I Met My Sleep Paralysis Demon.
04-11-2023, 10:18 PM
After their run-in with the leopard seal, and the sloppy patchwork he had completed on Aresenn’s leg, Sephiran was long overdue for some rest. So when they found a decent place to shelter down for the night, he plopped down and went straight to sleep. He kept his back against the wall, his front half toward the opening, to give him quick access to escape should something go down- just like his father taught him.
But he wasn’t the lightest sleeper. So it took some prompting from Aresenn before he finally responded with a gruff, half-awake "Huh," rolling over onto his belly while stretching his front legs out. When his eyes opened, he saw Aresenn standing before him, staring out into the clearing. Sephiran immediately picked up on the pirate’s body language, which made him morph into a defensive posture out of instinct. He stood up, taking a few slow steps to stand beside Aresenn. And that’s when he saw the bear.
“What the fuck is that?” He whispered, eyes widening at the sheer size of the bear. It was bigger than a grizzly, and all-white in color, which helped it blend in with the patches of snow on the foliage and ground. An aura of danger surrounded it, even more so than the seal, crocodile, and grizzly they had killed together. And it excited him.
"Speech"
04-11-2023, 10:50 PM
At this moment, time felt like it was moving so slowly around them. With every step the bear took, the hair along Sephiran’s nape became more erect, his ears folding flat against his skull. His instincts were screaming at him, warning him of how dangerous this creature was. But he couldn’t bring himself to move, or run away. Even when the bear noticed them and roared so ferociously that he could feel the vibration in his chest, he still couldn’t turn away. In this moment, he and Aresenn had two choices; fight it to escape, or be ripped to shreds trying.
His gaze shifted to Aresenn, as he attempted to catch a glimpse of his expression. Wanting to see if he had realized their fate. But, just as he turned to look at him, the bear charged. With a wall at his back, he was left with only one way out. And that was in the same direction the predator was barreling towards them from. “To hell we go.” He said through a spat of deranged laughter, before sprinting forward to step to the bear's right just before he crashed into it. Rushing past the bear's right shoulder, Sephiran suddenly stepped inward, jaws splayed as he grabbed a mouth full of the thinner skin that connected its back limb to its belly.
"Speech"
04-11-2023, 11:15 PM
His fangs sank deep into flesh, puncturing down into muscle and through vessels. But it wasn’t enough to cause the damage he was aiming for. Now that he was up close, he realized just how large the polar bear was. And, with that size, came an immeasurable amount of strength. The moment he made contact it was already twisting around, a massive paw swiping at him and making contact with his side. It smacked him against itself given his position, his side slamming against its thigh as claws raked across his skin. He yelped, then snarled through the fur and flesh in his mouth, before letting go and trying to stumble away in a daze.
The wind had been knocked out of him, which left him hacking and coughing. Blood splattered onto the ground, but he didn’t know if it was from the bear or him. Luckily Aresenn had initiated an attack, which made the bear turn its attention back to him. Which gave Sephiran a few moments to collect himself. He lunged forward, working against the fog that had started to settle inside of his head, and the pain that scoured across his ribs. He bit down on its shoulder, clawing at its body with his front paws, while he tried to use his strength to pull it down and anchor it. But he was no match for it.
"Speech"
04-11-2023, 11:43 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-11-2023, 11:45 PM by Sephiran. Edited 2 times in total.)
As he bit down on the bear’s shoulder, he felt it staggering towards the opposing side, which dragged him with it. He dug his back feet into the ground, splaying his toes and clawing at the dirt but it was futile. He wasn’t able to anchor it into place like he intended to, and was being hauled around like a rag doll. Then, the beast suddenly stopped, as if it had stumbled into something. And a loud, pained grunt of Aresenn being crushed followed.
Sephiran snarled in protest, shaking his head viciously as he tried to make a dent in the predator's shoulder. He felt flesh tearing inside of his mouth, blood dripping into the back of his throat which made him cough again. And, this must have enraged the polar bear further, as it staggered back towards him which received some of the pressure it was putting on Aresenn.
Twisting around again, Sephiran was lifted from the ground and flung several feet away, having lost his grip from the momentum of the predator's movement. He rolled in the dirt before scrambling to his feet just in time to hear another roar erupt from the foliage just a few yards off from them. Another fucking bear.
"Speech"
04-15-2023, 09:11 PM
Still disoriented from being thrown, Sephiran was slow at getting back on his feet. He stumbled a few steps, his mind filled with fog as Areseen came beside him. The first polar bear had been pursuing him, but it came to a sudden stop several yards away as another bear erupted from the tree line. Together, they pushed forward, vocalizing threats through low growls and bellowing that was just short of a roar.
And then, Sephiran felt the earth suddenly drop off at his back feet. Which meant they had reached the edge of the cliff they had been chased to. Behind them was a long drop to the bottom of the gorge, which was littered with rocks and snow drifts. It became apparent, that the two wolves had two choices; fight to the death, or jump and hope they survived. Sephiran drew one last, deep breath before his gaze shifted to Aresenn. He assumed the pirate had the same realization.
His jaws opened, but before he could speak, the two bears abruptly charged forward with the intent to kill. Sephiran twisted around, attempting to shove his shoulder into Aresenn, prompting him to follow. And then he jumped off the cliff, free-falling for what seemed like an eternity. Hitting small branches that sprawled out from the cliffside until he finally landed in a snow drift. The impact knocked the wind out of him, causing him to gasp for air as he sank into the snow. But at least he was alive.
-end-
"Speech"