The next two days showed a remarkable change in the crew of The Horus. The officers had started to stare at the horizon with a sense of solemnity. The one affected the most by this was Ad’e. He had started to rub his scarred shoulder and growl at the approaching landmass.
The Diamond Dogs on the other hoof were almost ecstatic about the prospect of dry land. Most of them had taken to loitering on deck and staring at the far off smear of purple and brown almost affectionately. Sappra seemed especially chipper, her ears were constantly perked up and her tail wouldn’t stop wagging.
Thoughts along these lines were ceased when Cumulus spied several winged creatures gliding through the air. They were mostly black with long boney beaks and a small knobby crest protruding from the back of their heads. However, what had him truly fascinated were their wings. They consisted of a long finger-like extension from a tiny paw with a stretched membrane-like sheet of skin from the tip of the finger to the knee joint of spindly hindlegs. Cumulus could only guess, but the wingspan of these creatures were nearly the whole length of The Horus.
Acting on an impulse, he took to the air to examine these fellow fliers in greater detail. He soared through the air, flapping his wings every so often to gain speed. He was a little hesitant to get too close to the massive fliers, not wanting to spook them. However, when they saw him, they decided to investigate him.
Their bodies were thin and spindly with narrow chests and long thin necks. However, what had him is a state of shock was the sheer size of the beasts. They were massive! Comparatively speaking, he was like a hummingbird flying next to an eagle. Strangely enough, they didn't look like dragons or even their distant cousins the wyverns. It seemed more to him as though a lizard that had taken to the air.
One of them broke off from the group and dove to the water below. After piercing it’s bill into the water, it flapped it’s wings with a large fish skewered in thin needle-like teeth he hadn’t noticed before now. Seeing this, the other screeched and started to dive bomb their fellow flier. They harassed him until he dropped his prize, ignoring him to chase after it before it fell into the sea.
“Well,” Cumulus commented to no one in particular, “they seem to be opportunistic hunters.” He unconsciously reached for his notebook in his saddlebags, but realized they were still on the ship. “Of all the times to forget my notes,” he grumbled. Looking at the flying lizards, he noticed they drifted further and further away. “Damn!” he swore, making a sharp turn to head for the boat.
He landed on the ship, galloping as fast as he was able below decks. He passed by Jaffar, not daring to slow down. He heard Jaffar try to say something, but he just shouted over his shoulder, “No time! Gotta grab my notes!”
He rushed into his cabin, throwing his saddlebags on his bunk. Jaffar burst into the room, gasping for breath. “In the name of all the sands Doctor, what is going on?!”
“Did you see those flying black creatures?!” Cumulus asked excitedly, going over the contents making certain he had what he needed.
“You mean the birds?” Jaffar asked, his tone obviously confused.
“No,” Cumulus stated, throwing the saddlebags on his back, “Not birds! Flying reptiles! Can you imagine?! Flying reptiles!”
“So you saw some Dragons,” Jaffar replied unimpressively, “What is so spectacular about that?”
“No, Dragons are a genus all on their own,” Cumulus explained, tightening the straps onto his side, “These are flying lizards! Can you imagine it?” he approached the stallion in the doorway, grinning maniacally, “It’s unprecedented!” With that, he galloped out of the room.
When he reached the deck, he scanned the skies looking for the flying lizards. He spotted them as black dots on the horizons. "Damn!" he cried, banging his head against the rail in frustration, "I missed them!"
"Don' sweat it Doc," Denda said, throwing an arm around Cumulus’ shoulders, "Ah'm sure ya will have had yur fill o' new beasties by da time we leave."
"I certainly hope so," Cumulus answered with a sigh, casting a longing look in the direction the fliers had gone, "They were a fascinating find though. So how long will it be until I can walk on dry land again?"
The Jackal chuckled, "Ah'd say 'bout twenty minutes. We need ta top off our water stores."
As the time passed, the thought of those flying creatures had plagued Cumulus’ mind. They made this whole ordeal real in a way that Dende’s drawing never could. He was floating on a sense of elation that made his heart race and his wings itch. Standing still was not really a trait commonly found in Pegasi and, while he could remain still for hours while observing an animal, he tended to get fidgety when there was nothing for him to do.
This was made worse by the fact that he was forced to perch on the collapsed mast due to the deck being crowded with dozens of Diamond Dogs all pressed together eager to off the ship. Cumulus stared at them curiously from his perch, wondering where they all came from. To his knowledge, he had never seen more than a dozen at a time.
