The night was horrible. Not catching a blink of sleep, Aislene felt sick and beyond tired. The only thing she wanted was to rest. But she couldn't, not with all the different dangers roaming around. Conjuring up childhood stories, she tried to remember all the different monsters and atrocities that were the villains in nearly every fairy tale. Goblins, chimera's, dragons, imps, harpies, and the worst of all, the "Cybien." Whispering the name under her breath, she shudders at the thought of its mere description. An ape-like creature the size of a house, with bright red fur and a, bears snout on the face of an orangutan. A set of four pupilless white eyes, two on its face and two on the back of its shoulders, allowing it to see in front of and behind at the same time. Known to mimic people's exact sounds, particularly children screaming in pain and anguish, it lures its food towards it and mercilessly crushes the victim with enormous black hands that can wrap around the trunk of a tree. Inside its bear snout were two deadly forcipules used to grip larger things and help eat. Likely the most terrifying creature in the world, the elusive man-eater, had never once been caught. Tripping, Aislene failed to catch herself from landing flat on her face. Pain shot through her toe and forehead. She contracted her face muscles in time, but it still hurt. Pushing herself up, leaves were tangled in her hair and a smudge of dirt-stained her cheek. Wiping away the grime and pulling the leaves out of her hair, she leaned back on her legs and sat, looking down. Her stomach rumbled, quietly reminding her that she hasn't eaten since the palace. The feeling of rocks in her belly weighed down, making it hard to do anything. She'd been walking for half the day and seen nothing edible. Stones and leaves were abundant but not food. Tears stung her eyes as she fought off the growing pain. Standing once again, she kept walking. Her toe throbbed as she kicked a rock at a tree in frustration. The sound made a loud clap that echoed throughout the trees. It was louder than she expected, but her other problems took priority over worrying about it. She kept going, noisily walking through the forest floor, crunching leaves beneath her boots. Glimpses of light peered through the tree's canopy, lighting up certain sections of the shaded path. Enjoying the scenery, she kept on, attempting to smile but failing. The horror of the Ripper in her home coupled with paranoia about the Cybien prevented all comfort. So she maintained her expression of melancholic fear. Upon the path, she noticed a white rock sticking out of the ground. Getting closer to examine, the rock grew thinner and thinner until she realized that it wasn't a rock. Bones. Yelping, she took three steps back. Covering her mouth to muffle further alarms, she slowly got closer. Upon inspection, they looked like the bones of an animal. Gasping, she regained her held breath, recognizing a rib and a few smaller parts. But the rest couldn't be identified. Squatting down, she reached out to touch one of the parts. Stopping short, the air had grown warmer, and a shadow darker than the shade of the trees overtook her. She could hear heavy breathing and felt a massive sense of danger looming. Turning slowly around, eyes wide with fear, she recognized the snout of a bear but the absence of an orangutan. A giant grizzly stared at her, its teeth bared and eyes black as night. Screaming, the last thing Aislene remembered was unimaginable pain ripping through her arm and leg before passing out. A hazy black fog blinded her in the darkness. She couldn't see anything. She heard the cries of a young girl wailing, her sobs reverberating in her head. Sympathy and panic overwhelmed Aislene. She looked for the source, but the girl was not to be found. Her childish voice made no cease, Aislene vainly continued to search. Eventually, the cries slowly faded and died along with the girl. The only thing left was darkness and guilt. Opening her eyes, Aislene woke to something biting and nibbling on her hand. It hurt, and she felt blood seeping from the wound. She couldn't feel it, but she was nonetheless aware. Looking up was more shade. Once again, her vision was unusable. Pulling her hand away from the biting thing, she heard a soft growl, followed by fur touching her shoulder and leading all the way back to her face, she heard sniffing, and the smell of death clogged her nose. Sitting up quickly, the creature scrambled away in fear. Unfortunately, the shock wore off, and all the pain she was saved from earlier returned like water rushing down a waterfall. Slowly realizing what's happening, Aislene remembers the bear that attacked her and her own injuries. Opening her mouth, she takes a deep breath then releases it in preparation for what comes next. Inhaling as much air as she could, Aislene let out the loudest and most terrifying scream she could muster. The first was followed by several hiccups and sobs. She cried and screamed and wailed and howled and moaned for so long her throat felt raw and sore. She went on until she couldn't, and still, the agony had not ended. Her leg was a bloody mess. She could see her intact bone through the torn skin, and her pinky toe was missing. When she finally lost her voice, she coughed blood and mucus. Tears had soaked her day dress, and the wounds were still there. Exhausting herself, she laid back down and wished for death as she cried soundlessly. A few moments later, she hears the steps of something big padding toward her. Fear clutched her heart, and she tried to crawl away. But the bear turned her over onto her back again. Reaching around for something, anything, she felt something rough in her hand, a rock. When the beast came close enough, she swung as hard as she could, slamming its muzzle away from her. The force reverberated through her hand painfully while the bear stumbled back roaring in anger. Painfully sitting up, Aislene sat on one knee while the other lay limp behind her. The rock still in hand, she glimpsed the bright exit glowing outside the cave. The bear's growl echoed around the walls of the cave as it charged at her once again. She wanted to cower away, to escape the danger. But courage stepped forward, forcing her to face it head-on. Aislene struck it again with the rock, harder than before. The force collided right above the bear's eye, and she heard the crack of its skull as the thing stopped moving, blood gushed out of her hand quickly against the sharp stone. Before she could recognize what happened, the built-up momentum crashed into Aislene, the strength and speed slammed her back. She felt her foot twist and then snap with an unnerving sound under the weight of the beast. When they finally stopped sliding across the cave floor, the collapsed body was resting on top of her. She could hear the cries of the cubs nearby, their sad growls mourning their dead mother. The weight was suffocating. Aislene gasped and tried to push the bear off, desperately pushing and shoving only for it to swing back into place. She took quick short breaths, adding to the urgency. For a moment, she thought this was how she'd die, like drowning underwater. She made noises that were half cries and giggles, the hilarity of dying under the body of a defeated enemy was too funny to her, she couldn't help but appreciate the ironic end. Who was the real winner? The heaving of air in and out of her tired lungs left very little room for laughing, soon it resided to give way to sobriety. Determination and adrenaline arose to help. After an eternity, most of the weight was off, but the bear's head still lay on her chest, its bashed in head rising and falling in sync with her breaths. Using the last of her strength she finally shoving it off. Aislene laid to rest a bit, feeling proud she almost forgot her pain. Almost. Once again her heavy eyelids slowly slid over her vision and she fainted from a combination of exhaustion, pain, and suffering.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.