Page 4 of The Warrior

towards the rabble who were watching him intensely. He stood still and waited for them to make their move.

  At last, they did. Following a sharp grunt they both lurched forward.

  One was on the intruder’s back in a blink of an eye, clawing at him, and the other had dived for his chest.

  The warrior grappled him, gripping him tightly with his long sharp nails, and dived forward himself, spinning in the air. He clenched his captive tightly as he flipped.

  He landed heavily on his back, dislodging the clinging city dweller who released his grip instantly. Still clamping the one to his chest he quickly sank his nails into his skin and tore them across his throat. Death was instant.

  Brushing the corpse to one side he sprang back onto his feet and turned his attention to the one still lying on the ground.

  Within seconds the sound of his neck snapping reverberated across the chamber.

  He turned to face the horde once more. His confidence was clear to see. These poor wretches stood no chance against him and they knew it.

  Without waiting for the sound of teeth snapping three times he began to approach them. At first there was no movement but as he neared them they began to back away, squeezing themselves tightly in the tunnel.

  A loud shriek echoed around the cavern and the mob stopped retreating.

  After some considerable jostling they began to part. Their leader was making his way through the mass of bodies towards the intruder.

  At last, the confrontation he had wanted. The battle that would shape his destiny.

  It was obvious he had already demoralised the mob and their leader had been forced to act. To save face he was going to have to fight.

  To the warrior’s surprise, their leader was quite large. Not as well built as he was but much bigger than his subordinates.

  He walked towards him confidently as the crowd parted before him.

  He looked well fed and muscular. Being leader clearly had its advantages.

  Slowly, the minions began to form a large circle around them.

  Our hero, stopped his advance and let his adversary approach.

  As he neared, the large black haired foe glared his teeth like his comrades had before him. He had an air of menace about him.

  The warrior followed suit, backing off slightly.

  He sensed that this individual was going to be more of a contest.

  Battle scarred and threatening, the boss was clearly no stranger to violence.

  Eying each other up, they began to circle.

  The horde had now encompassed them blocking any chance of escape.

  They were clearly expecting their mighty ruler to prevail.

  Hissing loudly at each other, the two rivals began to reduce their distance between themselves. Conflict was immanent.

  Suddenly, and as if both had been given a secret signal to attack, they pounced simultaneously.

  They met in the air, both grasping for their opponents face, clawing at their eyes and nose. It was a frantic jostle to keep the other ones nails from making contact. They wrestled to the ground, turning and flipping each other over and trying to secure a death grip on their throats.

  At one point the warrior found himself straddled below his rival, his claws ripping at his eyes.

  He jolted his body violently and managed to dislodge him, jumping to his feet athletically. He knew he had been hurt, he could feel warm blood running from his face. His antagonist was proving to be a match for him. He was very quick and no sooner had he gained his footing the rival had jumped on to his back.

  He felt his long claws sink deep into his flesh and his warm

  breath on the nape of his neck. It was a dangerous position and instinct kicked in.

  As he had with the earlier rear attacker he somersaulted forwards, flipping over in the air, and crashing to the ground. It was more difficult this time with a heavier passenger and just managed to complete a full spin.

  He wriggled free and was soon back on his feet and facing his enemy.

  A lethal neck bite had been averted.

  At the moment he felt as though his was losing the battle. The big boss was making him look bad and knew he had to up his game.

  His adversary had already scrambled back up and was hurtling towards him angrily. Growling with venom and hatred.

  This time the warrior had time to act and was ready for his turn to inflict damage. With a hefty swipe of his muscular arm he managed to claw the leader across the face as he lunged forward, his own weight adding to the force of the blow.

  Blood splattered across the crowd and the rival stumbled to the ground.

  Awkwardly, he staggered back to his feet. He was clearly dazed and momentarily confused. Looking around at the crowd and trying to locate the enemy.

  Sensing his chance for victory at last the warrior closed in, pouncing onto his opponent’s back and gripping him tightly around his chest, his favourite killing position.

  The brave leader struggled to free himself but stopped as he felt the strangers jaws clamp onto the nape of his neck. Long sharp teeth were poised to snap his vertebrae and all he could do was wait for the fatal bite. He cringed with anticipation.

  Our hero new he had won but hesitated before delivering death. He looked beyond his victim and at the faces of the encircling mob, staring several of them out.

  Their eyes gazed down at the ground as a sign of submission.

  Satisfied that they now saw him as their commander he clenched his jaw and severed his foe’s spine. Their old ruler had died heroically.

  Now he had won there was only one more task for him to carry out.

  A ritual that always followed a take over and signified true power.

  He turned his attention to the long tail of the fresh corpse and grabbed it in his claws. Taking great pleasure, he sliced through it with his teeth.

  Rearing up on his hind legs and holding the tail in his mouth triumphantly, our hero declared himself to be the new king of the rats…………

  The End

  Note to the reader.

  Please recommend this story to your friends and family but avoid giving the ending away.

  I feel it should be read for the first time without knowing too much about the central character.

  When you read the story again you will do so from a different perspective.

  I hope you enjoyed this short story and get a chance to read others I have written.

  Please download a separate copy for each person so that I know how many have read it.

  Thank you.

 
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