“Drop anchor!” Jaffar’s voice sounded over the incom system. The Dogs quickly bounded to follow his orders, not wanting anything to delay their landing. The next several minutes were a form of controlled chaos as the Dogs rushed about on deck following Jaffar’s and Sappra’s instructions that resulted in several longboats being lowered into the boats crammed with supplies, Diamond Dogs, two Anubis, a Saddle Arabian Horse, and himself.
Shortly after, the boats landed on the beach and several Diamond Dogs leapt out of the boat and began digging into with a vigor that Cumulus had never seen before. Soon there was a pile of clams and a large barrel that was filling with sand crabs. Several Dogs were put to work tearing jungle foliage from nearby and using it and the sand to build fortifications under the direction of Ad’e and Jaffar. Cumulus saw the logic in that, supposing that they did not want a repeat of what had happened the last time.
What really had had his curiosity were the other actions of the Diamond Dogs. "Sappra, may I ask what you’re gathering up all these clams and crabs for?" Cumulus asked, gesturing to the nearly overflowing barrel of crustaceans.
"To eat, po-uh Doctor,” she answered, not turning around, “My dogs are very hungry and a week of empty bellies has us ravenous.”
"I thought Diamond Dogs absorbed the energy from gemstones,” he said confusedly, “Isn't that why you dig for them?"
She rounded on him, barely suppressing a growl. “They do, but they do nothing to fill our stomachs! Gems keep us alive, but they cannot give us a means to eat!"
Her choice of words clicked in his mind. “I understand, it is like walking through a desert with only a few sips of water. It will keep you from dying of thirst, but do nothing to quench it."
For the first time in the trip, the Dog known as Sappra smiled at him. "Exactly."
"Speakin o' water," Denda said, strolling up to them while carrying a trunk on his back, "We need ta top off on wat water we got. Sappra, send out ya fastest dogs." He opened the large trunk he had been carrying, revealing several machetes in wrapped in cloth sheaths. "Dey each git one o' dese fer protection."
Sappra's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Protect from what?"
"Deres some nasty beasties out dere,” the Jackal explained “and dey meaner den shit."
Sappra shouted the names of six Dogs that Cumulus didn’t catch. Seconds after, six long-legged lanky dogs responded by approaching in a group. "You six are going to go out and find fresh water! When you find it, mark the spot and get back here fast." She motioned to the opened trunk "Take one of these. Apparently, there are dangerous animals out there."
The dogs responded affirmatively, each grabbing a machete and strapping them on.
“I’d like to go,” Cumulus stated, “I might see something of note and I am beginning to feel rather useless around here."
“We don't need some weak, flighty, little pony to slow us down!" The largest of the Dogs snorted.
"He goes, Ruddick," Sappra growled, "He understands these monsters better than you do. If you find an animal and Dr. Granted says ‘Run,’ you do it. That's an order!"
"You're gettin’ soft, Boss,” Ruddrick growled back, “Takin orders from a po-"
He was cut off as Sappra's fist connected with his face. She promptly lunged forward, knocking him to the ground. She then clamped her jaws over his throat and shaking her head violently having him flail about like a rag doll.
After a few seconds of this, she released his throat and glared down at him. "Never forget why I lead us," she whispered dangerously, snout to snout with the other dog. She looked up, her outburst grabbing the attention of every Dog in camp, making them stop their tasks long enough to make submissive gestures to her.
"I don't want to deal with any dogs dying!” she said, growling loud enough to be heard. She then pointed a clawed finger at Cumulus. “If he says run, you run! Got it?!”
Every Dog present nodded their consent, some whimpering slightly. Ruddick stayed quiet, prompting Sappra to growl again. "Yes, Boss," he muttered hesitantly. With nothing further keeping them, Cumulus and the Dogs ventured into the brush.
The Dogs walked quickly, occasionally sniffing the air and the ground in their search for water. Cumulus followed as best he could, his eyes and ears swiveling to take in their surroundings. Cumulus had no idea how long they had been at this until one of the Dogs stopped abruptly, effectively halting the party.
“I think I smell something,” she said, drawing everyone's attention.
“Is it water?’ Cumulus asked hopefully. Thus far, his search had proven fruitless and he would’ve hated for his tiring trek through the hot, humid, oppressive jungle.
The Dog took a few sniffs before answering. “I think so,” she answered uncertainly, “There’s too many smells to sort through them, so it's hard to tell. It’s worth checking out."
