Astel was woken up by light pecking against his cheek.

  'We have to go,' the bird said in a hurry.

  'Go? But my wounds haven't healed yet.' He took a deep breath. 'Didn't you say that the basilisk only eats corpses anyway?'

  The bird leaped to his wounded leg, pecking against the exposed flesh.

  'Ow!'

  The bird flew onto a branch above Astel before his hand could reach it.

  'We have to go.'

  Astel groaned. 'Okay, okay. I got it.'

  With a soft thump, Astel saw a thick branch fall beside him.

  'Here, use this,' the bird said, carefully monitoring the distant sky.

  'No thanks.'

  White sparks surrounded Astel's hand as an oddly shaped spear started to manifest into reality. A sharp pain pierced Astel's mind, causing the spear to vanish.

  'Tsk.'

  With an annoyed look on his face, he grabbed the thick branch and used it to get up onto his other leg.

  'How much time do we have?' Astel asked, trying not to fall.

  The bird didn't answer.

  Looking up, Astel shouted, "Hey! I asked you a question."

  His voice was more like a growl.

  'Quiet!' the bird responded, making a hushing sound. 'It's here.'

  The large tree was immediately covered by a massive shadow as two large, ripped wings blocked the sun. It was entirely silent, except for the gust of wind it stirred up.

  Astel hid behind the thick trunk, away from the creature's line of sight. The sudden wave of pressure almost made him faint.

  He could hear the silent growl as the creature inspected its nest. Each breath the beast took made Astel's heart skip a beat.

  Peeking at the monster, he saw its massive green-black jaws. They reminded him of an extinct animal that used to live on Earth.

  The hippo.

  Two large tusks stuck out of its lower jaw, sending a shiver down Astel's back. This was the first time he had properly gazed at his abductor.

  On its back was a row of sharp bones stretching all the way down to its tail. Its entire body was covered in reflective dark green scales that hid it from the world.

  The creature maneuvered its large head through its nest, slowly inspecting each corpse.

  Reaching the spot where Astel had been bleeding until recently, it paused.

  Staring at the patch of dried blood, it took a long sniff.

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  Its eyes narrowed as its head snapped toward the thick body of the tree.

  It knew.

  With adrenaline flooding his body, Astel tossed the thick branch and ran toward the edge of the nest.

  Each time he stepped on his broken leg, his split bone moved, making him stumble.

  The creature let out a deafening roar as it started chasing.

  Astel could only hear the crunching of bones and branches behind him, coupled with the screaming voices in his head.

  With another rough step, he tumbled onto the soft ground, just meters from the edge.

  '-mp.'

  He thought he could hear something, but the voices drowned it out.

  He looked behind him.

  The monster was right there.

  Its jaws opened.

  Saliva dripping.

  '-ump!'

  Again, he thought he could hear something.

  He shook his head and tried to continue moving. Even if he had to crawl, it'd be better than waiting for certain death.

  'Jump!'

  Without thinking, he did as the voice commanded him to.

  With a push of his body, he threw himself over the edge of the nest.

  A sharp bone cut him across his side as the monster reached the edge. Its jaws snapped shut with a loud click.

  Thankfully, Astel was already outside its reach.

  A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he flipped the beast off.

  Before he could celebrate, however, his body hit a branch below him, knocking the air out of his lungs.

  With his eyes closed, his limp body fell, hitting multiple branches and spinning around until finally landing in a soft prickly bush on the ground.

  The bush rustled as its thin branches snapped.

  Astel opened his eyes, gasping for air.

  His entire body hurt like he had been hit by a truck.

  'Are you alive, little one?'

  A voice appeared in his head, clearer than the myriads of others.

  'Fine… I'm fine,' he groaned, inspecting his new injuries. 'Great. Just great.'

  The bird landed on his head.

  'Yes, you did quite well to escape that beast,' it laughed. 'You made it quite angry.'

  Astel frowned. 'We have to get out of here.'

  He tried to get up, only to realize he couldn't move. There was also nothing to grab onto.

  'Oh, not to worry. She won't chase.'

  Astel dug through the bush, ripping its branches and getting pricked in the process.

  'Why wouldn't she?'

  The bird laughed again, flying off to a nearby branch.

  'She is preparing to give birth.'

  Astel paused, his eyes opening wide.

  'Birth? You're telling me there will be more of those sick beasts running around?'

  The bird tilted its head.

  'There have always been more.'

  Its tone made it sound more like a question.

  'Ah, forgive me. You must still be new here. I'll show you around, perhaps once your wounds heal.'

  Astel scoffed.

  'If showing me around means meeting more of such monsters, I'll gladly decline.'

  The bird chuckled, flying down to help him remove the branches.

  'No such thing.'

  Finally out of the bush, Astel could properly inspect his injuries after leaning against the root of the massive tree.

  His original wounds hadn't reopened, which was a good sign.

  He didn't feel as optimistic about his broken leg. The wound was dirty and bleeding profusely. The bone sticking out had definitely seen better days.

  As the adrenaline wore off, a burning pain attacked him from his side.

  Touching it with his hand, he noticed it was completely covered in blood.

  'Shit!'

  He looked around, searching for the bird.

  'Hey! Where are you?'

  After a few moments of silence, the bird landed on his head, dropping two large leaves onto his lap.

  'Tie these around your wound.'

  Astel's eyebrows furrowed.

  'Leaves? Can't you just lick it?'

  The bird, seemingly offended, answered, 'Oh please, don't be disgusting.'

  Astel opened his mouth in confusion.

  'Disgusting? What the fuck do you mean?'

  The bird scoffed.

  'I'm not bringing my tongue anywhere near those bones or whatever they touched.'

  'Bones?' Astel thought.

  'The bones making up the edge of the nest?'

  The bird nodded.

  'What are they?' Astel asked.

  Instead of answering, the bird picked up one of the leaves and brought it to Astel's arm.

  Frowning, Astel asked, 'What even are these?'

  'Calenula?' the bird said, sounding unsure.

  After a moment it corrected itself.

  'No. Calendula. I think that's what the others called it.'

  Astel tilted his head.

  'And that is?'

  'I'm not sure, but they said it helps with cuts and such.'

  Astel hesitated for a moment. Not having much to lose, he pressed the leaf against his side.

  Instantly he felt a strong burn.

  He bit his lip. Only a single drop of blood dripped out.

  Getting used to the pain, he pressed the other leaf to the other half of the injury, gritting his teeth as he did.

  He took off his shirt and tied it around his body to hold the leaves in place.

  With a deep breath he asked, 'Could you at least close the pricks from the bush?'

  The bird hopped down from his head and stared at him for a moment before doing as he asked.