Hoarder of Souls

[Fez_The_Kid]

The drake had attacked so quickly that Azaranth’s words died before they could leave him. And Eteri, as fragile as she seemed, had proven surprisingly efficient in shaking off the beast. Alas, the damage was already done - red punctures covered several spots on her shoulders.

Backing up for a moment, the drake’s tongue, or, rather, its remnant shreds, lolled out of its maw like a lifeless being. Azaranth stepped in and stood between it and Eteri, waving his sword at its face like a bared tooth.

Unfazed by the obvious feint, the creature stepped forward, its haunches readied to charge.

And so it did, approaching fast to cover most of Azaranth’s vision.

Who dashed forth to match its assault, waiting for the right moment to counteract.

The drake covered one odd stride and was suddenly a few feet in the air, to which Azaranth immediately slid underneath, the tip of his blade running down the soft underbelly of the creature.

To shower him with blood, blinding him as the drake continued to sail above. Coming to a halt, Azaranth rubbed at his eyes and looked up to see the drake still on its feet—

As if unmindful of its own entrails that splattered over the ground, the creature's slit eyes regarded him for brief moment. Azaranth then realized it was losing consciousness. It sputtered, blood and bile gathering underneath. A heartbeat later finally the drake finally fell to its long-overdue death.

Azaranth, turned and approached a supine Eteri, silver sword in hand.

He extended one, blood-stained hand. "You all right?"

[Eteri]

Azure ears sat flat against my head, pointed teeth clenched tight, eyes shut tight to block out the horrid world and the Drake mama that injured me. My breathing had all but stopped as I gripped my bleeding arm tight, small things I attempted to ease the burning pain from my wound. It wasn't incredibly deep, but it was deep enough that my tiny fingers sunk into my flesh, a bad mistake on my part...I could feel the pulsing hot mess of my flesh, and the vermilion ichor as it dripped down and over my hands.

Was this the end of the magnificent Eteri Yoko; seamstress extrodinyar? Would I never be able to stare at souls and eat delicious fish? Would the world mourn for me, as their greatest blue haired catgirl became nothing more than a whispered memory upon peoples lips?

Probably...

I felt nauseous and dizzy, now, I'm no doctor or Ai Brone, but I am pretty sure those are symptoms of CRIPPLING PAIN AND DEATH.

I could hear a guttoral roar that I assumed came from drake mama; unless Anubis had some damn strong lungs on him, and several extra body parts a human male shouldn't have. I flinched, expecting more pain. Instead... there was silence.

Slowly, I opened one eye, then another.

Anubis stood over me with a look of mild concern etched upon his face. Did he just ask if I was alright? Couldn't he see that I was DYING?

I wrinkled my nose as my lips fell into a pout. "NO!" I snapped, clutching my wound tighter. "Can't you see I dying!"

Anubis stared at me, bewildered. He sighed as he crouched down upon one knee in front of me, carefully placing his sword to the side. "Here. Let me see." He said softly as he reached for my wound.

My ears shot upward, was he mad!? "NO!" I screamed as I went to turn away from him, but that crafty man... he had gripped my lower arm and with more ease than I'd care to admit, pried my fingers away from my wound.

"SEE! SEE!" I said, near hysterical. "I DYING!"

"Eteri..."

"I NOT HAVE SOUL! I DIE, I GO POOF. NO NOTHING!"

"Eteri..." his voice held the chastising tone of a father toward a disobedient child.

"WORLD WILL CRY WHEN ETERI DIE!"

"ETERI!" Anubis snapped, loudly.

I fell quiet, staring at him with a pout. Who did he think he was? He wasn't my father. Heck, I couldn't even remember my father. So, I guess, he could have been, but then my father would have been just a wee bab when I was born. Was that possible??

"Eteri, you're not going to die. We just need to get this cleaned up and dressed."


His words hung in the air, thick like the thickest honey you'd ever imagine. Thicker than tar, thicker than tar and honey combined! I felt a myriad of emotions, shock, relief...a dash of delight. I wasn't going to die! Oh joyous of days! All these emotions were quickly overshadowed by a odd feeling, it was difficult to describe. I felt a little silly for overreacting. (If you could call it that, I mean, I did think I was going to die after all.)

"Oh." I said quietly.

[Fez_The_Kid]

Their ride back was shrouded in silence.

The sky was overcast with grey clouds, the yellow-grassed landscape a mirrored, albeit differently-colored, reflection of the ever-distant realm overhead. Dull, dreary and quiet. An endless expanse of nature, from whence emerged - as they had just witnessed - ferocious monstrosities that cared not whose flesh they would fill their bellies with.

Azaranth in the front of his saddle, Eteri in the back, they rode on. Indeed, the late afternoon was quiet - but not silent. Unseen civilizations dwelt throughout the lands, overheaded by these countless grains. Many hunts by other, savage beasts were well underway, probably to nourish their young - a criticial component of survivability out in the harsh wilderness - so the cycle would repeat itself over and over again.

He would track, hunt and slay monsters only so they would be inevitably replaced by another batch. To either live their lifetime and die, or, more commonly, fall to a hunter’s blade. Thus, the question would arise - a nagging thought gnawing on the mental energies of all practitioners of the trade.

“Is it worth it?”

Azaranth blinked. “What?”

Eteri’s voice felt almost mute behind him.“Is it worth it? Hunting down these beasties?”

“Worth it? I’m hardly one to answer that, Eteri. I’m not a sophisticated person - I don’t think much. Hunters don’t think. They act, and they do it without any hesitation whatsoever. It’s a predominant principle among all trackers of the beasts. After all, we do most of the dirty work. Thinking? Leave it to the philosophers. Too many of those around, if you ask me.”

A hawk veered ahead into view, a small shape suspended from its taloned feet. He was silent for a time, then, “So, tell me. How does a cat-girl survive out in the world?”

[Eteri]

I had fallen asleep at some point. I remembered my older sister saying that when I was asleep, it was her favourite time, she said silence was golden and I was incapable of it. I grumbled as I rubbed my eyes, feeling the warmth of Anubis in front of me. I loosely wrapped one arm around his waist.

I fidgeted, it was too quiet. Far too quiet. Silence bothered me, unlike my sister I hated it. Unless I was napping that is. To break the silence I asked Anubis about why he hunted the beasties, I didn't understand it myself. If they weren't bothering anyone, why bother them? Was it fun to kill things? Did it give him a rush?

He gave me an answer that...I didn't understand, he used words that I struggled to comprehend. Sopheestikated? What was that? Sometimes, I wish I paid more attention in language class.

Oh well...

"Et tu? Me?" I asked.

"Do you see any other cat-girls around here?" He asked.

I glanced around, looking for any. I found none, and realised that it was a rhetorical question. I huffed. "Eteri just looking for things."

"What kind of things, I am a hunter after all. Perhaps I could help."

I managed a laugh, an empty feeling settled in the pit of my stomach, and it wasn't just the lack of food, and the pain of my wounded shoulder. "No can find. Eteri look for souls." I leaned forward and pressed my forehead against his back. "I no have. Want to make one so no feel empty and cold."