The forest had gone quiet.
Not the peaceful kind.
The kind that came right before something ended.
I lay against the broken base of a tree, blood soaking into my fur, my breath coming out in short, wet gasps. Every inhale burned. Every exhale felt thinner than the last.
My ears rang.
My vision swam.
Somewhere nearby, a small hand grabbed my arm.
The monkey.
He was awake now. Eyes wide. Shaking. Smart enough to understand exactly how bad this was.
Behind us—
THUD.
The Titan Apex took another step forward.
The ground bent beneath its weight.
I couldn't move.
I tried to push myself up. My arms gave out instantly, dumping me back into the dirt.
"…N-no," I whispered. My voice barely existed. "S-system… c-command…"
Nothing.
No screens.
No jokes.
No chiming.
Just the sound of something enormous breathing behind me.
The monkey tugged harder, desperation in its grip, trying to drag me away despite being half my size. We moved maybe an inch.
Another shadow fell over us.
Then—
Something stepped between us and the monster.
I looked up.
The raptor stood there.
It was shaking.
Not in rage.
Not in excitement.
In fear.
Its legs trembled so badly I thought it would collapse. Its tail was low. Its breathing fast and uneven. This wasn't the fearless predator from before.
This was a creature that understood.
Understood exactly what was standing in front of it.
The Titan Apex lowered its head slightly, annoyed. Not threatened. Just… inconvenienced.
I wanted to scream.
"G-get back…" My voice cracked. "Run… please… run…"
The raptor didn't.
It didn't roar.
It didn't charge.
It simply widened its stance—small claws digging into the dirt—and refused to move.
The monkey let out a terrified whimper.
I reached out with a shaking hand.
"No… no, don't—"
The Titan Apex growled.
A deep, earth-ripping sound that pressed against my chest and made my vision blur.
The raptor answered with a shrill scream—thin, desperate, furious.
And then it ran forward.
It leapt.
Not toward victory.
Not toward glory.
Toward certainty.
Its claws scraped uselessly across the Titan's scaled leg. Its teeth snapped at flesh that didn't yield. It was nothing. Less than nothing.
The Titan Apex finally reacted.
A massive limb swung.
The raptor was slammed into the ground so hard the earth cracked.
I screamed its name.
The monkey grabbed me again—harder this time—and pulled.
"No—! STOP—!" I clawed at the dirt, nails tearing, body screaming in protest. "DON'T LEAVE HIM—!"
The Titan Apex raised a claw, slow and inevitable.
The raptor tried to stand.
Its legs failed.
It turned its head.
Looked at me.
Not at the monster.
Not at the sky.
At me.
And it screamed.
Not in pain.
In answer.
The claw came down.
The forest swallowed the sound.
The monkey dragged me into the underbrush as my vision dissolved into tears and blood and shaking light.
I didn't see the end.
I heard nothing after.
Just silence.
---
When I woke again, it was dark.
We were hidden beneath tangled roots near a ravine. The monkey sat beside me, quiet—too quiet—holding one of my hands in both of his.
I couldn't feel my side.
I couldn't feel much of anything.
But I knew.
My chest hurt in a way pain couldn't explain.
"…He…" My voice broke completely. "…He stayed."
The system flickered back to life.
Not loud.
Not proud.
Just… there.
---
[Bonded Companion: Hybrid Velociraptor — LOST]
[Cause of Loss: Absolute Threat Encounter]
[Mastery Integrity: DAMAGED]
[Poop Command: LOCKED]
[Reason: A bonded creature perished under your command.]
---
I stared at the words until they blurred.
I didn't scream.
I didn't joke.
I just lay there, staring into the dirt, shaking.
"I didn't tell him to," I whispered. "I didn't… I couldn't…"
The system did not answer.
The monkey leaned closer, pressing his forehead gently against my arm.
For the first time since coming to this world…
I survived not because I was strong.
Not because I was clever.
But because someone weaker than me chose to stand still—
so I could crawl away.
And that knowledge hurt worse than any wound.
Somewhere far behind us, the forest remained silent.
The Titan Apex did not follow.
The world had taken what it wanted.
And left me alive to remember it.