Bunyip

The monster looked like a cross between an alligator, otter, and a mammoth. It was large, scaly, and pointy looking with pointed teeth and jagged tusks protruding from it’s mouth.

I looked back at the gecko scurrying away with the not-so-mysterious egg. The little gremlin stole this things egg and now I was somehow in the cross-hairs.

The mammoth-alligator, henceforth, “Alligoth”, stumbled forward. It seemed to have impressive leg strength but wasn’t accustomed to using them. There was chance I could win, however, I’d gotten in a fight and lost handily because I was overconfident only a few hours ago. Two out of my three forms had been injured, if I sustained a major injury now there was no telling what could happen. There was no guarantee I’d be able to assimilate this creature.

There was only one option at this point: run.

I morphed went back into beast mode and galloped as hard as my hindquarters could muster. The sound of the Alligoth’s feet started to fade and eventually so did that sound of movement above my head. I ran for another 10 minutes then stopped to take a breath.

I might have been able to win but it wasn’t something I could count on. It would have been a stupid move to challenge anything I came across from this point forward unless there was 100% certain victory, at least until I was healed.

I pulled my front hooves back in and felt my hair fall to my ankles.

Snap. Crack.

An alarming brittle crack came from right next to my hooves. I swung my head toward it. The little gecko was laying on the ground in a daze and beside him was a broken egg. The Alligoth’s egg…and the Alligoth’s egg was broken. I found myself feeling a bit dizzy.

“You little!” I growled, though I couldn’t actually form any words in this body. I kind of sounded like a zombie when I tried to speak.

This gecko had hitched a ride on me and fallen off with the egg when I transformed back to being bipedal. It rolled to it’s feet and looked around, first at the egg then at me then back at the egg. It tilted it’s head as if thinking then unceremoniously sped away.

Not a single animal on this planet was trustworthy, they were all scum.

Any moment now the Alligoth would come barging through and see it’s dead baby at my feet. No, I would be long gone, but I had a feeling that I had a pretty strong smell. It was just a matter of how badly the creature would want revenge.

Once again, I was at a pivotal decision. I’m sure that I could out run it, but how long would I need to run for. The angels had told me that there were people here, so presumably If I kept running I’d eventually run into someone but it was impossible to gage this beasts threat level or weather I’d be attacked before the monster. Could I pawn my problem off on someone else like that bastard gecko?

No, the answer was no. This was my fight even though it ran counter to my self preservation instincts.

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 “Whatchya’ doing, Watanabe-san?” Jiro was sitting at his desk eating when a Caucasian boy walked over to him. Lewis Levinson wasn’t the only white boy at Togashi but he was the only one who had approached Jiro in the year he’d been attending. Believe it or not, around 30% of the Shin Nihon population was mixed and an additional 12% (give or take) was white.

“Levinson-san, I’m just eating. It’s what I’m normally doing during…lunch.” Jiro’s eyes darted awkwardly around the room not wanting to make eye contact. He struggled with talking to his classmates and James wasn’t around at the moment to help.

“Well, my usual group isn’t able to hand out today.” He pulled up a chair next to Jiro, uninvited. “I thought I’d mix things up a bit and speak to someone new.”

“I’m not new.”

“Still, I’m sure if you spoke up many of your classmates would be surprised there was actually someone seated where your sitting. They’d be like ‘whoa, wait I didn’t know Jiro-san was here’, am I right?”

Jiro noticed Lewis had switched to using his first name, uninvited. He was also speaking English. It wasn’t against the rules, but students were strongly encouraged to communicate only in Japanese while at school.

“Eigo ga wakarimasen” Jiro whispered. Lewis probably didn’t mean to be rude but Jiro would rather just continue being window dressing for the moment and foreseeable future.

“I’ve noticed that you have a friend come to visit you during lunch from time to time. It’s great to have friends who cares about you like that.” He began unwrapping a red candy, “Though, it seems as though it’s been a while since he’s been in.” He said as he popped it into his mouth.

He was right. James and Jiro had a disagreement a month back.

“It’s none of my business. I’m just making sure you’re okay. I hate it when a friendship ends badly.”

“Arigatogozaimasu” Jiro responded back.

“Ha! You’re actually funny, aren’t you? Oh, I’m auditioning for the play, you should try out as well, they’re pretty fun.” He got up from his chair.

“Is James auditioning?”

“Hmm. He did star in quite a few of the shows back in middle school, but I haven’t noticed him at auditions since we started here. So, probably not.”

“I might…audition” Jiro managed to get the words out.

“Sore wa kare no koto o wasureru no ni yakudatsudeshou” Lewis said with a wistful smile and a wave, “Nice talking with you, Jiro-san.”

Jiro didn’t say anything instead turning back to his lunch.

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I was as prepared as I could be which meant not prepared at all. The Alligoth came screeching around a large tree before charging directly at me. At that same moment I transformed into my beast form. They say the best way to handle a challenge was to take it head on, so that was the plan.

I’m an idiot were the three words that screamed through my head as it collided with the Alligoth. I tilted my head down spearing the creature with my horns. I could feel some give but not enough the assure me that I’d taken in down in one hit.

I swung it over my head and it flew into a tree bringing the thing down. I’d toppled so many trees at this point, I might be branded a walking ecological disaster.

My Buckomondor was much taller than this Alligoth and leaner too. The Alligoth was more wide than tall. It pushed itself to it’s feet, blood trickling from beneath it’s chin. It shook off the shock, planted it’s feet and… just stared.

I watched it carefully. It just stood there looking at me. After a moment It’s pupils suddenly changed shape, they went from slits to ovals to square, rectangle, circle, triangle, oval, circle, slit, rectangle, helix, wave, spin, spin, spin, and finally pitch black. My entire world was spinning and shapes clouded my vision. The Alligoth disappeared under the mess. My feet became unsteady, just then a blunt object ran into my side knocking me over.

I must have been hit with some kind of stun ability or hypnosis of some kind. It was the first time I’d been hit with an attack like that, however now I knew what to look for meaning it would be difficult for that to work twice.

I rolled onto two legs. My vision was still spinning but I was now able to move. Uhggg, I felt like throwing up. Oh, right, I haven’t eaten since… I don’t even remember when.

The Alligoth once again charged straight at me. You think you can do that again? I asked him internally. It seemed however that he’d learned from his first charge. Shit! He used his momentum to slide around me and then jumped, mouth open onto my back, or it would have if I didn’t go bipedal at the last second causing him to just barely miss taking a big sloppy bite out of my rump.

It was my turn. I broke into a run. I needed to get a moment away from the Alligoth.

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 The Alligoth’s prey ran as fast it could away from the tusked beast. It was injured and a bit winded but not fatally, it could go another round, but it’s true target was the tiny green creature which stole it’s egg.

Just as it was about to cut it’s losses and pursue the green one it noticed white flakes all over the ground. It’s eyes slowly followed the short train of flakes to a broken egg. Green amniotic fluid oozed out and the tiny arm of it’s half-formed child lay lifelessly outside the egg as though it had been reaching out for it’s mother’s hand as it died.

The Alligoth’s eyes sharpened and it’s anger returned, going from mere annoyance to full on rage. It’s attention turned back toward where the wooly deer had fled. There would be no reprieve for this monster. It would perish before the night was out. And so the Alligoth gave chase.