„NEIGH!!"
I bolted upright, my head still heavy from sleep, mouth full of half-dried spit.
„Wha—? Onyx?? What is it?"
My eyes blinked fast, fighting the blur and trying to make sense of the dark—until I saw them.
Glowing yellow dots. No, not dots—eyes.
Too many of them. Way too many.
„What are these…" I whispered, my heart already trying to crawl into my throat.
They circled us in the tall grass, their silver-gray pelts glinting faintly in the half-hidden moonlight. And every time one moved, the air around it bent, like heat waves—like space tearing.
„Oh crap oh crap oh crap…" I hissed, stumbling to my feet, almost tripping over the sleeping bag.
Onyx stomped, ears flat, tail flicking like a whip.
The first howl split the night—long, sharp—and then the sky joined in: rain poured down, heavy and cold, drenching everything in seconds. The hides, the bag, even my stiff clothes sticking to my body.
„Perfect timing!" I yelled into the storm, throwing my arms up. „Thanks, Dungeon! Exactly what I needed!"
One of the creatures blinked—literally blinked—forward. Its body flickered like broken light, reappearing closer, teeth bared.
„Green Flame Fist!!" I shouted more out of panic than strategy, slamming my fist forward. A burst of green fire exploded from my knuckles, brighter than the lightning flashing above—
—and hit the grass instead of the beast.
The wet blades sizzled and smoked. The animal jumped back, confused.
„Ha! That's right, I missed you on purpose!" I bluffed, chest puffed, though my knees shook. „Tactical warning shot—you wouldn't understand!"
Onyx neighed loud, almost laughing, before lunging sideways and kicking a kojote that got too close. The beast yelped and shimmered away—only to reappear three meters left.
„They teleport… or… space-step?!" I muttered, wiping rain from my eyes. „Damn cheaters!"
Now that I could see them clearly, they looked like warped wolves—
„Are these… kojoten?"
No time to think. Another charged straight at me, teeth snapping for my arm. Instinct moved faster than thought. I ducked and punched low, my wet fist blazing green.
The flame connected. The kojote howled, its fur smoking, and limped back into the mist.
„Yes!!!" I shouted, grinning like an idiot—
Right before two more flickered in behind me.
„Uh-oh—"
Claws scraped my shoulder, not deep thanks to the soaked hide still half-wrapped around me. I spun, slipped in the mud, and landed flat on my back. The sky above was just rain and fangs.
„Think, Larry, think!" I yelled at myself. The kojoten closed in, yellow eyes everywhere. Onyx stomped wildly, neighing like thunder.
Then it hit me—the creek. The mud. The rain. The fire.
„Wait… maybe that's not stupid!!"
I scrambled to my knees, both hands slamming into the ground. „Green Flame…!!"
I had never tried this. Honestly, I had never even thought about it until now. But the fire shot down anyway, boiling water and mud at once.
With a violent hiss, the clearing exploded into hot steam—thick, white, swallowing everything like a foggy blanket.
The kojoten yelped, jumping back, their glowing eyes dim inside the haze.
I coughed hard, waving my arms. „Did it… did it work?!"
Through the mist, I felt Onyx's warm flank press against me, trembling but alive. The kojoten circled again, growls uncertain. They didn't like what they couldn't see.
„Yeah, that's right, space mutts!" I shouted into the fog, my voice shaking but proud. „Larry's brain is dangerous too—not just his fists!"
The rain kept hammering down, feeding the steam until the whole world glowed—shadows and green sparks flickering through the white.
The mist thickened. Onyx's outline twisted like a shadow under water. Even the kojoten looked wrong—their glowing eyes sliding sideways for a heartbeat before snapping back in place.
„Uhh… Onyx?" I whispered. His shape looked… taller? Or smaller? My brain hurt trying to keep it straight.
The beasts didn't understand either. They blinked forward, sometimes coming out behind themselves, jaws snapping empty air before biting their own tails. Confusion spread in their growls.
„Ha! What now, cheaters?!" I shouted—unaware that the mist itself was the real cheater.
One lunged, its body stretching like rubber through the haze. It reached me slower than it should have—and that was enough. I slammed my fist into its jaw.
BAM! Green flame burst. The smell of burnt fur stabbed my nose.
Another came from the side—its yellow eyes split into two, then three, then one again, right in my face. Claws raked my chest, missing by a hair the stone of my necklace.
The leather snapped. I saw the violet stone fly through the air in slow motion before pain caught up.
„Aaghhh!!"
Hot blood mixed with rain. The pain tore sharp and deep across my ribs. I staggered back, clutching my chest, breath ragged, steam burning in my lungs.
Onyx screamed—hooves striking sparks as he rammed one kojote full force. The creature warped mid-air, its head smashing into the mud, stunned.
„N-not fair… you're not even trained, and you fight better than me," I panted, spitting water and blood.
The pack circled again, growls echoing weirdly in the bending mist. Some sounded far, others too close. My head throbbed; my scar burned like fire.
„Okay… okay, Larry… you trained for years… you can do this…!"
„Come on then!!" I roared, standing wide.
Three kojoten blinked at once, leaping in. My fists blurred, fire exploding with each strike. Wham! Crack! Boom! One went flying, flank burning; another slammed into the warped mud and didn't rise again.
The third clawed my arm—but Onyx's kick threw it sideways, ribs snapping like dry sticks.
The last two howled, their voices twisted by the mist—and I didn't wait.
I lunged forward, green fire bursting from my fist, and hit the ground with all my weight.
FWOOM!
The green fire raced through the steam, a rolling wall of flame and fog. The kojoten yelped, their shapes tearing and scattering, before the whole pack vanished into the warped haze—gone as suddenly as they came.
I stood there, chest heaving, rain pouring, my body trembling like a wet leaf. My shirt was shredded, blood running freely down, a deep, jagged scar carved across my chest.
„Hah… hah… we won?" I wheezed, looking around.
No glowing eyes. No growls. Just rain, steam, and silence.
Onyx pressed his head against me—warm, steady, alive.
„Yeah… yeah buddy… we're alive," I muttered, dropping to my knees. My chest burned, the blood starting to drip again.
The rain washed it into the mud, and above us, the clouds broke—just enough for one golden star to shine through.