Cain and the leader of the flock hurtled through the sky in a breakneck race toward the forest's edge.
The wind howled between feather and metallic armor. Glancing sideways, Cain could see the details of the bird's wings as it glided beside him, each feather slicing the air like a row of blades.
It cawed at him with a sharp, high-pitched cry that echoed like a sentence.
The intention was clear. It wasn't going to let him go, not until he was torn apart and fed upon.
[Speed: 498 km/h]
[Altitude: 445 Meters]
Below them, the landscape blurred, the towering chimeric predator trees loomed closer with every passing second.
In both of their peripheries, the bark began to stir, insectoid in texture, with clusters of cockroach-like eyes glittering black and unblinking, embedded between dried wood and twisted branches.
Trunks groaned and lifted off the ground where they had once lain, each tree discarding their indolent forms.
Branches coiled and unfurled, snapping up in the air with wild urgency, hungry for anything reckless enough to stray too close.
As Cain and the leader of the flock drew closer, each tree seemed to come alive with anticipation, their bodies stretching upward as if spring had returned, awakening due to the rush of approaching life.
Standing hundreds of meters taller than before, each tree wove its own nets across the sky, reaching toward the light in silent worship.
"Truly trees from hell."
Cain dove first, pulling his arms close to his sides as the first wave of branches whipped past him.
Every part of the trees moved with serpentine grace. A jagged, bald trunk lashed out like a spear, barely missing Cain as he ducked his head.
Sweat drenched his back as he felt the rush of displaced air as it snapped shut behind him, sharp enough to shear his flesh from the bone.
Just a few meters behind, the bird leader spun through the air, wings slicing through finger-thin branches with brutal ease.
But it avoided anything thicker with trepidation.
"Report speed."
[Speed: 389 km/h]
As Cain and the leader bird plunged deeper into the dense canopies, the landscape transformed.
More of the chimeric predator trees stirred, awakened by the rush of movement. Their branches stretched and creaked, groaning like beasts roused from slumber.
High above, most of the flock kept a safer altitude, their instincts sharp enough to avoid the writhing mass of vines below.
A few of the bolder birds broke formation and dove after Cain, eager to earn a mate by bringing him down.
Their leader said nothing, gliding behind them, inching ever closer.
Cain tried to catch glimpses of his pursuers from behind, but instead, he saw something far more disturbing.
The smaller birds shot through the trees with reckless speed, oblivious to the nearly invisible strands of branches weaving silently through the canopy.
With a twang like a zither, one snapped taut across a bird's wing, halting its flight with a violent jolt.
It flapped wildly, but hundreds more darted forward, wrapping around its wings, legs, and neck, dragging the bird deeper into the shadows where the writhing mass consumed it whole.
Further back, a larger bird, easily four meters wide, sliced cleanly through a thick branch.
Its blade-like wings severed it without resistance, or so it thought.
In that instance of dally, a neighboring trunk shot out from behind and pierced the massive bird straight through the eyes.
Spikes erupted from the pillaring stake, in mere seconds the bird shriveled, feathers dulled and wings crumbled to dust.
Cain caught a flicker of raw emotion from the plant.
The tree shuddered, its bark rippling like flesh as new branches sprouted across its surface, every eye trembling in unison, as if caught in some twisted ecstasy.
Cain grimaced at the tree's unsightly behavior. Beside him, the bird leader flinched with equal revulsion.
Man and avian shared a glance, both feigning shock, each waiting for the other to blink.
They held onto the illusion of distraction, each waiting for the other to slip.
But as more and more birds were caught in the sea of unsatiable trees, the leader's patience wore thin.
Without warning, it tucked its wings and spun, streaking through the air like a comet set to crash into Cain.
He crossed both blades in a rushed block, layering on a few more fortification spells just in time.
Clang!
The blow hit hard, rattling his bones and nearly knocking him off balance mid-glide.
"Too heavy!"
Cain gritted his teeth and forced himself back into form, eyes narrowing at the chaotic branches twisting below.
The flock leader charged again, but before it could close the gap, the barren ground ahead erupted in a storm of dust and debris.
Dozens of turrets burst from the earth, barrels spinning as targeting systems lit up in streaks of red and green.
Moments later, bullets ripped through the air, followed by heavy mortar bursts slamming into the thrashing vines below.
The trees hissed in fury, their branches curling as the purifying flames crackled with a light that burned deeper than heat alone.
The avian leader flared its wings, feathers hardening under a shimmer of primal energy that made the rain of ammunition bounce off, shielding its kin.
It refused to gamble its life against the storm of lead and fire.
With a final screech, it wheeled into the sky, vanishing into the upper altitudes.
But its eyes blazed with fury, etching Cain's face into memory.
Having escaped the predicament, he let out a shaky breath, the adrenaline slowly draining from his veins.
But what he saw on his chest made his blood run cold. Emerald lights dotted his body, laser targeting systems locking on.
'No shots yet. Either a human, someone looking for ransom... or maybe planning to make me a slave?'
Cain didn't flinch, he knew the turret's owner might still be reasoned with.
Raising his hands slowly, he opened his palms as a sign of peace, his voice calm and measured.
"Specialist, I apologize for intruding on your job."
His tone carried neither arrogance nor desperation, only a quiet acknowledgment of the situation.
He wasn't raised to flaunt his family name, even if the Roosevelts stood far above most.
For a moment, silence held.
The laser blinked once, then vanished. Turrets folded back into their hidden compartments, sinking into the earth like they had never existed.
As he lowered his arms, a crackle of static hissed from a nearby tower.
The voice that followed carried a thick Southern drawl, laced with rugged charm and just a hint of warning.
"Kid, you best not be poking round where ya don't belong."