INTO TYE ABYSS
1104 Words
I stumbled forward, my legs shaking as the forest covered me. The Nightfang Pack had expelled me, Sienna’s mocking laughter echoing in my ears as the gates slammed shut behind me. My body protested every cut, bruise, and aching muscle begged me to stop,begged me to rest,but how would I rest when I'm in danger. But I couldn’t. Not here. Not now. The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and an undeniable danger. My chest heaved as I struggled to breathe, my blood-soaked clothes clinging to my skin like a second layer of despair.
The darkness surrounded me, oppressive and alive. Then I heard a low snarl breaking the stillness. My heart raced. I turned, eyes wide, scanning the shadows. More growls joined the first, growing louder and closer. Shapes flitted between the trees, thin and sharp, like skeletal figures cloaked in fur. Rogues. These weren’t the organized foes I had faced before, but feral ones wild, starving, with eyes glowing madly that twisted my stomach with something unknown.
I grasped a broken branch from the ground, its rough bark digging into my palms. It was feeble protection, but it was all I had. My dagger had been lost in the chaos of Nightfang’s cruelty. The first rogue lunged at me, all teeth and claws, its ribs visible beneath matted fur. I swung the branch with all my strength, striking its skull. It yelped and faltered, but another rogue took its place, then another. They surrounded me, a pack of five or six, their growls reverberating in the air. My arms trembled as I swung again, hitting one in the jaw. It snapped at me, spitting, and I stumbled, my strength waning off.
Suddenly, pain erupted in my leg. I screamed as a rogue’s fangs sank into my calf. Its teeth tore through muscle, a fierce, burning pain surging through me. I kicked with my other foot, smashing its nose, but it kept its grip, shaking its head like I was prey. Finally, it released me, but the damage was done. My leg buckled, and I fell to my knees, the branch slipping from my fingers. That burning sensation wasn’t just pain something was wrong. Venom. I could feel it spreading like fire under my skin, trapping my wolf deeper inside me. She howled within me, confined and helpless, just like I was.
The rogues closed in, their eyes sparkling with hunger. I clawed at the dirt, trying to pull myself backward, but my body wouldn’t respond. My vision blurred instantly, the trees swaying as fatigue and venom pulled me under. I was done for. They would tear me apart, and no one would care. Not Damon. Not Sienna. Not even the memory of my pack.
Then, a shadow stood above me a man, tall and scarred, lean but strong. His face bore old cuts, one slicing through his eyebrow, and his dark eyes fixed on me with an unreadable expression. Not compassion. Not pity. Something far worse. He barked a sharp command, and the rogues froze, whining as they retreated. My head spun, but I saw him approach, his boots crunching on the ground. “Well, well,” he said, his voice gruff like gravel. “What’s this?”
I tried to speak, to curse him, but my tongue felt heavy. He crouched down, gripping my chin with rough fingers, examining my face as if I were a prized catch. “Still alive,” he muttered, a twisted grin forming on his lips. “Good.” Before I could resist, he hauled me up by my arm, dragging me through the dirt. My leg trailed uselessly behind me, each jolt sending fresh pain radiating through me. I clawed at his grip, but he was too strong, and I was too weak.
The forest became a blur as he pulled me deeper in. I began to hear more voices harsh laughter and growls. Firelight flickered in the distance, and soon we arrived at a camp. Tents made of tattered hides sagged between the trees, and rogues lounged around a fire, their faces gaunt and wild. They turned to watch as he dragged me through, some licking their lips, others snarling softly. My stomach dropped. This was no rescue; it was a nightmare.
He stopped at the edge of the camp, near a pit that gaped in the ground shallow, filthy, lined with mud and scattered bones. Without a word, he shoved me in. I hit the bottom hard, knocking the breath out of me, mud splattering onto my arms and face. The stench assaulted me next rotting meat and decay, choking me as I struggled to sit up. My leg throbbed, the venom pulsing hotter, and I stifled a whimper.
Above me, the rogues gathered, looking down hungrily and cruelly. I hugged my arms to my chest, feeling small and vulnerable. Then he appeared again the scarred man leaning over the pit's edge. His grin had vanished, replaced by a hard, unreadable look. “Name’s Kain,” he said, his voice heavy and unsettling. “You’re in my world now.”
I glared up at him, my throat dry, but I wouldn’t let him see my fear. “Let me go,” I croaked, forcing the words out. His men laughed, a harsh, ugly sound, but Kain simply watched me, his eyes lingering far too long. There was darkness in his eyes that made my heart race in a way I didn't want to acknowledge.
He reached into a pouch at his side and pulled out a piece of meat greenish, foul, and crawling with flies. He tossed it down, and it splashed into the mud beside me. I stared at it, my stomach twisting with both nausea and hunger. “Serve me,” he said, his voice low and menacing, “or I’ll let them have you.” His eyes flicked to the rogues around him, their growls growing louder, more eager.
I opened my mouth to spit at him, to declare that I’d rather die, when a sudden howl cut through the night. The rogues tensed, their heads snapping toward the sound. Kain’s grin returned, sharp and wicked, as he straightened. “Think about it,” he warned, stepping back. Then, from the shadows behind him, a claw flashed long and dirty, aimed directly at me. I threw myself sideways, mud clinging to my hands, but it grazed my cheek, hot blood trickling down my face. The howls rose, wild and close, and I realized with sinking dread that this pit wasn’t just a prison it was a trap……
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