~ False ~

Zephyr P.O.V

It's pouring out harshly, making the ground go muddy. An arkisha bird flies in front of me, catching a black-green spotted slug. The raindrops slide down gracefully off of the wings and tail. It tosses the slug in the air and only eating the head as the rest of the body falls to the ground.

In the distance I see a cabin, taping Dreans shoulder. She looks at me, as I point in the direction of the tiny house.

"The sun is setting. It gets dangerous out at night. We should sleep in there and take shifts well, two people sleep?"

"Fine only because I'm soaking wet, and justice is afraid of stupid rain," Drean mumbled. "Justice, come on, baby. You need your beauty sleep."

I slow down and walk beside Justice as they look down in fear as their legs wobble, placing a hand in their should as they jump back.

'I wish drean and justice could get along,' I thought to myself.

We make it to the front of the cabin dream is standing here with her hands on her hips as she looks at the handle.

"The door is unlocked?" Said drean, "it's weird. I feel like something is in there?"

Pushing past her and walking in, the lights are out. Turning them on and seeing many books and a small kitchen with two chairs, a door is close as light shining through.

I take off my shoes and watch the two of them take off their clothes to let them dry. Looking over at justice, seeing their body, only imagining all their scars that they are hiding under a new skin, I look over at Drean, seeing her slim body as she moves her hair in front of her chest.

"Wonder what type of books this person likes?" Justice questions.

They walk over and pick up a book that was sitting near the door on a table. They open it scanning the pages in fear; they drop the book and take a huge step back, and walking around it, avoiding it like it's evil.

"You okay, Justice?" Drean asked. "What's in that book that made you afraid of it?"

"Someone's trying to understand moon magic," justice mumbles. "It's dangerous those people got wiped twenty-five years ago. Someone still lives with that forbidden magic."

She looked over at Drean, seeing her staring at Justice like she wants to say something harsh.

"Maybe that person is just learning about it for knowledge?" I question

"Justice let's just go to bed well; Zephyr watches the first round?"

***

I was walking across the bookcase, seeing old languages spotting one about Cruat creatures and taking the book out and opening it to the first page to only see a few pages about them.

A Cruat is a monster you can't tame. You can't get close to it without getting eating or it tossing you in the air like your a toy

~

My name is Marsh. I'm 200 years old. I've spotted a Cruat on my hike. It was sleeping peacefully. Its tail was tucked in,

It was unreal. The cruat was half a size of a crei tree laying down. It took me about twenty steps to get close to the monster.

As the Cruat breathed loudly about thirty steps to my left where the head is, it looks young. A pile of scales is on the ground, along with the fur I'm stepping on.

I brushed my fingers through its fur but got scared as it shuffled around and let out the loudest snarl I've heard

Its eye opened, and the pupil dilates. I couldn't move. Something took hold of my feet, not being able to look down as I made eye contact with the Cruat.

the monster started to get up as the ground shook beneath me, making the trees near fall to the ground, and as it stood on its hind legs and the sharp claws came out and stabbed right through my thigh, causing a hole to go through as it dragged it down ripped my leg in two.

Its tail waged as in Excitement as it walked backwards and fell, laying down in front of me as the ground shook once again

~

Tiny droplets of blood were smeared on the rest of the pages. I flip through the rest of the book and see them all blank except with a chunk of fur and a few scales with a bad sketch of it.

Walking around the cabin quietly as possible, I don't wake up Drean or Justice; I scratch my shoulder feeling my skin break off and touch a new scale on my body. I dig my nails into that spot, not wanting it to be there, feeling blood trail down my back in fear. I look around the cabin to find a bathroom opening every door, not finding a mirror, only to see the last one that leads downstairs. I hesitantly reach out and try opening it to find out that it's locked.

"MARSH!" a girl screams."IT'S BEEN TEN DAYS. I DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH FOOD LEFT, AND I'M SCARED THE MONSTER WILL COME BACK SOON"

"Monster?" Justice questions.

"Gea onia h," I curse. " don't walk behind me, you son of a bitch"

They laugh, covering their cute smile. I hit their arms, letting out a huff.

"Sorry, I heard you were walking around fast and got worried something terrible might've happened to you?"

My heart feels heavy when they said that; I pull out my hand from my should and wipe the blood on the back of my thigh so these two can't see that something is happening to me.

Looking across the room, seeing Justice look through all the bookshelf. Hearing a cry downstairs from that girl, I turn around looking at the wall where right behind it is the locked door.

"It's probably a ghost crying for help? Maybe that person got murdered here a long time ago?" Justice mumbled.

I glance back at them as they look at me, head tilted, questioning what they just said as well.

"I don't believe in ghosts," I lie. "But then again, we all have our own beliefs."

I groan, touching the back of my neck rubbing it roughly.

"Your back of the neck hurts too?" Justice asks. "The same thing has been happening to Drean."