The Tengu, also known as the Warlord thanks to a rather bloody battle a few months back, was trying to press his organs back into his body as poison wracked it.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck—“ he hissed. Adrenaline and Magic were currently the only two things that kept him going right now, but they weren’t going to last another five minutes.

Fuckin’ territorial bastard Volkodlak and his fuckin’ lightning claws. Fucking Autumn and the fact that every single Bloodline migrated two degrees to the left and oh no, he accidentally stepped two inches into Wolf territory.

Fuckin’ ow.

He spared a glance behind him, and a manic, bloody smile crawled its way onto his face at the inferno he had left behind. That would hopefully keep that mangy wolf out of his hair.

Though, you could never tell with those weird Lone wolves. They were the insane ones, if the rumors were to be believed.

He limped down the hill he had found himself on, squinting out into the darkness.

Thanks to the glowing blaze behind him, he could make out a looming blob of forest in the near distance.

He tried, a difficult feat what with the poison and the organs spilling out of him and Magic levels at dangerously low levels. Plus, there was the Forest.

See, usually he was okay with forests. He was half crow, he liked forests, assuming there weren’t any Sidhe ready to spear you. But he was also humanoid, so not this one. This was the Forest. With a capital letter and a ‘the’ at the beginning of it.

And The Forest was The Maiden’s Forest. As in, the forest with the trees that ate people. Well, really they just sucked your blood because that’s where all the Magic is.

Vampire trees.

Ha.

Man either there was some good stuff laced in that poison or the blood loss was really getting to him.

He stood at the tree line, trying to decide what he wanted to do.

A howl sounded behind him so he put some extra pep in his hobble and finally, he decided on collapsing into a bush just before the tree line and hoping that the bushes also weren’t cannibalistic.

He wished he had his wings. They would make things so much damn easier. But, poison, hole in his side, murder trees, no Magic. Not the greatest idea to summon them.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

He tried to wheeze as quietly as possible as a figure prowled through the smoke. Hair that was half gray, spiked thanks to static electricity, amber eyes cutting through the darkness. Huge fangs pulled at the Volkodlak’s upper lip, saliva dripping down his chin.

The man looked straight towards his bush.

“I can smell you, Tengu.”

Well, shit.

“Won’t you come out and be good prey.”

Yeah, so fuck this.

Bloodsucking trees be damned, the way that man was eying him was making his skin crawl. He rolled into the Forest, a couple of yards past the tree line.

The roots creaked ominously around him and he shuddered.

The Volkodlak’s lip curled. “I promise I’ll treat you better than this Forest will…”

He’d take his chances, thanks.

Something snapped behind Katsurou and he went stiff. The Volkodlak did the same, hair spiking up more and clawed hands crackling with electricity. “Khodyachiy mertvets,” he snarled, before spinning on his heel and stalking off.

Katsurou remained still, listening, eyes wide and trying to see anything in the darkness. His wound screamed in pain and he Hungered, but he dug his hands in the soil and waited. Nothing came to pounce on him.

Katsurou slowly got onto his hands and knees, turning his head this way and that—

A pair of glowing green eyes met his own red ones.

Ah shit…

“Um,” he said intelligently, “I’m just gonna… go over there.” He pointed at one of the cannibal trees. It seemed to be a nice, sturdy tree to get eaten from the inside out by. If the Beast staring at him didn’t eat him first. “Maybe only eat me after I’ve passed out? Please?”

Blink. Blink.

“Awesome.” He crawled over to the tree and leaned against it.

And here came the adrenaline and Magic crash.

Tears made the backs of his eyes hot and he panted through gritted teeth, removing his hands from his stomach. Blood, already spilling hot from him, poured down his side and yeah, his organs were making an appearance. Pretty sure that was his liver, but then again he didn’t make a habit of getting aquainted with his liver.

His hand batted something coming towards him, and he made a gargling noise at the realization that it was a tree root.

“Oh, fuck.” He gasped. He clasped his hands together. “Mother of the Body, grant me a quick death, Father of the Mind a painless one. Maiden, all-Daughter, please let your parents take me away before you do.”

Soft footsteps padded closer to him and he glanced up to see the green-eyed creature staring at his wound.

This close, and now that his eyes had adjusted as far as they would in the darkness, he could see pointed ears and a tiny, sleek, dark body.

A fox.

A young one if the size was one to go by.

A baby hisui no kitsune was here to witness his death.

He supposed there could be a less auspicious creature to do so.

The fox chittered at him and he paid it a droll glance.

“Yes, I’m dying. How clever of you.”

Black spots danced at the edge of his vision and he grinned suddenly. He held out a blood-soaked gloved hand to the kitsune.

“You’ll be able to eat me in about five minutes, little man. Here’s a fuckin’ appetizer, I guess.

He could have sworn the kitsune gave him a look that said are you insane you damned crow, but it slowly and cautiously came up to him and licked at his hand.

He threw his head back, staring at the canopy above him, and cackled.

Red and orange and black. Kind of fitting for him to die in the Forest where his mother began, surrounded by his Bloodline’s colors, no?

And he promptly passed out.