CC Round Four Pg.2

Erx came to a halt beside a wall of shattered mirrors to catch his breath, gradually realizing that no one had bothered to follow him. The quiet came as a welcome respite from the clamor of the assembly.

This is a cruel proposition. I face a dog- no, barely a dog in size- who is bearing her children, no less.

Anger flared up within him once more. The concept of rage did not surprise him, for he lived in the depths of a roiling sea of fury. However, the idea of plunging into the maelstrom seemed alien and absurd.

Yet he felt compelled to act. He wanted to yell; he wanted to run. Alas, there was nowhere to flee. Not right, not left.

There was only forwards and out.

He withdrew into a corner and began turning over the gears of his mind. Untoten, unlike his past foes, was far smaller than him. For once, he held the advantage of size. Were he of a more savage disposition, he would have found the prospect amusing.

Alas, he found naught but reluctance.

The thought of the beasts from beyond the ruins disturbed him just as greatly. He had few experiences with the savage creatures of the wilderness. The stories that proliferated through Pripyat did little to help. They told of savage bears twice the size of even the biggest dogs, whose claws and teeth ripped apart everything in their path. They told of cruel wolves, whose cunning packs culled the sick and the weak with ruthless efficiency. They told of death.

Erx held a single comfort in his frail, battered heart. The creatures of the wilderness could never comprehend the rust.

~~~~

Untoten peeked out from behind a far larger dog as Erx departed. She scuttled across the floor, slipping into the hall with nary a sound. A dog of her tiny size made little noise, which was one of her greatest saving graces in the savage city of Pripyat.

Worry dogged her mind. Her two protectors- the two who conspired to pluck her from the clutches of the tournament- were beginning to attract scrutiny. Too much longer and one of them would likely wind up dead.

She kept her eyes up in search of the Border collie, reluctant to stray far from the meeting place. Most of the dogs had already departed, but in the dreary realm of Pripyat, some comfort was better than no comfort at all. Her wanderings led her all about, yet brought her no closer to finding Erx. Through dusty rooms she meandered, peering under racks of iron and wooden tables. Practically no light filtered down into all but the outer fringes of the gymnasium, making it impossible to search deeper within.

She guessed that Erx wouldn't stray far from the building, given his attachment to the wounded dog. Still, the task seemed overwhelming in scope.

~~~~

Erx, by contrast, found himself in a rather advantageous position. He relaxed his eyes and allowed his uncanny sight to take hold, revealing the forms of shuffling curs as they moved throughout and around the building. The yellow glows faded before they got too far away, but they were mightily helpful in the thick darkness of the night.

At the extreme end of his sight- no more than twenty-five feet away- he noticed a miniscule object darting through the corridors, It seemed small enough to be Untoten. He rose up and leapt onto a wooden shelf to hide himself. The creature approached quickly, weaving through the mire with unusual ease.

A faint squeaking noise reached his ears.

Squeaking? he thought. Dogs don't squeak.

It grew louder, peaking as a dark form swept into the room. The tiny thing glided through the air before settling on a buckling rafter.

"W-who're you?" asked Erx against his better judgement.
"It's really you?" murmured the creature. "You, the collie."
"Yes."
"Then you should know me, too."

The creature swooped to the ground, landing in a patch of moonlight. It was quite clearly a bat- a rather large one at that, although not particularly big by the standards of dogs.

"Vully," Erx breathed.
"Yes."
"What do you want?"
"What do you think?"

Erx leapt down from the shelf, unsure of the bat's intentions.

"Revenge?"
"No, that's not it."
"Then what?"
"What happened? Why Molotov had to die-"
"You think I chose?" burst out Erx. "I can't choose! The rust chooses. It has no remorse! He died because the rust chose him. I tried to warn him, but he didn't listen. No one listens."

Erx whimpered and turned about, unable to face the bat. Vully watched him for a time before flying back up into the rafters.

"Can't you just understand?" asked Erx.

The reply was cut short by a loud crash of falling wood from the hall. Erx flinched and leapt back onto the shelf, hurriedly sweeping his gaze across the halls in search of the noise's source. His eyes settled upon a miniscule form, which approached rapidly.

"Is something wrong?" asked Vully.