Chapter 3: Family Fright
1262 Words
Mud slipped under her heels. Branches pelted her arms.
Her face had stopped bleeding, but the stinging remained.
Xiathia had been right. This wasn't a dream. But then...what was happening? Surely all that crazy stuff about Gods and Guardians couldn't be true, could it?
She'd been racking her brain for explanations. So far, only one made sense.
“I knew people from the bigger cities could be crazy. But setting wild dogs, cats, and snakes on somebody!? Hope that lady's got enough money to pay for all the things she broke!"
It was a poor excuse and Mialtros knew it. She clang to it anyway. Far better to think about that then…then the fact… she killed something.
Stumbling on a root, she collapsed into a withered oak. Mialtros kicked through the rotted wood. Climbing inside the trunk, she pressed her hands to her eyes, chest heaving.
Oh God. Oh God.
She killed something. Multiple somethings. She lay soaked in their blood. It didn't matter that…Ghirti thing...had eaten one of them. She had helped. There were strict laws against animal murder in Daldaria! D**m it, the sheriff was gonna skewer her with lances! Even worse…she'd smashed up the farm! The hogs had fled.
Mom would kill her long before any law could put her in jail.
She had to get ahead of this. Tell her family everything. Hiding wasn't an option. She did it. She would pay. Plain and simple.
Responsibility is the Sethelbree way.
By the slant of the wood she was halfway to town. She would wait here for her family. Running around the woods would get her lost, caught by the crazy lady and her cat, or mauled by a wild animal.
She braced herself against the bark, started climbing.
The higher she got, the harder she'd be to reach. She'd also have a better view of the road and valley.
She'd gotten four branches up when there was a scream. Three loud yelps followed by a long, shrill shriek. A hog call. But that had to mean-
Dad!
Mialtros slide to the ground. Tearing a spar of wood from the tree roots, she started running. Dodging trees, she skidded into the main road.
Down the hill, Dad was fighting a four-legged starry skin. He was stabbing at it with a hay fork. Beside him, Mom kept Grandma behind her, swinging viciously at another four-legs with the broken mill stone. Grandma was chucking every stone in the grass her hands could reach.
Both creatures, calling them that was getting confusing, she was just gonna call em starry skins or hounds from now on, were ducking and weaving around them. Snapping without rhyme or reason.
So the ones at the farm were a decoy? Some kind of scouting party? The woman controlling these things must've been a hunter or a solider one. She'd ask the lady herself later.
Mom spotted her first. Tossing her head, she mouthed for Mialtros to run and get help. She shook her head back, mouthed trust me.
They both knew she'd never make it in time. It was another hour to town at least. These things would overwhelm Dad, Mom, and Grandma soon. Already, Dad's arms were tiring. His swings slowing. There was no telling how long they'd been fighting.
Probably far longer than Mialtros had judging by the lack of building supplies.
Wetting her lips, Mialtros whistled. The starry skin nearest Dad turned. Clenching her fists around the wood, bending it inward, she stamped her foot against the cobblestone.
“You want revenge for your friends ya filthy varmints!? Well I'm right here!"
It was better for her to shed this blood than her family.
A few more bodies wouldn't change a thing. No judge could make the sheriffs lance thicker.
Plus, all the fighting before had given her an idea on how to hurt them bad enough they could all run away.
Yowling, the starry skins ran toward her. Side by side. Their fangs held open. Mialtros took a step back.
The starry skins lowered their heads, aiming for her feet.
Throwing herself forward, using her back leg to hurdle over the hounds, she slid into the dirt. Snapping the spar in half, she thrust the pieces behind her as she threw herself down on her back.
The points touched the hound's hips.
Both leapt towards the prickling feeling, not even bothering to lift their skulls.
Down through their maw, into their throats the spars went.
Shaking their heads, the hounds tried to close their jaws. The roof of their muzzles pierced through the wood, shoving it further into their throats.
For as fast and deadly as these beasts were, they were also pretty skittish cause they couldn't see.
Watching Xiathia dance around them. Remembering how they always snapped at her legs when they chased her round the farm. It all got her to thinking about how her hogs would chomp down on anything put into their mouths when they were scared. Especially pointy things like melon rinds.
These things weren't so different. A starry skin was still an animal at the end of the day.
Not the smartest plan for sure, but it was better than no plan at all. Thank Arnsal she was right.
Suppose it wouldn't matter much were she wrong. She'd be sky high and soaring anyway!
Mialtros rolled to her knees. She crawled to her family.
Her legs were too shaky to stand. All the gumption flew right out of her the moment the starry skins chowed down.
Dad lifted her when she grew close enough, tossing away the hay fork. He hugged her tightly, his poofy beard tickling her face.
“Sunshine you can't go scaring me like that. I ain't got a lotta hair left to lose."
Mom tugged Mialtros's ear. Her red hair was matted with sweat. Strands falling every which way out of her braid.
“Girl, next time I tell you to run, you do as your told. Don't go throwing yer life away tryna do a bullheaded thing."
Clutching Mom's arm in her calloused fingers as she stood, Grandma tutted.
“Now leave that girl alone Mial. She done saved us, so we may as well be grateful. Poor thing looks a fright anyway."
Mialtros laughed. Fright didn't describe it!
Her coveralls were rags. Scrapes, splatters, and bruises dotted her skin. Her hair was singed. She brushed dirt off her rump, reaching to hug Grandma round her neck.
“Granny, it's alright. My clothes will darn. Ain't a thing you can't fix."
It was true. None of that little stuff mattered. Not because her Grandma was a spectacular sewer. She was safe.
Her family was safe. Now they could all go home and figure out what to do about the damages-
Dad's eyes going wide was the only warning she got.
Down the hill with Mom and Grandma she flew. Tumbling into grass, the patchy soil slowed their descent.
Dad was under a starry skin. Holding its snapping jaws at bay with his hands.
The second beast was tottering towards him, drunk with blood loss but alive nonetheless.
Hoisting herself up the hill, Mialtros screamed. Looking around for a weapon to use.
Not her Dad. Not like this.
Someone! Anyone!
Gods above save him!
'It's about time you called. I was getting tired of waiting. Hold still, I don't want to end up rolling down this hill.'
Mialtros choked on air as Mewl slammed into her chest. The cat faded inside her.
The world started spinning.
- Writer
