stood, he pushed through the other nephilim and grasped what remained of the humanoid girl. Her fleshless skull still had strands of hair hanging from the head, it had been left for Behemoth by his kin, by far the most superior part of the trophy. Without looking at the others he trod back towards the tree line, grunting. All of them immediately turned and scattered following their leader towards the flora.
Once amongst the vegetation they calmed. It was quiet here, tranquil, the smell of damp moss hung thick in the air, carried by the faintest breeze which rustled the tree canopies high above. They trekked without formation, following Behemoth through the wilderness. Despite the night’s blackness, broken only by the potent light which had caused an eerie feeling to creep up Behemoth’s spine, the nephilims’ senses and sight were impeccable. They trod fearlessly in their own habitat for they were atop of the food chain here, their greatest danger was themselves.
Deep into the thickets Behemoth continued towards a single destination, where he knew the others of his kind rest. Where they hid in the daylight for an ancient instinct driven into their subconscious, secluded from the masters who they now hunted out of a hatred which too flowed deep in their psyche.
Far below the towering treetops a bustling clamour became apparent. Some way to the south trees shook and a chorus of grunts protruded through a barely distinguishable language, primitive yet quite obvious. Behemoth strode amidst the company of resting nephilim, joining his family in the safety of the dark.
He carried the humanoid skull still, proof to his family and foes he had been successful in his pursuit of the masters. It drew much attention from the band, many of them sniffing at the skinless head causing them to react with excitement. He did not stop his march until he reached an enormous clearing in the woodland’s heart.
There, piled high across meters of grassland lay a mound of skulls and bones. Thousands of scattered skeletons rest about the site, tossed there and left, yet looked over by the animals constantly. Each new bone that was laid upon the pile brought great stimulation to the troop, a justly recognised revenge over the oppression the masters had brought their kind for so long.
The aging giant did not lay his trophy down as he strode past the display, instead he kept on, back into the thickets towards another clearing in which a vast waterhole sunk deep into the forest floor. Surrounding the lake an abundance of wildlife drank. A female deer dipped her head low seemingly unaware of Behemoth’s approach.
The huge monstrosity made no sound as he trod towards her. All about him his kin interacted with one another in almost perfect serenity. Some caressed one another, others lay about in complete relaxation. As Behemoth made his way through them some reached out and touched him reassuringly whilst other large males slunk away into the dark surroundings.
The goliath stepped down by the bank squatting next to the fragile animal, his black spheres fixated upon her with a deep curiosity. He slowly extended an arm, resting a deformed hand upon her head with the lightest touch. The animal’s head abruptly retracted before gazing upon that which touched it, then without hesitance she reached forward sniffing him. She licked the giant’s hand causing a deep huff to exhale from Behemoth’s nose. He kneeled and leant towards the deer, sniffing at her fur, causing the animal to shift with an instinctive paranoia.
In a moment of silence, in the black of the night the two animals inspected each other with a calming knowledge of one another’s intentions. Behemoth looked away from the fauna, down at the water. What little moonlight reached through the canopies above danced his reflection back off the surface. He stared for some moments at his own face, aware that what he saw was no other beast but himself.
The nephilim looked into his own enormous black eyes, he breathed slowly, fixated upon the image. The being lacked its left ear, lost in his pursuit of dominance over the troop he sheltered, his gnarled face worn by hundreds of Eden years and body riddled with aches and pains. What little the being understood was enough to be conscious of his fading strength in an ever increasing troop of rampant males.
Behemoth let the master’s skull down to rest. Without looking away from his reflection he lifted a hand, slowly tracing a scar which encircled the top of his head. His focus upon it raced flashbacks through his mind. Brief images and memories of pain lashed him each time he dwelt upon the ancient wound.
Through the sound of thudding feet and disorder not uncommon amongst his kind a colossal young nephilim burst from the thickets, bounding around the waterhole splashing at the lake surface furiously, the disturbance caused the deer to scamper away into the vegetation along with all other wildlife surrounding the once calm lake.
