Cold (Section VI)

The air itself seemed to shudder beneath the strength of the bone-jarring roar as it issued from her gaping jaws and echoed out over the grey and black dunes of strange rain. Despite her pitifully thin frame, she was still the unquestionable ruler of this land - and it showed in the distance to which her terrifying cry journeyed in every direction. Shireking and gibbering in utter horror, the now-leaderless nest thieves were thrown into immediate chaos - attempting to flee in every direction and succeeding only in hampering and slowing one-another's retreat. Some bumped into each-other as they flapped their scrawny arms and squawked in alarm. Others tripped and fell to the ground scrabbling about as they flicked their heads about from side-to-side upon their supple necks - trying to pull themselves to a standing position as swiftly as possible. All the while, they could feel the ground trembling beneath each of the thunderous footfalls that were bringing the object of their terror - the guardian of the nest they'd wrongly chosen - closer to where they covorted and capered to escape.

She could taste the bitter tang of the nest thieves' fear upon the air as she bore down upon them, the aroma giving her limbs power as she quickened her earth-shaking pace. Within mere seconds, she at last took the final step to close the gap between her and her prey and, without hesitation, she lunged. Her first target shrieked in terror as she clamped her bone-shattering jaws around its head and neck as it struggled to rise from where it had fallen - its cry cutting-off abruptly as its head was sheared cleanly from its body. Tossing the dead thief's head and neck aside as its body fell back to the ground writhing, she pivoted her body as sharply as she could with yet another thunderous bellow, catching yet another of the flock sqaurely in the side with her massive tail. The nest thief wailed in pain as it hurtled through the air under the immense force imparted by the lash-like blow of her tail, it's emaciated ribcage crumpling visibly as it struck the side of an equally-starved tree not a few yards away. Falling to the ground heavily, the creature struggled only for a moment and then went still. As the third member of their flock perished, the nest thieves continued to mill about, hooting and shrieking in fear as they attempted to evade the guardian they'd roused to wrathful action.

As she powered forward on her massive legs, she chose another target and beset it like a massive hound, sinking her teeth into its back and lifting its small form to worry it back and forth. Shaken with such tremendous force, the nest thief's body could not withstand the immense tensions and promptly snapped into two bloody halves - both falling to the ground with squelching, cracking thuds. As her latest victim's blood trickled down her throat, she felt life slowly coming back to her - a hunger to stalk and kill known only by the greatest of predators that owned the day and night. Turning slowly to gaze down upon the darting shapes of the remaining nest thieves, she took a step forward and prepared to seize another. However, in that instance, something happened for which she was not prepared.

Searing pain suddenly blossomed in her ankle, causing her to falter and give a shuddering bray as she turned about to see what had befallen her. There, she beheld one of the nest thieves, grown brave from the desperation of starvation, clamping its beaked jaws around the slender structure of her leg where it connected to her foot. Blood flowed freely from the split tissue as the warbling thief shook its head back and forth - cutting deeper into her flesh. Enraged, she immediately kicked back, sending her would-be attacker tumbling back to the ground. The nest thief had barely stopped rolling before she brought her massive, clawed foot down atop it, pinning its frail body to the ground as it shrieked in dread. Leaning forward with great speed, she slammed her jaws shut upon her prey's skull - killing it instantly as blood sprayed out in viscous streams from between her killing teeth. She relished the sensation of the body shuddering and kicking as it died. However, her attention was soon drawn back to the unrgency of the situation as she heard the hoots and warbles of the remaining nest thieves. Releasing her her hold upon the crested prey's ruined skull, she turned to look for the next of her victims - and felt dread immediately turn her blood to ice. As she gazed out, she could see the remaining nest thieves leaping down from the sides of her nest, darting away into the dark of the strange rain with the small forms of eggs clutched in their greedy claws.

MR.HAPPY9097 - Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)

Another wonderful chapter, and finally some ACTION!!  That roar of hers is really something!

You're certainly the best writer on this forum (but that's only me).

UCMP118742 - Thank you very much! I'm exceptionally pleased you enjoyed the manner by which I ended the chapter! :)

EVAN123 - Thank you ever so much! I'll be certain to have another for everyone next Thursday or Friday. :)

ALPHADINO65 - Once again, I'm flattered in the extreme by your praise. I'm exceptionally pleased that you enjoyed the action sequence I created for the core of the chapter. Don't worry - there will be more! :)