Morvian sank his teeth into the guard's ear.
The cartilage crunched like crushed eggshells, and warm blood rushed onto his tongue, salty with the taste of sweat and rust. The guard ahhed, but didn't scream.
'No... scream, you bastard!' - and he clenched his jaws tighter until he heard the long-awaited scream....
In the next instant, several things happened.
The monster that had been breathing down Morvian's back a moment ago slammed lightning fast into the screaming guard.
The blonde-haired girl managed to leap backwards to avoid losing her face and fell to the bottom of the wagon. As the chains jingled with the movement.
Blood spurted in a beautiful scarlet fountain as the beast tore into the flesh of the guard.
It only took a moment for the fully armored man to be ripped to shreds by the jaws of the thing.
The guard standing a little ways away stared at the scene of his comrade being eaten, then looked at Morvian.
His slightly golden hair was blowing in the wind along with the flakes of snow, and his bloody mouth was smiling.
The guard's eyes filled with blood and he silently drew his sword from its sheath. However, he was still standing still.
The sword was shivering as if from the cold, and the man stared uncertainly at the monster beside the wagon.
Finished with its meal, the black creature leaped into the air and landed in the center of the wagon. Just a little more and would have crushed the girl.
The wagon shattered into pieces, and the slaves reflexively screamed in terror.
The chains jingled even more and the monster cut down three men with its tail.
Human scraps flew into the air, which was filled with the smell of blood.
The chains along with the flesh from the momentum tore through the air, knocking over several slaves who were tied together.
Morvian flew with them and found himself outside the wagon in a hanging position.
His chained hands were still shackled to the wagon, causing him to hang to the ground.
A searing pain shot through his arms, but he didn't make a sound.
He felt a warm liquid running down his neck. Whether it was the blood of the dead bastard that lay before him, or his own. However, there was no time to find out now.
The blonde-haired girl noticed a bunch of keys on the corpse's shattered thigh. However, they had yet to be reached.
Morvian pulled his thin and pale legs toward the bundle in an attempt to pick them up.
Meanwhile, disgusting sounds were coming from above him.
The monster was really feasting on the slaves left in the wagon.
Blood flew in all directions, staining the snow around them scarlet.
Shrieks and screams of horror came from there, but Morvian continued to diligently try to grab the keys.
Blood ran down his hands, due to the chains entangling them and digging straight into his flesh.
'Just a little more...'
Morvian was finally able to pry the keys from the icy toes of his bare feet and pull them up to him.
The keys jingled in the wind and nearly fell into the snow, but Morvian was able to stretch himself so that they ended up in his hands.
'At least there are some perks. I wouldn't have been able to show that kind of stretch in my body.'
He began diligently going through the keys and inserting them into the keyhole, but his icy fingers didn't help the process.
Morvian inserted another key and heard a blissful click.
'Finally! Now we need to get the hell away from...'
His thoughts froze in place as droplets of saliva mixed with blood fell directly onto the top of his head.
A menacing but quiet growl rumbled through his skull.
A foul odor filled his nose that made him want to vomit.
Morvian's eyes froze in place as his fingers held the key.
'One turn and freedom... or death.'
These thoughts swirled around in his head while the creature's muzzle loomed over him.
The monster's shadow swallowed his own as he clung to life.
A drop of blood from his hands fell to the snow, and Morvian turned the key with a loud click.
The monster howled and dashed straight for the spot where the girl's hands had been. She was no longer there, however.
Rolling over the snow, Morvian stayed in it, catching his breath.
The crunch of wood broke the howl of the wind and the boards flew apart, sticking in the snow.
The cold blissfully soothed the pain from the wounds on his arms, but that wasn't what mattered.
The breaking wood was able to mask the sound of the girl's roll, so the monster couldn't immediately locate her.
The creature jumped to the ground, breaking through the snow and strode towards Morvian.
The approaching crunch of snow loomed over the girl's life while the beast was closer.
Though Morvian rolled a few meters away from the wagon, the creature was fast enough to almost reach him. Though it took its time, orienting itself to possible sounds.
Vessels constricted along with its eyes, and the bitter cold ceased to be annoying.
A large shadow covered the girl's body, and mighty paws broke through the snow around her.
The monster almost passed her, but one of the muscular paws came down on Morvian's leg.
The bone was instantly shattered and splinters shattered his flesh.
Morvian crumpled to the snow and howled in agony, grabbing the snow with his hands. The howling wind was able to hide it.
It could not, however, hide the sound of bones breaking.
The creature jumped away from the girl's body and looked at her with white eyes.
The formidable growl that accompanied the lunge should have ended the weak slave's suffering.
But the steel sword sank into the creature's flesh, changing its course.
Now the beast of prey was howling.
Morvian looked up, eyes red with tears and pain, and saw a tall man.
His cloak, blue as the sea, flapped in the wind, hiding his mighty metal back.
Long brown hair danced in time with the cloak, and his hands held a broadsword that stabbed into the abomination.
A muffled kick pierced the air and the creature flew back a few meters.
The man turned to the half-dead slave and looked at her with sad orchid-colored eyes.
"Are you still alive, girl?"