Nightwood Chronicles

Chapter 1: Atrum Silva


The sun had just begun its daily rise from behind the Tobol Mountains, its rays cascading on the forest below. Not that it mattered to its inhabitants, though, for those who lived in the Evernight forest were used to an existence that was eternally bathed in darkness. Light was a stranger here.

And so when Zaya awoke that morning, she was surprised to see lights shining into her little burrow. In her half-awakened state, she immediately suspected the worst and reached for her crude stone knife, thinking some predator had shoved aside the rock blocking her burrow’s entrance. It was only as she held her blade before her that she realized it was not the bioluminescent markings of some hungry animal, but the lights of tiny glowworms.

Zaya lowered her knife and chuckled to herself as she realized her mistake. She must have forgotten to seal the rock properly over her burrow entrance, and the worms, attracted by the lichens that covered the walls of her humble home, must have crawled in to feed. It was potentially dangerous mistake, but she was glad that something harmless had made her realize it. And on the plus side, at least now she had breakfast.

She snatched the closest glowworm, a particularly fat individual, and popped the wiggling morsel directly into her mouth. As she chewed, she took her time and savored its somewhat bland flavor, knowing fully well that a free meal such as this was hard to come by. With a satisfied gulp, she reached for another and polished it off as well. Soon her belly was full, and Zaya felt quite content.

With one of her needs fulfilled, she decided to fill another. All that food had made her quite thirsty, and now she could use a drink. The only problem, however, was that she would need to leave the safety of her den to get one. While the river was only a short distance away, getting there would be potentially risky. She knew that many of the creatures she shared the forest with wouldn’t mind making a meal of her, so she stuck her knife into the makeshift belt that hung around her waist in case she encountered any of them. Better to have a flimsy blade than nothing at all, she reasoned.

Moving the stone that blocked the entrance to her home, she cautiously put one foot out, then another, and another, and another…

Zaya was not a human, far from it. While her upper body did indeed resemble one save for a pair of fleshy antenna that sprouted from her forehead, everything below her waist was an entirely different matter. Her tauric lower half resembled a giant velvet worm in appearance, from the multiple stubby little legs to the dry, velvet-like texture of the skin.

She was an Onychomia, and a young one at that; just beyond childhood but not yet a woman. Her hair, which was of the same shade of regalia as her tauric half, was short and somewhat unkempt. Her skin was pale, a trait she shared with many others who lived in the darkness of the Evernight forest for their entire lives.

Noticing no signs of life, Zaya fully exited her burrow and resealed the entrance behind her. The air was cool as usual, and a thin mist blanketed the ground. Walking along the mossy stones that surrounded her home, she steadily made her way deeper into the forest.

Great trees towered above her, their thick, interlocking canopies meshing together so well that no beam of sunlight could penetrate them. Mosses and lichens covered their barks, species that glowed with a faint blue bioluminescence. These paled, however, when compared to the giant, brilliantly glowing red fungi that grew interspersed amongst them.

Zaya paid little attention to them. While an explorer or adventurer would have likely stared in awe at the breathtaking view, she had been taught from an early age that she shouldn’t “stop and gawk”, and that doing so would make her an easy meal for anything that was big enough and hungry enough to do so. And as she followed her mothers advice, she didn’t stop and soon made her way out of the small patch of light-covered trees, just moments before a rather hungry shadow fish the size of a bus “swam” through them. While she didn’t realize it, her mother’s teachings had once again saved her life.

The river was dark and deep, a swift current cutting off Zaya’s little patch of the woods from the rest of the forest. With a deep breath, the little onychomia nervously approached the water’s edge, unsure if some unseen menace lurked beneath its surface. The waters of Felarya were a dangerous place, and home to some of its most fearsome creatures. Zaya only hoped that none of them had decided to make this section of the river their home.

Not wanting to test her luck by drinking directly from the river in case it was still there, she looked about for something that could be used as a makeshift cup. A nearby leaf looked promising. Scooping up as much water as she could with it, she drank the liquid down quickly and soothed her parched throat. She then turned to leave when several squawks caught her attention.

On the opposite side of the river, a group of large, awkward looking birds appeared, long preceded by their oafish chorus. They walked, or more accurately stumbled, towards the water’s edge, apparently intent on getting a drink just as Zaya had. They pushed and shoved one another, all apparently wanting to drink from the same spot despite all of the available shoreline open to them. Even from across the river, Zaya's night vision allowed her to easily make out just how ragged their appearances was. They seemed to be far away from home.

One of them looked up and apparently saw Zaya, for it let out a coarse-sounding cry and started to move in her direction. Zaya did not know whether she should run or not, for even though the clumsy bird was thrice her size, it appeared to be an even worse swimmer than it was a walker. She almost laughed at the spectacle, when suddenly the bird – which was not even a quarter of the way across the river – let out a bloodcurdling sound and vanished beneath the water’s surface.

Something had pulled it under.

Paralyzed with fear, she could only look on as the wake of something much bigger than the bird began to make its way towards the distant shoreline. The rest of the birds, meanwhile, seemed oblivious to the danger headed their way. They continued to squawk and argue with one another, drinking from the river all awhile. At the last moment, one of the birds, perhaps the smartest one in the entire group, seemed to realize that something was wrong and let out a cry of alarm, but by then it was already too late.

A massive form burst out of the water, its shape akin to some giant crocodile with scales that were blacker than black. Its maw wide open, it rushed the shore and snapped up two of the birds in one bite. The rest of the flock fled in terror at the sight of the monstrosity, running back towards the safety of the forest’s edge while the creature, apparently satisfied, retreated back to the depths. Soon the water’s surface was calm once more, so much so that it almost appeared that the attack hadn’t even occurred. The birds, standing as if dumbstruck for but only a few moments, slowly made their way back to river and returned to their drinking. The air quickly filled with the sounds of caws and calls.

Zaya didn’t stick around to see any more of the birds get eaten, and quickly began to make her way back home. She’d had enough for one day.

- - -

That night, as Zaya laid snuggly on her bed of mosses, she slept soundly, safe with the knowledge that the entranceway to her burrow had been securely sealed, and dreamed of what might await her on next expedition into the outside world.



