Strike! ストライキ

Chapter 4: Sole's First Caravala!

 F I R S T   A R C : B E G I N! [ Opening: Wonderful World by FUNKIST ] 

Special OST: Terra Mirus (see the side)

Next Story: See The Side
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 Chapter 4: Sole's First Caravala!

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 (A Month After...)

I weave through the trees along the road with little more than my memory to guide me. I had only roamed these woodlands once when Karvella had taken me to the spring, which was probably a few weeks ago. Cresting the hill, I break free of a dense patch of needle leafs and roll freely down the embankment. The lightly scattered beech and conifer trees that pepper the land along the road wave in the wind, beckoning me forward. The forest exhilarates me; allowing me a freedom I seldom experience without Karvella. 

As the canopy overhead thickens, my steps grow muffled by the pine needles that blanket the forest floor; the ground making a beat beneath my feet. I pause. The trees are much thicker in this place, making it harder to find my way back to the camp. 

"Karvella," I whisper harshly, looking for any sign of the violet haired girl, "where are you?"

I let my hands rest upon my knees as I take two deep breaths. In through my nose and out through my mouth. After wiping away the beads of sweat on my forehead, I take in my surroundings. A tall, disfigured tree stands in the middle of a clearing but nothing else looks familiar. I work my way through the grass, the taller strands smacking me in the face. I hear a rustling next to me and stand up quickly. 

"Karvella!"

A Caravala stands on the other side of grass, looking at me with a starved gaze. Its appearance is of a wolf with two heads and a sharp, mangled tail. I gasp and run towards the other side of the woods. The beast is fast though and it leaps over the tall grass, towards my position. I stumble clumsily, crashing into the woods and down a hillside. I yell all the way down, feeling the various twigs and rocks scratch and cut into my skin. When I finally come to a stop, I am at a riverside with a small amount of water passing through it. I stand up; quivering from the pain. 

I hear the beast behind me, running avidly down the hill; its claws keeping it upright. I run to the river, leaping over it and running into the forest on the other side. The path looks slightly familiar as I dash towards a tall Sycamore tree to my left. Maybe if I can find a hollow in the tree to tuck myself inside, i'll be safe. I reach the tree but it has no hollow in it. The Caravala jumps to the side and propels itself towards me, claws pointed outwards. I extend my right arm quickly, trying to activate its power but nothing happens. 

'Damn...!'

I barely manage to dodge the creature as it's jaws tear into the bottom of the Sycamore, uprooting the entire tree. I roll to the side, swiftly looking for an escape. When the Caravala notices that I am not in its mouth, it tosses the tree trunk to the side and turns towards me with a voracious growl ripping from its throat. It dives towards me but in a moment its blood is splattered onto the ground in front of me and it falls to the ground, separated just between the two heads. It whimpers as it stumbles to the ground, each half flying in the opposite direction. Karvella is dancing near it, her blue-handle blade splashed with fresh blood.

"Right down the middle! Yeah! That was so cool," she runs over to me, still dancing, "Did you see that, Sole!"

I swallow and smile nervously.