Ashes of the Chimera

“What… what have I—?”

Eira’s voice trembled like her limbs. Her eyes, wide and glassy, stared at the massive, bloodied body of the creature that now lay motionless under moonlight. The chimera’s head was soaked in red, its jaws slack, pierced skull resting against the dirt.

Mira’s voice was a distant sound in her ears, muffled like it came from underwater. “It’s fine,” she said, softly—but Eira didn’t hear.

Mira pulled her closer. Eira’s breathing was shallow and fast, her entire body shaking. Mira’s arms got tighter around Eira, She didn’t speak. She just sat with her in silence.

A sound—a steady crunch of boots on gravel—made Mira glance up.

Reith stood nearby, his scythe resting across his shoulders, his expression unreadable. Blood covered his coat and shirt in dark streaks, and his breath came heavy but controlled. Behind him, Sai and Corvin had started walking towards them aswell.

“Is she okay?” Reith asked. His voice was quiet, the kind that carried weight without volume.

Mira nodded slowly. “I think she’s just… overwhelmed. I think she acted on instinct, Only now it’s hitting her.”

Reith gave a short nod, then silently took a few steps back before walking toward the beasts corpse

“Hey! Is she alright?” Sai jogged up, concerned. Corvin followed but kept glancing in Reith’s direction with a look Mira couldn’t quite read.

“Yes, we’re okay,” Mira replied, brushing Eira’s hair back. “She’ll be fine. Just needs rest.” Eira had seemingly fallen asleep or fallen into unconsciousness by the shock

“Let’s move her to the fire,” Sai said quickly, already positioning himself to help. “She’s freezing.”

Corvin hesitated, staring after Reith again.

“Corvin,” Sai snapped causing Corin to finally look in their direction. “Come on, help me lift her.”

“Right. Yeah,” Corvin muttered, snapping back to focus.

Together, the two of them gently draped Eira’s arms over their shoulders and supported her weight. Mira rose to follow, grabbing her bow from the ground just as a wet, rhythmic thud echoed from behind.

She turned—and froze.

Reith stood over the chimera’s corpse, slamming his scythe down again and again. Flesh tore, bone cracked. The sound was sickening. Each strike flung gore into the air, splashing across Reith’s already blood-streaked face. His eyes were wide, unfocused. There was no control—only rage. Mira hurried past Sai and Corvin and readied another arrow.

Corvin’s steps slowed as he watched. Horror crept over his face as eh watched Reith maniacally behavior and look. “The hell is he doing?”

Sai, silent, nudged Corvin forward again. “Keep moving.”

And Corvin did—but not without another look back at the boy who now looked like a ghost made of blood and shadow.

Mira moved ahead of them, her bow still drawn, scanning the trees. The chimera had come alone… they hoped. But she wasn’t taking chances.

Back at the camp, Sai and Corvin gently lowered Eira onto one of the makeshift bedrolls. She whimpered slightly, curling in on herself like a frightened child. Her face was pale and slick with sweat.

“The fire’s nearly out,” Sai muttered. “If we don’t get it going, she’ll freeze.”

Corvin rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Guess I didn’t cut enough wood, huh?”

In front of them, the sound of a zipper caught their attention. Mira, without a word, unzipped her track top and laid it gently over Eira’s body. The girl curled into the warmth instinctively.

Now in just her undershirt, Mira knelt by her side, brushing hair from her forehead. Her eyes didn’t leave Eira for a moment.

Sai turned away. “Come on, Corvin. We need more firewood.”

Corvin didn’t move.

“Corvin.”

“Yeah, yeah—go ahead, I’ll be right behind you.”

Sai narrowed his eyes, then returned and grabbed Corvin by the shoulders. “Nope. You’re coming now. Don’t mope, pick sticks.”

Corvin let himself be dragged with a grunt. “I’m not moping! I just—just thinking.”

Sai arched a brow. “Yeah? About what?”

They stepped into the treeline together, eyes low, scanning for fallen branches.

“That thing,” Corvin finally said, after a long pause. “It wasn’t normal. You saw the feathers. The wings. It looked like a tiger had a baby with… I don’t even know.”

Sai nodded, voice lower. “Some sort of chimera, but not a natural one. Not something nature just spat out.”

Corvin frowned. “You think someone made it?”

“I’m not saying it’s man-made exactly,” Sai replied, “but something influenced it. Mutated it. Maybe nature. Maybe something worse.”

Corvin exhaled, kicking a branch free from a fallen log. “It wasn’t just aggressive. It was desperate. Reith cut of its wing, and it kept going.”

Sai looked up at him. “You think it was hunting us?”

“I think… no i don’t know”

They stood in silence a moment longer.

“…And Eira,” Sai finally said. “She took it down.”

Corvin nodded, slowly. “She’s stronger than she looks and acts that’s for sure.”

Back at camp, Mira sat near the fire, adjusting her jacket over Eira when another shadow returned.

Reith stepped into the clearing again—blood still fresh on his face, arms streaked with gore. In his arms, he carried a bundle of gray and silver feathers.

Without a word, he dropped a handful into the fire.

It hissed and snapped violently, the scent of burnt ozone rising. Sparks shot upward like embers from a volcano.

He placed the rest of the feathers down near the fire, a decent pile was formed.

Then, without making eye contact, he removed his dark leather jacket, the sleeves soaked and heavy with blood, and tossed it toward Mira. She caught it awkwardly.

“You must be cold right?,” Reith said simply.

Mira stared at the jacket, then up at him. “Wont you feel cold now tho?.”

“No i wont.”

The silence lingered. She looked at the feathers, then back at him. “You okay?”

Reith’s lips twitched in what could have been a smirk—or just a muscle spasm. “I’m not the one laying unconscious.”

He turned without waiting for her reply. “Sorry, my jacket is a bit bloody, hope it will keep you warm at least” and with that Reith started to strode back toward the chimera’s body, scythe dragging lightly behind him. The sound of the feathers burning soon sounded louder then the scythe being dragged.

Mira looked down at the jacket in her hand. She pulled it over her shoulders and shivered at its warmth. It smelled of ash, blood, and something else that she couldn’t put her finger on. She looked back toward the fire slightly bigger then before. Eira hadn’t moved.

Sai and Corvin returned shortly after, their arms full of wood. Mira said nothing, just reached for the tinder and helped rebuild the blaze. The fire roared back to life.

And they sat in silence around it—watching flames devour feathers and sticks, shadows getting cast from them as they all wondered just what kind of world they had stepped into… and how many more monsters it held.