Dododex
ARK: Survival Evolved & Ascended Companion
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Waning Unity
Chapter Thirty (1/2)
[I'm sorry, I didn't want to do parts in a collab, and normally if it's too long I just shorten it, but in this case, this whole interaction would have either been a rushed fight or lacking a lot of emotional weight.]
Boa was fast. Maybe too fast, since the monster could hardly see where she was going. The smaller wolf zig-zag aged ahead, leaving the beast little room for error if it wanted to keep up. Then without warning, Boa ducked into a small opening made by a fallen log and several large rocks, a space too small for the monster to fully squeeze into. It snapped its jaws shut, just short of the she-wolf's tail as she pressed herself to the very back of the small opening.
It continued to snap for a moment, struggling to wriggle its body in but quickly gave up with a frustrated snarl. A deep, guttural cry like a roar broke from its lungs, and though Boa flinched a bit, she knew the beast could not reach her.
With a final frustrated snort, the monster fought out of the enclosed space, its eyes quickly landing on an immobile shape in the distance. The frown on its face quickly grew into a smile as it remembered why it was here. "Fra-ser..." it taunted singsongishly. Milkweed planted her feet at his side, staring at the beast defiantly. As it bolted towards them, Milkweed quickly tried to push Fraser out of the way again, but the monster had learned its lesson. It wasn't going for Fraser.
It bolted directly for Milkweed, ramming the stunned wolf and throwing her to the ground before turning back to Fraser, still frozen with his eyes widened in disbelief. Without Milkweed to pull him away again, It easily snatched him up, shaking back and forth ferociously for a moment before tossing him to the side.
He was panting and bleeding profusely, but he was faring much better than he had the last time Lume had tried to kill him... for now, at least.
"Finally..." it breathed with a crooked smile, stepping towards him as the toothy maws in its neck opened again, snapping at the open air in anticipation of more flesh.
It hadn't gotten far before it was thrown to the ground and pinned. Mushroom and Harrier stood over it with bared fangs, silva dripping down into its face. "Stay down, rot," Harrier hissed through gritted teeth. The monster snarled in response, and one of its pseudo-mouths opened, snapping down suddenly on Mushroom's ankle. The she-wolf whimpered in shock, and before Harrier could come to her aid the beast had twisted her head around, shutting its jaws around his neck and lifting him into the air slowly, picking up a scrambling Mushroom in the process.
"It's time..." it said to Harrier over a mouthful of his fur, "that I finish what I started with you." its eyes narrowed as it tightened its jaw, and the panicked wolf went into utter terror as he attempted to claw himself free.
"NO!" Boa shouted across the dusty clearing as she darted towards the beast. The monster wolf flicked an ear before swinging its head back and releasing its grip on both Harrier and Mushroom, sending them flying into a large overhanging rock in the distance. Their heads struck first, knocking them unconscious completely.
The monster then swung back to meet Boa fangs-first, intercepting the wolf's blow and slamming her into the ground on the head repeatedly before dropping her and preparing to finish her off.
"Hey!" a voice called from behind. It had only caught sight of Milkweed out of the corner of its eye before a set of claws met with its face. The monster roared in pain, turning and dashing after the fleeing wolf in fury. Oddly enough, Milkweed didn't seem completely focused on running. She slowed down to inspect the trees she was dashing past before bolting to another and doing the same.
"Finding a nice place to die?" the beast taunted. And then Milkweed stopped suddenly, turning and facing it with that same defiant look in her eye. "Today's not my day to die," she snarled.
~CL1