Into the Woods - Rite of Strength

The dark brown Drakiri peered into the depths of the thick forest before her, her mismatched blue and green eyes squinting. They sparkled like strange gemstones as the last dying rays of light from the setting sun, enhancing their snake-like appearance. Medusa let out an irritated hiss and huffed. Still no sign of him as she turned her head back to search the skies. The sunset threw long shadows across the ground, dark claws desperately stretching for something eternally out of reach. 

Medusa stamped her hoof impatiently. Her claws gouged into the earth, and she absentmindedly turned the dirt over and over as she continued to stare. She was itching to be off. Anticipation thrummed through her bones for this day. She could hardly keep herself still. Every part of her body wanted to take off into the woods before her right now, but she couldn't. She had to wait for her partner to arrive first. Normally Medusa preferred to only ever work on her own, and this precisely highlighted why. 

"Late. As usual." An agitated sigh escaped her. Still no sign of Othelios. The dracus was nowhere to be seen. "Where even is that overgrown fuzzy noodle? He better not have gotten cold feet, or I'll give him a real reason to have cold feet." She swears, if he's gone soft on her and left her stranded… 

Her attention turns back to the woods. Even though it was growing dark, the darkness among the trees had a peculiar quality to it. The forest grew alarmingly dense and overgrown startlingly quickly from the edge of the tree line, and the shadows had a thick, tacky look to them, as if they clung at the trees with tangible tendrils. She knew to be wary, but Medusa couldn't help the sense of excitement bubbling up inside of her. She wondered what sort of things they might find in there. Hopefully she could find at least something interesting to bring back. If the shadows were indeed as solid as they appeared, they would certainly have some interesting properties. 

Her tail flicked and she pricked her ears forward. Waiting be damned. She was too impatient to stay here another moment longer when so many tantalizing secrets and oddities lay just out of reach. Othelios could catch up with her whenever he finally showed his face, if he hadn't completely bailed out on her anyway. She'd never quite pegged him as the flaky type, but this was getting ridiculous. He'd better have a good excuse for the hold up. Besides, he was a big boy. He could handle himself. She didn't need to be there to hold his hand. 

The forest enveloped her swiftly. It was even thicker in here than it had looked from outside. Medusa kept having to squint to make out shapes as her eyes struggled to adjust to the low light. Hanging vines draped down from just about every branch, dragging across her face and back. Lush ferns brushed against her legs, leaving her fur wet where they touched. Huh. Dew. It was oddly cool under the canopy, which surprised her considering how warm it had been a few minutes ago out underneath the open sky. Condensation was everywhere, and if she really strained her eyes she could just about make out the faint glimmer of dew droplets amidst the darkness. A tiny night sky below mirroring the one that was soon to be visible above. 

It was oddly quiet as she continued to trek deeper, as if the dense foliage muffled any sound before it could reach her. If she was a little more of a daydreamer, she surely would've appreciated the dark, otherworldly beauty of it and the way the forest seemed to create her very own pocket world around her, blissfully unaware to the rest of reality. 

However, Meg was no such dreamer. It was perhaps that fact and her rapt attention that tipped her off to how unsettling the silence was and immediately alerted her to the sound of a twig snapping nearby. She snapped her head around to search for the intruder, but with how thick and smothering the darkness was, it was entirely futile. Her eyes searched aimlessly through the shadows, but the shadows were loathe to give up their secrets so easily. She'd find no such clues here. 

Warily, she turned her focus back to breaking a trail through the woods but didn't let her attention slip. It felt like the skin on her back was crawling, but Medusa was unsure if that was due to the volume of vines or something else. She wasn't one to be overly worried, but she knew better than to let her guard drop in here. They didn't know what dangers might be lurking, and any warning is better than no warning. 

Medusa was uncomfortably aware of how tightly together the trunks grew as she continued to pick her way through. At one point the thicket was so dense she had to squeeze herself between two trees that were so close they were touching at the roots. The effort left her ribs sore and she could feel the faint burning from the spots on her side where the bark had scratched and irritated her skin. If it continued at this rate, she was concerned it may become too dense to pass further and she'd have to turn back and wait for Othelios. If it was too tight for her, it was certainly too tight for a beast the size of a dracus, but he at least would be strong enough to tear a path through. She'd need time to consider the best course of action. 

Between the boughs, an ever so faint ray of light trickled through the woods. Medusa peered ahead to find the source. It looked like a small clearing ahead where the trees thinned. It would be an excellent place to stop and collect her thoughts and decide if she should continue, wait for Othelios to catch up with her, or if she should turn back and meet up with him again. 

