Vrissk
Posted on November 5th, 2012 by Kuari

The enemy was in sight, was fleeing. With all her strength, Stho’ka sped after them, nothing but rage fueling her motions.

Out of habit, she readied her hand at her belt, but the belt was no longer there, nor were the shivs she was expecting to grasp and prepare to throw at her prey. This prompted her to scream out in frustration, but this was also another act she had yet to get used to no longer yielding its intended result since the Fire.

She barely noticed the houses she rushed past and away from, the fact that their appearance was so different now than from before. Stho’ka had passed by here countless times throughout her life, but now everything was a shell of what it once was and hardly recognizable, its vibrancy and substance, anything that had given it life now gone.

There were other Vrissk nearby, she somehow knew, even though she couldn’t see or smell them. She sometimes thought she heard her brother’s screech, but she couldn’t be sure because it echoed strangely and wasn’t quite the right pitch. Other than that, she couldn’t really hear anything, not even her own sounds.

Stho’ka could move, though, could seek revenge on the enemy creatures that had appeared after the Fire, the ones that must have attacked her people and changed them this way. She had her claws, could still attack. At least she had this.

The creature was running, its shell gleaming in the sunlight, but Stho’ka was faster. Of all the prey she had hunted for her tribe, this was the most dangerous yet unassuming. It fled from just her, yet it had done this to her whole family. It had destroyed everything, yet it now it feared her, feared her rage. It only made sense. At times, Stho’ka felt the only thing that held her together, that bound her to her existence in this meaningless state was her terrible, ceaseless anger.

Stho’ka lunged, swiping at the enemy’s legs. Her confidence burned within her, as she was sure the biped would hit the ground and be at her mercy, but to her frustration her claw passed right through both of its legs! She swiped again, this time higher, but her claws seemed to pass through its shell. A painful burning ignited down her limb as she connected with flesh, the surprise causing her to flinch and only cause a glancing strike against her enemy.

Immediately following, focused energy, like beams of sunlight came shooting towards her from the distance. There were more of them! At this point, Stho’ka would normally check herself and reassess her situation, but there was no fear left in her, her rage only building and driving her onwards.

It was then they disappeared in a shimmer of light.

Stho’ka finally stopped, shaking and seething. This existence seemed to hold nothing but eternal despair. She wondered what she had done to deserve such a state, what her tribe had done if they were in fact with her.

Something caught her eye, and she turned. It was a vague, bluish shape resembling a Vrissk. Stho’ka’s heart leapt. Was it one of her tribesmen? She moved closer, and it turned to look towards her, but it began to disappear from view as she approached.

As Stho’ka stared into her brother’s eyes, he faded away into nothingness, leaving her alone.