The Obelisk

-Chapter 37-

They leapt out of the cave, landing with thuds in the dirt. Forest lifted his head, panting rapidly.

“Hault!” Yelled a voice form nearby. “Who are you? State your business!”

Out of the corner of his eye, Forest noticed a Terror bird, standing tall and scowling at the five carnivores. She looked young—but incredibly fierce and furious as she marched forward menacingly.

Forest didn’t care at the moment. He was too terrified. “What was that thing?” He gasped.

“Beyla,” Rust panted.

“I asked you a question!” The Terror bird was yelling.

“A Beyla??” Crimson roared. “They’re REAL?”

“yep,” Rust hissed as the Terri bird bellowed, “answer me you—did you say Beyla?”

And then it came.

A giant leg burst from inside the cave opening, and then another appeared, and another, and another, followed by a huge set of shaking wings as the insect clawed out of the cave, hissing ferociously.

Forest screamed out his lungs, his feathers standing up as he reared onto his back legs in fear. Rust and Spark jumped back as well, horrified.

The terror bird screeched and skidded in front of the beast in battle position, followed by Crimson as she joined the soldier, looking confident as it snarled loudly, flaring it’s wings.

Several nearby creatures cried out in fear and ran away, several others fled up the trees as fast as they could. No other Terri birds were nearby.

Suddenly hundreds of smaller bugs flew from behind the Queen, slipping around and passed her like a giant cape circular cape. A swarm turned and confronted the Terror bird and Crimson, and another, larger swarm flew straight for Forest, Rust and Spark.

Forest screamed again and bolted away, but the swarm was fast, and Rust jumped over him and turned to attack the bugs—but something strange happened.

Instead of diving and attacking straight on, the swarm dove down, and pivoted away— as if Forest or Rust had a flaming torch to drive them off.

The bugs flew up and around the two—hissing but not touching a scale or feather on them. Forest ducked and covered his head with his talons, grinding his teeth together.

“Spark!” Rust yelled. The swarm had flown away, now heading and divebombing Spark with infinite danger. Spark roared and snapped several in half—but there were way to many for her to fight alone. Rust ran forward, his claws ready to help her.

Forests instincts kicked in and he leapt on the nearest insect, killing it instantly. Bug after bug flew for Spark and Rust. Forest killed more bugs than he could count. But even more strangely, as the bugs attacked the others, they didn’t touch Forest.

He collided into another drove of Beylas and ripped the nearest one apart. As he jumped forward, the sack on his shoulder slipped, and fell onto the forest floor.

At that exact moment, bugs latched onto him and bit him hard with their pincers. He yowled with pain and rage and snapped at it’s wings, but missed as it dodged and flew away. More attacked.

To his left, Crimson was brutally slashing at the Queen Beyla. Several smaller swarms scratched her up as she bit hard into the Queens leg.

The Terror bird was wrestling with a small swarm, screeching with fury. Suddenly she leapt away and flapped her wings, letting out a ear-piercing roar that echoed through the nearby ravines and trees.

A few moments later, Terror birds appeared.

At least thirty of them stepped forward from above the ravine, all with expressions of pure bravery.

At once they joined the fight. Beylas we’re slowly disappearing as the soldiers crushed them under their claws, screeching with confidence.

At once the Beyla Queen knew this. She hissed and rattled her wings, flinging the nearest attackers off her legs and abdomen. Slowly but surely, she retreated back into her cave, calling several beyla swarms with her.

Not long after, all the bugs were gone. Broken insect parts were littered acrossed the forest floor, but none were left in the sky.

The Beylas were gone.