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Thanks to MrNobody13 for help with the name Onychomia, the title "Nightwood Chronicles", as well as with editing.

Felarya belongs to Karbo.

Named characters belong to me unless I say otherwise.

Oh my gosh a velvet worm-taur! I wish I had ever thought on something like that

All in all I see nothing wrong with this story. It's very well described, and it really gets across the feeling of wilderness and confusion. I'm really liking how this girl is turning out to be

But if she's a velvet worm, she could have used them glue-guns to defend herself

Oh yes, there are plans for a "glue-gun". I would never forget one of the velvet worms most useful hunting tools/defensive features. And thanks for the compliments.

I like where this is going.

Very interesting and well written. A little editing help; there's a tiny typo here it says, " but byo then it was already too late."

I'm very interested in seeing where this story goes.

Thank you both, and I fixed the error.

Interesting start - the tension is good and the environment really helps with that.

Looking to learn more of this character.

Great story ! it's starting really nicely with great descriptions and an original character
And it's very interesting to see your take on that region, so rarely used. I'm curious to see where it is going ^^

Interesting. More would be nice. I may use this area myself.

Thanks. And the next chapter is almost done.

Chapter 2: A Forest of Fungi


Another day had come to the Evernight forest, though for its inhabitants, it could have easily been midnight. In a world without sunlight, the time of day simply did not matter.

Zaya steadily made her way through the forest, unfazed by the cool air and dark shadows. After a good night’s rest, she’d woken up quite hungry, and was now set on finding something to eat. No glowworms had made their way into her burrow this morning, so that meant she needed to go hunting today. But, at least it also meant that she’d securely sealed off her home the night before. She’d rather sleep in safety than risk getting a free meal; no sense in risking her life for some tasteless glowworms.

As she circled around a particularly gnarled-looking tree, she came across her preferred hunting grounds. The miniature forest of jumbo mushrooms thrived in the darkness of the Evernight forest, requiring no sunlight to survive. They produced a soft green glow that illuminated their surroundings and, at the same time, attracted a wide assortment of different beetles and bugs. Through a system of trials and errors a couple of years back, Zaya had learned which ones were edible and which were better off being left alone. Her fingers had suffered enough stings and pinches for one lifetime.

Oh how she hoped to find nice, tasty firefly, or even a big juicy cricket! She loved their tastes the best, and, if she weren’t so hungry, would have taken the time to hunt only them. But her stomach demanded food now, and Zaya wasn’t about to ignore it. She would take what she could get.

And so she spent the majority of her morning turning over mushrooms and looking underneath them, hoping to find at least something to eat. She was having no luck whatsoever, though, and was starting to get agitated. Zaya was beginning to consider whether or not she should leave when a loud croak caught her attention.

The source wasn’t difficult to follow. A large frog nearly the size of her own head rested on a nearby tree, seemingly oblivious to her presence. As if to confirm this, it let out another croak, its vocal sac expanding and releasing a flash of blue light. This light continued to spread throughout the rest of its semi-transparent body, from the tip of its snout to the end of its tail, illuminating its entire skeleton and internal organs in a somewhat ghastly display before dimming out. It was big, but not as big as these frogs could get, she knew, as she’d spotted much larger, tailless individuals across the river. Apparently unable swim, or at least choosing not to, she was glad they were stuck over there. They looked big enough that they might even consider her a meal.

Zaya was glad that she’d only encountered a young glowfrog. It was perfect size for her, she thought, licking her lips all awhile in anticipation for the meal to come. Her stomach was in complete agreement, growling quite hungrily as if it realized that it would be filled soon enough.

And so the little onychomia slowly approached the amphibian at a snail’s pace, ever careful not to alert it. Zaya knew how fast these frogs could move when startled, how they could leap about with great bounds. If it did sense her and did so, there would be no chance for her to catch it, not with her stubby little legs. She would need to “even the odds” a bit, she realized. Luckily, she had just the tool to do so.

She moved in closer and closer until she was within ten feet of the tasty little glowfrog, perfect striking distance. She took cover behind a mushroom twice her size, hoping to avoid being seen.

The concealment wasn’t necessary. With its eyes not yet fully developed, the frog couldn’t see anything that wasn’t directly in front of it and moving. And given its current position, lying horizontally on the tree, that only meant the canopy high above it. It was a good tactic for hunting moths and fireflies, but a bad one for spotting predators.

Once Zaya was satisfied that she was within range, she prepared to strike. A pair of thin, barely noticeable slits, hidden just below the sides of her lower jaw, opened up to reveal fleshy turret-like projections. Connected directly to slime glands located within her cheeks, they were her secret weapons when it came to hunting.

She took aim.

Twin streams of slime shot forward, splattering across the back of the frog. It panicked, attempting to hop away, but found itself stuck fast to the tree. Wiggling and squirming, it tried to free itself but only managed to become more and more entangled in the sticky, glue-like slime. Soon its frantic endeavors at escape had left it exhausted.

Zaya gingerly plucked it off the tree, seemingly unaffected by her own slime. Holding it out before her, she knew that the hunt was at an end and that her efforts were about to be rewarded. Breakfast was served, and now it was time to eat…

- - -

Once again it had arrived too late and missed its prey.

But not by much, not this time. The scent was strong here, oh so very strong, telling it that its prey had been here. That much it was sure, that and it had been gone for no more than two or three hours. Or at least that was what its other senses told it.

Another, sweeter smell filled the air, one of blood. Its body tingled as it snorted in what it found to be the most intoxicating of odors, overcome with the knowledge that it was close to a kill. Its prey had feasted, and soon, oh so very soon, it would feast as well. Its appetite wetted and the scent now fresh in its mind, it took off, following the invisible trail of molecules that still lingering in the air.

It barely got half a dozen feet before its body convulsed, overcome by the lights below it. It had swum too close, and now it had paid the price: it had lost the scent in its moment of weakness.

Swimming above the mushrooms in a circular pattern, the forty-foot long shadow fish attempted to relocate the scent that had led it there. Appearance wise it was a truly dreadful sight, resembling some cross between a musky and a betta, and was just as ill tempered. It had followed this same scent the day before, losing it when it led to a grove of trees decorated in glowing mosses and fungi. And now it had lost it once again, this time to grove of glowing mushrooms.

