Chapter 22 The Monster Appeared

 We reached the dung-covered patch of land, but to our horror, a monstrous creature loomed before us, a nightmarish hybrid of a giant boar and a fearsome wolf. It was a massive, meaty beast with thick, muscular legs and blunt, deadly claws. Kaka, once a towering goblin in our eyes, now appeared as tiny as a mouse compared to this colossal monstrosity, and we, the tiny hatchlings, resembled nothing more than scuttling bugs beneath its gaze.

Goober, his voice quivering with fear, whispered, "What's that big, scary thing? Is that a mountain?"

Scratcher huddled beside Goober, stammered, "Not a mountain but a monster! Giant scary thing! Too big! Too scary! Gobbie doesn't wanna be eaten! I'm scared! I'm scared!"

Squeak, his eyes wide with terror, added, "Scuttle, scuttle away from the big nasty! Big nasty will eat us all! Away from the nasty!"

Kaka, his voice trembling, barked hurriedly, "No time for panic, little gobs! Stick close, stay quiet! Shhhhh...! Shhhhh...! Do not make loud noise, big nasty will hear us... Shhhh...!"

Sludge, his voice a frightened squeak, mumbled, "Maybe it will not see us if we stay still?"

Scratcher's voice quivered with fear as he stammered, "Wha... what's that, Kaka? Gobbie scared! What is that moving mountain!?"

Kaka's eyes widened with terror as he whispered, "That's a nightmare beast, a pig-wolf, little gobs. We must hide and move quietly. Shhhhh, little gobs, stay quiet! Big danger! Big nasty! We hide, stay safe!"

But it was too late, the pig-wolf noticed us and as the monstrous creature drew nearer, it became evident that our small size and stillness did little to hide us from its keen senses.

Kaka froze in paralyzing fear, his wide goblin eyes filled with terror. We mirrored his dread, our trembling bodies quivering in the tall grass, our eyes darting nervously between the beast and Kaka. The creature's attention turned toward us, and it lunged forward, causing the towering grass to crumble and bend under its powerful approach.

Kaka's feeble frame collapsed like a stack of wobbly sticks, his bony butt hitting the cold ground with a thud. He scrabbled backward with all the grace of a drunk spider, his limbs flailing as if he had gone crazy. But his pitiful retreat was tragic, for the looming terror that approached had turned his legs into quivering puddles of jelly, rendering them useless. Kaka found himself stuck in a pitiable crawl, his limbs tangled in the chaos of his panic. He clutched at the ground with desperate fingers, as if trying to claw himself to safety.

In his frantic attempt to defy the mounting fear, Kaka's shaky hands clamped onto his mouth as if trying to physically suppress the rising panic. His lower lip, however, betrayed his valiant efforts, twitching uncontrollably in a dance of terror. The very embodiment of a cowardly goblin, Kaka's eyes widened like saucers, reflecting the sheer horror that gripped his tiny, trembling soul.

The sheer horror that gripped us, the minuscule hatchlings, was an experience beyond our feeble goblin minds. In an absolute frenzy of panic, we morphed into a frenetic maelstrom of terror-stricken goblins, our tiny limbs flailing as we scuttled aimlessly across the ground.

 The stench of fear permeated the air like a pungent fog, worsened by the fact that most of us shit ourselves, resulting in a simultaneous, pathetic display of bowel movements as we darted in erratic circles, clueless about what to do or where to hide from the beast. Our tiny, quivering bodies were a symphony of cowardice, each of us contributing to the wails and poop-splattered chaos that echoed through the perilous forest.

"Hurry, run! Hurry, little feet! Away! Away! Runny fast, make it, make it!" one hatchling screeched, his voice shrill with terror.

"Where do we go? What do we do? Big scary, no like big scary! Me no want to be eaten!" another cried, flailing his arms in desperation.

"Find a hole! Find a bush! Hide, hide! Run like a bug from a big foot!" a third one yelled, his tiny feet a blur as he darted for cover diving head-first into a leaf pile.

 Our spindly legs carried us away from the looming beast, and our minds raced in fear. The monstrous creature, confused by the sudden flurry of movement, hesitated, uncertain about which of us to snatch first. In those fleeting seconds, we dashed for our lives.

