They heard a piercing scream.
Then, they saw it.
The beast eagle just landed on the ground. It spread its massive wings and let out its piercing scream again.
The bear beast continued running toward the students. They scattered to different sides, right and left. The eagle flew up, a powerful gust of wind knocking them off balance. The only one remaining in the bear's path was Marcus.
He pulled out his own firework. He aimed it at the bear's other eye.
The bear, understanding now that this thing can burn, immediately turned its head away.
FWOOSH!
The firework shot out. It missed the eye. It hit the side of the bear's head, close to its ear. It burned the fur and skin there. The bear roared in pain and fury.
At that time, the beast eagle dove from the sky. It landed on the bear's back, its talons digging deep, trying to crash it down.
But the bear was bigger than the eagle. It roared and threw its weight to the side. It slapped the eagle away. The eagle was not completely thrown off, but it stumbled, its wing hitting the ground hard.
The battle began.
The eagle recovered first. It lunged forward, its sharp beak pecking at the bear's wounded face. The bear swiped its massive paw. The eagle jumped back, avoiding the claws.
Marcus roared and charged in. He swung his nail-bat at the bear's back leg. The bat connected with a dull thud. The bear ignored him. It was focused on the eagle.
The eagle tried to use its wings to gain height. The bear was too fast. It grabbed the eagle's wing in its jaws and bit down. The sound of bone snapping echoed in the clearing. The eagle shrieked in agony.
It thrashed wildly, its free wing beating at the bear's head. Its talons tore long, bloody gashes in the bear's hide. The bear let go, shaking its head. The eagle's wing was now bent at a wrong angle. It could not fly.
"Archers! Its good eye!" Ivan screamed from the side.
Lyraena and Orion, who had taken positions, started shooting. Their arrows flew toward the bear's one good eye. The bear, learning from before, kept its head low and used its thick arms to shield its face. The arrows bounced off its fur.
The grounded eagle was now at a disadvantage. It was a brutal, close-quarters fight. The eagle was fast, but the bear was a so muscular. The bear swiped. The eagle dodged. The eagle pecked. The bear absorbed the blow and swiped again.
Leonardo saw an opening. While the two beasts were locked together, he ran in from the side. He drove his spear into the bear's ribs. The spearhead went in a few inches.
The bear roared. It spun around and backhanded Leonardo. He flew through the air and crashed into the bushes, unconscious.
"Leo!" Ivan yelled.
The bear now turned its attention to the students. It saw them as the bigger annoyance. It charged at the main group.
"Scatter!" Marcus yelled.
They ran in all directions. The bear chased after Thomas. Thomas tripped and fell. The bear was on him. It raised its paw to crush him.
Lyraena was a blur. She ran up the trunk of a nearby tree, launched herself off it, and kicked the side of the bear's head in mid-air. The kick did no damage, but it got the beast's attention. It turned away from Thomas and roared at her.
The eagle, seeing its chance, limped forward and sank its beak into the bear's wounded back leg. The bear howled and kicked out, sending the eagle tumbling again.
The fight was a chaotic mess. The students would create a distraction. The eagle would attack. The bear would counter-attack. They were slowly wearing the monster down, but it was costing them. David's shield was gone. Jomana had a long cut on her arm. Orion was limping.
The bear was bleeding from dozens of small wounds. It was furious. It decided to end the biggest threat. It ignored the students and charged the injured eagle.
The eagle tried to fight back, but its broken wing made it clumsy. The bear slammed its full weight into it, pinning it against a large, old tree at the edge of the clearing. The eagle cried out as the pressure crushed its body.
The bear was not done. It put its massive paws on the tree trunk. It pushed. With a sound of splintering wood, the old tree began to groan. It tilted.
Then, it fell.
The massive tree crashed down right on top of the beast eagle. The eagle let out one last, choked shriek before it was silenced. It was trapped under the heavy trunk, its body broken.
The bear stood over its defeated rival. It let out a triumphant roar. It had won. A beast had dominated a beast.
Then, it turned. Its one good eye, burning with hate, scanned the clearing. It locked onto the person who had been the most annoying, the fastest, the one it could not catch.
It locked onto Lyraena.
The bear ran toward her. She was agile, but she was tired. She dodged its first swipe. She jumped back from its second. But she was cornered. Her back was against the cliff wall. There was nowhere left to run.
The bear raised its massive paw, its claws extended, ready to smash her into the ground.
Ivan froze. He was on the other side of the forest clearing. He was too far away. He could not reach her in time. He did not want to see her die. At this point, his past life would be better, since he did not witness her death. His body refused to move. He could only watch.
Then, the trapped beast eagle let out a sharp, piercing cry. It was not a cry of pain. It was a call, as if calling for help.
The next thing they saw was a blur.
Lyraena was gone from her spot. She was now held in Jin's arms, a few feet away from the bear.
Jin stood there, holding her easily. He had not been there a second ago. He looked at the bear, his usual lazy smile still there.
"Yo , am i late?"