Oh how it hated the light for dulling its senses! Even the weak bioluminescence of these mushrooms made it difficult to follow the trail, made it harder to think. And when it was hard to think, it was hard to hunt.

It didn’t like it when it was hard to hunt. It already had enough problems to deal with, such as a spear pinning one of its own fins to its side. The pectoral fin was now useless, doing little more than cripple the once mighty hunter. Now even a human, so rare and tasty a treat as it was, could easily outmaneuver it. It did not like that, and it certainly did not like the fact that it hadn’t had a decent meal in a long, long time.

Suddenly it’s nostrils flared; the scent had been found again! The shadow fish turned and spun about, just barely managing to avoid crashing into the side of a tree, and dashed off after the trail with a flick of its tail. It would not loose its dinner, not this time.

- - -

Zaya happily headed home, a skip in her steps and a belly full of juicy frog meat. Today had been a good day, she knew, better than most. Not only had she not encountered anything dangerous on her outdoor excursion this day, but she’d also caught something especially tasty. She couldn’t help but lick her lips as the thought of the frog crossed her mind. Everything was going her way toda-

She froze when she reached her den, her eyes widening in shock. Something was wrong, very wrong with the picture before her.

The stone that she’d been using for years to block the entrance to her burrow had been rolled aside. Someone, or something, had invaded her home…




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Thanks to MrNobody13 for help with editing.

Felarya belongs to Karbo.

Named characters belong to me unless I say otherwise.

Really great stuff hear. The sense of hunting and prey works very well, from both perspective. That shadow fish makes the whole thing very spooky. And an unanswered ending to give us questions that need answering!

Very nice job Jasconius. I shall now sit here and wait for chapter 3.

Very nice chapter here
You did again a great job with descriptions, pulling the reader right into your story. And great job on the cliffhange too XD

Thank you everyone.

Chapter 3: Unwanted Visitor


Her home, the only sanctuary in the Zaya knew in the entire world, the one place that made her feel safe and left her feeling protected from the dangers and creatures of the Evernight forest, both real and imaginary, had… had been invaded…

She wanted to rush in, confront whoever or whatever was in there, and expel them at whatever the cost, whatever the sacrifice. Despite this, she did not move from the front of the entranceway. Caution kept her rooted to the spot, caution and a healthy dose of fear.

“What if there was a monster in there, some horrific shadowy creature with numerous eyes and sharp teeth, lying in wait, preparing to ambush and eat her as soon as she entered? What if it tore her limb from li-”

Zaya shook her head, trying to literally shake the horrid thought out of her head. The situation was already bad, she didn’t need to make it worse by imagining unseen horrors wanting to rip and tear her-

She shook her head again.

Zaya had no idea what to expect within her own den, but if she was going to go in, she needed a clue at least. Her gaze quickly fell upon the stone “door”. There were no marks on it, no cuts or scratches that one would expect if an animal had merely tried to dig or claw its way into the burrow. Instead, the stone had been rolled aside.

That meant only one thing: either it was something that was very smart, or it was another person. She hoped it was the latter.

Something else caught her eye, dirt. Not just ordinary dirt, of course, but freshly unearthed soil, placed into large piles in front of the entranceway. Was something, or more hopefully someone, excavating inside her den? Zaya had to know.

She slowly took out her knife, its blade feeling light in her hand, and gripped it tightly before herself with both hands. The sharpened bone it was made of seemed frailer than usual, so much so that she feared even the slightest of pressures would cause it to shatter into a million pieces. This thought did not sit well with her, so she pushed it to the back of her mind, knowing that what she was about to do would require her complete concentration.

Stepping lightly into her own home, as silent as a neko stalking a neera, Zaya pressed onward. Breathing hushed, senses alert, she only stopped when she began to hear noises. What sounded like tired grunts were emanating from deeper within the burrow, grunts intermixed with what also sounded like digging. They certainly didn’t sound animalistic, and that gave Zaya enough courage – as much as she could muster – to call out to whomever else was in the burrow.

“Who… who’s in here?”

The sounds of digging came to sudden halt as her words echoed off the walls, replaced by a deadening silence. This scared Zaya even more than she’d been before, for in the stifling darkness her fears took shape, giving form to whatever it was that was with her now. She couldn’t take it, so she called out again, partly to communicate with whoever was actually with her, partly to break the reticence that was slowly eating at her psyche.

“Who’s in-“

The next thing the little onychomia knew, something was rushing towards her, the sounds of its numerous chitinous legs rebounding off the dirt floor. Before even a scream could escape her lips, something swatted away the dagger in her hands, then roughly shoved her against the wall, face first.

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing, you little worm?” questioned a harsh yet feminine voice. Before Zaya could reply to it, something was imbedded into the wall just inches from her head. From the corner of her eye, she could see that it was her knife.

“Is this thing supposed to be a knife? Were you thinking ta gut me when me back was turned?” the voice said, even angrier than before.

Zaya tried to turn, tried to look at the woman, to have at least some idea about who had invaded her home – as well as to potentially use her slime glands – but found the iron grip holding her head in place to be unrelenting. She then tried to move her lower half, hoping that she’d be able to slip free of the embrace, but found something heavy was atop her, holding her in place… something with lots of legs.

“Well? What do you got to say for yourself? Choose your words carefully before I decide whether or not I should smash your head.” her unseen captor said, much more forcefully than the last time.

Zaya, with tears welling up in her eyes, tried to maintain her composure. “I wasn’t… wasn’t going to hurt… hurt you. I… I thought there was an… an animal in here… this is… this is my home…” she stammered out. She was afraid, afraid that she was going to die then and there in her own house.

Her reply was met only with silence.

“This is it,” she thought, closing her eyes in anticipation of the blow to come. None did. Instead, Zaya found her head released and the weight on her back lifted. She stumbled back, confused, yet getting a good look at her captor in the process.

It was a chilotaur, one that was nearly twice her size and whose lower half was pure white in coloration. Her skin was quite pale as well, though this seemed to stem more from simply a lack of sunlight. Her long hair was an ivory, almost silvery white, and overall she seemed to produce an ethereal glow in the darkness. The only thing about her that didn’t seem to be white, besides the layer of dirt caked upon her from digging, were her pink eyes. She glared at Zaya, arms folded across her chest, and began tapping her many feet impatiently.

