ShadowFrost’s Story: Chapter 2

Running again, it seemed he was always running from something. They had horses, weapons, and armor, however. He had only his claws, horns, teeth, and strength. It had been seven years now since he had been orphaned, and he had been living alone and training for all of these years. He was determined to rescue his little brother, and had attempted many times to get into the Elf King’s castle, but was never even able to sneak past the castle walls. He had always been spotted by the many guards, and was always chased far away. There was no doubt that if he hadn’t trained as much as he had, he would have been killed or captured by them by now.

He had trained his now seventeen year old body well, however the years he should have been learning the fundamentals of adulthood had been spent alone. This didn’t particularly detriment him intelligence-wise, however his reasoning was troubled, and he had the mindset of a much younger demon most of the time, although he tried to be what he remembered his older brother to be like, with a façade of bravery and maturity. His brother, on the other hand, had developed his maturity quite early, and began his warrior training at only eight years old. ShadowFrost found his older brother perfect, and wanted with every ounce of his being to be like him. However in all these years he had never gone to see him. Partially because he didn’t know how to get to the Valley of Ice where the ice dragons lived, and where his brother trained and partially because he didn’t want to see his brother for the first time in twelve years without his little brother. He especially didn’t want to have to ask his older brother for help. However, perhaps that stubbornness would be responsible for his younger brother’s death before his time.

The young demon darted through the forest, the elves continuing to follow him. He was a fairly exceptional runner, considering the way ice demons’ feet were designed. He had four toes on each foot, ending in large blunt claws. One of them was located at the heel of each foot for extra traction and balance. The claws on the front toes were completely smooth and flat on each inner surface, with the outer sides keeping their normal, round and tapered look. The same went for the claws on his hands. This was an adaptation for swimming, as he could lock all of his claws tight together to use hem as efficient paddles when swimming. Ice Demons were known to be quite efficient swimmers.

He turned toward a path through the forest, knowing that the elves on horseback wouldn’t be able to get through the dense trees. He knew he could escape from those who were on foot. He continued to run, dodging branches and thick roots as he ran.
He suddenly stopped, as a sudden jolt of fear hit him. He was faced with the white water rapids of the river before him. He knew if he jumped in he would surely be killed or badly injured. He looked around frantically, then climbed up into a tree. He was also an exceptional climber. His hands were designed similarly to his feet, but with four fingers and a thumb.  They were great as weapons,  or for swimming and climbing, however they were incapable of completing delicate tasks. He perched on a branch high up in the tree, holding on tightly with his claws. He also had a surprising adaptation for climbing; his tail was prehensile, able to wrap around branches to keep extra balance. The arrowhead shaped tip provided him with another appendage which could anchor his tail tightly to the branch. He had to be careful, though, because although he could hold onto things, and even lift light objects with his tail, it could not support anything more than around ten pounds. If he were to fall from the tree and was still holding on with his tail, it could cause major injury and even cause major damage to his spinal cord, causing permanent paralysis. Upon climbing the tree, he didn’t think about the fact that in his climbing he left claw marks in the soft bark of the tree he now sat in, waiting for the elves to give up the search.

He could finally see the elf soldiers nearing, then stop at the edge of the river, looking around for any sign of the demon. He surely couldn’t have jumped into the river, not even demons were that stupid by their standards. “Where the hell did that damn demon go?” one of the men said, clearly frustrated. “General, look here,” one of the others said, spotting the claw marks on the tree. These elves were magnificent trackers, and not much got past their eyes. ShadowFrost’s heart sank, realizing now that they had probably seen claw marks he had left on the tree. The General grinned, then peered up through the branches. He could see an obscured figure in the tree. Despite the criss crossing branches, he could see the hints of blue among them, and knew the demon was up there.

Without warning, the elf general pulled out his battle axe and swung it at the branches above him, cutting down many of the branches, and cutting ShadowFrost’s chest with the very tip of one of the axe blades. ShadowFrost, startled and bleeding, leapt out of the tree to the other side of it, then darted through the brush. “There he goes!” the General yelled, charging toward the demon. His hunting party followed behind him just as swiftly.

ShadowFrost had trained in this forest, and so knew it well. He knew how the trees grew and was able to move fairly swiftly. The elf General, frustrated with the branches and roots he kept tripping on, stopped his party. He thought for a moment, and then grinned devilishly. He then pulled out a knife and a block of flint, glancing back at his party, who all seemed to understand. He struck the flint, lighting a nearby tree on fire instantly. The fire spread quickly. “Go out to the forest path! Don’t let him get away! He can’t hide in flames!” the General commanded, yelling over the crackling flames. He and the party did so, chasing the flames as they spread through the forest, hoping to drive the demon out into the open.

ShadowFrost was being forced forward by the flames now, and he could feel as embers nipped at his tail. He looked toward the edge of the forest, and could see the elven soldiers gaining on him. Suddenly, he tripped over a root, falling on his face. He was startled by this and it took him a moment to get back up. The fire was encroaching on him quickly and before he could get up, a flaming branch from a nearby tree fell onto his back, winding him. The flames scorched his blue skin, but he quickly flung the branch off of him before it burned him too bad. He finally got to his feet, then began running again. The way the fire had spread was forcing him onto the path. His body was slowing down, and he could feel himself becoming disoriented and dizzy. An Ice Demon may be able to withstand the coldest of sold, but heat is not something they can tolerate. If their bodies got to 100 degrees, their bodies begin to shut down and go into heatstroke quickly. He was becoming anxious and desperate, not knowing what to do or whether he could even escape them this time.

He came to the path and followed it, knowing the elves were right behind him. They were now shooting at him, and had met up with the soldiers on horseback once again. They were now firing flaming arrows knowing how susceptible the demon was to fire. ShadowFrost was now in terror as the flaming arrows flew past him. Suddenly, a strange hooded figure appeared on a large, dark, and almost feral looking equine. He rode beside ShadowFrost in the shadows of the trees, dodging the arrows. “Get on!,” a voice commanded from under the dark hood. ShadowFrost looked over at the hooded figure, not knowing if he could trust him. This wasn’t helped by the fact that the demon couldn’t see straight. “Hurry! Trust me, I’ll help you! I hate them as much as you do! Please, get on!” the voice yelled to him, looking back toward the elves behind them, ducking as an arrow flew over his head. ShadowFrost decided he had no choice but to trust this man. He looked toward him, then got ready to leap onto the horse with the man. As he leapt, an arrow flew at him, piercing through his back, the tip of it poking though the right side of his chest. His eyes widened and he gasped as his body was pierced through. Blood spurted out as the arrowhead exited his body, the rest of the arrow stayed imbedded in his torso. The hooded figure caught the demon in midair, pulling his now unconscious body onto his lap. The demon had passed out from the shock of the injury. “S**t,” the man said looking down at the demon’s injury, “Come on Roze, let’s get back home.” The horse picked up its pace, then they disappeared into the distance, leaving the elves far behind.

Author's Note

Any critiques welcome.