"I"m hungry." Erin was holding her stomach with one hand, exploring silently the forest. It was night, however, she still could see everything. But because it was night, some of the animals were hiding, while predators were moving in the darkness. Erin was searching for prey too, but she found only a rabbit so far in the last few hours. That wasn"t enough to satisfy her.Hmm?" Erin felt some movements in front of her. "Finally, found something!" A bit excited, she moved with light steps in the direction she felt the presence. She grinned as she neared her new prey. "It should be close now." She moved through a bush, preparing to pounce forward after she could see her target, but her body froze in place and her eyes widened.
"This..." A few paces away from her, there was her favorite meal, two shadow panthers. Normally, she would be happy to find such a prey, but not at a time like this. She watched as one of the panthers was on top of the other, moving her backside back and forth, while the other... All of that was accompanied by strange noises.
Erin shook her head and turned around, her face crimson from panic and embarra.s.sment. "I-I should find something else." With such an excuse, she sprinted away in the opposite direction. After a few minutes of running, she stopped and took a few deep breaths. Her face was still blushing.
"Now, let"s look for other prey." Finally calmed down, she changed her direction and started looking for something else, while she avoided the spot where the two shadow panthers were.
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"Hmm, I can feel some movements again..." Erin neared another location, where she could find a prey. This time, she gulped and timidly checked it.
"Phew-"
With a breath of relief, Erin looked at the lone boar not far away. "Another boar, is it?" A bit disappointed, she neared it. Though the boar"s blood wasn"t as good as a shadow panther, at least she won"t be hungry anymore. Her choice wasn"t big in the first place. So deep in the forest, it became harder for her to find targets.
With a few swift movements, she was already next to the boar, slicing its throat. She bit in it and started to drink with relish. In a few moments, all the blood from the boar was in her stomach. Licking her lips, Erin grinned. She was finally full.
"Time to explore more." She started her journey to the north once again. There were no sounds from her movements. She merged with the shadows as if she was part of them. "It"s good to train my skills. Richard once said that we are the best a.s.sa.s.sins. I guess that"s true." Erin smiled to herself. The shadows were now like a second home to her.
"Hmm, I wonder what is Richard doing at the moment?" She couldn"t help but start thinking about him. His tall body and that smile that he always gave her. While she was lost in her thoughts for him, the scene with the two panthers came to her mind. Erin"s face became beet red once again. "What am I thinking about?" Shaking her head, she increased her speed through the shadows. It was like someone was chasing her.
A few more days pa.s.sed as Erin continued her journey north. Her mind was preoccupied with the desire for power. She didn"t want to see some of her loved ones hurt again. And she wanted to prove to herself that she can become stronger and protect everyone else. She still remembered about Earth and Richard, but her emotions were finally calming down. Her skills with the shadows increased and Erin got used to her new changes. The memories still lingered in her mind, but that made her only more stubborn to continue her journey.
She was now close to a cliff. Under the cliff, there was a big cave. That cave was occupied by trolls. Those humanoids were more than two meters tall each. They had greyish-blue skin. Their clothes were made from animal skin and their weapons from trees.
Erin looked at them and knitted her brows. There were ten trolls outside of the cave, so how many would be there inside? She wasn"t sure. Trolls weren"t easy opponents. But they weren"t strong enough to be a big challenge for her either. She could feel that.
Her eyes sharpened and she merged with the shadows, going for the nearest troll. In a few seconds, she was already at his back. With a swift thrust, she stabbed its neck with her nails. Blood poured out from it as the troll"s body collapsed forward.
The other trolls turned around, confused from the noise. Seeing their comrade dead, they roared and looked around for the enemy. But they couldn"t find anything. With that roar, twenty more trolls emerged from the cave. At this moment, Erin emerged from the shadows once again, targeting a troll that was further away from the others. Once more, she stabbed its neck. With another thud, there was one more corpse. All the trolls panicked. They couldn"t find the enemy, but there were already two dead.
They frantically looked in all directions, warry of their surroundings. Erin moved to the entrance of the cave, targeting the troll that was there. She jumped at his back and bit his neck.
"Sluurp-"
The sound of her drinking echoed in the surroundings. The troll was fully restricted in Erin"s shadows. His body started to convulse. His comrades all turned around to look for the sound they heard. All the trolls froze in place, looking at Erin as she drank their comrade"s blood. Everything became silent for a few moments, as only the sound of her drinking could be heard.
"ROAR-!"
With a warcry, the nearest troll swung his club at Erin, trying to hit her. She jumped back, dodging the club. The troll she was drinking from was sent flying to the wall of the cave from the impact of the club.
A shadow extended from Erin, piercing through the troll"s stomach. She was fully able to control the shadows now. It was like she was a magician. With the first troll attacking, all other trolls charged at her. Erin felt the excitement from the upcoming battle. Licking her lips, she smiled and spread out her wings. Shadows started to emerge from her figure, restraining the nearest three trolls.
Erin lunged at them like an arrow shot out from the string. In a few moments, three heads flew through the air. The trolls were already dead. She looked at the rest that was charging at her.
"Domain" Murmuring to herself, the shadows around her extended, engulfing everything in darkness. The trolls lost their vision and started to wander around, trying to find their way. Erin grinned. She came next to another troll and bit his neck. In a few moments, the dry body of the troll crashed on the ground.
Satisfied with her meal, Erin pounced on the other trolls, killing them one after another. In a few minutes, only corpses were left in front of the cave.
Erin could still hear some movements from inside. Curious, she entered the cave to see what is there. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at five trolls, surrounding ten or so troll babies. "Should I kill them too?" She hesitated. The female trolls were guarding the babies, looking at her with terrified expressions. Their bodies were trembling. She could feel the fear they had for her.
Erin looked silently at them. After a few minutes pa.s.sed, she sighed and turned around. She would let them live. Going out of the cave, Erin continued with her journey.