“Well?” the chilotaur asked, though not as angrily as before. “Who are you and what do you got to say for yourself?”

Zaya took a deep breath, calming her nerves. “My… my name is Zaya. I’m sorry I-“

“You should be,” the chilotaur interrupted, her face becoming cross. “Coming into my home unannounced, holding a dagger, making a racket. You’re lucky I was in a talkative mood and didn’t decide to just crack your skull.”

“Your home? This is my burrow, I live here. You’re the one who is here unannounced!” Zaya replied in a shocked manner. She couldn’t believe that this chilotaur was calling her, out of all people, the intruder. Who in the world did she think she was?

The chilotaur narrowed her eyes. “Well that would explain the stench in the air,” she said, slowly approaching Zaya until she was right in her face. “Let me tell you what is going to happen. I have been searching for a home for quite some time, a very long time, to be exact. I am tired, very tired, of searching and I don’t have much time, certainly not enough to find a new den, so I am NOT leaving to find another one. As I am going to need this place more than you, you’re the one who will be leaving now. I will, however, give you the chance to leave on your own. If you do not, then I will be forced to MAKE you go. Is that clear, kid?”

Zaya simply stared incredulously, unsure of how to respond. She could only look on, flabbergasted, as the chilotaur began to return back to the depths of the burrow. Her burrow. This realization seemed to snap something at the back of Zaya’s mind, as she began to move forward.

“Now wait just a moment-“

The chilotaur had clearly had enough with the onychomia, as she turned about and charged back down the tunnel in a threatening display. Zaya nearly had a heart attack at the sight of this. She turned about, running back the way she came, fleeing what was once her home. She didn’t look back, didn’t see the chilotaur seal the door behind her, and didn’t stop running for a long time.

Eventually, Zaya’s little feet simply couldn’t go on any more and she collapsed, exhausted from her effort. Tears began to flow freely from her eyes, tears stemming from the fact she’d lost her home and everything she’d had. Despite this, she soon noticed her disadvantage. Out in the middle of a clearing, in her state, she was a sitting duck for any predators in the region.

And so, even in her current situation, she looked for some form of safety. A tangle of roots seemed promising. She crawled under them, into a small depression in the ground, and curled up into a tight ball. She closed her watery eyes.

All she wanted to do right now was sleep… sleep and try to forget about everything bad that had just happened to her…

- - -

The scent had led it here, to this mound. Perhaps its prey rested here, had dug a burrow into the side of this little hill. The smell of freshly unearthed soil and sweat seemed to confirm this.

Slowly the shadow fish descended, as silent as a phantom, and searched for some opening that would lead it to its soon-to-be dinner. It soon came across a stone and stopped. Something smelled wrong. There was the scent of the prey it was hunting, but also the scent of another. This meant only one thing to the shadow fish…

More food.





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Thanks to MrNobody13 for help with editing.

Felarya belongs to Karbo.

Named characters belong to me unless I say otherwise.

Great chapter !
You really manage to make the reader root for the poor Zaya. I don't know who this chilotaur is but she could use some lesson of humility >>

Chapter 4: The Shadow Fish Strikes - Part I


Within the gloom of the burrow, Nedasa awoke from a night of restless sleep. Exhausted, her body aching and antenna drooping, she still managed to rise from the ground and stretch out her arms. While she would have preferred going back to bed, she knew that there was still much more work to be done on the burrow if she was ever going to have it ready in time.

And thus with a tired look in her eyes, she lifted up a fresh pile of soil – unearthed from the night before – and lethargically made her way towards the entranceway. It was going to be a long day, the chilotaur knew, but in the end it was going to oh so worth it.

Her newly acquired grin quickly vanished as she came across a familiar knife made of bone imbedded in the burrow wall. Nedasa’s thoughts went back to the day before, back to the onychomia she had confronted. Had she been too harsh in kicking her out?

No. Nedasa had desperately needed the burrow for what was to come, for the security and shelter it would provide. And removing the previous owner had its advantages too, the primary of which were the removal of both a potential predator and possible competition for her-

Caught up in her thoughts, the chilotaur failed to notice the sealed doorway until it was too late “Ouch!" Nedasa exclaimed as she bonked her head hard against the stone. The resounding “clonk” echoed throughout the tunnel, serving as a testament to her moment of obliviousness. In her brief moment of pain, she nearly dropped the dirt she was carrying, but just managed to barely hold onto it. That was a minor relief, though, as her head still smarted.

No longer drowsy, she managed to roll aside the stone with her legs. Once it was out of the way, she lazily exited the burrow, tossed the dirt aside, then stretched out her arms as far she could again until there was a resounding crack. Now relaxed, she took her time to look around at her surroundings.

This truly was a beautiful section of the forest. Surrounded by dozens of trees, most of which were saplings growing in the sparse sunlight that managed to find its way through the canopy of the taller individuals. Amongst them was a plethora of life: dozens of tiny bioluminescent mushrooms, a few roosting lightseekers, a giant hungry-looking shadow fish, plenty of glowworms-

Nedasa’s eyes bulged as she realized what she had just seen. The shadow fish, all forty feet of its length, hovered just off the ground, staring directly at her with large, unblinking eyes. She reacted instinctively, leaping backwards just as the creature lunged forth. It just missed her, getting a mouthful of dirt instead of chilotaur. Its ensuing bellow was enough to tell her that her escape had only managed to piss it off more.

Rushing down into the depths of the burrow, she made her way to the newly constructed room. There was a sack in the corner, and she quickly rummaged through it till she found two tightly wrapped bundles of wood. For a moment she considered using the bundle her friend Sylva had provided her, but decided against it. No need to waste them when normal wood would suffice.

- - -

Over a dozen neuromasts alongside the top and bottom of its toothless maw began to tingle in anticipation, the tiny hair cells within said pores vibrating excitedly as they started to detect something. The sensation spread throughout the rest of its length, continuing down its lateral line like a wave. The message it gave was simple yet clear.

There was movement inside the burrow.

