Blood and Scales

Chapter 8 – Grunna Reborn

The first thing Grunna experienced on regaining some semblance of consciousness was a hot, sticky, metallic tasting liquid flowing into his mouth. He tried to gag, but didn’t have the strength so he tried to swallow in order to get the horrible taste out.

Is it really so terrible, a strange part of his mind began to protest, or is it everything I’ve ever wanted?

Grunna’s thoughts were foggy and just out of reach, but on a second consideration he found that he actually kind of liked the taste. He liked the warm strength it seemed to be giving him. He was wracked with pain, but all he really felt was the sweet floating sensation of dying, and at the same time, he was so vital and alive.

A sharp pain in his wrist drew his attention, and he could feel his life being drained away. He instinctively reached for the source of the blood…

Blood? Am I really drinking blood? He wondered.

There was the strange sensation of something sticky flowing up his scales, and then a sharp pain, as whatever it was entered the wounds all over his body. Despite how strange it was, he also felt like this was how things were supposed to be. He felt his teeth grow in his mouth, and he could feel it digging into something's flesh releasing more of the life-giving blood.

His thoughts were interrupted by a crashing sound nearby, and angry shouting he couldn’t make out. The flesh was ripped from his mouth, and all he wanted was more.

* * * *

Aelia got to her feet, she was shaking from the effort of the blood mixing, and from how scared she was. She tried to move towards the lizigoth woman, hoping that they could rekindle the closeness that she had felt before.

“I’m sorry,” Aelia said, hating the look in the other woman’s eyes, “This is how we mix blood.”

“I thought you were being metaphorical,” Ardera snapped, “Some sort of strange ritual, not whatever this is.”

Aelia pulled her arm away from Grunna, who tried to bring it back to his lips hungrily.

“This is what you wanted me to do, Ardera,” Aelia snapped back, “I didn’t want to do it, but you said…”

“Is he healed?” Ardera asked resignedly.

“You don’t need to talk about me like I’m not here you know,” Grunna said bluntly, sitting up, “I don’t really know what she did, but I feel better than I’ve ever felt before.” He looked between the two of them, trying to figure out what was different. There was something nagging at the back of his fuzzy mind, but he didn’t understand it yet.

“Grunna! You’re awake,” Ardera exclaimed.

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“Do you feel any different?” Aelia asked him.

How do I know her name? Grunna thought to himself before shaking his head.

“We have bigger problems right now,” he said, “the boss blood sucker is making his way through the swamp on a rampage. He killed all of our siblings, ‘Dera. I need to warn the village. He killed them in a matter of minutes. Everyone. I barely stood up to him.”

“Whoa, whoa, hold on, what do you mean? Are there more Vanardis in the swamp?” Ardera asked.

“Vanardis?” Grunna asked.

“That’s what we’re normally called, not blood suckers,” Aelia spat at him.

Grunna was taken aback that this woman, Aelia, was so angry at him. Hadn’t she saved him? He felt a weird sort of psychic bond with her, and when he reached for it, she pushed it away, and he felt offended for some reason.

“How many of them are there, Grunna?” Ardera asked.

“I don’t know for sure. A few hundred from what little I saw, they ambushed us.” Grunna guessed.

“Alright, you need to go warn the village elders, I’ll go and find the missing girl, and bring her back.”

“What should I do?” Aelia continued. Ardera hesitated a moment before she responded.

“You should probably come with me. The village might not trust Grunna’s new form if he brings you with him.” Ardera said.

Aelia hadn’t noticed at first, but now looking at Grunna again, she saw that he was different. It wasn’t immediately apparent, but his teeth were longer and his scales had a strange gleam to them.

Grunna tried to stand up but ended up throwing himself into the cave wall. A sickening crack came from his spine and he couldn’t feel his legs anymore. Then another snapping sound and he was fine? He didn’t understand what was happening.

“What the hells was that?” Ardera snapped at him.

“I don’t know, I was just trying to stand!” He spat back at her.

“This might be an effect of the mixing,” Aelia guessed, “you might be stronger now than you're used to.”

Grunna tried again but a lot more delicately, and successfully stood up. He could feel how much stronger he was with every movement. He took a few tentative steps, testing how his muscles responded to his movements.

He started feeling dizzy when a strange thrumming hit his ears. No. It wasn’t in his ears, it was something else, and it was coming from Ardera. He found himself entranced by her heart beating.

“Hey! Her eyes are up here,” Aelia snapped, pointing at Ardera’s face.

“Of course they are.” He said, snapping out of the trance, confused.

“Yes, well…” Aelia cleared her throat and blushed, “look, we don’t know what changes might have occured because of the mixing. Just be careful.”

“Are you concerned about me,” Grunna asked hopefully.

“What? No,” Aelia said, and his hopes were dashed. He didn’t understand why she was fighting the bond that was so clearly there.

“Enough, Grunna,” Ardera said, finally stepping in, “You need to warn the elders about the Vanardis army coming for them, and we need to go rescue the missing girl.”

“Right.” He confirmed.

They all gathered their things, and stood awkwardly at the mouth of the cave for a moment.

“Good luck,” Ardera said to Grunna.

“You too,” he responded.

With that Grunna, the man that Aelia was now betrothed to, nodded at her and Ardera before running into the dense growth at the mouth of the cave, and towards the village. She turned to look at Ardera, the woman she had grown close to, and fought back the tears that threatened to overcome her.