda looked at him in shock. A patch of gray fur brushed against his neck,then he realized, in that instant, the wolf was tearing into his flesh. The hit threw them off balance, causing their body to spin uncontrollably in the air. A heartbeat later, they crashed into the ground with a deafening thud, scattering dust and leaves as the earth seemed groan underneath their weight.
Zauran in his tiger form, roared in agony as the wolf sank its fangs deeper into his neck, its crimson eyes burning with fury. His body shrank, his long, sharp fangs vanishing into nothingness, his striped fur withdrawing into his flesh as he writhed in agony. Desperate to get away from the wolf's unrelenting teeth, he transformed back into his feeble human form. Meanwhile, Sayda remained frozen, his gaze locked on Zauran's, something was churning in his head. All at once, something snapped onto his head, he shook it violently as a sharp gasp escape him.
"Hah...hah... What's wrong with me? It's just a game... nothing more."
Zauran, in his weakened state, slowly pushed himself up, his eyes darting towards the wolf with a faint, desperate gaze. But the beast did not relent,its hunger unyielding, it lunged forward, eager to devour him. Helpless, he could do nothing but watch as the wolf closed in, his body trembling as though surrendering himself to be devoured. But, suddenly...
"Enough for this SHIT"
His gaze sharpened on the wolf. With a sudden burst, he seized its head and smashed it into the ground, the earth splitting beneath the blow. In one swift motion, he rose, ready to strike again, but...
A sound of footfall ran towards him from behind... He know it was Sayda, he swiftly looked back, his right fist already turned into a semi-tiger fist, ready to execute a crushing strike that would kill his opponent in one hit.
"I hear you... DUMBASS."
Sayda appeared before him, and in an instant, Zauran launched his lightning-fast punch towards him. However...
"I already predicted it... You idiot."
Sayda dodged, and Zauran's punch cut through empty air. His eyes widened in shock. From the side, Sayda swung his knife at Zauran's neck—SHRIKK!—
Blood splattered across Sayda's face. Zauran crashed onto the ground, rolling as his hands pressed desperately against his neck, but the blood would not stop. Crimson trickled down Sayda's blade, sliding from the tip to the hilt before dripping onto the dirt.
Sayda's eyes locked on Zauran—his chest tightened, his voice caught. He wanted to say something, but nothing came out. The only sound was the ragged wind of a man choking to death.
Blood poured from Zauran's mouth, his nose, even his eyes. Sayda stood frozen.
For a moment, Zauran lifted his trembling right hand, reaching toward him. Was he… asking for help? A single tear slipped from Zauran's eye. He opened his lips, and in a low, fading voice, he whispered...
"I... Don't... Want... To... Die..."
That sentence struck Sayda like a slap to the soul. He jolted, his whole body seized by a heavy chain of emotions. His hands trembled… that feeling—guilt. What had he done? He had killed someone. For the first time in his life, he had taken a life. What had he done? He will never be the same again. This was his first sin…