Ch. 5 - Battling the Monsoon
What am I even looking at here?
Sarin Miles' view of the beast was limited to scattered impressions pulled from periodic lightning flashes in the pouring rain. Though in truth, even if light were plentiful and consistent, Sarin doubted the picture would make much more sense.
From her study she could deduce the following: the creature had cloven hooves, the haunches of a deer, the tail of a lion, and the head of a badger. A badger with a wide mouth filled with huge teeth. In short, an abomination worse than the Rainbow Dash for her crimes against Sarin's countrymen. It was roughly the size of a donkey as well. A large donkey. With sharp teeth.
Sarin had stabbed the thing with a spear.
She retreated over the edge of the cliff to weigh her options. If she couldn't wait for the beast to leave, or kill it, or indeed if she accomplished either but couldn't remove the stone from the cave entrance, she'd have to write off the contents of it as a loss. The equipment from the dory was broken anyway and beyond her meager engineering skills, so the lack was inconsequential. If anything it'd be harder for some random pony to find its alien technology. There were certainly advantages to just abandoning Base One.
Unfortunately the cave also contained most of her tools, supplies, and light pistol. Sarin opted to leave it behind, for the threat of water seeping into the mechanism and rendering it inoperable. Inoperable like everything else in the cave. It would certainly help her against the beast, but not if it's broken. As it stood, she had only her survival knife.
Moreover, she still had half a yam in that cave. Her stomach grumbled.
Hunger and stubbornness outweighed the possibility for being eaten herself, and Sarin jumped down from the upper cliff. Her knife poised, she brought the tip down just as the creature shifted its entire torso up to see her.
Pity. She had aimed for its back.
Blade plunging into its shoulder, the beast rolled over on its back and tumbled over the edge. To Sarin's dismay, her momentum carried her along for the ride. Egregious blunder.
The two tumbled over each other, Sarin lodging a foot against the beast's chest. Kicking forth, she freed the knife from the monster, sending the two spinning apart by several meters by the time they settled on the base of the mountain. A nice shrub broke some of the fall, though Sarin was sure she'd scratched more of her flesh open.
Sarin jumped to her feet, peering over to the beast. It sat up uneasily, shaking off the bruises it no doubt suffered. The wound on its shoulder bled a little, but it looked more shallow than she'd hoped. It's side was still marked by the point where she'd speared it, but it didn't look to be bleeding.
Had it just stopped oozing on its own? Did this creature heal unusually quickly? Or did it know plants in the area that could use to stem the blood loss? Why did Sarin think the creature had the intelligence necessary to apply herbs?
Oh right, she thought. The rock trap. Stupid animals don't use such tricks.
Sarin turned around and bolted for the cover of the trees. She heard the creature give chase, but more than a minute and its grunts grew more distant. After a few twists and turns, she'd lost the monster.
Celerity putting in work, she thought, beaming.
Coming to a stop, Sarin ducked behind a tree and waited. She settled her breathing to more manageable levels and looked behind. Plenty of rain, but no sign of fur-covered movement. Sarin strained to look to her left and right, wary of a flanking maneuver. No such signs could Sarin spy, but she knew better than to take that for granted. Especially in this weather.
Lightning flashed. Sarin stood ready while waiting for her vision to adjust to the dark again.
What options now? Continue running? No, she needed to find shelter soon, and that beast had ousted her from the only good shelter she knew. Taking to a tree would save her from the monster's jaws, but would be just as wet as the ground. She could try to find different shelter, but it was so dark that finding any such places would be unlikely. She needed that cave, and attempting to dislodge the boulder now would leave her open to attack. As would crawling back down the chimney, but that was already out of the question.
Not going back in there again, resolved Sarin. Never again.
As she looked around for any long sticks she could sharpen into a new spear, a shout resounded from the darkness. Sarin's heart skipped a beat.
“Help me! Somepony help me!”
The voice was female, and bound in terror. Sarin peaked around the tree again but saw nothing. The immediate vicinity was vacant. Still, the voice screamed out again, somewhere in the distance.
“Won't somepony please help me! It's going to kill me! Help!”
