The loudest thing in the entire area seemed to be them.
Ingram’s squelching steps and the tiny plops of mud that dripped from his fingers. The drag of his tail. Her huffing breaths of exertion from having to hold herself down and remain as still and unmoving as stone. Even her hair moving inside her hood was loud and scratchy.
A bird squawking from above made her flinch, and she looked up to find a swamp harrier’s yellow eyes on her. It flapped its brown wings, like a threat or a warning, before squawking again. It flew off in the direction they were heading.
Why did it feel like it was following them?
Vultures follow what they think will die so they can scavenge. Emerie shuddered at the thought.
A dragonfly flew close, and she wasn’t fond of it either, knowing the tiny fuckers could bite. To be honest, she just wasn’t fond of insects in general.
Against her torso and hands, Ingram began producing a rumble that had all her muscles tensing. She bit back her fear and squashed it as much as she could, hoping to keep it out of her scent. Her eyes darted to the same harrier as it landed on a branch, rustling the leaves, and one fell to the swamp water on her left.
Emerie didn’t mean to whimper, but when that leaf fell right next to a line of bubbles disturbing the duckweed, it escaped her.
She clenched her eyes shut and buried her face against Ingram’s back. Something is following us in the water.
It was lucky the ground became solid for a long while, with the water’s edge nowhere near them.
Just as they came to another body of water, Ingram’s spikes lifted as his growl started back up. He lowered, backed away, and diverted to a new path. Since she hadn’t seen any bubbles when they’d been approaching, she didn’t know what spooked him.
That was until she looked behind them and gulped when something void-like in appearance had popped half its head above the surface. She’d never seen a crocodile in person – only ever in books – but she knew what she laid her eyes on wasn’t... right.
The long scaley snout of its face appeared like a crocodile in shape, but its red eyes and short black hair didn’t. It also had pointed ears and, when it dived under the water, an odd set of wings on its back was briefly visible.
She clenched her jaw so tight in apprehension that her jaw muscles knotted. Any harder, and she worried she’d crack her teeth.
How much further? she thought, wishing she could ask him.
The quiet was starting to really creep her out after seeing that Demon. It hadn’t attacked them, despite obviously sensing and seeing them.
She glanced behind them even though they had long left where she’d seen it. Every part of her was on high alert and she wanted to scratch at her skin to make the raised hairs on her body go down.
Fuck. It feels like there are a million eyes on us.
Was it just the ones belonging to the dragonflies and the harrier that continued to follow, or was it the sinister creatures lying in wait just below the water’s surface?
She shuddered as wet vines crawled down her back when Ingram was forced to duck beneath a low-hanging branch. For the love of everything good in the world, please don’t let a snake fall on me.
They approached a section of dirt that ran between two different waters. One side was blanketed in duckweeds with bubbles right in the middle, the other was muddy and still. Ingram diverted to the mud side on the right to avoid what had made those bubbles.
The hissing roar bellowing from the mud happened at the same time a Demon exploded from it. Emerie squealed as Ingram released a surprised bark.
Mud flung on them in a wave as the Demon with the crocodile head from before flopped with its long fang-filled maw open to latch onto a limb. Ingram reared back and yanked his hand up to his chest just in time to avoid being bitten into. He backed up to the left when he landed.
Emerie knew a trap when she saw one. Since nothing came out of the moss side, it was obvious the Demon had set this one up. It was frightening that it had been smart enough to lay out a trap and wait.
Ingram didn’t hesitate to sprint forward to escape, forcing Emerie to hold on for dear life. Behind them, a hissing roar followed as the Demon gave chase, sprinting on four short legs. Its long tail swiped right and left, tossing dirty sludge and grass in its wake. Its fluttering wings gave it some speed, but not enough.
It was slow, out of its element on land, and quickly fell behind.
She chanced a glance back. Shit! That was a close one!
When Ingram’s left arm caved into elbow deep mud, he was quick to free it before he continued on. He was no longer being cautious, and in an environment where the ground was not as it seemed, that was dangerous. He was also being loud, whereas she sensed they needed to be sneaky.
That crocodile Demon had followed them through the water. What else would come and intercept them?
“Slow down,” she pleaded, patting the side of his neck to calm him.
“We are almost free,” he huffed out, diverting to the right just in time to avoid another Demon, a much smaller one, as it leapt from the water.
Up ahead, the world changed.
Across a sizeable body of still water was plain forest. They’d found the end of the swamp.
However, Ingram skidded to a halt in the middle of a large clearing. She followed his roaming gaze as his beak pointed from the left all the way to the right. They were surrounded by water except for the way they came.
There was swiping movement behind them from something – or many somethings – chasing them on land. Sticks cracked, wetness squelched, and mud plopped.
Oh shit, Emerie mentally screamed before flattening herself to Ingram. He was backing up. She only had enough time to really, really make sure she had a good grip before he sprinted as fast and hard as he could.
She’d known what he was going to do the moment she saw the water separating them from freedom. He was going to jump it. She just hoped she didn’t break a rib again like back in Zagros Fortress when he’d leapt to the wall to escape.
Holding back her scream, she clung as he leapt.
Seconds in the air felt like agonising minutes.
They’d make it, she knew they’d make it – that didn’t stop her from worrying they just wouldn’t.
Her breath was knocked out of her when they landed, and one side of Ingram’s body collapsed against the soft mud and dirt as he slipped. When they stopped slipping, she looked back to find a void-like figure on the land they’d just been standing on, staring at them with narrowed red eyes.
It didn’t sink into the water to continue chasing after them. She wondered if that was because of the bright sun bathing them in protective light.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his orbs white as he looked at her from over his shoulder. He rose to all fours.
“I knew I could trust you,” she whispered, wishing he could see her thankful smile. “However, we’re still a little too close for comfort. Let’s g–”