They walked in silence for what felt like hours, the only sound the crunch of leaves underfoot and Seraphine's occasional sharp intake of breath as her threshold-mark flared. Nyx led the way, his movements precise and purposeful.
Ethan checked the Goblin Pro—battery at 61%. "Thirty minutes today," he reminded himself, powering on the stream. The red light blinked steadily, capturing Nyx's determined stride through the wilderness.
[Chat]
NyxSavior: the cat is leading them
CamSurvivor: where is he taking them??
GoblinFan99: the cat knows the way
ThresholdMark: her arm is glowing again
"Looks like we've got a feline GPS today," Ethan said, trying to keep his voice light despite the tension in his shoulders. "Nyx says there's shelter up ahead."
Seraphine managed a weak smile. "He's been scouting ahead since we left the city. Cats have excellent survival instincts."
"Or he's just showing off," Ethan joked. "Remember that one time he tried to feed me a dead mouse?"
[Chat]
NyxSavior: the cat would never
CamSurvivor: he's just showing his love
GoblinFan99: the cat knows more than he lets on
Nyx stopped suddenly, his ears twitching. He turned to face them, then backed away slowly, his fur standing on end.
[Chat]
NyxSavior: the cat senses something
CamSurvivor: please don't let them get caught
ShadowSeeker: is that static behind them??
Seraphine's threshold-mark flared brighter. "It's back."
Before Ethan could react, the ground shook violently. The massive anaconda emerged from the trees, its body crashing through the underbrush. It moved with terrifying speed, heading straight for Seraphine.
"Seraphine!" Ethan shouted.
Nyx darted forward to intercept, but the anaconda was too fast. It wrapped around Seraphine, lifting her off the ground, its massive jaws opening wide.
For Nyx, the world seemed to slow. He saw everything with impossible clarity—the way Seraphine's threshold-mark pulsed with violet light, the way Ethan's face contorted with fear, the way the anaconda's jaws opened to reveal rows of razor-sharp teeth.
Ethan's mind raced. The crossbow was empty. Seraphine was trapped. Nyx was caught off guard for once. There was only one thing left.
The Goblin Pro.
Without thinking, Ethan ripped the camera from his shoulder strap and hurled it toward the anaconda's open mouth.
Time seemed to stretch as the camera flew through the air. Ethan saw the lens catch the sunlight, the toy-like exterior looking absurd against the monstrous creature. The camera tumbled end over end, spinning toward its target.
The anaconda's jaws closed around the camera just as it entered its mouth.
---
To the viewers watching live:
One moment they were seeing Ethan's frantic face, the next they were staring into the gaping maw of a giant supernatural anaconda. The camera POV spun wildly as it tumbled through the air, then everything went dark as it entered the creature's mouth.
Then—BOOM.
The stream cut to black.
---
Ethan didn't wait to see the results. He lunged forward, catching Seraphine as she fell from the creature's grip. They tumbled to the ground together, Ethan shielding her with his body as chunks of anaconda rained down around them.
For a moment, time seemed to pause. Ethan looked into Seraphine's eyes, seeing his own reflection in her molten silver irises. He saw the fear, the relief, the something else he couldn't name.
Then time snapped back to normal. Chaos and destruction surrounded them, but they were intact.