Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Deep within the Nameless Forest, three slender figures frantically beat their wings as they darted through the ancient woods. With nimble movements, they dodged the tangled vines and sprawling branches in their path, casting terrified glances behind them from time to time.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
A succession of heavy impacts rang out behind them. Vines blocking the way were brutally torn apart, and thick branches were smashed to pieces.
Amid a shower of wood chips and leaves, towering humanoid monsters with the heads of lions, giant wolves, hyenas, lizards, and other beasts pursued them relentlessly.
As the beast-headed monsters charged after their prey and steadily closed the distance, they let out excited growls. Glistening drool dripped between their sharp fangs.
"Catch them!"
"Break their wings!"
"Tear them apart and eat them!"
We're done for! We're done for! We're done for!
If those Fang Clan monsters caught them, they were dead!
Sensing the overwhelming malice bearing down behind them, the three little figures fleeing for their lives went pale with terror. They frantically beat the wings on their backs, desperately trying to widen the gap and shake off their pursuers.
Boom!
In their panic, they charged blindly into the thicket ahead. A large net instantly sprang up from the ground and, before they could react, hoisted all three of them into the air along with a scattering of dead leaves.
"Got them!"
"Those things flying around over our heads are so annoying!"
"Hehe, now we can eat them!"
Several towering figures leaped out from behind the bushes and secured the rope holding the net. They looked up at their captured prey and grinned savagely.
"It... it'll hurt. I... I don't want to..."
Pinned at the bottom of the net was a timid-looking fairy girl with blue hair, pointed ears, amber eyes, and gray-blue butterfly wings. Dressed in a small blue-and-white formal dress, she whimpered pitifully.
"Cowardly Freya! Shut up! Don't you dare beg those Fang Clan bastards for mercy! Honestly, why did we ever bring you along? You're an embarrassment to the Wing Clan!"
The one lying above her was an even smaller pink-haired girl, roughly the size of a human child. She glared fiercely as she berated her companion's cowardice.
The blue-haired girl named Freya was too frightened to make another sound. She merely curled up in misery, like a white rabbit pinned to a table and bled dry through a severed artery, too terrified to resist even until death.
The one scolding her had long, silky pink-purple hair, a loose pink robe, and a hood shaped like rabbit ears. She angrily pulled a spindle from the sewing kit at her waist and shouted down at the beast-headed monsters, fully displaying her fiery temper.
"Hey! If you've got the nerve, let me down and fight me one-on-one! I'll smash your stupid heads apart with my spindle!"
"Damn it! She's looking down on us!"
"Annoying! Bite her to death!"
"We should skewer her and roast her!"
The provoked beast-headed monsters below flew into a rage, each proposing a different way to turn the tiny girl into a delicious meal.
"You idiot, Habetrot! That's enough! Is your head stuffed with nothing but scraps of cloth and hammers? Shut up! I don't want to be eaten this soon!"
At the top of the pile was a girl with short purple hair, purple eyes, a woodland-style dress, and translucent green butterfly wings. Hearing her pink-haired companion's bold challenge, the pair of heart-shaped tufts atop her head trembled violently.
Unable to endure it any longer, Muryan grabbed the spindle-wielding thug by the head and shook her furiously.
"Wah... meow, meow, meow meow meow..."
The scenery before Habetrot swayed wildly as the entire world spun around her. The intense dizziness tormented the pink-haired Wing Clan fairy until she began meowing like a cat.
The faint roar of crashing waves seemed to echo inside her tiny head. Her brain had nearly been shaken smooth, and her unfocused spiral eyes stared blankly into space.
"Muryan, stop... stop shaking me... I... I think I'm going to throw up..."
Under this cruel torture, the once-aggressive spindle-wielding thug turned deathly pale. Her stomach churned violently, and her small mouth began to open.
"Urgh..."
No!
Muryan reacted instantly. She clamped both hands around her companion's throat and forcibly pushed the rising contents of Habetrot's stomach back down.
The victim's eyes rolled upward as she was strangled, nearly suffocating on the spot.
Even after Muryan finally released her, the thoroughly abused Habetrot lay limp and motionless, like a sick cat sprawled belly-up beneath the sun.
"Is... is she dead?"
The timid fairy Freya poked her companion's cheek. When Habetrot showed no response, sorrow filled her eyes, and she delivered the most shameless eulogy imaginable in the meekest voice possible.
"Then... shouldn't the Fang Clan eat her first? Meat... meat goes sour if it's left too long..."
"The three of us together still wouldn't be enough for all these Fang Clan monsters. We're all ending up in the same pot anyway. Did Habetrot's stupidity rub off on you?"
Muryan looked down at the pile of firewood being assembled below and groaned weakly.
"Th-then what do we do? I don't want to be eaten. I'm afraid it'll hurt..."
Freya lowered her head and whimpered miserably.
"There's no other choice. We'll have to try our final move!"
Seeing the Fang Clan preparing to lower the net and process them as ingredients, Muryan sensed the imminent danger and nodded gravely.
Hope reignited in Freya's eyes. She looked toward the "Wise One" of the Wing Clan with anticipation and admiration.
Muryan wore an utterly solemn expression as she cupped both hands around her mouth. The little fairy drew a deep breath into her stomach, then unleashed a shrill, childish cry at the top of her lungs.
"Help! A fairy's about to die!"
Startled as though struck by thunder, Freya stared blankly at the so-called Wise One.
No rescuers appeared. Instead, the deafening shriek only irritated the Fang Clan below.
"Too noisy!"
"Eat her first!"
"Yeah! She's full of energy, so her meat must taste good!"
"I want the head!"
"The thighs are mine!"
"There's no meat on the wings! Give me an arm instead!"
The beast-headed monsters erupted into a noisy argument, dividing up Muryan's body before she was even dead. One of them raised a sharpened wooden stake and thrust it toward the Wise One suspended overhead.
Now they were truly finished...
"Aaaaaah! Don't eat me! Eat Habetrot first! Her meat's about to go sour!"
The heart-shaped tufts atop Muryan's head trembled violently as she screamed and writhed inside the net, desperately dodging the stake. At the same time, she shamelessly betrayed the unconscious Habetrot and shoved her forward as a shield.
Naturally, worried that the sight would be too gruesome, the two good friends sorrowfully closed their eyes to express their profound grief.
However, another sharpened stake still came thrusting upward.
This time, there were three of them...
Muryan and Freya exchanged a glance.
Then they screamed even louder.
Snap!
Just as the three little girls were about to become self-service skewers for the Fang Clan monsters, a pale golden arc of light swept through the air and severed all three wooden stakes at once.
The nameless blond swordsman and the silver-haired witch walked side by side out of the mist-filled forest.
"Enemies!"
"Catch them!"
"Eat them!"
The Fang Clan members, furious at having their fun interrupted, bared their claws and brandished their weapons before swarming toward the pair.
***
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
[email protected]/PinkSnake (50 Chapters Ahead).
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.
***