Cumulus felt himself smile for the first time since the flying lizards. “In that case, lead on.”
The group pushed through denser foliage when they finally spotted a small stream in a clearing. The Dogs rushed forward, getting onto their bellies and began lapping up the water. Cumulus smiled, not blaming them for acting that way, and started to stride forward. He froze before his first step hit the ground, twisting his ears around making certain he was hearing correctly. He quickly found he was correct: the entire area was completely silent, save for the hushed noises the Dogs were making. Before he could comment on it, a barely audible hissing noise filled the air, causing everyone present to turn towards the new noise.
Everyone froze when they saw two feathered creatures with scaled muzzles. Upon each of their legs was a single scythe-like claw. Their coloring was dark brown with white underbellies and their body language was one of aggression.
Cumulus saw this and more. Behind them, he noticed about a dozen or so smaller versions of the creatures in front of his group. Further behind that, he noticed several mounds of earth. They were covered in leaves, branches, and feathers. His eyes widened when he realized he had seen something like that before, at a Cragadile nest.
Before he could react, the creatures made a loud barking sound. A shiver was sent down his spine when a similar call answered from deeper in the jungle. “Oh, no!” he whispered, “Dear sweet Celestia and Luna, no!”
The Dog he knew as Ruddrick broke from the rest of the group, rushing towards the nest. “Ruddrick, no!” Cumulus cried, but it was too late. Ruddrick grabbed one of the smaller fluffier creatures in his paw.
The two larger creatures reacted instantly, leaping towards the unaware Diamond Dog. One of them leapt onto his back, biting deeply into the neck, but not severing his spine. The other clamped onto his forearm, sending a sickening snapping of bone piercing through the air. The chick Ruddrick had been holding dropped harmlessly to the grass, scurrying away with a squeak.
With the infant freed, the two adults began to take their revenge upon the Diamond Dog. The larger one (the male if Cumulus had to guess) that had him pinned by his neck had begun to slice gashes into his back, cutting deep enough to touch the bones. He sliced enough off to reveal his spinal column from the shoulders to the hips, hitting various points at the exposed bone. In spite of this, the creature never used enough pressure to kill him or give him the welcome relief of paralysis.
While this was going on, the female had taken her claws and unzipped his stomach, starting her incision below the diaphragm to avoid any of the vital organs in Ruddrick’s chest cavity. After that, she placed several kicks into the Dog’s open abdomen causing his intestine to spill out as well as several other shredded organs. Given the surprising lack of blood, both creatures had managed to accomplish this without hitting any of the major blood vessels.
The entire process had taken only seconds as the once imposing Diamond Dog had been reduced to a quivering wailing mass of filleted meat and ropy intestines. However, what was truly horrifying was the look in his eyes. They begged for this experience to end and weren’t particularly choosy as to how it came about, as long as it came mercifully quickly.
Cumulus felt nauseous as he saw the event unfold in front of his eyes. While he had seen predators kill prey with little regards, this was something else entirely. This was a new level of horror as the creature continued to rend into the fleshy mass that had been a Diamond Dog as he continued to scream, his voice becoming hoarse from the effort.
His eyes widened for a second time as he realized a certain fact. These creatures moved with a precision born of experience and instinct. They could kill him at any moment of their choosing, but continued to eviscerate their victim, carving more and more into his body. ‘ They’re enjoying this!’ he thought, flaring his wing to get airborne.
Cumulus looked back at the remaining Diamond Dogs, seeing them cower in place with their tails between their legs and whimpering. Knowing they were probably dead already, he at least wanted them to have a fighting chance. “Run!” he screamed to the Dogs. They made no attempt to move, remaining frozen in place and keeping their eyes on the dying member of their pack.
“DOGS,” he bellowed louder, “RUN OR DIE!!”
That had the effect he desired, making the Diamond Dogs tear their eyes from the gruesome spectacle and bolt for the trees. Much to Cumulus’ dismay, only two of them had the sense to head for the ocean. The others ran to the far side of the clearing, thusly heading deeper into the jungle.
As the three unlucky ones reached the treeline, three more of the feathered creatures rushed from the brush. Using the Dos surprise to their advantage, the creatures slammed their bodies into their prey, slashing and biting as they collided. The Dogs were mercifully dead before they hit the ground, suffering only a fraction of the agony their mate Ruddrick had.
The clearing was eerily quiet as Cumulus came to the realization that he was the only one from the ship still there. Fortunately, he was kept aloft by slow, quiet wing beats. However, he was too invested in the grisly scene to really care.