In the shadow fish’s mind this translated easily into a simple formula: movement meant food. Food was good. It liked food. It liked to eat food. Once it ate, it would be full. It liked to be full. When it was full, it was happy.

The shadow fish slowly descended from its location within the shadows, preparing to strike as soon as it noticed the stone door shudder. It held motionlessly in midair once it was in position, waiting for its prey to exit the den, to leave its sanctuary, so as the predator could lunge, catch it off guard, and satiate its immense hunger.

The stone rolled aside. What exited the burrow was not what the shadow fish had been hunting… but it would do.

A chilotaur exited from it instead, one whose body was of such a pure white that it seemed almost luminous against its surroundings, at least to the night vision of the shadow fish. The figure tossed something aside, something of little interest to a creature, to a predator, such as the shadow fish itself. It was worried only about food, which, in the current situation, the chilotaur was. Its belly rumbled, telling it now was the time to strike.

Forty feet of ravenous shadow fish lurched forward, mouth agape, eyes focused on its target. It lunged, snapping hungrily, and gulped down a delicious mouthful of chilotaur. Or at least it thought it had. Eyes bulging, it realized that instead of swallowing its prey in one bite, it had swallowed a large chunk of earth.

The taste! How horrid! Shaking its head in disgust, it retreated away from the mound. With a great cough, or at least the closest any fish could come to a producing a cough, it expelled the mouthful of dirt in a blast of air.

With the horrible taste out of its mouth, it returned its gaze back to where the chilotaur had once been. There was no sight of it, but the shadow fish’s senses told it that its prey was still in there. Most likely it had retreated deep within the mound, but that would not save it, not from this predator’s hunger. There was no more need for patience, for its hunger had become overwhelming. Now it would tear apart the mound until it could-

It suddenly sensed that the chilotaur was making its way back to the surface, its movements stimulating shadow fish’s neuromasts once more. It lunged ahead once again, hoping to catch its dinner before it could flee once again. Had it not been so hungry, it would have realized that something was wrong with the current situation.

Hunger overriding common sense, it reached the burrow entrance just as the chilotaur exited it… with a pair of lit torches.

That light, that horrible light! Its senses were overwhelmed by the radiant glow of the torches, those oh so wicked torches the chilotaur swung before itself. It couldn’t take the pain they caused, and with a swish of its tail it retreated. But it was not about to give up.

It rushed twice more, and was repelled just as many times, unable to stand the light of the torches. Both times, however, it had gotten closer and closer. Now it need only build up enough momentum to swoop in and snap up the chilotaur before her horrid torches repelled it. It charged again, testing its strategy, and managed to get within an arms reach of its prey before being repelled once more, though not before having the tip of its mandible swatted with the torch.

Bruised but not beaten, it had one more plan. It swam to the edge of the clearing, then turned about; the shadow fish lunged forth once more, mouth wide open-

-and received a torch tossed down its throat for its troubles.

The pain was immense. Body contorting, throat singed, the shadow fish swam about erratically, slamming into the sides of several trees. The light of the torch had pushed back the darkness, had removed the life sustaining shadows that this creature of the blackness needed not only to hunt or survive, but to breathe as well. It shook its head ferociously, even violently, all in a hope to dislodge the lit torch stuck in its throat, and to remove the poisonous light it produced.

The flames of the torch continued to burn, continued to produce that most toxic of substances that the shadow fish despised most of all. Movements slowing, body weakening, the predator slowly sank to the ground before collapsing, seemingly having given up.

- - -

Nedesa slowly approached the downed shadow fish, unsure if it was dead. Not wanting to take any chances, she reached for another torch from the sac on her back and lit it. Even with the twin blazing sticks held out before her, she moved no closer to the still predator. No sense in making a mistake if was still alive, especially one that could cost the chilotaur her life.

She had been lucky, very lucky, and she knew that. When she’d tossed that last torch, she had been making a gamble. While she had indeed won out, she knew how badly the situation could have gone. The oversized guppy before her could have easily shut its mouth at the last second, blocking the torch entirely, or even swerve to the side, causing her to overshoot it. But it hadn’t, and now she stood the victor.

For but a brief moment, she pondered whether or not luck had been on her side or if a group of humans she had met once had been right. They had spoken of some goddess – Minalvo or Minanya or something – who controlled a being’s luck and favored those who worshipped her.

“Nah,” Nedesa thought with a grin. “I control my own luck, and no one’s telling me otherwise.” She looked back over the shadow fish, a confused yet hungry look coming over her face. “Can I cook this?”

As sensing her thoughts, the great beast began to tremble. Its body quivered, and the creature started to gasp. Thinking the beast was preparing to attack, Nedesa raised her torches just as the shadow fish… vomited.

She barely backed up out of the way as the flood of digestive juices spewed forth. The smell was horrible, acrid, and burnt the inside of her nostrils. She wanted to pinch off her nose, stop the smell, but couldn’t as her hands were full at the moment. Thus she endured it, along with the sight of a half-digested glowfrog sticking out of the gunk amongst other indiscernible items.

Something caught her eyes amongst the gunk, something that was discernible from the rest… and which was sizzling. Her eyes widened as she realized what it was.

The torch.

Without a second thought, she retreated back to the burrow, just as the shadow fish’s body shook. It rose from the ground, its eyes locked on her… and left with a flick of its tail.

Though exhausted, Nedesa stood there until the predator was long gone, unsure if it would return. She hoped it did not, that it had learned to think twice before even considering to come anywhere near her home again. That hope did little to calm her thoughts. It was bad enough that it had come now… but if it came back later…

She reentered her burrow, sealing the entrance behind her, all awhile thinking about one thing. Secure the burrow.

- - -

It would not return to that place.

Though its pain was gone, now replaced by only a dull ache, it could still feel the burn of the fire in its throat and the suffocating poison that the torch produced. It had survived, but had lost its last meal and was now hungrier than ever; a hunger only intensified by its emaciated frame. It had not had a good meal in a very long time.

But not everything had been bad, it had learned from this encounter, learned that this prey was not worth the effort of hunting it. Certainly not when easier prey was to be found. Just like the one it was following once again.

The trail was still fresh, and had led away from the burrow. It could sense that it was close, that its prey was not far off.

The little onychomia would not get away, not this time.







