The knife broke free from his hand; my attackers’ eyes widened
as large as saucers and he took a step back. I brandished the oddly twisted
blade and threaten him.
“Now leave before I cut you.”
“Now leave before I cut you.”
Oddly the man smiled
at hearing that. His arm lashed out. I cringed and raised the knife to block
the blow. The hand struck and molded around the knife. The cold steel edge
sliced through skin and sinew, blood gushed down and dripped onto the ground.
I met his eyes, they
shone. He threw himself back with a smile on his face. He grips his hands together
tightly in front of him. His hands snapped out leaving a trail of crimson
between them. It hangs there slowly undulating. I find myself transfixed as it
slowly rotates into a thin sheet. The blood seemed to flow within itself. I saw
him then. Everything that made this man was displayed for all to see. Anger.
Lust. Hate. These I saw first but I grew to know him I saw that they were laced
with underlying emotions. Fear, need, and loneliness had burnt themselves into
every part of this man. My study was interrupted by a form taking place in
front of everything else. A feral dog began running towards me in the blood. Its
dark red nose broke the surface causing it to ripple. I had never been this
terrified before in my life. I completely froze as the animal bore down on me. Its
full weight struck me and knocked me to the ground. Its great jaws, still
dripping with the blood it came from opened wide preparing to snap on the soft
flesh of my throat. I only felt the lightest pressure of teeth and smelled the
scent of dog and blood before it was lifted off of me.
A blur shot over me
and into the beast. I raised myself to my elbows only to see a tall two legged
bird crushing the head of the dog. Its skull was cracked and its jaws were
broken off to the side yet it still struggled beneath the powerful legs. I
looked up to the man; he writhed on the ground, sharp cries slipping through
his mouth.
He froze and so did
the dog. Then the man got up onto all fours and the dog went limp. He ran out
of the alley on hands and feet barking as he left.
“I wondered whether he
was going to die or break first. It’s a tragedy but that’s the only way you can
deal with thugs like that.”
I whirled around. A
woman stood several paces behind me. She was pretty, with a soft heart shaped
face, delicate pink lips, and shining blue eyes. She wore trousers and a long
sleeved shirt; they were dark and well fitting. A hood covered her hair but two
golden locks escaped and curled down the side of her face.
“Who are…?” I began.
“I was going to
compliment you for taking his knife. But, then you managed to cut him with it. Are you stupid?”
“Why would I…?”
“I can’t believe I
wasted my time saving you. It would have been a mercy to let you die instead of
making you live with your own idiocy.
“That’s…”
“Whatever, come with
me.” And with that she sprinted out of the alley alongside the large bird.
I stood there dazed
for a minute. Questions blazed through my skull. What just happened? How did
that dog come out of a puddle of blood? Can I trust that woman? Who was she?
Then another question moved to the front of my mind. Who am I?