“What kind of stupid...” Sarin muttered quietly to herself. Someone who ran around in a rainstorm at night was honestly asking for what they got, she thought. She took up her knife and ran towards the noise.
If the beast found an easier target, it's obvious it would break off the search for the one that's fighting back. Sarin ran her legs until they hurt. A few times her feet slipped on the slick ground, but she was agile enough to catch herself and continue running. Being seen by a witness troubled Sarin for a moment, but...
She couldn't think of a good reason not to just leave the monster to its meal. She was too busy trying to close the distance.
She traveled to the point where she thought the voice came from, but stood with nothing around. Sarin huffed and puffed, seeing nothing. Had the pony run away? Had she been killed? Wouldn't Sarin have heard...
“Help Me!” screamed the voice, right behind Sarin.
The soldier spun around, only to see a blur run past her peripheral vision. Her heart raced.
“O Celestia help me!”
Another voice behind her. Another pony not there when Sarin swung around to check. And it was another pony this time. The voice had been masculine.
“Please no! Help!”
Another feminine voice, different front the first. Just as elusive when Sarin turned to face it. The blur at her periphery started to slow down, but she couldn't catch it. She held up her knife defensively.
Should have made that spear, thought Sarin, panic rising up her gut. Should have climbed that tree. Should have stayed in the cave. Should have refused the assignment when I had the chance.
She felt, didn't see or hear, the jaws lunging for her. Sarin twisted sharply just as a shaggy tuft of hair brushed the back of her head.
Sarin rolled, coming to a stop to face her attacker. It wasn't moving fast enough to escape sight anymore. In fact, it took a second, huffing along, before it ducked around some trees.
“What the hell are you?!” Sarin shouted, angrily swiping her knife at the air. It glinted in the light of a lightning flash, reflecting it through scattered rain as it went.
“Leucrotaaaa-hahaha!” it bellowed, rounding one last timber before digging its hooves in the first and charging for another bite. It's voice began as that of a terrified male, before transitioning into the haughty cackle of a female.
Bracing until the last second, Sarin stepped aside and swiped the knife over the creature's legs. It grunted another howl of pain, this one sounding like that of a small child.
Sarin followed behind so she could remain at the creature's back. As she did, thoughts formed. The creature was 1) called a Leucrota if the voice was stolen from an informed source, 2) capable of mimicking speech, 3) smart enough to employ its voice mimicry to the purposes of hunting, and 4) prone as hell to playing cruel mind games. It was even proud enough to cite its own name to the prey it was hunting, simply because it could.
Wonder how long it was sitting on SHIT!
The Leucrota spun around and snapped at her, forcing a twist and a jump away. She planted her free hand on the ground and used it to cartwheel over the creature. She ran again, keeping herself behind it.
It seemed to realize it couldn't match Sarin in a straight game of speed, so it spoke again. “It's all your fault!” it said with the voice of a women, shaky and hoarse.
Sarin's stance faltered. She froze for just a second. Her heart clenched. The breath shot from her lungs. She had felt that statement before, in her head. In her heart. How did it know?
Using the distraction, the Leucrota snapped at Sarin again. She just barely fell backwards to avoid the bite.
Taking a few steps back, the monster charged forward again.
Sarin's instinct was to raise her knife arm to block the attack. Only too late did she realize it would just clamp its teeth around it. And indeed, it was right about to. If she dropped it, the beast would just be on top of her.
So taking a different tract, she contorted her knee up into the beast's throat as the teeth closed on her arm. Sarin felt the sharp pressure, before the force of the strike against its neck caused the Leucrota to open its mouth wide again. Whipping her arm out of the jaws, Sarin pulled the pained limb back for a knife strike to the side of its head.
For whatever reason, seeing the knife coming caused the beast to turn its entire body to face the blade. Perhaps it was confused, though that hardly explained why it hadn't just turned its head to see the blade. Regardless, Sarin abandoned the direct attack and instead swung over the creature. She used the force of the swing to flip herself onto her front, kicking the ground as she did. She ran several meters before she heard the beast give chase again.
Damnit I'm just going in circles now, Sarin thought. Every second I fight is another chance he has to killing me. Have to find a way to attack him without him knowing.
