33.1ᴘᴀᴛʀᴇᴏɴ.ᴄᴏᴍ/sᴛʀᴀᴛᴏᴛʜʀᴀx

The last of the palatable Panthara's tail disappeared into Rain's mouth and he shivered as the banked up growth washed over his body.

Not even the discomfort of his fractured ribs shifting and healing could overcome the immense satisfaction of feeling the height and mass pile on, like the king of morning stretches.

"Maybe… maybe next time I'll try to find something a bit less dangerous," said Opal.

She clutched her arm which was marked with a nasty bruise on the upper part. It made Rain feel deep and powerful things he couldn't describe to see her injured. She was his, his to protect as his, all of her, every captivating inch, from her toes to her long black locks, inside and out. She belonged to him in a way he couldn't verbalise, like a second bestial carnal hunger.

"...Yeah. That Panthara monster was shrewd, shrewder than most tribal monsters I've come across. Just because it couldn't speak Common was not a good reason to underestimate its intelligence. A hard lesson learned."

Opal grimaced and rubbed at her shoulder, rolling it to get rid of the stiffness. "I'd rather see you fight three Cavebears at once than come across a monster like that again. The look in its eyes was unsettling, it's like it knew things it shouldn't."

"That look disappeared pretty quick after its spine shattered under my teeth."

She snorted. "Sure, but I think most monsters wouldn't be particularly happy about that."

Rain wiped blood from his nose and climbed to his feet. He was surrounded by a small lake of the stuff, the grass turned from a healthy green to a macabre red.

"Come on, we need to go get that Kobold."

"Oh, right, he survived didn't he, huh." There was a breathy hitch in her voice as she said 'huh' that puzzled Rain, another moment of her acting or speaking not quite as she normally would, although perhaps it was just a twinge from her injury.

They walked over to the edge of the cliff, Rain clutching his injured ribs and Opal her arm. They peered over the edge to see a Kobold desperately trying to pull his chain from under the rock Rain had pushed off the edge.

"Gods dam you! Why? why is my luck so shitty?!"

The Kobold heaved on the chain, his claws scrabbling at the ground unable to find purchase. He slipped and came down on his tail with a thump and a yelp.

"Am I cursed? Was it because I slept with your girl Theo? Is this karmic retribution? To be trapped under the paw of a thing that crawled out of my worst nightmare and its psycho girlfriend?"

He scrambled to his feet.

"I can't take it anymore! I don't deserve this- this! HELL!"

He kicked the rock hard and squawked in pain as the stone failed to move in the slightest leaving his foot to deform against it. A claw snapped and plinked off the stone.

"Arrgghh!! Whhyyyy!??!!"

He jumped around on one foot clutching the other as tears sprang up in the corners of his eyes.

A vine fell down the cliff and he looked up in surprise to see the black furred horror climbing down with the Goblin on his shoulders. The Kobold stifled his pain and dropped his foot, managing to plaster as innocent an expression as possible on his face.

"Oh- h-hey there, uh, nice to see you survived the kitty thing."

Rain dropped Opal off his shoulder and pushed the Kobold aside. He placed his paws on the rock and with a grunt and a heave he slowly rolled it aside. He picked up the chain and approached the Kobold who cowered and tried to back away but found himself at the end of the chain. He looked up at Rain in fright.

"Your nightmares have nothing on me Kobold. Keep that in mind."

"Y-yes!" said the Kobold in an unfortunately high pitched squeak. "I-I-I'll behave!"

Rain snorted and shook his head.

"I saw something down here from up on the cliff that I need, I really really need it. Follow me."

He led the way through the grassy mossy terrain and gradually the trees became more frequent until it was becoming crowded. Crystal light filtered down between the branches dappling the grass.