The Brimstone Doctrine Chapter 5: Saffron I don't know what time it is when a howl from below tears me from my sleep, but the sun hadn't risen yet, and it was raining softly. I hadn't noticed last night, but it was much warmer here. I quickly decide that I needed to get moving again, and that I'd be better off going on foot below than continuing to fly. I had a better chance of avoiding detection by the Fulls if I stayed terrestrial. There was more coverage and I didn't have to be in Narath until early tomorrow morning at the latest when the boat was projected to hit shore, so taking the extra time to be cautious was worth it. I crawl off of my branch and get a good hand-and-foot grip on the tree's thick trunk, sliding down it carefully until I reach ground. I stand and begin setting off West after brushing myself clear of dirt and dead leaves (which clung to my pants like they'd been slathered in Human paste), staying as close as possible to where the foliage and underbrush were thickest, forming little fireballs in my hands and burning my way through where I find it's too dense to pass. Another howl sounds from about a half-mile ahead of me a few seconds later, and and I stop dead in my tracks. It had sounded like some type of wild dog, like those I had witnessed back in the Human lands. It must be the alpha of a pack of them, beckoning them to join him for a kill somewhere. I take a deep breath and steel myself, resuming my steady pace forward. There was nothing to worry about if I didn't interfere with the pack or their kill. I decide to change course a bit and take a wider path in an effort to go around them. The foliage is even thicker this way, and I find myself having to make my fireballs larger the deeper in I go. When I hear the howl again it's even closer, no more than a couple yards away. Afterwards several other quieter howls sound from further away and from all directions, like the alpha was signaling the rest of his pack not just to join him, but to move in and close on whatever it was he was after. Uh oh. I break into a sprint, taking my path even wider, hoping to somehow still avoid intercepting them. After I've gathered a good quarter-mile distance from where I had been, I look over my shoulder and see nothing in pursuit of me from behind. I breathe a little sigh of relief but don't slow down, and just as I refocus my attention to the path ahead, one of my boots gets caught on a protruding tree root and I come down hard, face first, the bottom half of me landing directly into a pile of mud. I curse as I slowly push myself up half way, hissing at the sharp pain that radiated through my ankle with every small movement I made. I lower myself back down and wrench my eyes closed, waiting for it to subside when suddenly I hear a soft and uncertain "H-hi," from directly beside me. I raise up again, snapping my eyes back open and looking to my left. It doesn't take me very long at all to see a young Full lying flat on his stomach underneath a large berry bush. His eyes were three times as large as any others I'd ever seen before and they weren't red- instead a bright blue- and he had hair so blonde it was nearly white. His scent floods into my nose and it was almost sweet versus sour and metallic as a Full's always was. He was small, very skinny, and looked to be shorter than me by a solid foot. "You wouldn't by any chance be one of the beasts trying to kill me, would you?" He asks, fear evident in his voice, large eyes widening even more if it were possible. "I'd ask if you were okay but if you're one of them I really don't think I should. And you look like one except for your eyes!" The first thought that runs through my mind is that I really, completely failed at avoiding the kill, and then after getting another look at the boy and seeing the intricate inked design on his right arm peeking out from his jacket sleeve, it hits me. He was a half-breed, a halfy, just like me. Before I can think anymore or say anything, the sound of heavy footsteps reaches my ears and I spring up to my knees, the pain in my ankle completely gone now. The little half-breed gives me a dumbfounded look as I crawl to the side of his bush. "Scoot over and don't say a word." I tell him, and he obeys, shifting his position to accomodate me and nodding repeatedly. I slide in beside him just as a massive Full about eight feet tall emerges from the brush, all red eyes, sharp scent, and bright purple hair. He looks around, sniffs the air, and then opens his mouth as wide as possible, bellowing out a deafeningly loud howl from the top of his lungs. Culprit aquired. The alpha: an alpha of a tribe of Fulls. And I was sharing the same air with his prey. I seemed to have a knack for getting myself into these situations. Well, I only had one shot to get out of this, and when the Full begins to walk slowly toward the bush with a knowing expression, I decide to take it. I leap out from underneath the bush on all fours, propelling myself forward into my target: the Full's legs. I'm off by a few degrees and only end up hitting him just below his left knee, but it's effective enough to catch him off guard and cause him to stumble into a nearby tree. I quickly shoulder-roll to my feet and when I turn back around, the Full had recovered from his stumble and was now facing me square on, the trembling halfy beneath the bush completely forgotten. In a throaty snarl his lips curl upward to reveal pointed fangs, and I follow suit and do the same. He narrows his eyes to slits and positions himself sideways, both arms out in front of him with clenched fists ready to strike. I'd pulled it off. I was believable! "Shara." He rumbles, telling me to fight. "Shara." I reply, and he lunges forward with his long, black claws without warning, aim trained on my throat.