Shadow Requiem

Chapter 14: Baby Giant

~~[1,141 Words]~~

He finally did it. He made fire.

Yuren packed the ember tight into a bundle of dry grass and leaves, bound around a stick cut just right. No time to waste. He had to move. Fast. He shot to his feet in a single, sharp motion, ember in hand.

He blew, steady and careful, urging the spark into life—feeding, growing, and breathing. At the same time, he kept his grip tight on the long stick he'd anchored deep into the mud. He wasn't letting caution slip, not now.

Then came the growls—raw, savage, tearing the air in half. It sent chills right down his spine.

The beasts stared back at him, jaws slack, drool hanging, teeth sharp as razors. They hadn't eaten yet today, and every eye said they were hungry enough to take a chance.

But Yuren wasn't about to stop now. He finished what he started. Not one of the four creatures moved an inch.

The fire ate up his stick, blazing wild. Its light flickered all over his face—his weapon and his shield. He swung it in sweeping arcs, pushing the creatures back, proving what he'd hoped all along—now he just had to use it.

"Back off. Go! Go find something else to chew on. Shoo! Shoo!"

Their gazes blazed, locked right on him.

And then one growled and crept towards Amaya—slow, deliberate.

Yuren's focus snapped sharp.

"I told you—"

He clenched the long stick tight, veins popping, then attacked. No holding back. He spun, swung—crack! The wood smacked the beast hard.

The creature flew across the mud, whining, but bounced back instantly, shaking it off like nothing happened. It slipped back to its pack, throwing one last snarl over its shoulder—a final warning.

Suddenly, another lunged, fast and wild. Yuren reacted without thinking. He ran, jumped, and landed on tangled roots. He swung—hard—then shoved the burning end right over the creature's face.

Fire flashed against fur.

The beast landed flat in the mud—clawing at its own face. Too late—the fur was burning, and the skin too. It howled, a scream full of pain and rage.

For a second, panic almost snuffed Yuren's flame. He blew into it hard, keeping it alive.

"Shoo! Get—get out of here! Go!"

He drove them back—not waiting for them to attack but pushing forward, firing first. Forced them to retreat.

This story has been stolen from NovelFire. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

And then, finally, it worked.

They scattered. All of them. Like scared cats running from a broom.

Except one. The one brave enough to face him—maybe the Alpha. Its eyes burned with challenge, but now even its growl was empty. All it saw wasn't a weak human but a raging inferno, a figure crowned in fire, limbs writhing like serpents.

In an instant, all that bravado drained away. It let out one huge roar, turned tail, and just kept running.

You could still hear it even half a mile away, wailing like a frightened child, calling for something. Deeper. Inch by inch.

Yuren lowered his arm, showing no sign of tiredness. He let out a slow breath.

"They're gone. Finally." He felt lighter than he had all day. "We did it, Amaya."

"Tweet-tweet—"

He spun, flame still sputtering in his grip.

Then, silence. He saw the creature for the first time.

He walked over slowly. The huge animal was trembling, pressed deep into a corner, curled up small—harmless, heartbreakingly innocent.

Its voice turned soft and gentle, almost beautiful.

Then it hit him. The fire — of course.

"Oh—sorry."

He slapped the burning stick against the mud until there wasn't any flame left. Sparks skittered off, and the stick went flying.

"There—gone! " Yuren grinned, finally relaxed. "You can come out now; the bullies are gone. You're safe."

"You don't have to be scared. We won't hurt you. Right, Amaya?"

"Tweet-tweet—"

"Come on, you can come out now."

It started to move… then pulled back inside.

"Are you lost? Got anybody? We'll help you find them, so don't be afraid. Come out," Yuren said, trying his best. Nothing.

"Please come out," he asked again, stomping mud everywhere. That only made it hide even more.

He turned away, arms crossed, eyes shut, playing it sulky—one eye cracked open just to see.

"Mmmmrph—Rummphh!"

A deeper sound echoed out. Rich. Older.

Another sound answered, echoing back—some call-and-response only they understood. And suddenly, the creature shuffled out, past Yuren, staring wide-eyed.

"Whoa. It's huge… and that snout—it's so long. Like an elephant's, but even longer. It's… something else."

Yuren froze. Something bigger was coming. He could hear it—a massive presence moving closer. Footstep? A mouth? Louder and louder, every second.

Bamm—Bamm! The ground shook.

A giant beast broke through the leaves. Monstrous—maybe ten meters tall.

A literal giant.

Yuren, next to it, looked like a rabbit in front of a mountain.

That thing must weigh thirty tons, easy. Its snout swung around, impossibly long.

Now Yuren saw it—the animal they'd rescued was just a baby. The child of something so much bigger.

The mother wrapped her snout gently around her child, pulling it close. They embraced, no words needed.

"Wait—it was just a baby." Yuren's jaw dropped. It all made sense.

The two left without a glance back. One little sound from the baby, and then they vanished into the forest.

"Goodbye," Yuren said quietly, waving. "Until next time, Baby Giant." He smiled, warmth flooding him.

And then, just as he felt that joy, panic slammed back in.

"Oh right! The bandana—we have to get that back!" He spun to Amaya. "We're so dead. We haven't done anything, and Grandpa's going to freak when he hears—he's going to chew me out, I know it. Move, Amaya."

He broke into a run.

Splatt!

Soft, wet—his foot punched right through the mud. And kept going. Ankle. Knee. Thigh. Chest.

Quicksand.

He was done for.

He started sinking. The more he scrambled, the faster he plunged down. Hands flailing, he searched desperately for something—anything—to grab.

Nothing but air.

The bank sat way out of reach.

His feet found nothing below, just endless mud.

"Tweet—tweeet—tweeet," Amaya circled overhead, panic in every beat of her wings.

The mud rose towards his face, squeezing his chest, swallowing his body, colder and colder.

Still sinking. Inch by inch.

Neck. Jaw. Nose.

Then blackness—mud blanketing his eyes and his head.

Only one arm left above ground, straining upward—a final signal, a last hope for anyone watching.

And then—

Something wrapped around his arm, strong and tight.

He felt himself rising. Slow and impossible.

He forced his eyes open. Every inch of him was coated in dark mud.

He blinked again.

He knew what it was.

He knew exactly who pulled him free.