Pandemonium | vol. 01 ✓

08 - Walking on Air

For a moment, wala akong ibang tunog na narinig maliban sa kaluskos na nanggagaling sa shadows na unti-unting nilalamon ang paligid nito. Then there was the subtle whisper of the wind as something like wing beats sound in the distance, it was coming from deep within the woods. Ilang saglit lang ay lumakas lalo ang hangin hanggang sa hindi nalang ang mga dahon sa mga nakapalibot na puno, kundi maging ang maninipis na sanga ng puno ay sumasayaw na kasabay ng hangin.

I spread my feet shoulder length apart nang sa gayon ay 'di ako tangayin ng hangin. Whatever it is approaching us must be wielding the wind like a storm to produce this much reaction, and I have a feeling of who it might be.

There's just one person in this god forsaken school powerful enough to produce hurricanes at the slightest twitch of a finger.

Pilit kong tinanaw ang direksyong pinanggagalingan ng hangin, nang malaman kung ano bang nangyayari. Walang gaanong liwanag sa kakahuyan dahil sa naglalakihang mga dahon na nahaharangan ang pagpasok ng liwanag mula sa bilog na buwan. Pero nang sa wakas ay masipat ko kung ano bang nangyayari ay nanlaki ang mga mata ko. There is Sky, of course, commanding the winds to maneuver himself afloat, and he is chasing a huge winged horse. It was gray in color, the size of a shire horse, with the wingspan twice its body's length.

The Granian.

The wind grew stronger the closer they get, and I was wrong. It's not just because of Sky, but also the granian, whistling with the creature's fury. Because it is angry, I realized in a daze. It is obvious in the way it moved its body; sharp and forceful, its wings stroking the air so powerfully that it is causing mini tornadoes.

At patungo sila sa direksyon namin, kung saan nakapwesto kami sa isa sa mga malalapad na sanga ng puno approximately 50 meters above ground. May oras pa para makalipat kami sa ibang puno at iwasan ang granian, pero mukhang wala parin sa sarili niya si Amethyst at kasalukuyan paring hinaharap ni Anderson. It will most definitely topple us to kingdom come.

Kusang kumilos ang katawan ko bago pa man ako makapag dalawang-isip sa kahihinatnan ng actions ko. I created a tall wall of flames to separate us from the beast, wondering all the while if it's enough to stop it. Pero hindi na dapat ako nagsayang ng oras sa pag-aalala, because a huge, hairy, golden something bulldoze through the forest. Mula ito sa kaliwa, with a huge glacier of ice chasing behind it.

"What in the fuck." I hear Blair mutter in bewilderment.

The Re'em.

It resembled a giant ox with its golden hair and protruding horns. The giant Re'em is now completely frozen inside an iceberg, in the middle of the woods. Dahil doon ay kinailangang mag change course ng granian para maiwasan ang malaking glacier, but the slightest delay allowed one of its pursuers to get the drop on it. And it wasn't Sky, but Lestrad who struck.

And wasn't that impressive? Nagawa niyang pantayan ang bilis ng isa sa pinakamabilis na flying creature sa mundo by running on land, whereas both the granian and Sky were flying. Nang matigilan ang granian ay pabalik balik niyang tinalon ang katawan ng dalawang magkalapit na puno hanggang sa maging level siya dito, grabbing one of its giant wings and using the gravity to drag it down with him, slamming it through the same glacier it tried to avoid. It produced a deafening crack from the point of impact, spider webbing through the glacier until it shatter.

Sa kasamaang palad ay nakalaya ang re'em from its ice prison, and it did not roar in anger. It simply turned its neck towards its attacker, with its head lowered and shoulders hunched, pawing the ground with its front hooves that sent dirt flying behind and over its back. Nakatayo lamang si Frost sa ibabaw ng isa sa mga ice pillars na ginawa niya, waiting for the re'em to attack.