บท 33: Chapter 33: The Chase

The Raven Pov

The vast desert stretched endlessly, its golden sands shimmering under the relentless glare of the dropping sun. The air was thick with heat and the faint hum of wind, but the stillness was broken by the frantic beating of wings.

A raven, its feathers glinting like black satin, darted through the sky with desperate speed. Behind it, a grotesque shadow pursued, an unholy creature with decaying wings and hollow, glowing eyes. The rotten bird moved with an unsettling precision, dodging obstacles with an eerie grace that matched the raven's every maneuver.

The raven dipped low, weaving between jagged rocks that jutted out of the sand like broken teeth. It banked sharply, leading its pursuer through a narrow canyon where the walls rose steep and foreboding.

The canyon was treacherous, filled with sharp turns and narrow gaps, but the raven knew every crevice and crept through the passages with ease. It hoped the rotten bird, with its tattered wings and unnatural movements, would falter or crash.

But the creature was relentless. Every twist, every dive, every feint the raven attempted was mirrored by the rotten bird. It didn't tire, didn't slow, and seemed to anticipate the raven's every move.

Desperation clawed at the raven's chest. It had flown for hours, its strength waning, but the abomination on its tail seemed fueled by an unyielding hunger. The sun dipped lower, casting long, distorted shadows over the desert.

The raven, in a final bid for escape, darted toward a cluster of boulders scattered near the base of a windswept dune. It dove behind the largest rock, tucking its wings close to its body as it landed silently in the sand.

The rotten bird landed a short distance away, its talons digging into the sand with a sickening crunch. It stood still for a moment, scanning the desolate landscape. Its decayed head twisted unnaturally, the hollow sockets where its eyes should have been glowing faintly in the dimming light.

The raven held its breath, every instinct screaming at it to stay hidden. It crouched low, its black feathers blending seamlessly with the shadow of the rock.

Minutes stretched into what felt like hours as the rotten bird prowled the area. It sniffed the air, its shriveled beak clicking softly as it moved closer to the rock where the raven hid.

The raven's heart pounded in its chest, the sound thunderous in its own ears. It braced itself, ready to take flight again if the creature drew too close.

But then, the rotten bird stopped. Its head snapped upward, and it let out a bone-chilling scream that echoed across the empty desert. The sound was sharp, piercing, and filled with a rage so profound that it sent a shiver through the raven's body. Confusion rippled through the raven it had expected the creature to keep searching, to keep hunting. Why was it screaming?

Slowly, cautiously, the raven shifted its position, peeking out from behind the rock. Its sharp eyes scanned the horizon, searching for the source of the creature's distress. And then it saw them.

In the sky above, dark shapes began to emerge. One by one, more rotten birds appeared, their decayed forms blotting out the fading sunlight. There were more than ten of them, their twisted bodies silhouetted against the deepening orange of the evening sky. They circled overhead like vultures, their soulless eyes fixed on the ground below.

The raven's heart sank. It had thought there was only one, thought it might have a chance to outwit or outrun its pursuer. But now, as the sky filled with the hideous flock, the gravity of its situation became clear. It wasn't just being hunted by a single rotten bird it was being chased by a legion of them. And they had found it.