Chapter 4:

TWO YEARS LATER:

Thomas prowled through the underbrush, which had gotten much thicker than it was when he first arrived in this place, now starting after only a 5 minute walk outside the Grove. He moved through it silently as if a ghost were passing and not a person. His query was just a few dozen meters in front of him. He continued his controlled pace, keeping his senses peeled for any unexpected interlopers. As he drew closer he focused on being as quiet as possible lest he alert the ever vigilant guard of an intruder.

When he was less than 10 feet from his query he burst into action, he knew from this distance there was no way to approach any closer with stealth, his only option was to use the element of surprise. Dashing forward he grabbed for the circular object that was laying in a basket of leaves and twigs. An angry whine alerted him that he had been spotted. But it was too late, he already had the treasure he had come for. Unfortunately, now came the difficult part.

Nestling the object in a football carry he turned dashing back in the direction he came, he could hear the pounding of feet following him. Counting down in his head, he waited for the sensation of cold wind to pass across his neck. Just as he began to feel it he quickly sidestepped to his left as something passed. The blur skidded to a stop a short distance in front of him.

It was a creature he had seen many times in the last two years, it looked like a mix between a platypus and an ostrich. The creature was bipedal and quite tall, being just a bit shorter than he himself was. It had the body of an ostrich with long legs and a long neck, however the legs were not thin but rather thick and muscled. Its body was leaned forward with short arms that ended in thick three fingered hands. The head resembled a platypus with its billed mouth.

Maybe a Raptor and a platypus is a better comparison. Thomas thought as he looked at the creature. He wasn’t thrilled about stealing its egg, but the damn beasts propagated like they were rabbits, so he didn’t feel too bad. They were herbivores and one of they’re favorite snacks seemed to be the berry bushes that were one of his own main food sources. Which meant that he had needed to start finding other sources of food. One day he had observed one of the lynx hunting one of the creatures and after which it ate its eggs. After that he noticed that many of the wildlife seemed to use the eggs as a food source.

The additional underbrush that had started popping up made for easy fire kindling and well, he was hooked almost right away. Eating eggs after only having berries for weeks on end made it one of the most delicious things he had ever tasted. After that he couldn’t stop himself and every mating season he would try and steal some of the eggs. Luckily for him these creatures liked to mate ALOT.

Hearing another angry whine brought Thomas back to the present. The creatures were herbivores but they would protect the eggs quite fiercely. The creature darted forward faster than a normal person would be able to react. It covered the 5 meters between them in the blink of an eye. Thomas swayed backwards avoiding a slash from the claw-less hands. He immediately followed up his back sway with a low dash passing under the follow up attack and slipping by the creature.

He took off as soon as he was past the creature running in zigzagging patterns dashing between different trees, a smile sneaking its way onto his face. The platypus-raptors, as he had now deemed them, were at their best when they only had to run in one direction. If they got up to full speed they were even faster than the lynx-like creature that he had almost died to. But all that meant was that he needed to keep the creature from moving in one straight line.

Thomas kept this game of cat and mouse up as he moved toward the Grove, the smile on his face growing as the creature became faster, almost catching him. He couldn’t help it, something within him found the game of chase to be quite enjoyable. Then he heard something he did not expect to hear and his smile disappeared.

“Raahhhhhhhh!!!!” it was a scream, one that sounded far to close. He was so shocked in fact that he actually stopped moving and looked in the direction he had heard the sound. Of course the platypus-raptor that was following him did not care one bit about the scream and used this opportunity to slam into him, sending him, and the egg flying. Thomas crashed a few meters away, bouncing off the ground before slamming his back into a tree.

The creature grabbed the egg out of the air and before Thomas even thought to look for it, was long gone.

“ughhh” with a groan of pain Thomas stood back up. He checked himself over and did a couple of twists testing to see if anything was broken. Good thing this body is still stupidly sturdy. Can’t be getting distracted like that, luckily those guys aren’t predatory. He lightly admonished himself.

