[rework] Minglings - chapter 26: Guerilla tactics

Jake tried to keep any thoughts out of his mind as he continued forward. The sun was a red orb, sinking in the water in front of him, turning everything ruddy and reminding him of blood. Angry, he continued propelling himself through the water at what he hoped was a speed he could keep up for a long time. A painful stab in his stomach reminded him of the last meal he had.

"Brother hungry? I look for fish again!" Tir's tired and strained voice came from his back. The pink-eyed lizard was holding on tight, the water pressure a lot harder to resist than the wind when flying. Her brother was silently copying her, looking around through the empty water.

He'd have to keep an eye on Ter. Ever since they had entered the sea, the tiny male lizard had been quiet and sometimes almost lethargic. Annoyed, Jake looked around.

How can there be no fish anywhere here? This is just ridiculous! Even on Earth, there are fish in the middle of the sea! Jake growled to himself for the umpteenth time. He was about to tell Tir and Ter to try and rest when Ter began yelling.

"There! Look, brother, something moves!"

Jake swirled around in the water, causing a host of air bubbles to appear around them, and saw a large shadowy figure incoming. It was back from the direction they had come and closing in rapidly. Squinting, he noticed multiple long shadows above a single body.

Hydra!

Jake turned and swam away at his fastest speed. The lizards had fallen silent, clenching onto him. "Tir, is it coming closer?"

Tir didn't answer, but Ter somehow managed to take a look back without sliding off. "No, we faster! It slowly becoming small."

That is weird... Jake thought, confused. Wait, if it's slower, it's likely weaker! He felt himself calm almost instantly as a predatory grin spread across his snout. "Ter, I am going to slow down. Tell me when the thing is coming closer again."

He began slowing down in small increments, but only when he was going half speed did Ter speak up. "He coming closer! Brother, go fast again, and flee?"

A soft growl came from Jake as he let out the Dragon's version of a snort. "No, Ter. We need food, remember? That Hydra is so slow. Besides, I can't keep fleeing, or I'll starve. No, it will become our food! You two will need to hold on tight. I can't leave you here to fight, but that thing has more than one head so he might try biting you."

"Don't worry! We help bite him!" Tir and Ter tried to look dangerous, showing their small rows of razor-sharp teeth.

Jake let out a proud grin, then made a tight arch. A small shape far behind was struggling after him, and he cannoned towards it as fast as he could. He made it almost halfway before the Hydra seemed to realize he was heading towards it and began slowing down.

That one's weaker and younger than the other, Jake thought as he counted its three heads and noticed that he was bigger than his prey.

The Hydra turned around, much to the amusement of Tir and Ter.

"He afraid! Brother, attack!" Tir howled loudly.

Jake grinned, a rush of bloodlust blurring his mind. It took him under a minute to overtake the fleeing Hydra, which seemed to detect him at the last moment. Two of its heads lunged, but Jake effortlessly dodged them. Snarling, he bit one incoming head, gripping it tightly behind the jaw.

"The other head!" Tir's squeal saved him from his cockiness, and he barely managed to let go and dodge the razor-sharp teeth with a quick flick of his tail. Backing up, he saw the three pairs of red eyes stare at him with unconcealed hunger.

They were facing off two dozen feet below the surface, and the water was so dark and shadowy.

Jake's mind was blurry with bloodlust and hunger, making it hard to think. He tried to calm himself by breathing the cold water through his mouth and blowing a stream of air bubbles through his nose. This was no time to lose his head. The Hydra moved first, slowly swimming forward; the middle head raised high while the two to the sides tried to flank him.

"Brother, perhaps we flee?" Ter's soft voice seemed scared as the looming predator closed in.

Jake cursed as the Hydra's eyes flicked to Ter. He barrel rolled and dove forward just in time to dodge it. Diving under the heads, he spun past another, then grabbed the Hydra's body, plunging his talons deep into its thick hide as he drew it close. He bit and ripped at the shoulder area where the heads were attached to a deceivingly thin neck. A set of teeth bit into his wing and another into the front of his chest, but he ignored them as he started swimming forward, holding the Hydra close. He ground his teeth against the pain, trying to bite through the leathery skin and the muscles underneath.

As he swam, he began shaking his head, as he had seen sharks and alligators do, hoping to break one of the necks. To his surprise, it happened almost instantly. The leftmost neck almost doubled back from one of the harsh movements, then there was a sharp snap, and it dragged limply behind them in the water. Strengthened in his decision, Jake increased his efforts, using the last of his now seriously flagging strength. A few seconds later, he felt his teeth clipped through the flesh and touched with a click. The Hydra shuddered and ripped itself free, leaving one neck and head behind in Jake's jaws.

Seeing it flee, Jake shot up in a tight arc and barreled into it from the top, ripping at its single remaining moving head. He slashed at its eyes faster than the other could dodge and cut through the large bulbs that splattered apart. At the same time, he clasped its body with his hind legs and bit down at the last neck. It took another minute to gnaw through the final, struggling head, but as soon as it ripped free, the Hydra stopped resisting. A large cloud of blood hung around them while bits of flesh drifted away.