The beast, unable to distinguish one tiny goblin from another, began to leap and pounce in a frenzied attempt to catch us. Its massive, earth-shaking leaps sent tremors through the ground, but instead of gobbling us up or tearing us to pieces, the monstrous predator unwittingly trampled upon us tiny goblins. Our fragile bodies were crushed beneath its colossal feet, and our pitiful cries filled the air as the beast ended our short lives.

"Wreeeee! Help, help! Waaaa! I don't wanna die!" one mangled hatchling cried as he huddled the torn lower half of his body in his broken arms.

"Ouchie, ouchie! Too squishy! Gobbie friend, where are you?! it's dark! Too dark! Can't see gobbie friends!" another hatchling yelled with half of his face missing.

"Reeeeee! It's gonna eat us! Save me! Save me! Nooo!" yet another goblin, chirped on the ground, crawling away, not realizing that half of his body was already in the beast's jaws. 

"Muma... Dada! Save us!" a completely smushed hatchling with only his head intact let out a final yelp.

Kaka, with his eyes wide and filled with despair, gawked at his precious hatchlings being callously trampled and tossed around like worthless pebbles by the colossal pig-wolf. Their pitiful, tiny bodies were subjected to relentless brutality, and Kaka couldn't bear to witness the carnage any longer.

Summoning every ounce of pathetic courage within his frail frame, Kaka reluctantly stood up, his battered and bruised goblin form barely reaching the height of a short human child.

Starvation had ravaged his body, leaving him scrawny and skinny, with sunken cheeks and hollow eyes that stared out from deep, dark sockets. His naked frail body was covered in bruises, and he could barely summon the energy to stand. The goblin slave stood before the towering beast, a wretched and pitiful figure. His once-green skin had turned pallid, stretched taut over his bony frame. 

His naked form was a canvas of suffering, marked by a cruel tapestry of bruises, cuts, and wounds. The lashings of his goblin masters had left angry welts and scars that crisscrossed his body like a roadmap of agony. His frail limbs trembled with exhaustion, and he swayed unsteadily on his feet, his posture that of a defeated and broken creature.

"I'll show you, you big brute! I won't let you hurt them any more!" Kaka yelped out of desperation. 

The colossal creature ruthlessly stomped on poor hatchlings, their tiny bodies crushed and torn, Kaka's fear-ignited frenzy propelled him into action. With a pathetic yell, he launched himself at the beast, springing onto its massive head and biting into its ear with all the desperation he could muster. His worn-out teeth scraped against the creature's thick hide, causing no real harm only annoyance.

"I won't back down! I won't let you harm these hatchlings!" he mumbled while biting the beast's ear.

The monster, shifting its gaze to the persistent goblin, shook its head violently, tossing Kaka around like a ragdoll. In an instant, it clamped its deadly jaws onto Kaka's arm, and the goblin's scream of agony echoed through the field as his arm was crushed and torn off. 

Kaka's scream of agony resonated through the air, his pitiful cries reaching the ears of his beloved hatchlings, who watched in horror from their hiding spots.

Kaka, his voice strained and filled with agony, screamed as the monster's jaws ripped his arm off, "Aghhh! You ugly beast, I won't let go! I won't!" His grip on the creature's ear remained unyielding, his effort fueled by desperation.

The beast roared in anger, shaking its massive head violently, but Kaka clung on with all his might. With his remaining good arm, he scratched at the monster's eye, drawing blood. Kaka's cries and the monster's furious roars mingled in a raucous battle of wills.

Kaka, his voice growing weaker, hissed through clenched teeth, "I will not let go, you vile creature! You'll-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the monster's fury reached its peak. It unleashed a torrent of brutal thrashing, tossing Kaka about like a plaything. 

Meanwhile, as Kaka bravely but futilely distracted the monstrous pig-wolf, we scuttled for cover, desperately seeking any hiding spots we could find amidst the chaos. 

 "Waaah! Big bad beastie! Run! Hide! Wah!"

Some hatchlings dove into the tall grass, their small forms disappearing amidst the thick vegetation. They hoped the monster wouldn't see them as it thrashed about.

"Hide, hide! Grass, tall grass! Be invisible! Shhh!"

"Where's Kaka? We need big Kaka! Save us, Kaka!"

"Breathe quiet, shh! Don't let big bad thingy find us!"

