I have been here before. I don’t recall when, but I knew I have done this, a thousand times.... ten thousand times. I have slayed, I have butchered and I have feasted on the flesh of my prey.

My blood circled faster inside me, my nostrils widened, the blood lust of the dragons settled on my hearts, and they beat a loud battle cry, even I was surprised at the response of my body.

So that should make the horror I was witnessing okay. It should make it familiar, after all, horror dwelt in every single drop of my blood.

It did not.

The first thing that streamed into senses was the ground, my feet was bare so I felt it.

I felt my feet sink into warm flesh, broken bones and offal. My leg sank to my ankles in gore, which gave a sickening pop as I took a step forward. The earth on which I stepped on was a bowl of butchery.

The second was the smell, it was indescribably foul, a mish mash of putrescence, overlayed with a thick smell of blood, like rotten iron dragged from the deep.

The surrounding aura weighed on me physically, and I felt my legs being pushed into the spongy ground slowly, I shuddered slightly, breaking its hold.

My foot pressed on a root that squirmed like a python, it slowly slid away, before burying a probing tip back again into the ground, where a spine chilling suction sound began. The ground was choke full with roots like this, they gathered at the surfaces of the ground, something tells me their source of nutrition was not to be found deep in the earth. The roots led to trees that were coal black, and gave out frightening heat.

The trees moved, not by wind or external force, but with a slow detached hunger. I watched in quiet fascination as a branches holding grey leaves that look engorged with an unknown liquid, enfold slowly into a lumpy wooden hand, and in a creeping manner reach towards me.

With their speed of movement, it would take forever to reach me, they had to be scavengers, however I felt a slow probing consciousness touch mine. It whispered to me lethargy and mindlessness. So, even the trees themselves hunt. No matter, I was the moon, and it was a wailing ant, I felt it unfit to deem my concern. My immediate query was the death battles.

In the air, among the tree branches, on the ground, various creatures laid waste to each other, claws and fangs, horn and hooves, all contested together. A fell dance. Blood sprayed into the air. Tiny rubies of slaughter.

The eyes of the combatants was a pathway to hell, they held no emotion, even as they lay than slaughter on their opponents, or were slaughtered themselves, they held nothing, just hollowness. Stillness. Like a fetid swamp that could not flow.

I watched a monkey like creature rip the arm off of a huge rock covered bear, the only response was the bear crushing the spine of his opponent with a savage chomp, looking around for another prey, he staggered towards the next fight on three limbs, but blood loss took its toll and he fell to the ground, no sound escaped his gaping mouth, that clashed together, like it was tearing the air.

Four other creature similar to the monkey descended on its prone form, and savagely butchered it, mouth opened in silent screams, it clumsily fought back, still it was torn to pieces. Its limbs, guts and bones scattered to the bloody ground. These creatures appeared not to eat the fallen.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

Their cooperation ended when they butchered the bear, they rounded on each other, and attacked themselves with pure fury and mindless aggression, where a short while ago, they all worked together. Similar occurrences was happening all around me.

A snake at least fifty feet long, with fangs the size of my arm was coiled around three other creatures that resembled spiders, I say resembled, because their upper body was of a stag with long graceful horn that tapered to a point, dull sound of breaking bones and mangled flesh filled the air, as the reptile mercilessly squeezed them to mush, while it mouth seized a huge feline with beautiful red fur, and its fangs went to work on the maddened creature.

Every damned creature in this jungle was red, the colour of old blood, and the shades of crimson appear to represent their strength, as the brighter the shade the stronger the creature. The weakest was almost black. While the stronger glowed, like the snake for example, it glowed with a crimson shade, like the setting sun over a field of bloody roses.

Deeper in the jungle, were larger more ferocious shapes, whose combat literally made the surrounding vibrate, from here I could hear the sonic booms, even so, something made the hellish landscape almost a facsimile

The screams they made. These damned creatures. Was silent.

Which was very strange you see, because I could hear the angry howls and roars of creatures duking it out till death, however it was coming from the trees.

The trees were the ones playing a melody to this field of slaughter, they were the demented choir in black robes.

For the time being, it appeared to be that I had been excluded from the slaughter, I wagered not for long though, for a seal like creature with six eyes dragged his mangled back legs behind and crawled towards me, Something had crush the limbs to mush, leaving only it fore limbs, which it used to crawl towards me, It came close and swiped ineffectually at me, blank eyes staring at me, bloody mouth opened.

I furrowed my brows, my attention was on the gigantic monsters deeper in the jungle, they were the ones going to supercharge my petals of energy, taking it to a new level. I could feel it.

The reaching hands from the tree had been slowly but surely drawing towards me, I cracked my neck, I was no longer an observer.

My first step was on the head of the pitiful creature with bloody maws, they had been opened wide in a silent growl all this while. The eyes exploded from it head, trailing blood. The head turned to mush under my feet. I glided past the reaching branch and my hands seized them and I pulled..... the tree screamed as the questing branch was torn from it. It bled. I sidestepped to the left dodging the spray.

Cut off from the tree the branch in my hand became more energetic, squirming like an earthworm, wooden claw scratching my skin ineffectively, I took it to my mouth, and curiously took a bite.

The outer bark, was a bit hard, but it gave way with a crunch, and I bit off one of its wooden digit. Juices exploded in my mouth, as I swallowed, a rush of energy zipped down my throat and a poured into my stomach, I inhaled in surprise.

The wail from the tree announced my presence. The combatants froze for a moments, eyes fixed on me, I crouched a bit, spreading my arms, and extending my fingers, my nails glinted in the low light, my white hair brushed across the blood on the ground, but was always unstained by the muck.

I growled at them “come on". The trees collectively screamed their fury. And they all descended on me like a red tide, creatures both great and small, they were disorganised, some of their numbers were trampled, as they scrambled to get to me. The weight of their silent cries made the air heavy, and the ground shook with their charge.

I cocked my head, watching the charging horde, I blinked, turning my back to them, bending down I picked up the prey I killed.

with a burst of power, I pushed myself away from the forest, I had not entered too deeply, and two thrust with my legs sent me out of the cursed place.

Behind me the press of animals stared at me as they prowled the boundaries of the forest, my speculations were correct, I breath a little easier, they could not leave the forest. I cringed at the sounds from the trees, it was....... unpleasant. I smirked, even though something inside me felt queasy with my actions, I would not let my instinct rule my action.

My blood was screaming for blood, nonetheless I headed home.

I said I was going hunting, and that was what I did.

Holding on to the still squirming branch and my pitiful prey. I walked to my quiet cave, behind the waterfalls.