Lunation of Fate

The rays of the sun suddenly went dark above them as the giant foliage hovered over them with much ravenousness.

It started drooling acid from its carnivorous mouth filled with thorns as teeth.

Its aubergine-colored head was quite large for its slender body and it was the part that was blocking the sky’s view of Juste, Chastine, and Maxill.

Chastine was quite scared and shocked as she tilted her head up and stared at the rabid eater plant.

Her jaw fully dropped and her were eyes fully wide open. She tried to scream but not even a single weak tone was heard from her widely gaping mouth.

She had no idea that the simple ingredients in the poetic list would turn out as dangerous and threatening as this.

*Kksshh kksshh!*

The uncommonly enormous rabid plant eater let out a sound similar to a snake’s, but it was much coarser that it sounded like a screech.

Juste, Chastine, and Maxill covered their ears.

After the screeching sound it made, it was readying itself to go its way to grab any one of them to have its lunch.

Its network of thick red root base served as its feet. And as it started to take a step outside the perimeter of Ojor Field, Juste was quite keen to warn his other two companions that they should turn tail and fast.

“Run. Run!”

He noticed Maxill was just as alert as him but Chastine was still standing hard as a rock on the wheat field.

Juste then grabbed her hand and tugged her to move and run away, against the direction of the now rampaging plant.

The bloodhunt and the fellhound were quite agile and fast; Chastine couldn’t keep up with them, so Juste carried her on his shoulder as akin to lifting a sack of rice.

Juste had quite strength and stamina that he managed to keep his speedy pace similar to Maxill’s even though he was encumbered with an 80-pound weight.

But the rabid eater plant was also quite a runner.

Though its head was wobbling from side to side due to improper balance of head to body ratio, it managed to gain a steady gap enough for it to sense where to trio were heading.

The wheat field was vast, but it lacked enough cover for Juste and Maxill to hide in.

Maxill couldn’t turn bat as he ran the risk of burning himself again, while Juste couldn’t properly shapeshift into wolf because he was carrying Chastine by his shoulder.

Their human forms would just have to do.

Maxill-although calm and collected-was frustrated at the recklessness of Chastine’s actions. “I do not wish to mark you as an idiot, witborn, but you did cross the line on this one.”

“Well I didn’t know it would turn out to be 20-ish feet!” was Chastine’s words as her voice get disrupted with every step of Juste hitting the ground.

“Tsk, what were you thinking?”

“I wanted to draw him out of the field. You know, because the book says it’s camouflaging.”

“Nevermind, it’s been done! What now, guys?!” Juste louden his voice to let the two hear him clearly.

“Wait I’ll come up with something. I’ll try to reverse the damage.”

“Don’t just try, make sure it works.” Maxill’s frustration died down and was turned into a strange sense of encouragement.

Chastine was facing the ginormous rabid eater plant. She noticed its scrawny stem of a body barely supporting its big wobbly head.

“Guys, I’ve an idea!”

“Oh this better be good.” Maxill was running like the wind.

“Let’s confuse it. Maxill, run in the opposite direction.”

Maxill sighed. “I don’t know what you’re up to but let’s give it a try.”

The agile bloodhunt signaled to the fellhound to where he was headed. Juste then ran opposite Maxill’s direction.

“What now, Chas!” Maxill didn’t glance at her and was busy sprinting to his heart’s content.

“Rinse, repeat. Just like playing tag, don’t get caught. And keep up the pace.”

Juste ran an extra few meters away from their playground. He put Chastine’s feet on the ground to let him move easier.

By this time, Juste and Maxill were running at supersonic speeds that Chastine began to lose sight of them.

They were like two dense winds cutting through grass and swooshing through the wheat fields.

The rabid eater plant began to get confused who among Maxill and Juste it would trail.

It was running towards one side. But as soon as it was gaining up on either Juste or Maxill, one of them would cross paths with the other resulting in the plant to chase the nearer and more mobile prey.

Maxill then realized what Chastine was up to.

And he knew it was only a matter of time before the ravaging plant trips itself as its root-feet couldn’t keep up with their speed and tactic.

Maxill added to Chastine’s idea as he modified her plan to speed things up. He swooshed behind Juste as he explained to him of his plan.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Juste, let’s run around the rabid eater, you and me moving in the opposite direction.”

“What? Why, what for?”

Maxill squinted his eyes and let out a smirk. “We need to let the mighty fall.”

The rabid eater plant then hurried forward to Juste and Maxill’s direction.

The bloodhunt and the fellhound started to act upon their plan.

Maxill moved clockwise, while Juste moved counterclockwise as they encircle the rabid plant.

The vicious live shrub started to twist and turn.

Its roots for feet couldn’t keep up with the plant’s latest decision that its thick network of crooked rods started to get tangled up in the process.

Then the towering plant-beast totally lost its balance and started to fall down loudly on the wheat field grounds.

It was like a log that was soon cut and was about to fall.

“Timber!” Juste couldn’t help but express his humor while at it.

Juste and Maxill avoided being buried below the falling foliage.

*THUD!*

And the rabid eater plant had finally fallen down.

Chastine ran to Juste and Maxill’s location.

“Good job guys.” She pat them on the back and was grinning from ear to ear.

“Thanks.” Juste was panting, but he still put out a smile as he looked at Chastine’s beautiful face.

“Haha, so much for not having a rope.” Maxill was also catching his breath.

The rabid eater plant was still alive. It was madly squiggling but it cannot lift itself up to stand.

“So, Maxill, do the honors.” Chastine told Maxill.

“Pleasure.” Maxill stretched out his palm with upright and unspread fingers, and then quickly swung his arm so as to cut the plant’s head by the receptacle.

Slimy fluid gushed forth from the cut, and the rabid eater succumbed to death.

Juste then borrowed his pen knife from Chastine and started to cut pieces of root from the plant’s base.

“Part one of five, done.” The fellhound smiled at the spoils of their labor.