More rain slicked the ground, which hindered her almost as much as it hindered the beast. Almost.
She spotted a group of trees grown closely together. Running towards them, she made to duck around them. As she passed, she grabbed the trunk and used it to make a sharp turn.
The creature followed, slipping on the wet ground as it tried to turn. Regaining its footing, it darted around the group of trees. It swept its eyes around, looking for its prey, then figured it had to have darted around the other side again. It ran around the trees twice before stopping. The Leucrota turned its body around several times, straining its ears, but couldn't see or hear the biped anywhere.
It's rapid breath seized up as it felt a weight land on its back.
Sarin Miles wrapped her legs under the monster's belly, locking her feet around each other to maintain a hold. She punched its eye, causing it to wince. She held her knife raised in her other fist.
“What?!” croaked the Leucrota in the popping, breathy voice of an adolescent. It tensed all across its body, fur bristling and unmolested eye going wide.
The soldier dug her hand around the animal's snout and pulled up. Instead of snapping up its neck, the action induced the monster to reflexively push with its forelegs so as to travel on Sarin's prescribed direction.
This thing's neck is built like a solid bar, Sarin realized. It can't move its head around to save its life.
As the creature balanced on its back legs, realizing it was in the most compromising position it ever experienced, it whined. From inside its bound mouth, it said, “No! No! No! No no no no no!” Each set carried a different tone, inflection, and original emotional context. Until the very last croak of “no” produced a pained, gutteral growl. It's true voice shining through?
Doesn't matter. “No more talking,” said Sarin, bringing the knife into the monster's jugular and slashing it over its throat. She pulled away, letting a spray of blood flow out.
Sarin released her hold as the beast pitched forward. She rolled over its head, coming to a stop on her feet and turning back. She saw the animal spasm wildly on the ground, snapping its jaws weakly, eyes wide. It's eyes lost focus as it curled its legs together at the chest. With one final groan from within and one muscular twitch across its whole body, the Leucrota stopped moving.
Nerves and energy spent, Sarin fell over on her side. She sat in a puddle, but didn't care. She allowed her face to drop and exhaled.
Crawling over, Sarin took in her first Equestrian kill. Not what she imagined it would be, though she didn't suppose at the outset she would need to kill anything here if she could help it.
Did this count as a kill? In the tactical sense? The Leucrota did seem to have intelligence enough to count as a sentient being, and thus more than just an animal to be driven off or hunted. Likely Sarin wouldn't have cared if it had been a random animal she speared for dinner.
Was this creature the reason she couldn't find animals to hunt here? Had they all been eaten or driven off? Was that why this creature seemed to rely on trickery to lead in ponies? Or was that just its natural habits? Why not migrate if the prey in this place was so scarce? Did this place have special significance to the beast?
Sarin shook her head. No mystery spirals. She couldn't very well learn the creature's secrets now. She shook her head again, then noticed she'd nuzzled up to the monster and set its snout on her lap, cradling its head in her hands.
What the hell is wrong with me? She moved to set the head down. This thing tried to kill me. Why should I give it any consideration? Besides, it's bleeding out. Don't want it to stain my pants.
She rose to one knee, then turned back. The Leucrota's eyes were open still. Only halfway, but still open.
Stupid. Shouldn't care. Tried to kill me. Killed innocents. Children. Sadistic monster.
Sarin drew her hands over the Leucrota's face and shut the eyes. She pulled away, only then realizing her face was wet. Moving her hand up to brush the rain from her eyes, she found the drops warm.
Why? Why did this get to me? She stood up in a huff, scowling. Stamped her foot, watching the puddle splatter out of the corner of her eye as she stared at the beast. I'm a soldier dammit! The Empire's best! Why does it still affect me?
She stepped over the corpse, wary of the blood seeping into the pools of water.
Why does killing still make me cry?
Sarin Miles walked as quickly as she could away from the scene. She only turned back one last time before scowling and breaking into a run. She would find a branch and wedge the boulder away. Dry off. Rest from her injuries. She made a vow to depart from this place for the south – for Ponyville – as soon as the rain stopped. Soon as the weather cleared.
Given the growing pain over her whole body – including her chest – she secretly hoped it would rain a few days more.