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Thanks to MrNobody13 for help with editing.

Felarya belongs to Karbo.

Named characters belong to me unless I say otherwise.

Great chapter ^^ I loved how you described that fight, it was intense and striking

Thank you.

Chapter 5: The Shadow Fish Strikes - Part II


The cold morning air and the peeps of young glowfrogs awaited Zaya as she woke from her slumber. She reached out, trying to use the surrounding dirt walls to support herself as she got off the ground… and felt only the rough sensation of wood. Her eyes widened in confusion. Where was she!?

Then it all came back to her, everything from the day before. The memories of having her burrow stolen by some chilotaur, then being chased out into the woods, and finally having to spend the night under an exposed root, they all came back. And she didn’t like a single one of them.

She rubbed her eyes, wiping away the tears that were welling up at the corners of them. Try as she might, she couldn’t stop the flow from her bloodshot crimson eyes.

“It’s not fair! It’s just not fair. It was my home, mine, why did she take it? Why?!” These questions and more crossed her mind; all awhile she unconsciously pounded her fists against the side of the root. So caught up was Zaya in her moment of confusion and frustration, she didn’t realize what she was doing for several minutes. Once her anger was spent, though, she collapsed backwards onto the trunk of the tree, to tired and upset to bother moving to a more comfortable position.

No longer mentally preoccupied, she finally noticed the pain flowing in from her warm, aching fingers. Noticed, yes, but didn’t care. Even though her knuckles were white, cracked, and bleeding, she paid them little attention. The pain she felt from them paled compared to that of losing her home… the only one she ever knew… the one her mother had dug out for them both…

Her mind drifted again.

If only her mother had been there, she would have kicked that chilotaur right to the curve. She would have taught it a lesson, one that it wouldn’t soon forget for trying to steal their home. She would have been brave.

“She wouldn’t have been so easily run off,” Zaya thought. “She wouldn’t have fled. She would’ve taken it back or died trying.” And now she had lost it… if only her mother had been there…

“Why hadn’t she come back? Why did she leave me here?”

Despite the fact that it’d been years since Zaya had even seen her, these questions had often tormented her. She didn’t know which was worse, though, the questions themselves, or the fact that she had already guessed what their answers were – answers she didn’t want to believe. She did her best to block them out of her mind.

Now was not the time for questions. Now was the time for action.

Rolling over onto her feet, she wiped away the tears as best she could and headed out. She knew she couldn’t keep moping about all day, she had to get going, had to find a new home, and soon. Dangers were prevalent in the Evernight forest, and those without homes rarely ever lasted very long. The one problem, though, was that her old burrow was the only really safe place she knew about in her small section of the woods. Despite this, she knew she had to at least try and look.

And so she exited the shelter the root had provided, never noticing that the glowfrogs had gone quiet.

Zaya had only gotten a short distance when she felt a cold chill run up her spine. She looked about, half expecting something to be moving in the shadows, but saw nothing. But seeing nothing didn’t ease the sensation that was slowly creeping upon her, the sensation that she was being watched. It was then that she noticed just how silent the clearing had become, and a sense of dread began to well up inside her. She knew, from personal experience whenever she went hunting, that the forest always got quiet, its creatures knowing that a hungry predator was about. The only problem was that this time the forest had gone quiet… and she wasn’t doing the hunting.

Something was out there…

- - -

It had found it… it had finally found it.

With the closest sensation to elation that its animalistic mind could comprehend, the shadow fish realized that all its hard work, all its time spent following the trail, was about to come to an end. Here before it, alone and unaware, was the payoff it had been waiting for, the food that would soon fill its hungering belly. Soon, but not yet.

First would come the stalking.

Hidden amongst the shadows it called home, it slowly swam onward, sizing up the relatively small clearing and searching for a vantage point from which it could launch the entirety of its mass like some biological torpedo at its target. Experience had told it time and time again that the first strike would often be the only one it would get. And given the time and effort it had put into this hunt, it was not about to waste that chance.

It had to keep a focused mind, had to resist the urge to simply swoop in and grab its dinner… but something kept gnawing at the back of its mind, something that came into conflict with its predatory instincts. Something about the sight of this onychomia made it feel an emotion it did not truly comprehend… rage.

The shadow fish was an animal, little more than the fish it so resembled both physically and mentally. It could not fully understand the concept of rage, not at this point in its life, and it could only realize that looking upon the creature before it made it feel angry, made it want to simple rush in an gobble it without care for tactics or hunting strategies.

It was all because it looked another one it had once encountered, a horrid one-armed one that had left it, a once mighty predator, scarred and crippled. Or at least it seemed to look like that one. It couldn’t be sure, not from here, not from this distance. It needed a better look.

A primal part of its brain told it not too, told it simply continue to the hunt and not risk the chance of discovery before it was too late. But this was overshadowed by another section of its mind, one that had been steadily growing over the past few years. This part of it told it to simply take the risk, to satisfy its growing curiosity. It didn’t know what to do, didn’t know how to act, until it suddenly saw its opening as its dinner looked away; a perfect opening.

It took it.

Swooping in silently, the shadow fish passed within inches of its prey, focusing one of its great, glowing eyes upon it as it did.

Before the onychomia could turn to see what had happened, the great predator was hidden amongst the shadows once more. It had its answer.

They were alike. Same hair, body color, even the scent was similar. These details brought back painful memories of an old hunt gone wrong, and made its right pectoral fin ache as if the spear that had been stabbed through it had just happened the day before. This… this made it angrier, made it think about that other onychomia, but brought forth a realization.

Perhaps eating this one would ease the anger… ease the pain. That would be nice indeed.

- - -

Zaya spun about, eyes wide with terror; she was sure that she had sensed something, something big, rush past her. And yet as she turned around, there was nothing behind her, no presence at all, as far as she could tell. Yet she was sure that she’d felt that something had been there only moments ago.

Had she really just imagined it?

Biting her lip, she scratched the side of her head in confusion. Maybe she had just imagined it all. She wasn’t used to sleeping outside the burrow, and perhaps the combination of fear, the darkness, and the deafening silence was getting to her. It must have been all inside her mind… right?

But then again, retreating back to the root didn’t sound like such a bad idea.

