"Shit," Visha whispered.
Her heart hammered against her ribs as she looked at the creature before her. She looked at the black carapace, the myriad of legs, and its open maw. If she didn't know any better, she would say it looked like a millipede.
But the unfathomably large thing in front of her was nothing like the small millipede she knew. Her feet felt as if they were weighted down by lead. She couldn't move.
Xeno shifted. His human form dissolved into a ripple of muscle and fur. The transformation was almost instantaneous. His bones moved and lengthened, his skin stretched, revealing a magnificent pelt.
His green eyes now took on a golden hue.
His tiger form was spectacular. Visha's eyes went wide when she saw it. She hadn't seen him shift before. He was normally in human form when in the cave, or she would see him after a hunt.
His tiger form was massive. She wanted to touch it. She refrained from doing so because of the circumstances they were in. Maybe another time.
He roared and shook his head at Visha.
Even though no words were said, she understood he was telling her to move away.
The millipede sensing this new pressure, turned its colossal form. Its antennae twitched, and its head dipped.
The ground trembled as the millipede moved. It's segmented mody moved in a blur. It's countless legs stirring up mud and ice.
Xeno launched himself forward, his speed not much slower than the millipede's. His movements were like a challenge to the behemoth.
He aimed for its soft underside. One of its few vulnerable spots. The air filled with the shriek of Xeno's claws against the milipede's carapace.
Sparks flew, and yet, the millipede barely flinched. It brought down a massive leg, aiming at the large tiger. Xeno rolled, narrowly avoiding the blow. The impact stirred the mud, breaking away ice and shaking the ground.
"Xeno," Visha cried out his name. Fear was evident as her voice trembled.
He roared again, circling the millipede looking for an opening.
It turned its massive head towards Xeno. It reared up, a wall of armour, then slammed its body down, trying to flatten Xeno.
He twisted, aiming to clear the blow. But one of the millipede's legs caught him, sending him tumbling. A pained yowl escaped him as he skidded across the mud and ice.
Vish could see a streak of blood. Completely different from his orange and black fur. The red looked jarring.
Within the fear, Visha couldn't help being disappointed. Not with Xeno, but in herself. The only thing she could do was stand and watch him. She was weak, so utterly weak, and it made her feel dejected.
Visha decided at this moment that she needed to become stronger.
She wasn't sure how to do it. But she would find a way.
She would protect this man just as he was protecting her now.
She looks at Xeno, struggling to get up from the ground. Watched him shake his massive head and get ready to fight again.
Xeno could feel it. He was wounded. But he couldn't stop. Not while Visha was in danger. His eyes drifted momentarily to the woman standing far away. He saw how much. She was biting her lip. She looks so worried.
Sadly, he didn't have time to dwell on it. He knew every second counted.
His golden eyes narrowed, a fierce determination hardened his gaze. He sprang forward, not aiming for the body this time. He was aiming for the head.
He latched onto the millipede's face. His claws digging into the soft tissue around its eyes. His teeth tearing at the armoured plates.
The millipede thrashed, a mountain of flesh, its body convulsing in agony. It slammed itself against the frozen ground, trying to throw Xeno off.
Xeno clung to the creature. His fangs found the vulnerable joint between the head and first segment.
A sickening crunch sounded as Xeno clamped down. The millipede shuddered as though ready to make another move. Then slowly, agonizingly so, it collapsed. Its body hit the ground with a thud, its legs twitching until they slowly stopped.
The world around them went silent, as if waiting for something more.
Xeno staggered as he walked toward Visha. The blood on his fur evident now more than ever. She tried to press it, but couldn't find the exact spot because his fur covered the wound.
"Shift," she said, her tone commanding.
He licked her as if to reassure her, before shifting.
The jagged wound on his side made her want to cry. Blinking back tears, she covered the wound. Hoping to stop it from bleeding. She thought of the ever-embers. Wondering if they would be able to cauterise the wound.
"It's alright. It will stop bleeding soon. Stop making that face, Shasha."
His bright smile made her want to cry even more. But she also became angry. He disregarded his own safety and tried to fight that thing. And while he was defending her, she didn't like the fact that he put himself in danger.
So the only thing she could do was pout.
The fight with the millipede exposed what they thought was a small cave. Visha decided they would wait here until Xeno got better.
Unable to pull him up, Xeno pushed himself up with immense effort. As they walked, he swayed. Evidence of how serious the wound really was.
As they entered, they noticed that this cave was actually much larger than the one they lived in. The problem was that the ground wasn't stone, so the cold seeped in from outside. It was damp, and several plants grew here.
Using Nature's Echo, Visha was able to find healing herbs that should help Xeno.
She found another kind of moss called Silverknit. It could be used for healing and regeneration. To their far side, there was a pool of water. Visha took out the water pouch from the inventory. She wanted to wash Xeno off before putting the Silverknit on him.
Xeno lay on the ground, not making a sound. He knew if he showed how much pain he was in, Visha would feel worse. So he patiently waited for her care.
He watched as she picked herbs and carefully washed him.
He thought to himself, this is my mate. Although he was the patient, pride swelled inside him. He didn't move even when he saw her washing herself.
Well, he peeked.
It wasn't until she settled down that he decided to move. The fact that he could move in the first place was already miraculous to him. He had seen other warriors suffer wounds like this and either died or had to stay lying down for many days.
Being able to sit up now thrilled him.
Visha still hadn't spoken to him since the last time. He was feeling dejected but knew she was only angry because he got hurt.
He watched her take something out of thin air and marvelled.
She really was a priestess. One unlike anything he had seen before. His resolve to protect her strengthened.
Visha looked at Xeno, trying to gauge his expression. She wanted to know what he thought seeing her take the ever-embers out. She thought she would see suspicion. What she saw instead was wonder.
She shook her head, a small smile curled at the corner of her lip.
"Aren't you going to ask?" She looked at Xeno.
"Ask what?" he questioned, his head tilting in confusion.
"Where I got this?" she extended her hand to show him.
"Do I need to ask? You're a priestess. Priestesses can do a lot of things. Plus, you are my mate; if I don't trust you, who am I supposed to trust?"
Visha didn't expect the answer. He trusted her not because she was a priestess but because she was his mate. Mate. It seems she doesn't yet understand the true meaning of the word.
She could feel his gaze on her.
She wasn't sure what to say. So she said the only thing she could think of.
"Thank you."