Remembering which direction he heard the voice from he started moving quickly toward it.

“Haaaah!” Another shout. Well that confirms I’m going in the right direction, but shouldn’t I have come upon them already? Thomas continued traveling, but slowed to a more cautious pace, maintaining as quiet an approach as he could manage. There’s no way to know if I’ll even be able to communicate with these people in the first place.

He had realized an unsettling fact. This was the direction of the Lynx-like creatures' territory. I hope they’re strong or the Lynx are going to cut them to ribbons.

“Arghhhhh” A scream of pain this time. Well there’s definitely some kind of battle going on. Let’s pick up the pace.

He traveled for another couple of minutes then strained his senses trying to get an idea of where they were based on the sounds of battle. There still that far? If they were this far away how did I even pick up that original scream. They had to have been 3 miles away. I know my hearing is better than it used to be but I can’t hear stuff this far away normally.

As he drew closer he heard more. He heard some type of communication going on but couldn’t make out the words. Let alone if it was a language he understood. He also heard the distinct howl of the lynx-like creatures.

He slowly snuck forward peering through the underbrush and coming upon a clearing where the tension in the air could be felt. There was a group of humans, 7 strong, facing off against a group of 3 Lynx. Unfortunately two of the humans were already severely hurt and another was busy looking after one of the injured, leaving only 4 of them truly battle ready. One of which was sporting more mild wounds. The humans were wearing your typical fantasy ranger attire. Dark brown leather armor covered their bodies, a long cloak fell down their backs and a hood lay over their heads. They had swords drawn and Thomas was surprised that only two of them had bows, one of whom was currently injured.

The 4 were in formation surrounding an older man who was holding his sword with one hand, the other uselessly fallen to his side. Thomas saw blood trickling down it. There were two figures behind the group, one was leaned up against a tree, blood rolling down the side of their head. A hood covering their face. While the other was knelt nearby frantically going through a pack on the ground.

The situation was not looking good, none of the lynx appeared to have any wounds that he could see. These were also much bigger than the one he had fought with back then. They easily reached above his knees in height.

“Captain, I can stabilize her but she’s going to need more assistance then I can provide with the supplies I have on hand.” A woman’s voice called out. "and soon." Thomas mentally deemed her ‘Caretaker’ in his head.

“Do what you can Trish, we’ll make a path. Be ready to move her.” One of the men responded.

Well that’s a pleasant surprise. I can actually understand them. Though, that doesn’t quite sound like English. Now what to do… I can’t just leave them to the Lynx but I don’t know how they will react to me.

Thomas didn’t have much time to think as the Lynx attacked, their claws glowing blue. Two of them came at the group from separate sides, the third down in a crouch as if waiting for the best opportunity to pounce. The creatures zipped towards the group.

The man known as ‘captain’ intercepted one of the creatures. Sword and claw met, and sword was blown outwards. The creature quickly followed up with another slash and Thomas was sure there would soon be another injured. Just in time an arrow shot straight towards its head. The creature abandoned its attack, but easily dodged out of the way. The Captain didn’t pass up the opportunity and pushed any advantage they had, slashing and stabbing at the creature who appeared to leisurely dodge each stroke.

So the Lynx have more strength and speed. They also understand the danger of an arrow and have enough intelligence to coordinate with others in their pack.

Thomas carefully watched the battle unfold. Captain with support from the archer appeared to be in a stalemate with the largest of the lynx, neither able to inflict any real wounds on the other. Moving his attention over, the two remaining swordsmen were not coping nearly as well. They both were already sporting superficial wounds and one of them had a large gash on his calf.

Just then the third cat made its move, dashing toward the caretaker who was tending to the woman leaning against the tree. The older man with the injured arm moved to intercept and Thomas was shocked to find that he was actually able to keep up with the animal. No he’s almost overpowering it, but it looks like he’s losing steam fast. Unfortunately, it seemed that with his injury the man wouldn't last long.

