Half of What I Could Be

Chap 29

Chapter 29 Katelyn

I knew those bear traps would be an issue. I guess I should have never placed them out, but John just wouldn't leave my berries alone. How long ago was that?

I might not have been able to place memories on the linear plot of time, but recognition of mythological creatures was second nature to me. The massive beast in front of me was like recognizing Ron. I would never forget Ron.

The Hydra had a doll inside one of its mouths, another two seemed to be growing out of a bloody hedge of a stump. Pretty. My eyes quickly went to the boy. The boy who was standing on the bear trap. I couldn't tell if he was a boy or man. Or was it man to boy? One thing for certain was that he was in his ripe breeding age. He also looked like he would make a hearty stock. He was tall, had broad shoulders, and his hips were wide enough for birthing. No... that was not right. At least he had nice hips. He was not looking at me. He was looking at the doll in the Hydras mouth. Poor man-boy, he must have lost his favorite doll.

For a second I completely forgot the reason I teleported here in the first place, then the doll let out a slight scream. It was a dull one, a scream that danced in the wind ever so faint. It wasn't the scream I remembered, but it was enough to jog my memory. Or walk my memory?

The man-boy was the one that screamed. That much was evident by the way he looked at his chewed up doll. I tore my eyes away from him back to the doll. That was when I realized two things: one, the doll was actually alive. 2, the Hydra was not eating her. Instead it seemed to just be holding her in its mouth. There was some blood dripping off her, so she was hurt in some way. The Hydra began to raise its head to full height and turn around. It was going to leave.

I would have let it. This wasn't my place. Demons might be keeping me alive, but I had no business in their personal life. The boy-man let out another scream. A scream that wasn't necessarily directed at the Hydra or the doll-girl. One that seemed to be pleading with the Gods. I was no God, but I would help. I did not know why, but I would.

In the legend of the Lernean Hydra, The way Hercules killed the Hydra was by cutting off its head with a sword made by Athena while his nephew cauterized the stump with a torch. This prevented a new head from growing back. The legend contained part of the truth. The Hydra did not like fire. I did not have to cauterize all the heads, like in legend. I just had to cauterize the papa head, and it didn't take a genius to figure which head it was. Or in my case, a delusional demon drinking witch.

"Hello!" I yelled at the boy-man. At the sound of my voice, he quickly turned to face me. Confusion and bewilderment was evident. He had no prior knowledge I was here. I guess I should have said 'hi' earlier, "Can you make fire?" I yelled back at him. I had no spells on me that could create the element.

It took him a second to respond, "No! And if I was able to, I can't move close enough to it," he screamed back as he motioned to the trap below his feet. Huh, I guess boy-man was useless.

"Okay," I mumbled under my breath as I started walking toward the Hydra. I was not fearful. That was one of the first emotions that I lost. I also knew the Hydra would not view me as a threat. I walked right past man-boy, close enough to smell wolf radiating off of him. That was why he could not control fire. He was a wolf-man-boy.

Once I got within 10 feet from the Hydra and the head that contained the doll, I looked up. It was obvious this head was the papa. It also was the head with the toxic venom. Yum. There was under a 7% chance the doll would survive its bite. Oh well.

I was also close enough to fully see the doll. She was young with wild blonde hair. With her, I could tell she was a woman. There was no mistaking her for a girl. Her eyes were closed and her lips tight against each other. What surprised me was how her lips were slightly turned up, as if she enjoyed the feeling of the venom in her body. How unusual?