She didn't get the chance for respite, however. No sooner had she thought about how nice it would feel to sit down and kick her hooves up than she heard another branch snap and caught a very distinct noise. It sounded unmistakably like the scales of some heavy creature sliding over the forest floor. Meg would recognize that scraping sound anywhere after caring for her own python at home for so long. Granted, hers wasn't nearly as large as this one sounded like it could be… She'd surely need to be careful. She couldn't tell how close this one was or if it was predatory, but she sure hoped she didn't need to find out the hard way. She'd love to see the beast, not become its dinner. 

There was a faint movement across the clearing. It looked like a bush rustling. Furthermore there seemed to be something… shiny? It was tough to tell in the faint moonlight, but it didn't look like a natural sheen either. Maybe some sort of metallic plate, but scales seemed unlikely, unless they were immaculately well polished anyways. Intrigue got the better of her, and she slowly stepped across the clearing to investigate. 

Even at closer inspection, it was difficult to tell what the object was, and Medusa was wary of coming too much closer with so many unknown factors and potentially hidden dangers. Maybe it was foil? But then how would it have gotten here? There didn't seem to be any other Drakiri nearby. From a distance the texture would suggest some sort of paper or perhaps flower, but that again would beg the question of how did it get here. If it was a flower, it seemed unlikely it was native to the area as she hadn't seen any others on the trip. 

As she was inching ever so carefully closer to try to make it out, a faint breeze rustled through the leaves again, moving the bush and allowing a beam of light to more clearly illuminate the object, and she immediately took a stiff-legged step back. She'd recognize that anywhere. The moon had more distinctly shown the pattern of dimples and indents across the object's surface. It was shed snake skin. And judging by the size of the scales, it was big. 

As if on cue, Medusa immediately heard a loud, rumbling hissssss emanating from the space directly behind her. Adrenaline pumping, she whipped around and leapt back, putting as much distance as she could between herself and the source of the noise. The creature was massive, wider around than most typical tree trunks and easily longer than several Drakiri laid out tip to tip. Shimmering black scales coated its form, iridescent liquid pitch. Its head was guarded by an enormous hood. Perhaps she would've been mesmerized by its swirling fiery gold gaze if her attention hadn't been snared by its fangs. Pearly white and nearly as long as her lower forelegs. She was none too keen on getting anywhere near those monsters. 

Meg only had a few split seconds to take in her assailant before it lunged. All that was visible was a flash of steel as she scrambled to dodge the attack. Medusa let out a curse as her hoof struck a stone and twisted beneath her. By the rings, that thing is too damn fast. Pain lanced up her side. She nearly fell as her injured leg gave out under her weight. She had no time to catch her breath, as it was already twisting around to lock her in its sights again. It let out another furious hiss and struck again, but she was ready and bounded away. Its jaws came shut with a resounding snap inches from her tail. 

Not wanting to be caught in the open, Medusa scrambled back into the trees, hoping the density would at least slow it down. The serpent gave chase with another hiss. Its scales rattled over the dirt and rocks as it pursued her at an alarming speed. 

"Go on, get!" she shouted, snapping off a branch and lobbing it towards the beast's face. It hissed in irritation and struck again, Meg only narrowly managing to dodge behind a tree. Its scales made an audible sound as it slid past the bark. She turned to flee and released a powerful kick in the direction of its head. She felt it connect and heard the overgrown monster cobra shriek and knew she must've gotten something. Without waiting for it to retaliate, Medusa scampered back into the clearing, cursing and wobbling every time her sore foot struck the ground. If she couldn't outrun it, maybe she could outsmart it instead. If she played her cards just right, she might be able to trick it into tying itself into a knot. 

Its head was well behind her, but its tail was still stretched across the center of the clearing. Without warning, it whipped around and struck her across the entire length of her body. The surprise attack bowled her completely off her feet and she let out a startled screech. The strength of the blow left her momentarily stunned. She felt her body gasping as she struggled to take in air after having it expelled from her lungs. On the third or fourth wheeze, it finally took and she sucked in a huge breath, much to the protest of her bruised and sore body. 

She tried to struggle to her feet, but even just the tail end of the beast was deceptively heavy and Medusa could hardly get her hooves under herself. It made it even tougher to breathe. She thrashed and squirmed beneath the weight. She tried biting it, but to no avail. Her teeth weren't strong enough to puncture its armored hide. Undaunted, she continued to struggle and was able to extricate herself, shooting to her feet and almost stumbling right back down as the full force of her injuries struck her again. Her vision blurred and she struggled to catch her breath as she grew suddenly dizzy. Her left foreleg refused to bear any of her weight any more.

There was a rustling behind her and she just barely managed to hobble around to face the creature again. 

Meg realized too late that was a huge mistake. 

The moment her eyes landed on its furious gaze, she felt every muscle in her body seize up. She couldn't move. She couldn't look away. Her heart hammered in her chest like a caged bird. She couldn't tear herself away no matter how much she willed herself to. All she could do was watch helplessly as it slithered towards her. All there was was just her and the snake. 

