Etpinego/ Applejack

“Azcidi…?” I muttered confused at not knowing what the word meant. Whatever it meant I could tell by the noise that was coming from all around us that it was big and didn’t sound very nice.

I grabbed my spear from the ground as I quickly shoved Etpinego behind me and silently cursed at myself for not trusting her to begin with. The least I could do now was to try and ensure that she got away from here the best I could.

Suddenly a creature came bursting forth from the underbrush to the right of us and I barely had enough time to pull Etpinego and I to the ground as its body flew over us. Landing effortlessly a good distance away from us it began to circle around us growling the whole time, the element of surprise now lost. Now having a good look at the creature I could see that it resembled a wolf but not like any I had ever seen before in any kind of nature show.

The creature stood around eight feet at the shoulder and its body was at least double that in length. The body was made up of what appeared to be pieces of the forest itself instead of the muscle and fur I was used to seeing. Muscle was replaced with branches of all assorted sizes and thickness while its fur was mostly patches of moss which left much of the body behind it exposed. The azcidi snarled at us exposing the jagged pieces of black rock that made up its teeth. Yet even though this creature was scary enough what with its size and appearance resembling some wooden zombie wolf; what scarred me the most was its glowing green eyes, the same green eyes that had starred at me from the darkness of the forest last night. That’s when it dawned on me that this wooden wolf wasn’t afraid of me last night, it had been afraid of the campfire. Yet here I now stood exposed and without an ember to my name.

“Well fuck.”

The azcidi continued to pace back and forth in front of us, its demonic looking green eyes looking on us hungrily. I knew I had to get Etpinego out of here but unfortunately the azcidi was in front of us and the stream was to our back. Maybe I could distract the wooden wolf long enough for her to get to safety across the stream. But the only doubt I had with that plan was that I remembered wolves usually traveled in packs and I wasn’t sure if this azcidi did the same.

From behind me I heard Etpinego as she stood back up and placed herself between the giant wooden wolf and myself. I couldn’t believe that this female who just moments before was on the verge of a panic attack, was now facing down this giant creature with a look of determination on her face. Yet a closer look at her trembling hands let me know that, just like me, she was still very much afraid. I watched as she puffed out her chest and began to paw at the ground with one of her feet as I heard her yell at the creature.

“Kix fego! Kix fego! Hi’yah!”

‘Wait a minute… she’s trying to protect me.’ I thought to myself as she continued to face down the creature. The thought that she would risk her life for a complete stranger like me gave me the courage I needed to stand back up and face this hell spawn in front of us. ‘There’s no way I’m going to let her do something stupid like that. I’ve got to get her out of here and by God I’m going to.'

The azcidi, meanwhile, just growled at her in response, narrowing its eyes but not attempting to pounce at her. For a moment I thought her display would actually work, until I heard the faintest sound of rustling leaves over my left shoulder. Tilting my head my blood ran cold as I saw yet another azcidi, smaller than the first but just as ferocious, crouching on the ridge I had just come from. Its salivating jaws gapped open ready to pounce and devour us at any moment. Well at least this answered the question about them being pack hunters.

“Clever son of a bitch.” I slowly said in disbelief as I heard more rustling in the underbrush from the other side. No doubt yet another one. That meant that the one in front of us must have been the alpha.

The one on our left was the first to attack and I barely had enough time to raise my spear in defense. I watched as the point impacted on its shoulder moments before the shaft snapped in half. Not even slowing it down in the slightest as it barreled into me knocking me to the ground with its weight. I raised my hands to grab it by the jaw in an attempt to try and keep it away from me as best I could.

Panic set in as my hands grasped at what I hoped was its head just to have the body above me go still momentarily before I felt the creature’s full body weight fall on me. The clearing went silent above me as I started to claw at the body of wood above me, trying to get out from under this predator’s body before it had time to finish me. Quickly I saw sunlight ahead of me and burst forth out from the body and stood back up. Expecting the azcidi to continue its attack I looked back down to my opponent.

To my surprise where once was a massive living creature of wood, now laid nothing more than a pile of unmoving wooden debris with me standing squarely in the middle of where its chest used to be. I looked towards Etpinego for hopefully something that would explain this turn of events, instead to find her and the alpha staring at me in unmoving silence. While Etpinego held a mixed look of relief, shock and fear the alpha held one that could only be described as pure rage. With a yelp from its jagged maw I head the other hidden pack member rush forward as itself charged at an unaware Etpinego.

“Look out!” I yelled to her as I pointed behind her at the oncoming danger. I saw her turn just in time and watched as she delivered a powerful kick squarely against the alpha’s jaw, sending it backwards, before I was pounced on yet again by another pack member.