Cumulus looked upon the three freshly dead forms of the Dogs, seeing no signs of life from them. One had been facing skyward, the muscular tissue of his throat being exposed to the air as the gaping wound in his beck sent fingers of blood to the dark earth below. Cumulus refused to look at the Dog that had been Ruddrick, not wanting to know if his wreaked form had died of blood loss or slipped into a blissful state of unconsciousness. He couldn’t block out the sound of chicks peeling pieces of flesh from Ruddrick’s body. His attention had been pulled away as a high trill pierced the air.
A large creature, nearly twice the size of the others, stepped out of the trees. It’s feathers were a snowy white as he glared at the world through crimson colored eyes. ‘An albino!’ Cumulus thought with a mixed reaction of excitedness and fear.
The reaction he brought was immediate as the others chirped and flashed the downy feathers of their throats at him. The albino walked with obvious power and confidence, a predator in its prime. He seemed to ignore Cumulus, instead regarding the Dogs upon the ground. He stepped over Ruddrick’s disfigured corpse, paying no more attention to it than a bug, and approached the three freshly dead cadavers of the Diamond Dogs.
As the albino approached, the creatures of his pack backed away, giving him all the room of his status. He kicked the first Dog with his foot, cracking some of the ribs with the force of his blow. Receiving no kind of response, he snarled savagely, turning his attention to the next one. Yielding the same results, he leaned his snout down to the last Dog and nudged it.
Much to Cumulus’ surprise, the Dog wasn’t dead. The albino seeing this was the case, rolled the Dog over to his back and placed one of his legs upon the Dog’s arm, hissing as he did so. The Dog, seeing what was happening, tried flailing to escape, screaming in terror. However, his kicking legs did little more than annoy the albino and his unpinned arm was broken, leaving him helpless before the creature.
The albino brought his other foot to the Dog’s legs, slitting them at the pelvis region. As the claws sliced muscles and tendons, the Dog’s movements became unnaturally still. The albino’s ruby eyes flashed as his lips pulled back, giving him an expression that could be best described as a sneer. He then fully extended his claw, reveal a full four inches of bone and slowly pierced the soft sensitive flesh of the Dog’s stomach.
He began the incision the Dog with almost surgeon-like delicacy as the Dog screamed and attempted to thrash to get away. As the cut got bigger and wider, exposing the underlying muscles and tissues surrounding the intestines, the Dog’s face contorted at this excruciating agony. The albino, who seemed to be enjoying this scene, continued to slice from hip to hip taking his time.
As the albino finished the incision, he brought his clawed forelegs to the opening and plunged into the spongy material. The albino brought his claws out, grasping several inches of intestines in his grip. He continued scooping out the entrails as the Dog’s screaming had quieted, opting instead to whimper for a quick death that he wouldn’t get as he sobbed quietly and uncontrollably. Cumulus, morbidly reminded of how cats would often play with their prey before finishing it, wondered if the mouse was subjected to terror like this.
Once finished unravelling most of the Dog’s guts, the albino plunged his snout and jaws into the mostly hollowed abdomen. As the creature opened and shut his jaws, the Dog howled in new found agony. The albino gave a small twist of its neck and brought out a large, dark brown almost to the point of purplish organ in it’s teeth. Cumulus recognized the organ as the liver.
The creature held the organ in the dogs gaze, causing blood and bile to haphazardly splatter across the Dog’s coat. As the Dog moved its head to avoid looking at it, the albino moved in kind bringing the Dog’s own liver back into his view. Every so often, a purr would escape the albino’s throat, signifying its pleasure. After countless seconds, the Dog eventually lied still.
The albino brought up it’s free hind leg to the Dog’s chest, giving a small slice along the ribcage. It served him no purpose however as the Dog was thankfully dead. Seeing this, the albino gave what could only be described as a disappointed sigh and swallowed his prize of the liver. Licking its muzzle, he meandered to the stream and dipped his snout into the water, giving the water pinkish smears across the surface.
Cumulus released a breath he didn’t know he had been holding, realizing absentmindedly that he neglected to take notes. However, looking at had occurred in front of him, he found he didn’t really care anymore. If anything he would’ve given anything to scrub the memory of what had happened out of his mind.
The albino looked in his direction for the first time, almost grinning as a growl left his throat. Instinct taking over, Cumulus flew for the coastline. Out of all the thoughts flying about in his mind, he grabbed one single one to latch onto: "What have I gotten myself into?!"
