Anachronistic: Endless Masquerade

3 | The Baying of the Hound

- 3 -

        The bodies of men filled the air like autumn leaves, then fell to the ground covering it in a deep red. Pandora met eyes with the massive dog as it ravaged the men Fennel had left behind. When the creature batted something at the group, she jumped aside tackling Fennel to the ground with her. A person flew past them. The force it must take to toss around grown men like toys.

        Pandora darted to her feet and shouldered her shotgun, lining the youkai up in her sights. She drew a deep breath, fingered the trigger, then stopped short. Untrained men wandered between her and the beast, a mistake no good hunter would make. Even if it was to protect their home letting these men come along was a mistake. All Pandora could do was bide her time and hope an opening appeared.

        The dog rushed forward at the men. One was thrown to the ground as sharp claws ripped his leg to thin strips. The other managed to dive off to the side leaving the youkai's jaw to snap shut against the air. A clear shot. Pandora pulled the trigger turning one of the dog's ears to mush and leaving long wounds on the side of its face.

        The creature yelped in pain; its cry alone produced a force that pushed Pandora back. She raised her arms to shield her eye against the great wind. When she looked back the black forest had turned a ghostly green. The youkai's now open ribcage overtaken with spectral flame. It matched the fire in the eyes now fixed firmly on her.

        Pandora thumbed the break release on her shotgun. The barrel swung away from the stock exposing the breech. A spent cartridge shot back from the opening, hitting a lever, then spinning away over Pandora's right shoulder. A spring-loaded tube on the weapon's left slammed down over the breech feeding a fresh round into the weapon.

        The Barghest exploded forward. Pandora mirrored the action, diving forward into a roll. She came to a stop beneath the beast's chest. The spot she had just occupied shattered. Dirt and clay shot into the air, the youkai's claws turning the ground into a deep crater.

        Pandora snapped the barrel of her gun back into place and aimed at the dog's underbelly. An explosion of blood erupted as Pandora pulled the trigger. The dog yelped, then stomped its back leg at her. The attack missed but the force sent a ripple through the earth below. Pandora was knocked off balance and fell flat, then the forest fell black.

        "It's trying to crush you!"

        The voice came from somewhere above. Rather than worry about the source Pandora decided to trust its judgment. She rolled to the side, then the world went upside down. The youkai's body slammed down next to her, missing by inches. The earth gave way to the weight and Pandora was sent airborne in an explosion of dirt and rock. The trees spun in her vision as she tumbled through the air. Her body landed hard, bounced, then came to rest. Clumps of frozen dirt and moss pelted her body like hail. She willed her body to its feet just in time to watch the creature run off into the darkness.

        "Bastard!" she screamed after it.

        The shout brought a sharp pain to her side. She clutched her ribs and stumbled over to help check the wounded. She hadn't left the encounter unscathed but the real damage had been to the untrained men. At least one would die and three others were likely to follow. The rest made it through with only small cuts and bruises. Good, there were people left to carry the bodies.

        Pandora muttered under her breath, "This is why you don't let untrained men run through the woods with pitchforks and torches playing monster hunter."