Jake snuffed the desire to roar in victory as he breathed in large gulps of the bloody water, the gills inside his neck working overtime.

"Brother, we eat fast?" Tir was still on his back, and he finally remembered that they had been screaming during the battle. Now they were shivering uncontrollably while drinking in the bloody water.

"Yes, but we need to hurry. If we stay here, we might attract stronger predators," Jake said through gasps.

The two didn't wait for a second and rushed forward, gnawing at one of the heads bobbing listlessly in the water. Jake felt his stomach growl, and he began gorging himself, biting and chucking down chunks of flesh that almost made him gag. The large body disappeared faster than he had thought possible, and he stopped himself when he saw he was outeating the other two. He gave them both a large chunk of flesh and told them to return to his neck. As soon as they did, he began swimming again. The uncomfortable bulge in his stomach shrank rapidly, and taking a quick look down, he saw that he was going from a pregnant lady-dragon to an obese one within seconds.

Let's hope this is enough to reach dry land, he thought, trying to ignore the succulent meat the two small lizards were still gorging themselves on.

--

Sweat dripped across Mason's golden and red scales, but he barely noticed. His gaze was locked on a small patch of leaves that hid the only path through the otherwise dark and sweltering jungle. A faint ticking sound drew his attention, and he quickly looked at Sandra sitting next to him. At her other side was Tergin, blending in much better than them against the dark green and blue leaves of the tree.

Sandra raised two fingers, pointing towards the jungle. Then she motioned for Mason and Tergin to start their plan. Feeling both anxious and exhilarated simultaneously, Mason crawled back along the large branch before precariously climbing down the tall tree. The thick bushes below scratched his scales as he wiggled through them, trying to make as little noise as possible. Loud shouting and laughing started coming from the path, getting closer.

A short scream of pain caused him to grit his teeth. They are hurting them again! He was about to rush forward when a hand gripped his shoulder. Swirling around, he stared at Tergin, shaking his head and looking at him pleadingly.

Right, Mason thought, knowing the other was right. He couldn't bodge it now. He tried to relax his taut muscles but failed, and in the end, waited for the sign. He didn't have to wait long before a roar silenced the incoming group of Goblins.

"She went that away! Go after her!" a high-pitched Goblin voice screamed through the shocked silence.

The sounds of dozens of feet rushing off into the jungle moved away from Mason. He shook Tergin's hand from his shoulder and barged through the bushes, bursting out onto an unevenly hacked-out corridor through the jungle. On the dark muddy path were four Goblins, looking at the dense green and purple wall of vegetation, while three bruised and battered green-scaled Kobolds lay on the ground beside them. They were tied up and had a piece of rope around their neck, tying them together.

Fuckers...

Rage almost blinding him, Mason snarled. He sprinted forward, spraying sand and mud about. As angry as he was, he did hear Tergin follow close behind. Not that he cared, he could take four Goblins. They had been raiding the Goblins for a week now, and he knew from experience that he could easily best four or five.

One of the Goblins heard him and turned, but it was too late. He rammed into the much smaller enemy, who yelped as snapping sounds showed bones breaking. The Goblin dropped his spear as he was flung back against a tree, sliding down motionlessly. Mason turned and kicked another Goblin, using the long nails on his feet to pierce the soft belly before yanking it down and slicing it open.

The Goblin howled in pain. The final two spun around, but before they had a chance to do anything but snarl, Tergin barrelled into them, toppling one over and slashing its throat.

Mason flung himself forward and hit the last one in the gut, then slammed his clasped fists on its back. He heard the spine snap from the force of his blow, and he swirled around. The only Goblin left was the one he had attacked first, which he'd thought had died. It was limping away along the path, one arm swinging oddly. Mason dashed to the side, grabbed a spear, and hurled it after the Goblin, missing by a mile.

Damnit, why do I keep missing?

Before he could pursue the Goblin, a bronze blur burst from the jungle, grabbed the Goblin, and disappeared again on the other side.

Mason's forward sprint stopped to a walk. Shaking his head as a pained scream came from the jungle, he turned towards the tied-up Kobolds. He noticed they were staring at him in horror, wide, fearful eyes closed to tears. Right, this again. He stopped and lowered himself to his haunches.

"Are any of you seriously injured?" His deep, soothing voice, which he'd practiced on his step brothers, seemed to calm them, and one of the bound figures sniffled then shook her head.

"No, just some cuts and bruises. Please, hurry, untie us. We need to get out before those horrid little monsters come back!" she said haltingly.

Examining the smaller mud-covered Kobold, Mason nodded. He slowly closed in before slicing apart the sturdy, dried vines with his razor-sharp nails.

Just as he freed the last of the three Kobolds, Sandra walked out of the jungle, wiping the blood from her claws with purplish leaves. "Are you ready? The others are probably done chasing shadows and should be back at any moment. "

Mason nodded, kicking one of the Goblin bodies away and into the jungle. The three Kobolds, all female, were standing close together, wide-eyed and shaking.

The one who had spoken swallowed, then visibly steeled herself. "Who are you?"

