Far Beyond, Far Below

Ch. VI: The Beast Arrives

"AHHHHHHH!"

It had happened in an instant, and was over just as quickly. Whilst hastily attempting to untangle himself from the branches, Charles inadvertently lost the only grip he had and hurtled backwards towards the ground. He grasped desperately at the air, eyes shut tight, as his friends watched in helpless horror. All his thoughts congealed into one, repeating, undeniable surety: He was going to die.

His breath hitched, right before the dreaded impact...

...and yet the landing was softer than he imagined. There was quite enough pain, but its lack of severity was surprising. And why did the ground stagger so? He cracked open one eye, his heart pounding in his chest, and saw that he still had a small ways to go before he reached the ground. Instead of shattering his bones and splattering the forest floor with his innards, somebody had caught him.

Nicolas had caught him.

Charles could only stare up at the boy, utterly stupefied.

Nicolas stared back, almost equally surprise himself. He had sprung into action immediately, taking a quick step forward with braced knees, receiving the small boy in his arms as if he had been nothing but a falling ball in a game of rugby.

Nestled quite securely in Nicolas' arms, Charles released a small, involuntary laugh, grimacing sheepishly. The spell was broken. With a sudden jerk, Nicolas quickly withdrew his arms from under Charles with the revulsion typically reserved for some hideous, noxious insect.

Panic once again seizing his entire being, Charles had one single second to brace for impact before he landed on his left side with a thud and an all-to-unpleasant crack. He tried with all his might to stifle a second scream, shutting his eyes tight as a strange gurgled sound escaped his constricting throat.

Upon rolling onto his back, he found the strength to breathe again. Grimacing against the pain, Charles managed into a sitting position using his right arm as his friends rushed to his side. Jaclyn took two quick steps forwards while Jessica ran into the clearing, covering the distance within two seconds. She skidded to a stop on her knees, kneeling beside him.

Charles blinked. Goodness, she was fast.

"Charlie! Oh, thank God! You're alright!" Jessica joyously rushed to embrace him as Jaclyn grabbed his right hand to help him up. Charles winced at the throbbing pain radiating from his left shoulder and let out another strangled whimper. Jessica, who had stood up with him, stepped back.

"You're not terribly hurt, are you?" she asked, nervously looking for any visible injuries.

"N-No, no..." he said, waving her away. "A few bruises, I think... I'm fine, really!" He touched his left shoulder and tried to hide the raw, obvious pain that shot through it. His friends didn't look convinced.

"I. Am," he insisted with as firm a voice as he could manage. Jessica and Jaclyn shared a look but knew better than to press the matter further, for the time being.

Charles straightened up, a mixture of annoyance and anger on his face. He spun around to face Nicolas, who was still standing there, casually surveying the forest around him with an expression so idle it bordered on disinterest.

"Why the blazes did you drop me!?" Charles demanded.

"Why'd he even bother to catch you in the first place is what I'd like to know," muttered Jaclyn, crossing her arms and eyeing at Nicolas in suspicion.

"Why indeed," muttered Nicolas.

Jaclyn snorted mirthlessly. "Did Nicolas Carter just agree with me?"