Her mind decided, Zaya let out a sigh of relief, wiped the cold sweat away from her forehead, unintentionally glanced over her shoulder-

-and froze with fear. From the corner of her eye she glimpsed a tail vanish into the darkness of the treetops with a single swish, only to be replaced by a pair of large, glowing eyes that were even bigger than her own head. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight, and then, try as she might, Zaya found herself unable to move, her body seemingly paralyzed.

The owner of the luminous eyes seemed to realize that it had been found out, and thus descended out of the gloom with great speed, right into the little onychomia’s field of night vision.

She recognized it immediately. There was only one other notable inhabitant (not including the chilotaur) that shared her little neck of the woods, a shadow fish of great size that she had so named Shadowscale. She had never given it much attention before this moment, in fact it had been years since she’d last seen it; it had always just been something she might encounter from a distance and then take her time to avoid meeting. It had never even seemed that interested in her. But now… now it was coming after her… now it was hunting her.

This realization snapped her out of her fear-induced paralysis, and just in time, too. She charged ahead as fast as her stubby little legs could carry her, her sole advantage over the shadow fish’s head start being how close to the root she had already been. She could hear the whoosh of air as it swooped in behind her. It was close, almost upon her. With one last burst of speed, she dove for the shelter, rolling into a shallow hollow at the back of the root just as the shadowy predator slammed into it with enough force to cause the entire tree to shudder.

Snapping and biting, the shadow fish tried its best to shove its girth through the wooden arc, but found itself unable too. Its prey was just out of reach, and this infuriated it to no end.

Zaya tried her best to pull herself as close to the tree bark as she could, knowing that the sturdiness of the arching root was all that was keeping the toothless maw from gulping her down. The jaws were just inches away from her, rapidly opening and closing, giving her only temporary flashes of the cavernous gullet that lay behind them. She tried to keep cool headed, tried to resist screaming – fully knowing that no one would to save her – but found the sight of Shadowscale’s hungering jaws simply too much. Then it came to her.

The knife!

It wasn’t much, it probably wouldn’t even harm the beast, but it was all she had to work with. She reached for it on her belt… and her heart dropped in her chest. In a moment of horrific realization, she remembered that she didn’t have her knife anymore. She’d left it back at the burrow.

This knowledge hit her like a brick: she had no way out… she was going to be eaten by this monster… she was going to die. And her mother, wherever she was, would never know …

A sense of hopelessness fell upon her, enveloping her both body and mind. She nearly collapsed under the realization that she couldn’t get out of this current situation; nearly succumbed to the awful truth, when suddenly the shadowfish withdrew. She stared onward, blinking in disbelief, not understanding why it had retreated. Before she could question what was happening anymore, the creature slammed into the root again, managing to get itself in even further this time as the ancient root gave an audible groan.

Now the distance between them was nearly nonexistent. Zaya could make out the dozens of tiny neuromasts that dotted its face, could feel the waves of hot, stinking breath that were washing over her. She barely bit back the feeling of nausea the smell filled her with. She had to. One false step and she might fall forward, right into the waiting, snapping jaws that lay right before her.

The shadow fish seemed none too pleased that it still couldn’t reach her, and pulled back once again. This time, however, Zaya had no plans for being caught off guard again and tightly hugged the bark-covered wall.

The mighty predator swam about the clearing, building up its momentum, and then rushed the root. As it bolted towards it, however, it unintentionally listed to the right. Once again its pinned pectoral fin was about to prove a hindrance.

Zaya closed her eyes and cringed as she felt the great impact, half expecting to find herself gobbled up by the great shadow fish. When she felt no fleshy walls surround her or stomach acids engulf her, she opened her eyes. Shadowscale hadn’t gotten inside, had missed instead for some reason. That offered little comfort as it instead pulled back, clearly preparing for another attempt to reach her.

She watched as the shadow fish retreated to the opposite side of the clearing, and Zaya was at a loss about what to do. It would simply charge again, and if it didn’t break through the root this time, it would simply continue to do so until it eventually succeeded. There didn’t seem to be anything she could do… or was there?

The idea struck her like a lightning bolts. She would let it come, let it smash its way in. She had a plan.

- - -

The hunt was about to come to an end.

The shadow fish wouldn’t be denied. It had its prey cornered, unable to escape, and with no way to fight back. All the onychomia could do was simply wait for its fate to take place, to fill the belly of the beast. It was inevitable, it would occur, and that the shadow fish knew.

Accelerating out of the shadows, it paid little attention to the fact that its prey had appeared before the root. Nor did it pay attention as something splashed across its head. Whatever it was, it didn’t sting or slow the shadowy predator down, so it merely swam onward even faster.

It had a meal to catch.

That was all that mattered, all that it cared about. And so when it smashed into the wooden arch, it cared little for the sudden tug on its scales that it felt, or the sensation that the root that surrounded it was being pulled forward alongside its body. Before it laid its prey, cowering against the side of the tree – its tantalizing movements merely serving to fuel the shadow fish’s hunger.

Jaws snapped aggressively, hungrily seeking flesh, but devoured nothing besides air. Try as it might, its prey was still just out of its reach. Dissatisfied that it was still unable to feed, still unable to ease the great pains in its belly, it realized that it would need to try again. It then pulled itself back out of the arch so that it could prepare for another charge… or at least tried too.

Try as it might, the shadow fish found itself unable to move. It struggled and thrashed, trying to pull itself free, but found all its efforts to be in vain. The root, despite groaning and cracking due to its efforts, refused to give.

With a steadily growing sense of anxiety, the shadow fish realized it was trapped.

- - -

It had worked… her plan had actually worked.

Not only had she been able to hit Shadowscale with her slime, but also she had managed to get it stuck within the arching root-

The sudden flaw in her plan became incredibly obvious. Yes the shadow fish was stuck, but now she was stuck in the shallow hollow behind the root with it. There was no way out, no way around the massive bulk that was now blocking the entrance. She realized that eventually the shadow fish would break free… and she doubted that it would be in quite so good a mood when it did.

There had to be a way out, there just had to be.

Zaya looked back and forth, searching for some way to escape. All seemed hopeless until she saw a small crack that seemed to be just large enough for her to squeeze through. The only problem, however, was that the small space was right above the still struggling predator before her. Her only way out, it seemed, would be to crawl over Shadowscale.