They won’t be able to break free at this rate. If they weren’t injured I think they could take out all three. Hell, assuming that his dominant arm is the injured one, that old man may be able to take all three himself. But as they are, it seems unlikely. Thomas started circling the clearing heading toward the injured woman and her caretaker. If the injured guy can join those two other swordsmen or the captain they should be able to turn the tides here. But can I really beat one of the Lynx? One half the size of these absolutely kicked my ass.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Unfortunately any time to debate was up as the third cat landed a slash on the injured man. Three long gashes were drawn across his chest, blood flowing from them freely. Thomas saw the man grit his teeth, seemingly refusing to make a noise.

“Markus!” Screamed the caretaker.

The cat didn’t stop there, it quickly dashed around the man and straight for the two figures near the tree. Shit! Thomas’s mind screamed at him to do something. The feline was quickly eating the distance separating the two. There’s no way the others can intervene in time! Without totally realizing it, Thomas left his cover and dashed to intercept. He saw the caretaker hold her arms out, palms facing the feline as if to ward it off.

I’m not going to make it in time! Thomas pushed himself as hard as he could, covering the dozens of meters between them faster than an Olympic athlete. Still too slow. Come on! He watched as the feline closed in on the two, barely 2 meters away. No! He felt a fiery sensation pass through his lower limbs and then all of a sudden he was standing next to the feline as it struck toward the woman. He planted his feet, twisting his hips as he threw a punch towards its side. An explosion rang out as his fist impacted densely packed muscle sending the Lynx shooting across the forest floor.

Thomas stood there stunned for a second at the sheer power of the blow. Remembering his previous encounter with one of these Beasts he moved to follow up, but the creature was already back on its feet before he could close the distance. This one’s a lot tougher than the previous. He didn’t have much time to think as the creature lunged at him, aiming for his neck. He back-swayed, barely staying out of reach, and retaliated with a hook aimed at the creature's head. The hook barely grazed its ear as it tilted its head down and out of the way. The creature followed up with a bite into his calf. He grit his teeth as pain raced up his leg. Two punches to its head were enough to forcefully release its hold on him. Following up with a strong kick to its side sent the creature skidding back.

Taking the opportunity he twisted around and looked back at the two women by the tree, the caretaker looking at him in a daze. Not knowing if they could actually understand him, he pointed at them and then in the direction that he came from as if telling them to move.

“Go!” he yelled.

Thomas threw himself into a crouch as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. The Lynx sailed overhead, claws passing where his neck used to be. He shifted and threw a leg out kicking the Beast as it landed. The multiple blows seemed to have finally done some real damage, as the creature struggled slightly to stand back up.

Quickly surveying the battlefield Thomas saw that the Captain appeared to have gained the advantage against his opponent once the archer landed an arrow into one of its back legs. The two currently having a stare down. Just as he looked over the man shifted making eye contact, as if he had sensed Thomas’s gaze. They held the stare for a split second before the captain’s eyes darted over to where the two women were headed.

“Steve, cover Mike and Scott! Markus, start retreating with Trish and Elana. Everyone make your way back toward the direction of those two.” He called to his party. He then began shifting his position so he was between his opponent and the women.

A chorus of acknowledgments came back and Thomas turned to his own opponent to see it warily watching him. He kept eye contact and tried looking as intimidating as he could but made no move to re-engage. The lynx appeared to have decided against continuing the battle as well, as it was also staying still. Thomas slowly started backing toward the closest edge of the clearing, keeping his eyes on the creature the entire time, ready to respond if it attacked or went for one of the others. Each step he took sent pain shooting up his leg but he didn’t allow that to distract him, he knew that if he showed an opening the Lynx would capitalize on it.

Keeping one eye on the creature he checked how the others were doing. With the help of the archer the two named ‘Mike’ and ‘Scott’ had quickly pushed their opponent to a stalemate. The captain’s opponent appeared to have similar thoughts as his own. It hadn’t retreated but was no longer making aggressive moves seeing as the captain was also slowly backing up.

