Cautiously, Donovan quietly ran through the darkening forest, keeping his head down. His breathing shook, and his eyes grew unsteady as an uncertainty grasped him. Concerned, he glanced back, finding only the dim crystal lights that illuminated behind the trees and shrubs. "Thank god," he exhaled. Relieved, he stopped and leaned on the closest tree, finally able to catch his breath.
"Damn! If it weren't for those soldiers, I would've been dead! I wonder... Is that why Bjorn and Kalika were acting so weird before?" Donovan peered left, gazing at the distant light of fire that fluttered beyond the trees. "I doubt they're the only bounty hunters around. I gotta find Kalika fast. One of them mentioned something about her being in a Dyad forest?"
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"Grk!" Donovan turned back, discovering the same blue demon boy holding his partially eaten green crystal in his hand. The boy then bit into the crystal. He chewed and crunched the crystal loudly as he stared at Donovan patiently. "I-it's the same kids from earlier. H-how did I not notice him!? Crap, what do I say?"
An awkward silence hung between the two as the boy continued eating away at the crystal in his hand. "Uhhhhhhh…" Suddenly, a faint tug pulled at him. An eerily familiar, similar rose was driving his full attention. Donovan furrowed his brow and lasered his eye in a single direction. "This feeling… I've only felt it one other time."
********
"Nnmmm... So… Tired…" Kalika grumbled from the buzzing of the strange insects hidden across the dark forest of black trees and yellow shrubs. The weight on her eyes grew heavier with every pull by the flowing river. To her surprise, the two women began to twist around and groan in confusion.
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Kalika glanced, noticing Res trying to pull from her grasp.
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"Grr!" Kalika dropped Res and glared with her drooping eyes. "
A sudden ejaculation of unpleasant colors poured from Res's mouth. "
Kalika's eyes twitched, watching as Zel woke from her slumber and drunkenly climbed off Res as she cried out, "
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Zel Clung tighter to Res, tear-filled eyes. "
Kalika watched on as the two women cried out together in their collective wails. "
Res drunkenly glanced at Kalika. "Huh?" She then giggled to herself cheerfully. "
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"Oh." Confused, Zel cocked her head. "
Kalika scoffed and released Zle from her grasp. "
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"Eh??" Kalika rolled her eyes. "
Loud snores suddenly erupted between the two. They turned and watched as Res peacefully slept with drool running down her mouth. With a solemn sigh, Kalika took Res by the legs and glared at Zel. "
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Kalika sighed. "Don't be. She made her choices. She should've hated me right from the very beginning, especially after Ek and Kel died. But she never stopped caring about me.>"
Zel abruptly stopped,
Kalika followed suit, then glanced back, and watched as Zel suddenly erupted into drunken laughter.
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Zel quieted her laughter, standing and staring at Kalika, confused.
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With some mild annoyance, Kalika exhaled and trekked on up the path. "
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"Sho annoying, I'm too tired to deal with those foolsh." Kalika thought. Eventually, fighting through the buzzing and the tone Zel hummed, they finally reaching the open clearing by the flowing waterfalls and pound-like river.
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"O-oh…." Kalika glanced from Zel to the cave. And without a second thought, she entered, discovering several beds of grass, leaves, and clothes. She yawned at the sight and trudged over, dropping Res on the bed.
"" Zel Said.
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"Oh. Okay. I guess that makesh sense." With a yawn, Zel slowly wobbled to her sister's side, cuddling up to her in the same bed. ""
Not long after, the soft snores of the two women filled the small cave. "Finally." Relieved, Kalika climbed into the bed, curling tiredly with her tail gently rubbing across the side of her arm. Hazed thoughts filled her mind, along with the memories that belonged elsewhere.
Silently, Kalika grabbed the end of the tail, pulling and caressing its tip. Feeling its tip and with a mild hesitation, she gently nibbled it.
A pleasant shiver ran down her spine, and her face flushed red. Lost in the strange pleasure, she continued to nibble the tip of her tail harder. Slowly, the stress and anger that had overwhelmed her were replaced with an alien warm and comfort.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps filled the cave, followed by chuckles. She released her tail, completely flustered. With her face even redder, she glanced back with tired eyes. "Donovan? Huh?"
Behind two different colored demons' bald heads approached, with sinister grins. Indignant, Kalika sat and cringed at the demons.
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To the demon's utter shock, Kalika laid back in the bed leaves and cloth's, turning her back on the two demons. "
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Kalika's silent snoring shattered the sudden fury, leaving both demons in stunned silence.
"" The blue demon chuckled. "
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The demons turned, ready to leave. suddenly, they found themselves face to face a large horned wolf that stood in their path, snarling.
"" The blue demon steeled himself and conjured and a red-stained mace, Attacking the wolf.
With ease, the huge wolf instantly chomped on the demon's mace-wielding hand and thrashed the demon about in fury.
"MECIUS!" Desperate, the red demon threw Kalika to the side and lunged at the wolf's side, attacking with his blood blade. He swung for the neck, instead slashing the back of his blue skinned companion. "
Without mercy the wolf thrashed the demon about, smacking the red demon away and slamming and dragging the blue all across the cave in a ruthless display of savagery. Soon the demon's arm was ripped from his body as he was sent crashing into the edge walls of the cave. His screams fill the cave, and despite the initial company of his companion, the wolf silenced him his, stabbing her horn in the demon's neck leaving a twitching corpse shaking on its head.
Hearing the screams of the demon, Kalika slowly stood and watched as the red demon laid, pinned by the wolf's paws. "Seriously?"
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"< You're seriously getting killed by a wolf? I thought you bounty hunters were shupposed to be tougher than that.>"
The wolf chomped down on the demon's head, slowly crushing it within its maw. The demon wriggled and screamed for mercy until he was crushed like a ripe fruit. Unfazed, Kalika slowly approached the wolf with a yawn and stroked its fur. "Good girl. Shorry I don't have any food for you. I guess you can shnack on those demonsh."
With another yawn, Kalika wobbled back to her previous bed of leaves of cloths with the wolf at her side. They both laid, with Kalika snuggling her back up to the wolf's warm, swollen belly, drifting into dreamland under the soothing motions and kicks of the bumps in the wolf's stomach.
********
Under the cover of night, two karnal brother's, bloodied, and determined followed at a distance, watching Donovan, along with a demon child, race through the forest.
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