With plenty of time now to study its face, she noticed a large scratch across its head and one eye squeezed tightly shut, blood oozing from it. She recognized it as her handiwork. Shame she couldn't have gotten the other eye too, she thought. 

Before she could muse on the misfortune of her situation any further, a thunderous roar echoed down from the sky above, shattering the delicate silence. The snake's head immediately shot up, and the stalemate was broken. Medusa felt herself drop to the ground but didn't have the strength to get up. She felt oddly woozy and weak after being paralyzed by the snake. 

The snake lifted its head even further into the air, flaring out its hood and letting out a threatening hiss, only to be met with another wild bellow. Huge claws entered her field of view, striking at the beast's head. It occurred to her to try to warn them about its eyes, but her body refused to respond. 

The unknown Drakiri struck again, batting at the snake's head with enough force to smack it clean into the ground. A familiar green and brown shape followed the massive paws into her vision. Othelios? In the frenzy of battle he'd completely slipped her mind, but she was relieved he was here now. Better late than never. 

The enormous dracus unleashed another frightening bellow at the subdued reptile, planting one clawed hand firmly on its head as his jaws arched to latch around its neck. It shrieked and whipped its body around, battering him in the side but failing to dislodge his grip. His claws scored across its face, bloody tracks springing up in their wake and leaving it two for two for missing eyes. 

The snake let out a wild cry and redoubled its thrashing, this time succeeding in throwing Othelios off and landing on top of him. Its jaws snapped with wild abandon, seeking out any exposed flesh to bury themselves into. Othelios grunted and strained under the weight of the snake. As a full-blooded dracus, he was many times larger and stronger than a kainu like Medusa, but even he struggled against the sheer strength and size of the snake. 

He struggled and heaved but not even he was able to throw it off. His breath came in heavy ragged gasps from the combined exertion and weight of the snake crushing his ribs. Unable to free himself, Othelios changed tactics. With a roar, he reached around the creature's girth and dug his claws into its underbelly as best as he could, his hind claws scrabbling at its back, seeking any sort of leverage. He managed to latch his jaws into the flap of its hood right before the reptile started rolling, trying to crush him.

The two tumbled back and forth across the clearing, each trying to kill the other. Othelios continuously trying to adjust his position to better attack its weak spots, the snake trying to crush him or find a way to sink its teeth into him. After several frantic minutes, it succeeded. Its snout struck his thigh, and with a sudden loud hiss it lunged, its fangs instantly puncturing deep into the dracus's flesh and bone. Othelios growled in pain, tail furiously lashing, but he refused to relinquish his grip. He continued his assault on the snake's scaled hide, every kick causing more and more flesh to tear in his thigh. 

Finally, his claws found purchase. Several scales from the beast's back were sent flying with each kick, and the snake let out another hiss. It released its jaws, preparing to strike again, but Othelios instantly seized his chance. In a flash, he reached up with his forelegs and grabbed a hold of its head from behind. He threw all his weight against it in a twisting motion, and with the leverage from his hind claws, the snake's neck finally gave out. An audible crack echoed through the clearing, and the reptile immediately went limp in his claws. 

Panting and heaving, Othelios extricated himself from the coils of the serpent and staggered to his feet. The earth was completely torn up, a muddy mix of dirt and blood. His legs wobbled beneath him and he could feel himself swaying unsteadily as he limped towards Medusa, who by now had regained just enough strength to retreat to the edge of the clearing, where the trees would shield her from the worst of the brawl. The ground trembled slightly as Othelios's body dropped to lay down. Both Drakiri were breathing hard from the encounter.

"Took you long enough," Meg finally commented after several minutes, breaking the silence. 

"Odd way to thank someone who just saved your life." The dracus raised an eyebrow.

"I had it under complete control," she retorted, sarcasm evident in her tone, giving an exaggerated toss of her mane. She had an interesting way of responding to life threatening situations. He supposed he'd have to get used to it if they were really going to do this together.

"Evergalia kept me longer than I expected. I didn't have time to prepare." 

"Mm, that's expected. At least you were able to get here." The kainu trailed off, gazing at some indefinite point in the middle distance. Medusa briefly wondered if her inability to focus was just due to exhaustion or if there was something about the snake's paralysis that did it. She turned her gaze to Othelios's injured leg, gesturing pointedly at it. "Want help patching that up? Can't have you walking around with an open infection incubator in your side." 

"That would be much- gh- appreciated." The dracus's words were interrupted with a grunt of pain as he shifted his weight. Meg only nodded in silence, getting up with effort to position herself to better treat the wound. 

It wasn't long before they found a relatively secluded spot to safely spend the night. They were both out even sooner after that. Their journey would continue with the sunrise and they needed all the rest they could get.