One hatchling managed to find a small animal burrow in the ground. He quickly squeezed into cramped spaces, hoping the beast wouldn't notice his scent.

 "I go in dirt hole! Safe, safe! Wiggle, wiggle!"

 Some hatchlings squeezed beneath large rocks or boulders scattered across the field. They dowe head first under the rocks, their tiny legs sticking out, kicking the air, trying to squeeze their scrawny bodies under. 

"Rock, big rock! Go under! Kicky, kick! Squeeze, squeeze!"

"Under rock, safe and snug! Just need to... wiggle more!"

 "I'm stuck! My head is in, but my tummy is not! Help!"

"I'm almost there! Just a little more... Oh, it's so tight!"

A group of hatchlings clung together, forming a tight ball of goblins. They believed there was safety in numbers and hoped their collective presence would deter the monster. But they ended up as a pile of crushed gore under the rampaging beast's feet. 

Several hatchlings darted beneath a large, sturdy leaf, hoping it would shield them from view. They huddled together, trembling with fear, as the leaf provided a temporary sanctuary.

"Why is the big, scary monster here? I want Kaka!"

"I don't know, Goober. It's so big and loud!"

"Let's just wait quietly and hope for the best, gobbie friends."

 "Shhh! Be quiet! We don't want the monster to find us!"

In their panic, a group of hatchlings rushed toward a pile of thorny sticks, thinking the sharp branches would deter the pursuing pig wolf. However, their plan backfired as they ended up tangled and scraped in the prickly thorns.

"Ouchie! Why are these sticks hurting us? Uh-oh, I think we made a mistake!"

"I don't know! Maybe they're angry sticks! We're doomed, aren't we?"

"Ow, ow, ow! Bad sticks! Bad! Help! Stuck in sticky sticks! Wolf-pig gonna get us!"

A pair of hatchlings managed to burrow into a big clump of soft moss, their tiny bodies disappearing into the greenery. They remained hidden, praying that the beast would not sniff them out.

"Psst! Squabble, you think the big bad beastie can find us in here?" 

"Squeak, I dunno, but I'm scared, real scared! My toesies are all tingly!"

"Me too, Squabble. Me too! We gotta be quiet, or it'll hear us!"

"What if we hold our breaths and pretend to be mossy rocks? Like, shhh, don't move!"

"Good idea, Squabble! I'll be a mossy rock, and you be a mossy stick. Shhh, Don't move, mossy stick!"

"Okay, mossy rock! We're the sneakiest gobbos ever!"

Some of the hatchlings were too terrified to think of hiding spots and simply sprinted away from the scene, hoping their speed would carry them to safety. Their tiny legs churned as they fled from the rampaging pig-wolf.

"Wreee! Run, run! Pig-wolf's after us! Reeee! Where do we go? Tall grass too tall! I can't see anything! It's too tall! Eeeek!"

The beast began to rampage, twisting and swirling its head with violent abandon, shaking its body in an attempt to dislodge the persistent bug clinging to its ear.

Kaka's battered body bore the brunt of the monster's fury as he was tossed about like a ragdoll. His flesh collided with the beast's head, each impact sending shockwaves of agony through his frail form. Despite the excruciating pain and the taste of his own blood, Kaka held on.

But as the battle raged on, Kaka's strength waned. His teeth, already rotten and brittle, shattered from the strain of maintaining his vice-like grip on the beast's ear. With a final, powerful headbutt, the beast sent Kaka hurtling through the air, his naked body battered and broken. He crash-landed into a thorny bush, his mangled form entangled in its cruel embrace.

The field was filled with Kaka's agonized cries as he lay broken and bloodied, his sacrifice having bought precious moments for the surviving hatchlings to flee. The pig-wolf crunched on Kaka's arm, swallowing it with a wet guttural gulp, and continued its rampage through the field, leaving destruction in its wake.

With Kaka's valiant but futile sacrifice buying them only a few precious moments, the hatchlings were left scrambling to escape the wrath of the colossal beast.

In the wake of the monster's fury, the field became a blood-soaked battleground. The hatchlings, tiny and defenseless, were crushed beneath the creature's mighty paws, their fragile bodies torn apart. Some were seized in the beast's jaws and devoured in gruesome bites, their pitiful cries echoing through the field.