To Grow

"SCREECH!" she squawked, flying towards me while I was still in the air. I had been climbing the tree behind her, but I hadn't expected her head to just turn around completely. Her claws grabbed onto me, and she hauled me into the air. 

I struggled, hoping that it would imbalance her. Unfortunately, her wings were wide and long. 

I forgot about that! I shifted into my quick furred form, but her talons just tightened even more. I waved my claws around, snarling and snapping at her leg. But my snout was just too short, and my arms had been pinned by her talons. She flew higher and higher, until I could see the tops of the trees. She continued to fly higher still. She flew high enough that I could see distant mountains and rivers.

Then she let go.

I dropped. The wind buffeted my head, my ears filled with the sound of rushing wind. My eyes were shut tight automatically, and I couldn't tell what was up or down anymore. My thoughts were too scattered to process anything but I'M FALLING!

My body curled into a ball, and shifted into my two-leg form. I had just enough time to wonder why, before I felt the first branches crash into my back. I wrapped myself harder in response. I could feel the needles and the branches whip and break around me. I could feel the scratches and bruises on myself. I could feel multiple parts of my body make an ominous cracking sound. When I finally landed, I said there, too pained to do nor say anything.

The flying one seemed to think I had gone cold, because I didn't feel her claws encircling my body. 

I focused on breathing, and of my rapidly beating heart. I was probably bleeding in multiple places, and probably also attracting all sorts of things here. But I couldn't move. Everything hurt. I could maybe feel some parts healing back up, but for now, it wasn't enough.

I felt my eyes wet, and water dripped down my face even though it wasn't raining. 

That hadn't happened in a long time.

I felt a few cracks, and my body felt slightly better. But now, coupled with the pain was hunger. I was so, so hungry. 

I reached around for anything edible to eat, ignoring the fresh stabs of pain the action brought me. My hands closed around some leaves, and I quickly shoved them in my mouth.

My teeth can't chew leaves properly. I had once tried to survive solely off leaves, like that tough ones did, but after a few days, I got sick. 

Leaves were also surprisingly hard to chew.

But that didn't matter. All that mattered was to fill my belly.

I heard a rustle nearby. Turning my neck around, I saw the face of a big furred one looming above me. I was dropped into his territory! I realized.

I stayed still, hoping that he was full.

But I had forgotten that it was the small warmth. And during the small warmth is when big furred ones are the most irritable and hungry.

He huffed in my face and -without a warning- lowered his head, opened his short snout, and bit down into my shoulder. A fresh burst of agony erupted from the point of contact, and I hastily jerked away. I succeeded in tearing off a piece of flesh.

I scrabbled for a grip, and shakily stood up. My healing was trying its best, but there were just too many wounds it had to heal. I shifted into my quick furred form, and ran away. The big furred one didn't chase me.

It was at nightfall that I finally returned to my territory. I laid down inside my den and slept right after eating my remaining berries and a few small scraps of meat from my earlier meal. 

When I woke up, it was raining. The rain was fierce, and entered my den easily. Luckily, I had been sleeping in a small alcove I had dug out for myself that was actually behind the entrance, while dipping down farther into the soil.

My belly screamed in hunger, and my body roiled in soreness and pain. I couldn't move a single muscle from the stiffness that pervaded me. I shifted into my two-leg form with the better healing, and laid there. I had been defeated. But I was alive. I was glad I decided to attack the flying one and not a big furred one, because I would have already been eaten by now. 

Suddenly, I heard a roar of challenge.

I couldn't ignore that, so I limped out my den and climbed the tallest tree I could find, and tried to see if I could sight it from there.

I could.

It was a giant, hulking brown brute, patches of fur and scale mixed throughout its body. He was larger than a big furry one by far, and his paws were like a flying one's. His round ears were laid back against its skull, and his lips were peeled back to show long, sharp fangs. 

Ah. A brown one. A brown one was seen much less than a big furry one. A brown one also liked to sleep the whole great cold away. The big furry one was also less scary to look at.

Why, just why did I have to fight one today, of all days, with my injuries and the rain!?

I sighed, and began walking towards him. Half of my serious wounds had been healed, and the small scratches and scrapes had been mostly healed. It was the soreness, now, that I had to worry about. I was also very hungry.

I was still in my two-leg form, mostly hoping that I could heal some more.

He roared again, and I walked faster. Once I was in sight of him, I shifted into a quick furred one and let out a bark.

He looked my way, and stomped once. I sighed. Brown ones liked to do a whole ritual before a match. I had only watched them at a distance before, but I knew what it was going to do next. He was going to stand up on his two back paws, slap his front paws together, and go back on all fours. Then he's going to expect me to do the same thing. I slowly creeped forwards, so I could easily reach him. He didn't notice. He was too busy on concentrating to stand up.

Ah, there he is, standing up.

Unfortunately for him, I am not one of his kind, and so, I don't have an obligation to do the ritual.

I charged forwards and sunk my claws into him. I shifted into a big furry one and used my newly formed claws to sink even further within him. A brown one's belly was the least padded and least furry. I added my teeth into the mix.

Then I dug in and ripped his flesh and fur off his body. He was, of course, not standing still. He had been throwing himself around and trying to use his forepaws to get me off. But brown ones' forearms did not bend backwards. 

He stumbled around, giving me more time to dig in. I weaselled around inside him, my eyes shut tight, blindly biting and clawing at anything I could reach. Either due to blood loss or the maiming of his insides, he collapsed, and I crawled out.

A brown one was very strong, fast, and tough. Their main weakness, though, is their tendency to do rituals with stupid moves, such as exposing your belly to the enemy.

On a straight fight, a brown one would cool me with a stomp.

I bit down and swallowed his meat. I ate until I was stuffed, and headed back to my den. Belatedly, I noticed that I was still in my big furry form. It was surprisingly agile, and its legs strong. Maybe I should use this form more?

I laid down, satisfied, and slept.