The Beast Within

Titans in the Distance: Chapter Four

The day began with what Jedd called, "Warning Rain".

It was a gentle shower, nothing out of the ordinary for a warm season, but the sight disturbed Jedd and he was anxious from breakfast onward.

There were no naps or poetry. The herder and the wolf kept their eyes trained on the titans in the distance. Jedd continued to mutter under his breath, and whether it was a prayer or curse, I could not discern.

When it was time for midday meal the rain stopped, but Jedd was no less vigilant about his watch, and his focus remained on the gigantic beasts. After eating, the wolf sat at the edge of the flock, on the side closest to the threat.

"Got us an omen this morning," Jedd called to it. "Don't take your eyes away for a second."

The terrible event happened without warning. Seemingly unprovoked, one of the titans reached out and swiped at its brother, sinking a massive talon deep into the monster's flesh. The wounded one roared in answer, and when the talon lifted a waterfall of red fell from the hole left behind.

This was new.

The last time one of the titans struck another there had been no blood.

Before the first drop hit the ground, the titans began to move. Jedd warned that all it would take was the scent of blood to stir them into a frenzy, but in my innocence I hadn't realized he included their own blood in his meaning.

A whoosh of wind rushed through the plains, carrying a putrid, coppery smell with it. Now the air around Jedd and the wolf and sheep was marked. 

Jedd raised his staff to summon lightning.

Enraged, the titans fought one another, and each connected strike produced rivers of blood, until all the green at their feet was drowned. Their roaring shook the world, making it difficult for smaller beings to keep their balance. The battle continued until a single titan stood out as the weakest. Its companions descended upon it and began to eat, with no care about who they were feasting on.

No lightning had come from the sky, and the wolf turned to Jedd to ask why. The man's face had fallen into a terrible despair, his eyes fixed ahead.

"Why do you pause?!" the wolf shouted.

That's when the flood came.

Jedd had seen the wave of blood racing through the plains. Heading toward us. He knew there would be no time to outrun it. 

"Hold on to the ground!" he screamed just as a swell of red blanketed our field, covering the feet of all who stood there with thick liquid. 

A horrid, pungent odor filled the air, and the wolf tried to sneeze it from its nose. The white and brown of the sheep's wool was painted in blood, as were the faces and bodies of Jedd and the wolf.

"Back to the pen!" Jedd shouted before spitting a glob of red.

At his words the sky released a torrent of rain. It fell so quickly and with such ferocity that the drops stung the wolf's snout, while others landed in the pond at its feet and splashed blood back at its face.  

It was near impossible to lead the flock through the viscous muck, but after several attempts the frightened animals were gathered and ready to move.

Not twenty steps into wading through the ankle-deep swamp Jedd's voice cried out a warning:

"Look to your right, wolf! One's got a mind to move!"

He raised his staff as the wolf turned to the distance and found one of the titans poised to move toward us. Lightning came down upon its head and the beast swayed as if it had been slapped—