“Captain! We appear to be clear back here. Let’s go!” The caretaker called. With that all the remaining members of the party started a quick but controlled retreat.

Thomas hit the edge of the clearing and quickly blended back in with the underbrush. Staying right on the edge as he circled around the clearing so he could keep watch over the inside. Once the group of humans had left the clearing the lynx regrouped. They were all sporting injuries at this point, two of them visibly limping, he hoped they would decide it wasn’t worth the risk to pursue. Keeping one eye on the Beasts Thomas pulled a blood stained cloth out of his pocket, an old strip of his T-shirt. He quickly tied it around his upper calf just above the bite. Thomas let out a sigh of relief as it appeared that luck was on their side today as the Lynx turned and slunk back into the forest. He would still be keeping his guard up of course.

As Thomas continued to circle the clearing he picked up a conversation from the party. They had retreated almost 50 meters and it sounded as if they were trying to reorganize themselves. Maybe they are waiting for me?

“haaaaa, well that was lucky” the caretaker sighed.

“Indeed, I didn’t expect we’d run into a pack of Silver-toed Lynx out here. We haven’t had reports of those in years. Were lucky that Stranger intervened when they did. Trish how’s Elana?” That sounded like the captain.

“She’ll survive. Has a nasty wound to the head and will definitely be in the infirmary for a while. Still unconscious. Luckily outside of the head wound she doesn’t appear to have any other injuries. It’ll be hard to transport her like this though.”

“Yes, we’ll need to wait for her to awaken before heading back. That’s assuming that Markus and Scott can last?”

“I’ve already treated Scott’s calf, he’ll have some difficulty moving but shouldn’t have any long term issues. Markus on the other hand… he needs to see a Healer back in town, I did what I can for his shoulder but without more advanced ingredients well…” The woman trailed off obviously not happy with the situation.

“Ha! I’ll be fine, I've suffered worse than this before!” A masculine voice boasted. Thomas guessed that was Markus.

“Shit! I don’t like this” it sounded like the captain was ignoring the boast “Do we even really know where we are? Those damn things pursued us for quite a while.”

By this point Thomas had come upon the group and was hiding in the underbrush just a few meters away. The archer and relatively uninjured swordsman were keeping watch while the rest were standing around the trunk of a tree that the woman, Thomas now knew was called Elana, was resting against.

With a shake of her head the caretaker answered “No I don’t think we do, Elana was our main scout anyway so with her out I’m even less sure of where we are or getting back home easily.”

“Tch, and with there being Silver-toed Lynx here who knows what else has moved in. I don’t like this one bit.” the captain grumbling that last part. “Okay we need to find a spot to post up then until Elana regains consciousness.”

Thomas decided that was as good a time as any to make contact again. Slowly coming out of the underbrush not far from the group he called out.

“I know a place.”

The entire party outside of the injured man named Markus jumped with a start and time seemed to slow as Thomas could see the Archer’s fingers loose the arrow. He quickly sidestepped as the arrow whizzed by dropping into a ready stance. He prepared to blend back into the underbrush.

“Hold!” the Captain yelled at the archer then turned to face Thomas. “Apologies stranger but you just scared the daylights out of us, seems we're all still a bit jumpy.” The captain trailed off as if debating what decision to make.

“Is he a freaking ghost?” Thomas heard one of the others mutter, likely thinking Thomas couldn’t hear them.

Seemingly having come to a decision the captain quickly looked at Markus and after a brief nod from the man responded to Thomas. “We’ll take you up on that offer, stranger. We appreciate your assistance.”

Relaxing somewhat Thomas stood back up and simply nodded. He then turned and started heading in the direction of the grove.

“I think he wants us to follow him, Captain.” One of the group commented.

“Not very talkative, is he? Well let’s get moving. Mike, help Trish with Elana. Scott, Markus can you both walk on your own?” The Captain orders.

“I’ll be fine”

“I’ll make do”

Returned the two.