She cautiously stepped forward, as quietly as she could, only to leap back when the immense shadow fish snapped in her direction. It clearly wasn’t pleased with its current situation, but neither had it decided to give up Zaya as a snack.

She tried to make another attempt for the opening, and, in response, the shadow fish snapped at her once again. This went on for several more terrifying minutes before Zaya realized that she would need to try something else. Another idea struck her.

Shooting twin shots of slime just below the creature’s jaws, Zaya then darted forward just enough to get a reaction out of the predator. The shadow fish lunged its head forward as best it could, sliding it across the ground as the onychomia retreated backwards.

A grin spread across her face; she knew she’d tricked the creature once again. It lasted until the shadow fish raised its head off the ground with little difficulty, the only sign of it having been stuck being the clumps of dirt now stuck to its lower jaw. The slime had failed! Either the soil hadn’t provided a strong enough substrate for the slime to hold it down, or the predator was strong enough in its rage to free its head.

Another idea occurred to her. Looking about for anything she could grab, Zaya quickly located a rock. Holding it in her hand for a moment, she then tossed it towards the other side of the hollow where it rebounded off the bark wall. Hearing the sound, the shadow fish snapped in that direction, giving Zaya the opening she needed.

Rushing forward, eyes closed tight out of fear should her plan fail, she ran towards the opening. The trick only distracted the shadowy creature for but a moment, after which it lunged back in her direction. But luck was on her side that day, as the predator just missed her, biting into nothing but air instead.

When Zaya finally did open her eyes after realizing she hadn’t been eaten, she found herself face to face with one of the giant luminous globes of the shadow fish. It stared into her with such intensity that it seemed to bore a hole right into her. Its hunger was quite apparent.

Staring into the great unblinking orb filled Zaya with a pang of terror. It seemed so uncaring in how it stared at her, almost as if it viewed her only as a piece of meat to eat, which she feared it did. This notion unsettled her greatly. Despite this, she knew what she had to do to escape and began to climb up the shadow fish’s side, eliciting a fury of new thrashes from it as she did. She rushed towards the top of the beast; not wanting to spend another moment trapped with it, and then squeezed her way through the opening above it.

The cold morning air of the Evernight forest greeted her as she slid down the backside of the great fish. She was still scared from her encounter, still a bit frightened, but now was quite ecstatic as well. She had survived… she had actually survived.

A sudden sound of cracking wood caught her attention. Spinning about, she feared that Shadowscale had broken free. Much to her relief, the shadow fish was still stuck under the root, though by the looks of it, it wouldn’t hold the predator for much longer. While for now the situation was still safe, she realized that it would be best to get away before it eventually did escape.

She started to turn when something caught her eyes. Something was sticking out of the side of the shadow fish, right out of one of its fins. She couldn’t exactly be sure, but it seemed to be… a spear?

By all accounts it did appear to be so. And if it was, Zaya knew that she could really use it. She didn’t have her knife anymore, and having any sort of weapon to defend herself with would be rather nice. However, getting it would definitely be a problem. She really had no plans of going anywhere near the shadow fish after nearly being eaten by it, but if she wanted that weapon, she would have to risk her life to do so. Taking a deep breath, she made her decision.

Cautiously walking forward, trepidation in every step, Zaya approached the immense form of the trapped shadow fish. She was terrified. The predator could manage to free itself at any moment, and she certainly didn’t want to be there when it did. She really didn’t want to die, especially after she had just managed to escape just because, somewhat ironically, she was going back to it in order to acquire something to defend herself with. She really hoped that it didn’t get out.

Moving along the side of the beast, she noted just how thin it seemed. Despite this emaciation, she also couldn’t help but notice the thick, sinewy muscles rippling beneath the skin, indicating it as a predator… or the many scars that crisscrossed all along it. Unconsciously she reached out and ran her fingers along one of the scars. Given how long and deep it was, it must have been quite painful, she realized, and it wasn’t even the worse looking of them.

Any pity she might have been beginning to feel was instantly replaced by panic when the creature thrashed about for a split second. Zaya retracted her hand reflexively out of fear, and nearly bolted away then and there, but managed to resist the urge. She had come too far, and the spear was too close to give up.

Reaching out, she tightly gripped the pole of the weapon in her fingers. It didn’t seem rotten, and in fact it didn’t even seem to be made of wood. She didn’t give this much thought, however, as the shadow fish shook. Not wanting to waste another moment around it, she gripped the spear with both hands and tugged with all her might. There was a sound like something popping, and then the spear was freed from its fleshy prison.

Holding the weapon in her hands, Zaya noted that besides its shiny stone tip, it seemed to be constructed out of some sort of strange black… wood? Yes, it did indeed appear to be made out of wood. Before she could examine it any further, however, the rumblings of the shadow fish told her that it was best to scurry off.

And so she left the clearing, a new weapon tied to her back and the knowledge that not only had she survived her encounter with Shadowscale, but had come out the victor…

- - -

It was some time before the root gave way the shadow fish found itself free once again. Despite having lost its prey, it did not particularly feel angry about it. Instead, it felt something akin to elation, elation stemming from the fact that for the first time in years it was able to move its right pectoral fin.

The accursed spear was gone, and the pain along with it!

Had the onychomia taken it? It seemed to be so. This only left the predator confused, especially since it had just attempted to eat it. Why had it removed its pain?

A rumble in its belly caused it to forget about the questions. It was still very, very hungry. For but a moment, it considered following the onychomia’s scent trail, but decided against it. The shadow fish knew that it wasn’t that far away from the river, as far as its senses could tell it, and for some reason some glowfrogs sounded better right about now then its previous prey.

And now that its fin (while still weak) was functional once again, those glowfrogs were going to regret the return of primary predator. Oh they would indeed…







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Thanks to MrNobody13 for help with editing.

Felarya belongs to Karbo.

Named characters belong to me unless I say otherwise.

what a great chapter ! you wrote awesome descriptions here, the kind of which transport the reader right in the story. The situation was terrifying and in the same time you found an unexpected end to it. Very nice job !

Wow, that was awesome!!!!
Can't wait for the next one