Behemoth did not acknowledge the display, he appeared mesmerised by his reflection still, kneeling, uninterested in another physical confrontation. He traced his finger along the healed wound. His heart rate throbbed at the recollection of the master’s brutality and torture he and his kind had once been victim to.
The towering young male leapt up the ridge away from the water before bouncing back towards Behemoth, he raced across the river bank edging closer to his aging leader, as he passed by the upstart snatched at the dead humanoid’s skull, ripping it away from the dominant male. He leapt back up the lake’s bank and roared out to those around him.
Behemoth immediately stood erect turning to face the young challenger, yet upon realising the sheer size of the giant withheld his outburst. In these most recent years his dominance had began to weaken for the endless struggle against diminishing time was defeating him, and those waiting in line were beginning to sense it.
The young beast strutted around with confidence as others peered from the trees. A chorus of wails bellowed out from between the towering trunks before other males began to confront one another in excitement. Behemoth watched in frustration, containing his unquenchable lust to charge the offender and kill him for his disrespectful display, yet something in him resisted the urge.
He watched the male, fighting his most instinctive desires, his mind burning with a deep confusion. He could see clearly the scenario that stood before him, he was aware that his strength was not what it once was, yet that was all. Behemoth huffed again with frustration, unable to understand why these uncontrollable feelings overrode his thoughts.
The young competitor strode past a female and mounted her, holding the skull high in the air, he glared at his leader, a direct challenge that could not go unpunished. Behemoth’s chain of primitive thought vanished as an unbridled feeling raged through his body bursting him to life. The aged horror released a ferocious roar, carried far through the dense thickets, causing all those about him to quiver and hide amidst the branches of their surroundings. Even the inexperienced usurper recoiled, releasing the female he held and dropping the humanoid skull. His confidence shattered he made for a tree as Behemoth charged wildly without confidence, a mere display, bluffing in hopes it would be enough.
The giant’s heavy limbs stomped across the forest floor, the only recognisable sound now pounding away in the silent wilderness. He snarled furiously spraying phlegm from his mouth and nostrils, punching the dirt with his colossal limbs as he ran. His competitor squealed with a foul pitch in a sudden realisation that its life was no longer safe.
The usurper reached up effortlessly snapping a thick branch from a tree before turning to face Behemoth yet as quickly as the beast turned so he slumped to his knees in a submissive posture. Behemoth watched the young male huddle into a ball, covering his head with enveloping hands before another dazzling light burst from the black night. Its potency pierced through the forest with ease capturing Behemoth’s attention once more.
Before he reached the young competitor the giant stumbled to a pause, along with all of his kind. He peered out curiously through the tree branches still infuriated inside. The dominant male this time stepped forward towards the light, driven by the adrenaline and anger within. His troop followed. “Masters.” Behemoth snarled.
Masters. They each echoed his words. To
gether they began through the woods, gazing with an uneasy curiosity at the light, yet they walked with confidence behind their aging leader in pursuit of an unending objective, to rid Eden of those who had savagely forced upon the nephilim a history of torture and death, to see these lands free of the masters.
5.
Whatever you learn upon Eden, keep it amongst the watchers.
Something pulled tight upon her arm causing the ground beneath to feel as though it was being dragged away, commander! An erratic voice thundered through her headset and a pulse of light shed through her closed eyelids. They sprang open dispersing the darkness causing Samyaza to whimper at what she saw. Spread out across the rocky icy landscape of Hermon, imprisoned under the looming mountain’s shadow rest the burning wreck of her fleet.
Below the darkening sky she gazed out daintily, her head still resting upon the ground for a concussion constricted her body. Three mounds of obsidian metal lay sprawling in and out of walls of consuming flame. She flinched at a sudden realisation of the inferno just meters from her feet.
“Commander?” With confusion Samyaza attempted to lift her body from the dirt yet immediately stopped as a splintering pain