Wail of the Drekavac

Peter marched forward, the night sky now firmly set as only hints of moonlight eked out from the trees above. It must’ve been several hours since their encounter with the Vila, yet Peter could feel every hair on his body raise as time rushed past him. No more hiding, no more running away when face to face with these horrors he came across. Tonight was going to be when he’d finally fight back against what he’d been running away from for so long. Tonight he’d earn the title of Krsnik.

Lyana’s eyes darted around in constant motion, her own enthusiasm Peter figured she didn’t share. “There’s still time to go north, you know? What’s to say those Vilas weren’t just manipulating us into what they want?”

Jakov pointed to his leg, “After what they did for me? Not only would it be dishonorable, but they more than proved their magic is real.”

“Ay, but you wouldn’t be as enthusiastic about it if they didn’t have bosoms, now would ya lad?”

Jakov grimaced down at Tinnie, but he kept his composure.

“W-w’re doing this, tonight. If we’re to stand a chance against the striga, we have to start fighting our own battles. No more running.” The conviction in his voice was even stronger than he anticipated, yet he meant every word of it. No one dared to speak up against it.

The silence didn’t last for long. A screech boomed that sounded as if it were an infant’s, with the same uncanny shrill of a mountain lion’s, yet the voice also had a strong metallic ringing as it pierced Peter’s eardrums, not unlike the voice of the striga’s. There was no denying it, no other creature would emit such a noise. The Drekavac was near.

Peter crouched down and stalked across the forest floor. He had his makeshift bow in hand. He’d been taught the basics behind drawing it by Lyana the past few nights, though he knew such a thing would be next to useless wielded by him when face to face with the monstrosity, his bestial form would be his true mark of protection. The four of them came across a breakage from the oak trees. The moonlight fully glimmered on the forest floor, now fully visible as only a lone, giant oak tree dominated the center of the formation. However, its leaves shimmered with a crimson and golden hue, despite it being the middle of summer. At its base, a giant borrow lay prominently exposed, the fresh claw marks across the oak’s base still tinged with the light tan of exposed wood.

While out of their coverage, that ear splitting screech erupted once more. Peter fought back against every urge in his body to plug his ears while it ruptured within his eardrums. Yet, while he squirmed in place from its effect, he then noticed the ghastly, pale blue eyes that were leering straight at him. At first his mind struggled to fully comprehend the beast in front of him. The creature was something between a bulldog and man. Despite only being around four feet tall, the creature was powerfully built, with an overly developed jaw and body, which crawled around on all fours. As it opened its mouth to scream, Peter could see its crocodile-like fangs that eerily glimmered with the same intensity of its eyes. The scream staggered Peter, who could feel his blood rising as the creature lunged towards him. He closed his eyes and let his newfound strength take over.

When he opened them again, he was a bear once more. Yet the creature was faster than his transformation. A sharp burning sensation shot through his body as he registered the creature’s jaw locked firmly into what would’ve been his arm. His instincts drove him to strike at the creature with his unleashed claws, ripping into the beast’s own flesh. Makeshift arrows shot from around the two beasts as Lyana, Tinnie & Jakov took aim at the Drekavac. The beast released Peter’s limb and stepped back into a defensive prowl, even with the newfound arrows lodged into its shoulder.

Peter could feel the blood gushing from his wound. He tried everything to ignore it, to keep his fury peaked, as he knew any lapse in concentration would turn him into nothing but a meal for the monstrosity he faced. The two circled around each other, the beast able to sidestep any projectile aimed its way with its newfound anticipation. Its own claw wound from Peter had the beast gingerly limping on its right paw, though Peter knew his own was much more severe. His wooziness would soon be the end of him if he didn’t find a way to end the fight and fast. He roared out himself this time, the roar of the Krsnik staggering the beast just enough for Peter to get his window to strike. He lunged at the beast as it froze for a moment and he slashed furiously at the festering wound he made on his last strike. The beast howled as its muscle was torn through by Peter. Instead of releasing that same, gutteral, metallic cry, it was closer to a whimper, that of a wounded animal. Several more arrows shot through the night. This time an arrow hit the creature around its belly. Peter let his rage consume him as he looked to bite down on the Drekavac’s throat.

It was the first time in his life he ever tried to end the life of another being, one that was bigger than that of an insect’s at least. He didn’t revel in the idea, even with something as brutal and hideous as the beast he had pinned, but the queasiness of the deed and his wound were becoming too strong for him to push aside in his mind. The desperate fear in its eyes reminded him of when he had to let go of the employees who worked under him, back in his old life, where having to be the arbiter of someone else’s suffering brought back that deeper sense of guilt that he never fully forgave himself for.

As he bit down for the killing blow, he realized he was not in the form of a bear. In fact, he was back to being regular Peter. And while he could feel the metallic rush of the beast’s blood drawn from his bite, he knew it wouldn’t be enough to finish off the beast. Upon realizing its opponent’s sudden loss of strength. The Drekavac shifted its weight and threw all of his force onto Peter. He felt himself crushed under the powerful limbs of the beast, even with its smaller stature. Its eyes went from an infantile panic to that of a predator’s, ready to ruthlessly finish what Peter had hesitated for but a moment to do. It opened its mouth and its fangs approached Peter’s head, ready to consume him whole. Peter closed his eyes, his world spinning around him. He begged himself to return back to the form of a bear, to finish what he started out to do.

When he opened his eyes next, he was still Peter, but not a meal for the beast. Instead, he felt the beast’s blood gushing onto his gambeson. Jakov stood over the two of them, this sword firmly thrusted into the beast’s neck. It attempted to let out one final blood gurgling cry, but no such noise came out. Its body went limp and Peter attempted to push off the hefty creature in his weakened state, trying not to be disgusted by the blood bath he found himself in. However, his world spun far too much, and a numbness filled his body. He noticed his own arm dangling to the side of him, the bite wounds several inches deep and the blood flowing out of it still alarmingly strong.

“It looks like we’re e-even now.” Peter coughed, feeling a mix between the beast’s blood and his own as Jakov stood over him in disbelief. Lyana and Tinnie rushed over, seeing the dire state their lord found himself in. He looked up to the evening stars, now brightly lit, unobscured from the trees above. While he wished he found it in himself to deliver that final, decisive blow to be a hunter, Peter never felt more alive than on his potential deathbed. Before he came to this world, he would’ve considered slaying such a beast himself to be something he could never dream of attempting, let alone achieving. Even speaking up for himself seemed far too great a burden. Yet, he could finally say that he fought a battle of his own, his way, with allies who listened to him. He looked to find Orion’s Belt, though he couldn’t make it out in the night sky. Perhaps it wasn’t in this world. No matter. As he went to close his eyes, he noticed a glow that wasn’t from a star. It felt much closer to the sun. The vilas had arrived to reclaim their home, their knights in shining armor covered in the blood of their foes. He was a hero to someone at least, and could rest his eyes easily knowing that…