Flesheater of the Forests

Chapter IV

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Yurie lifted a stone from the ground and flung it overhead, directing it towards the creature. Determined to face her demise head-on, she refused to go down without a struggle. The entity skillfully evaded the incoming projectile with an uncanny swiftness and emitted a horrific screech that caused her body to tremble.

Reacting quickly, she reached into her pocket and retrieved the mace, aiming it directly at the creature's amber eyes. With a press of her thumb on the trigger, a mist was released, but to her dismay, the supernatural being didn't even flinch in response. Curses!

It smacked the small can out her hand and it landed with a soft thud. "Hey, what's wrong with you!"

She could make out distant echoes of Christy and Harper's voices calling out for her faintly.

In a final desperate effort, she wriggled in an attempt to hide herself from the dreadful entity. However, the emaciated creature simply extended its elongated arms towards her. She fiercely kicked at the dark appendages, determined to keep them at a distance.

One of the arms swerved the kicks and wrapped around her waist, lifting her up into the air with surprising power, before gently placing her onto its back.

Suddenly, the putrid odour of decaying flesh engulfed her, causing her stomach to churn. Simultaneously, the creature propelled itself off the ground, effortlessly leaping over fallen logs and easily maneuvering beneath low-hanging branches. It sprinted further away from her friends.

The forest blended into a blur of shadowed hues as they darted through the trees with incredible speed, like a rabbit being pursued by a famished coyote. "Release me, you maniac!" she bawled. The wendigo gradually came to a stop, nonchalantly dropping her onto the dusty ground. "Oof!"

The entity swiftly moved its head in an oscillating motion before abruptly springing into a nearby thicket, leaving her isolated. "Hey.. where did you..." In an unexpected turn of events, a formidable gray wolf pounced on her torso, exposing its teeth menacingly. Yurie hastily shoved the wolf aside, desperate to avoid being bitten as that would undoubtedly spell trouble.

Strings of saliva dangled from the wolf's ivory fangs as it lunged forward, forcefully piercing her shoulder with its incisors. Yurie gritted her teeth in excruciating agony as the wolf vigorously shook its head from side to side, with her tender shoulder caught between its sharp rows.

Just my bad luck. This forest wants me dead!

Now, the mace would have been proven to be useful.

She forcefully pushed away the fierce animal and, before it could attack again, the wendigo shieled her with its large frame and ruthlessly rammed the canine into a tree with a forceful headbutt.

The wolf let out a sharp whimper as its body crashed into the sturdy evergreen. It bared its teeth one last time before limping off in retreat.

Yurie attended to her injury, using part of her shirt to apply pressure to the bite. She glanced at the wendigo, which was cleaning the wolf's fresh bloody remains as a prize. Ew. Yurie noticed the wendigo repeatedly looking at her bleeding shoulder. She cleared her throat, it then turned away nonchalantly.

She couldn't help but wonder why the wendigo didn't just kill and devour the wolf. This unusual behaviour made her question whether the wendigo was truly acting in its usual manner.

Expressing gratitude, she gave a small smile and acknowledged, 'Thank you for rescuing me from that wolf." The wendigo, however, remained indifferent, its gaze fixed on the horizon. "It probably got provoked because we were near its den", she speculated.

She carefully lifted the damp piece of cloth from her injury and discovered that the bleeding had ceased and coagulation had commenced. With a sense of relief, she secured it back onto her sore shoulder.

The wendigo stealthily approached her, indicating with intriguing head movements that she should come along. "I must return to camp quickly. It's dark and more wolves may return," she whispered. It menacingly extended its arms once more towards her. "You wouldn't dare."

A few moments later...

Yurie let out a deep exhale, ensuring that it had heard her. Previously, she had tried to escape by using the blood-soaked fabric as a diversion, which initially worked, but the wendigo eventually caught up with her.

It was difficult for Yurie to accept that the wendigo couldn't be outrun, now or ever. She pondered whether her friends were still out there, searching for her, or if they had given up and passed out somewhere in the bushes due to a hangover.

"Where are you even taking me!?" She whined. It softly screeched back in reply. "Okay then."

"Can we make a stop at the waterfall during our journey? We could both use some water right now," she suggested, but her request was disregarded as they continued in the same direction. "Please, I promise I won't run off again," she pleaded. The wendigo regarded her with suspicion, but reluctantly changed direction and let out a sharp, skeptical shriek. "Crystal clear," she joked.

Couple of minutes later...

As each step drew them nearer, the gentle murmurs of the cascading waterfall grew clearer. The wendigo paused, carefully placing her by the tranquil pool, and leaned restlessly against a sturdy evergreen tree. The crystal-clear water danced and swirled over the smooth rocks, filling the air with its soothing sounds. As it crashed into the pool below, it bubbled and frothed, creating a mesmerizing spectacle.

Yurie gazed into the crystal-clear pool, allowing her to observe the rocky bed below. Kneeling down, she scooped up the pristine water in her hands, delicately splashing her face and washing her injury. Fortunately, the gash was on its way to a full recovery and showed no signs of infection.

She engaged in deep contemplation, carefully strategizing how to persuade the wendigo to bathe in order to alleviate the unbearable odour. And then, she had a brilliant idea! Seizing the opportunity when the wendigo was oblivious to her presence, she surreptitiously maneuvered to the farthest section of the pool, maintaining her attire while swimming across.

Having successfully reached the other side, she called out, "Hey, look over here!" in an attempt to capture the wendigo's attention.

With a swift movement, the wendigo shifted its gaze and effortlessly moved across the reflective pool towards her. Her eyes widened in astonishment as the creature walked upon the water as if it were a solid surface. A curse escaped her lips as she realized the situation. However, she quickly devised a plan, telling herself not to panic. She schemed to splash Jesus's hellhound, waiting for the opportune moment when it approached her.

As the wendigo approached, she defiantly kicked the water, causing droplets to sprinkle on the creature, provoking it to emit irritated shrieks and attempt to grab the her.

With a mischievous smirk, Yurie swiftly dipped beneath the water's surface, challenging the wendigo to chase after her and engage in her game of pursuit.
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