Kellix attempted to stand.
She slammed him into the ground.
BOOM.
The impact cracked the earth beneath him. Blood sprayed from his mouth. He tried to move, but the tentacles pinned him like iron. She slammed him again. And again. And again. The forest shook with every blow.
"Still brave?" she hissed, pressing her clawed foot into his chest.
"I... I'm not done..." Kellix groaned, clay swirling desperately around his arms.
She laughed, a low, delighted sound. "No. You're just not broken yet."
She lifted him into the air, dangling him upside down like prey. Tentacles wrapped around his legs, his waist, his throat, squeezing just enough to choke, not enough to kill. He gasped, gagged, his eyes wide with panic.
"HELP! HIELO! SOMEBODY HELP ME!" he screamed.
Debora giggled, dragging her tongue across his cheek. "Mmm... fear," she whispered. "Do you know what fear does to flesh?"
"P-please..." he whimpered. "Please stop..."
"It tenderizes it," she sighed, shuddering with pleasure. "Meat soaked in fear is always sweeter."
Thorns erupted from the ground, impaling his hands and pinning them down. He screamed, thrashing helplessly as blood poured from the wounds.
"PLEASE! IT HURTS! PLEASE STOP!"
"Shhh..." she cooed, placing a claw gently over his lips. "Brave people don't cry for help."
Then, slowly, deliberately, she lifted his right arm.
And bit down.
Stolen story; please report.
The world exploded in agony.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Kellix's scream echoed through the forest, high, broken, primal. She tore his hand clean off, chewing it slowly, savoring every bite.
"Mmm..." she moaned, licking her lips. "Tender."
Kellix collapsed, sobbing uncontrollably, staring in horror at the bleeding stump where his hand once was. His clay armor dissolved. His strength vanished.
"I... I don't want to die..." he whispered through the tears.
Debora knelt beside him, stroking his face with mock affection. "Oh, but you will. All things die, brave boy. And you..." she leaned closer, lips brushing his ear, "...will beg for it."
Her tongue slid across his cheek again, tasting his sweat and tears. "Mmm... fear and pain. My favorite seasoning."
She released the thorns, letting his mangled body slump to the ground. Then, with a wicked smirk, she stepped back.
"Run."
"W...what?"
"I said RUN, it's time for you to be eaten Kellix!" she snarled, kicking him hard in the ribs.
Kellix stumbled to his feet, disoriented, broken, and bleeding. He ran, not because he wanted to fight, but because every part of him screamed to survive. He stumbled through the trees, sobbing, gasping, falling and crawling as blood soaked the earth behind him.
"HIELOOOOO!" he screamed into the darkness. "HIELOOOOO, HELP ME!"
But there was no answer.
He looked back once, just once, and what he saw turned his stomach to ice. Debora stood tall and still, smiling in the moonlight. Tentacles came out of her and one of them gripped a bottle of grade A hot sauce.
"Don't look back," she sang softly. "Run, boy. Run."
Then her body twitched violently, her hunger overwhelming her restraint. "I... I can't hold it... I have to eat him now!"
She took a step forward, and stopped dead.
A shadow blocked her path. Massive. Unmoving.
Grixie.
The mama bear stood tall, her axe resting against her shoulder, her golden eyes burning with fury. "You're not going anywhere."
Debora tilted her head, amused. "Hehe... you really think a stupid bear can beat me?"
Grixie raised her axe, her presence alone enough to shake the trees. "Try me."
Debora's grin widened, her tongue sliding across her lips. "Ohhh... you're serious."
Her tentacles slithered forward.
The forest went silent.
To Be Continued...