This new one pushed my chest down against the body of its fellow pack mate as one of its massive paws pressed on my back, crushing the air from my lungs. I feebly tried to grab the foreleg and remove it, if I could, before it had a chance to bite me in a vital spot. Which taking their size into account, would pretty much be effectively anywhere. I managed to touch its leg with one of my hands, the roughness of the bark scrapping against my fingers before once again I felt the full weight of an azcidi land on me. The branches that made up its body scratched my skin slightly as the body broke up and fell apart around me to join the body of the previous one.

A sharp pain shot through my back and ribs where I had been hit as I stood up. I hoped it was only the beginning of a nasty bruise and not anything worse like a broken rib. My mind was racing on why these creatures were only attacking me before suddenly dissolving away before even attempting to finish me off. I put these thoughts to the back of my mind as I remembered Etpinego was still in danger.

Turning quickly to see how she was doing I was immediately justified in my worry as I watched the alpha swat her away with one of its mighty paws. Causing her to careen across the clearing like a ragdoll, before crashing into the base of a tree with a sickening thud. She laid still for a moment before she let out a low moan and tried to push herself up but instead fell back to the ground.

‘Got to admit she’s a tough one. I don’t even think I’d be getting up from a hit like that.’

I didn’t have time to revel in my thoughts before I remembered the alpha azcidi and heard it growl as it crept towards Etpinego’s helpless form. Anger and adrenaline flared through my veins as I thought about the very real possibility of this monster taking away my only companion, and chance of getting out of this whole fucked up situation. All fear was suppressed by some primal urge to protect this defenseless woman from her threat, no matter the cost to me.

Jumping from the carcasses of the alpha’s two fallen pack mates, I rushed over to Etpinego’s fallen body so as to face the oncoming predator as it began to charge as well. Planting my left foot firmly on the ground, I tried to use the only weapon that I could think of that might hurt it, as I kicked my right foot forward and solidly impacted it across its head with my steel-toed boot. I was rewarded with a loud crack as the branches that made up the left side of its face snapped, damaging its left eye.

The creature yelped in pain and stepped back pawing at its damaged face. I heard Etpinego moving behind me but I dared not to look away from my opponent.

“Come on you fucking son of a bitch!” I yelled defiantly at it, hoping that it would think twice before trying again. “You wanna go again asshole! Let’s go!”

Unfortunately the alpha decided to call my bluff as it growled and looked at me with its one good eye. Staring into that fiery green pit, all I could see was absolute hatred and death before it charged once again. Hoping to finish the job I had started I lined up to kick it on the other side of the face with my other boot. It must have been expecting this as it ducked under my sweeping leg only to grab my foot in its jaws after my leg had passed. I winced in pain as I felt the teeth clamp around my foot, the thick leather and rubber sole preventing penetration but the mere pressure of its jaws hurt my foot like hell.

With a jerk of its head and body, the world became like the inside of a washing machine as I was hurtled through the air. Coming to land in bush that luckily cushioned my fall, a very prickly cushion, but a cushion none the less. Rolling to a stop I pushed myself up as swiftly as my body would let me. My left foot throbbed in pain as I applied weight to it, but nothing felt like it was broken as I wiggled my toes. Pushing the pain to the back of my mind I turned towards the clearing to see the alpha inching closer once again to the still dazed Etpinego, who had managed to raise herself to one elbow but had her back towards the approaching threat.

A rush of anger consumed me again as I charged towards the large azcidi releasing a primal roar to draw its attention. Turning its head to look at me, startled by my cry, I didn’t give it time to react as I brought my fist down between its eyes. I felt the jolt go through my arm as my fist impacted against the alpha’s skull; the cracking sound of breaking wood rang out in the clearing. As my fist continued on through the alpha’s skull, I watched as its remaining eye faded away like the dying flame of a candle and its body broke apart around my arm to fall to the ground like its companion’s had done before.

Standing over the pile of wood in disbelief, my breaths came to me heavy and labored as the adrenaline began to ebb away. I looked at my shaking hands wondering what had just happened. There was no way my punch was strong enough to go through its skull, and instead of standing here I should have currently been a chew toy right now. Yet other than a scrapped knuckle from the initial impact and some minor scratches from rolling in the bush nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Even the pain in my foot and back, although still lingering, was slowly fading which was a good sign that they weren’t as bad as I first thought. I heard a rustling behind me, remembering the injured woman that I had risked my life to protect. Turning I saw that Etpinego had managed to turn over and was staring at me with a dazed look as a trickle of blood dripping down her forehead from a cut somewhere in her hair.

As she spoke her voice came out groggily as I saw her eyes try to focus. “Alex col lec ei c’el?”

Author's Notes:

Edit: Because some people were wanting a version with the translated Equis I decided to link it here.