His legs were shaking, though he wasn't sure if it was because of fear or because of the pain. He knew he had to stay calm, it would be no use to anyone if he panicked right now.

The gigantic bird had calmed down as well, and now glared sideways at Mikhail, trying to assess if it was worth continuing the fight. It crouched, ready to pounce on him, and the feathers on its neck hackled. The beast blew some air out of its nose, raising a cloud of sand.

Mikhail could hear the sound of bubbles of blood flooding the animal’s throat, and he knew he'd hit an artery. The musty smell of the animal filled his nostrils, and his entire body tensed to jump out of the way if it charged at him. An animal was always most dangerous when wounded, after all. They slowly went in circles around each other, never breaking eye contact.

Like a flash of lightning it was upon Mikhail.

He tried to dodge, but the hooked beak of the beast slammed into his shoulder. He tumbled through the air, and landed flat on his back, slamming the air out of his lungs.

The beast immediately pounced, but he narrowly rolled away from the huge claws drilling into the ground, still gasping for air. It would have gutted him if he hadn't dodged. Once more it tried to claw at him, but Mikhail rolled away again and managed to leave a shallow gash on the back of its front leg.

The beast screamed and took a few steps back, inspecting the cut. Then it let out a mixture of a howl and a screech, and jumped around wildly, kicking up another dust cloud.

The sand stung Mikhail's eyes, and he had trouble opening them. He covered his mouth and nose with his shirt, and tried to catch his breath.

Ignore the pain, focus on this. Ignore the pain, focus on this. Mind over matter.

He tried, but failed to completely ignore the pain in his shoulder. It distracted him, and distractions were fatal. He knew the beast would soon charge again, and he knew it would probably be his end.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Fuck, well I tried, didn't I? I just hope the boy will be safe.

If it was going to be his end anyway, he'd make sure to take the beast with him though. He assumed a stance and stood completely still, waiting for the creature's attack. He ignored the world around him, and focused solely on the enemy. Every feather on its body, every twitch of its tight muscles, every movement of its eyes. He jutted his jaw and forgot to breathe for a moment.

When it charged, it seemed as if time slowed down. He knew he couldn't dodge the charge, and decided he'd run towards it. A shout snapped him out of his tunnel vision.

“STOP!” A tiny voice screeched at the top of his lungs.

The creature fell to its knees in front of Mikhail, and he knew this was his chance. He leapt towards the beast, and brutalized its neck with his daggers. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a golden light coming from Nebo's direction. He kept stabbing until he was covered in its warm blood and gore. It couldn't even move. He could see the fear in the poor beast's eyes, and pity filled him for a moment.

He stabbed it through the eyes, piercing its brain to finish it off. The creature let out a long heavy sigh, and he knew it was dead. After catching his breath, he looked over his shoulder just in time to see Nebo's legs begin to buckle. He rushed over to stop the boy from falling, and held him in his arms.

“Nebo, lad, are you alright?” He said, lightly slapping the boy's cheek. “Come on, now!”

Nebo didn't respond.

“Come now, say something lad!” Mikhail's eyes were wide with worry, and he shook him to wake him up.

Nebo opened his eyes slightly, and Mikhail saw his irises were blue as always, but surrounded by a golden ring. He'd used magic, just like Katya.

“Mika, safe?” Nebo managed to squeeze out.

“Yes, lad! I’m safe.” His voice was shaky with concern as he stroked Nebo's hair.

Nebo smiled at him, and closed his eyes again. “Happy. Tired, too. Night, Mika.”

“Goodnight, lad. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

He gently lay Nebo down in the grass, and took off his own shirt to check his shoulder.

The wound had opened again, and the pain seared through his body. Sighing and cringing, he grabbed his shirt to put it on when a voice interrupted him.

“I guess I’ll have to redo that again, won't I?” Katya said, leaning against the mouth of the cave with bags under her eyes.

Mikhail sighed. “Good morning, yes, I suppose you will.”