5
Marugrah stumbled back as hot flames enveloped him. The attack didn’t hurt him, but he could feel the heat trying to boil the soft flesh under his thick, armored skin. Gfantis cut off his attack, seeing how ineffective it was, snorting in frustration. Before Gfantis could attack another way, Marugrah opened his maw and unleashed his own flames upon his adversary. Unlike Gfantis’s, whose flames were regular colors, Marugrah’s was crackling green, like the fabled Greek fire.
Marugrah’s flames washed over Gfantis, the sea dragon squealing in agony as his flesh bubbled and split. Marugrah cut off his flaming assault, not wanting to kill Gfantis. He just needed to keep it from rampaging through the island to get whatever it was after there.
Gfantis dropped to all fours, shuddering in pain as his flesh split and bled, his skin blackened and burnt…but it doesn’t stop the kaiju from retaliating. Gfantis lunged forward, swiping his claws at Marugrah’s armored legs. Marugrah roared in pain as Gfantis’s claws found softer flesh, drawing green blood. Marugrah clicked out his injured leg, striking Gfantis and sending the sea dragon flying. He lands with a splash further down the beach on his side.
Marugrah stomped forward, his anger growing at being injured, but he forced it away. If his rage overtook him, he’d surely kill the smaller kaiju. The monster known a Gfantis didn’t deserve that, Marugrah knew. It wasn’t a Vexnoxtuque. It wasn’t made to destroy worlds. It was just a creature that was wronged by humans, separated from something precious to it.
As Marugrah reached the fallen beast, Gfantis snapped his head up, a beam of white light erupting from the crescent horn on top of his head. The beam struck Marugrah in his side, sending pain flaring through his body. Then, he was falling, Gfantis having leapt on him. Both behemoths hit the ground, water splashing high in the air and falling on them like rain.
Gfantis leaned forward, his teeth bared, reaching for Marugrah’s throat. Marugrah brought his long tail around, hitting Gfantis in the side of his head with the club at the end of his tail. Gfantis’s head snapped to the side with the impact, but his claws dig into Marugrah’s armored flesh, keeping him from being flung away. With a shake of his head, Gfantis went for Marugrah’s throat again, his jaws snapping closed just feet from the soft flesh.
Marugrah locked his hand around Gfantis’s snout, holding it shut. Gfantis struggled to release himself from Marugrah’s grasp, but the red dragon was stronger than the sea dragon. Marugrah held on, hearing the chop of an approaching helicopter.
Just a little longer, Marugrah thought, willing his friend to hurry up.
After hooking up the cage containing the baby Gfantis egg to carry cabled attached to the Blackhawk, they lifted it out of the hanger and headed toward the beach where Marugrah and Gfantis fought an epic battle.
Will looked out the Blackhawk’s front windshield, standing behind the pilots in the chopper’s cockpit. Marugrah was laying on his back in the shallows, Gfantis sitting on top of him. Marugrah had his hand locked around Gfantis’s snout.
But it doesn’t stop Gfantis from attacking.
His crescent horn glowed, a beam of white erupting from it. Marugrah barely avoided the attack, the beam skimming over his armored shoulder. Marugrah got his arms under Gfantis, shoving upward and throwing the sea dragon off of him.
Marugrah rolled to his feet as Gfantis landed on all fours, like a cat, ocean water splashing around him. Gfantis started forward, about to charge, but stopped. Gfantis rose to his full height, standing on his hind legs as he homed in on the approaching Blackhawk.
But the chopper wasn’t what Gfantis was interested in.
He wanted the egg hanging from the bottom of the chopper.
“Set it on the beach,” Will said to the pilots.
The pilots nodded, following his instruction.
As they neared the beach, Gfantis started forward, probably intending to just pluck the egg from midair. Marugrah, however, knew the consequences of the action and rushed forward, locking Gfantis in place until the chopper set the cage on the sandy beach and detached the cables from it. Marugrah let go of Gfantis, letting the sea dragon reach and pluck the caged egg from the beach as the Blackhawk ascended to a safe height from the monster.
Will watched as Gfantis peeled apart the steel cage and retrieved the egg from within. Will was confused when Gfantis set the egg on the beach and just stared at it.
“We are about to witness a beautiful event!” Will heard Dennion exclaim behind him.
Beautiful event? Will wondered, but quickly realized. The egg is about to hatch!
The red oval wobbled on the warm sand, a crack materializing on its black spotted surface. A piece of shell fell away, pushed away from within. And then another. And another. Something moved within the now partially intact oval. A small head poked out of the hole created in the egg, staring up at Gfantis. It looked like Gfantis, but its features weren’t as pronounced. The horns on its head were nubs. Its teeth smaller, but just as razor sharp as its parent’s. Its eyes were bigger, too, giving it an almost adorable look.
The baby Gfantis crashed through the remains of the egg, stepping onto the beach with wobbling legs and toward the ocean, where its parent stood. It barked at its parent and continued forward, into the salty water.
Will looked to Marugrah, something catching his eye just past his big red friend. What looked to be another Gfantis, but smaller, and curvier, like a female, rose from the ocean. Marugrah took a few steps back, his muscles tensing, ready for a fight.
A fight that never came.
The female Gfantis doesn’t move. The male Gfantis scooped up the baby, making his way toward the female. They nuzzled each other, then the baby, before wading off into the ocean, disappearing beneath the waves.
What now? Marugrah asked.
You’re not going after them, if that’s what you’re suggesting, Will replied. Let them live together in peace.
Marugrah snorted and waded out to sea, disappearing beneath the waves himself.
Will made his way out of the cockpit as the chopper began the long journey back to Washington, D.C.
“That was pretty moving,” Ashley said, wrapping him in a hug.
“I agree,” Angel said, stone faced, sitting in one of the many seats lining the Blackhawk’s cargo bay.
“It was more than moving, it was beautiful!” Dennion said, making his way toward the side door. His brows scrunched in confusion, seeing ocean below. “What is this? You must drop me off back at the facility!”
“Wrong,” Angel said, glaring at the man. “You’re coming back to D.C. with us. I’m sure Director Cole has many questions for you.”
The man swallowed nervously, gravitating back to his seat and sitting down. The nervous expression on the mad scientist’s face made Will smile.
The End