A Breeding Darkness (Complete)

(19)

In front of Lucy and Joon was a small cave opening, covered over with dark gray vines and hanging grass and moss. But this, in itself, was not what made Lucy draw in a sharp inhale as her blood slowed to a crawl. Instead, it was the creatures crawling out of the depths of the cave, their ribs poking through their paper-thin skin. In the real world, they might have been called dogs. Here, they were something more like nightmares.

There were five in total, pouring one after the other out of the cave. They were pitch black, except their burning red eyes that looked so similar to the ones that Joon had as a bird. Their eyes rolled freely in their sockets, looking at different places at once. They only possessed three legs, all stick thin and with too many joints for a real animal. As they hopped forward it was almost as if there was a... moment... missing from their movement. As if Lucy had blinked without knowing it and missed a section of how they moved. But she didn't miss the teeth, as long as her fingers, dripping hot drool onto the ground where it smoked and sizzled.

"These dogs shouldn't be like this," she whispered to Joon. "I've seen them before in Zerkalo. They were protectors of the forest." She trailed off as she realized just how perverted their image had become. The dogs she had known were dangerous, yes, but also noble and did not bother the Dreamwalkers if they stayed away from the protected parts of the forest. These versions of the dogs were demon creatures, blood thirsty and ready for blood.

"It doesn't matter what happened to them," Joon replied. "We need to get away from here right now."

Turning on her heel, Lucy finally obeyed Joon and ran. She gripped his hand as they jumped over stumps and branches, heading for a nearby tree with low branches. They had no chance of outrunning dogs, even three-legged ones, and they certainly wouldn't stand a chance once they left the light of the exploded lantern. Getting higher than the dogs could jump was their only option.

Joon headed for a large tree with low enough branches to climb, and Lucy was right behind him. He grabbed onto the bark and hauled himself up onto the first branch, before turning to offer his hand to help Lucy up. She was still a few feet away, bogged down by her skirts and corset, and barely made it another step before she felt something slam into her back.

The ground rose up to meet Lucy, and she only just managed to catch her fall into a roll and avoid any injuries large enough to send her home. She huddled on the ground, looking up through her curls at Joon who stared down in terror. His mouth moved, but all Lucy heard was a scuffle behind her and then heavy animal breathing in her ear. A second later, the weight of a paw on her back pushed her into the dead leaves and hot drool splattered across her neck.

Lucy's skin went cold and she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for death. Yet, instead of teeth closing through her throat, she heard instead a familiar voice echoing in the shadows to her side.

"Heartsore One. Don't move, or else the creature will eat you. Stand still. Listen."

Lucy shivered in place but tried to hold as still as she could. The dog on her back simply stood there, dripping burning drool along her skin but not making any moves to catch her throat. Lucy eventually worked up enough courage to peek out and saw that a group of the dogs had surrounded her, cutting off her view of Joon. She had no idea where he was, but she hoped he would stay somewhere safe. She couldn't lose the prince of Strana like this.

The voice of the creature floated nearer. "The Samg know all the secrets of the world. They guard them, keeping them safe for the humans who created the secrets. But they will whisper these secrets to those who need to hear them. Do you need to hear them, Heartsore One?"

Lucy pressed her eyes shut again, burying her face in the powdered leaves. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said, wishing that the dog would either kill her or leave.