"We used to be human, like you guys. Now we are trying to survive in this god-awful jungle," Mason said. "Now, follow us. We can't stay here. It is too dangerous." Mason beckoned them while walking towards Tergin, who would lead them back to camp.

No matter how they tried, he and Sandra kept getting lost, and only the native Kobold seemed able to find his way.

The three Kobolds followed him while Sandra covered the rear, covering their tracks.

Traveling back took almost an hour, and when they finally exited one of the densest parts of this jungle, Mason was even more cranky than usual. Stepping over the silvery white sand towards the enormous tree, he glanced around. Even after having seen it for a week, he was still amazed by the place Tergin had found.

Nestled against a rocky, forty-foot tall outcrop that naturally seemed to bend all trails away from it stood a single vast Hometree. Ancient and gnarled, its bulk dwarfed the trees bordering the massive patch of white sand surrounding it. It had taken Tergin days of scouting to find it, and according to him, it was near impossible to find. He'd only managed by luck as he had to flee from two Foilish, a horrible cross between a snake and a tiger.

According to Tergin, the Hometree was so old that its power scared away any wildlife.

"Mason, you're back!" A high-pitched yell rippled through the area, and Mason looked up with a smile. Emma was nimbly running towards him. Spreading his arms, he caught the small Kobold girl, hugging her tightly. Since he'd lost Jake, he felt that she was the only thing keeping him sane.

"You found more Kobolds!" Emma crawled across his chest, climbed on top of his shoulder then sat there like a small bird. Ever since he'd begun growing, she had started using him as her personal taxi. She was curiously examining the three Kobolds that were looking around.

"Yes, we freed them from a small Goblin patrol. Why don't you go and say hi? They are scared."

Emma nodded briskly before leaping from his shoulder, causing him to cringe when her nails pierced a few scales and dug deep into the flesh beneath. Willson stood nearby, looking at him with his almost black eyes, and Mason knew he had something to share. Wondering what it was, he moved to the small unfinished house—a roof made of long branches lined with large white leaves and half-finished walls. Still, when all was ready, it would be their first house. Hopefully, the first of many.

"How did it go?" Willson's heavy voice startled Mason. Had this guy changed again? Scanning him, he saw that Willson's arms did look a bit thicker, the muscles even more defined than before. Except for him, Mason was the one growing the fastest.

"As planned. We killed four, scattered the others, and finally found some more Kobolds. Three girls, by the looks of it."

"It's a start, I guess. If we want to create a place powerful enough to oppose that bastard, we will need hundreds more. Also, next time you stay here to babysit!" Willson smiled and pounded Mason's shoulder with his massive hand, causing Mason to widen his stance so as not to be pushed aside by the other's absurd brute strength.

"Damnit, Willson! What are you eating when I am not here?" Punching the other on the chest softly, Mason laughed and shook his head.

"Not much," Wilson said without expanding upon it.

Mason laughed a bit more. He and the others knew what had happened to Willson. The heavyset and muscular Kobold had awoken, something Tergin had said might be happening. However, he'd not told the others when or how it had happened, seeming intent on keeping it to himself.

"I am going to rest a bit. Let me know if you need a hand with those three, okay?"

Willson laughed as he walked away. "No worries, you take your beauty sleep! You need it!"

Moving towards the other side of the enormous tree, not as tall but a hundred times wider than the redwoods he had seen long ago, Mason sighed as he wondered what Jake would be doing right now.

--

"Brother, a bird!" Tir's joyful scream broke Jake from the tedious job of swimming for days on end. Feeling a surge of hope, he looked up, following her pointed claw. High above him, a tiny speck moved almost in the same direction as they were swimming, and his stomach growled. He drew in a breath of air, trying to stifle the hunger that nearly made him surge out of the water and chase whatever it was and devour it.

"Good job, Tir. Bird's only live close to land, so if we follow it, we will finally find a place to hunt!" Feeling Ter roll over and stretch himself, Jake automatically stretched out a wing so the little tike wouldn't slide from his back again. He couldn't wait to see sand and trees, or underwater fauna for that matter! The sea was great and all, but this far out, it was so deep he didn't dare bring the little ones to the seabed.

It had been two days since they had fed on the Hydra, and they hadn't seen a living creature. Seeing the bird shrink quickly, he knew it would disappear soon. He felt like cursing but instead sighed miserably.

"Tir, Ter, hold on. We are going to fly before we lose the bird!"

The two small lizards scrambled forward and bit down onto his frills, mumbling they were ready. Jake tried to pull as much energy from the water as he could as he sped forward. When he reached his fastest speed, he spread his wings. With the sound sails going taut, he felt lifted out of the water. Then began the tedious bit. He began flapping like mad, almost feeling his remaining energy drain with each flap. Still, he gained altitude quickly, heading after the bird.

Within a minute, he felt the pangs of hunger worsen, but he also saw he was gaining on the bird quickly. When he was at the same altitude, he slowed down and tried to glide as much as he could. His stomach growled loud as thunder.

Ten minutes later, he saw a smudge appear in the direction the bird was heading, and he almost hollered in joy. Land, finally!

He would be able to hunt and eat! And maybe he would be able to find Mason and Emma! Ignoring the bird, Jake began flying towards the distant land.