Chapter 90: Feral Quiet
The tension rose a notch.
They repositioned themselves around the creature, each instinctively adjusting their angle. The circle was closing in, but the monster didn’t seem concerned. It turned slowly, its clawed paws pressing the earth without a sound, its bladed tail swaying behind it like a constant threat.
Maggie stepped forward.
She raised her axe but didn’t strike. She feinted, pivoted, pretended to launch a side attack. The feline leapt aside, anticipating... and walked right into the trap.
Dylan emerged from the opposite flank.
He was already mid-sprint. His machete carved a low arc, aiming to take out the hind legs. But this time, the creature didn’t just dodge — it jumped straight up, a sudden burst of agility surprising for its size. Dylan slashed at empty air, missing by a hair.
"Shit!" he cursed, rolling aside just in time to avoid the tail that snapped toward him like a whip.
But Élisa had already anticipated the move.
She leapt from an elevated slab, and just as the beast landed, she drove both daggers into its flank, held on for a second, then slid down its side to land behind it.
The creature growled, turning to strike her — but Maggie was already there.
This time, she wasn’t striking to wound. She was striking to break.