Work Text:
Again & Again
No one knows from whence they arrived in the village. No one knows where they came from. No one could even discern what animal they were. Yet there was one thing all were certain of. They had come for malicious reasons.
Again & Again
It would start with the sound of wings beating furiously in the distance, growing louder and louder as the malevolent demons neared the village. Few heeded the warning, either blind due to ignorance or simple apathy. Neither would be the case soon enough.
Again & Again
The beasts tore through the village. Many would smash into buildings or roll across the ground, flattening passersby who were unfortunate enough to have not gotten away in time. They would scratch and tear at any who dared to attack them, biting some poor souls in half perfectly. Many others would be thrown halfway across the village, swatted away by the monstrous beings as a house cat would a play toy. Those who remained were the women and children, locked in a holy church, praying to their gods to make these devils leave. Their prayers were half answered.
Again & Again
The beasts tore the doors to the church open, snarling at the frightened women and children, the sounds like and yet unlike that of a predator. The women would try to shield the children, perhaps lessening their grisly fate. They could not. The beasts would grab many of the women by their snouts and hurl them toward the other side of the room. The few that had survived tried to fight off the beasts, but alas. Children screamed as some were grabbed by the scruff of their necks while others were swallowed whole by the ferocious demons. Those devils then would leave as they had arrived, running out into the center of the village and flying away. All that would be left in the wake would be horrified, sobbing wrecks of villagers and a partially destroyed village.
Again & Again
There would be more than one incident of this kind. In more than one village the beasts attack, destroying all in front of them, killing and maiming many, until they reach their prize: terrified boys and girls, each and every one wailing as they are devoured by these monsters and taken from their homes, never to be seen again.
Again & Again
A pattern forms. A dreadful cycle begins.
Again & Again
Devils with angelic wings fall from the heavens. Villages are laid to waste. Children are taken from crying mothers, entombed within the rotten beasts. A period of mourning begins anew.
Again & Again
The cycle continues. People pray for guidance from their gods. They are given none. Debates between elders are held. Arguments are had and strategies are made. Weaponry is crafted. Armor is forged. Defensives are built. A game of waiting is played.
Again & Again
The demons arrive. The soldiers strike. Fighting breaks out between man and beast.
Again & Again
A miracle occurs. The beasts, badly wounded, fall back and retreat. The people rejoice.
Again & Again
It does not last. In time the beasts return, now covered in ghoulish armor. The soldiers do battle. Their weapons are useless, shattering upon contact with the despicable armor. The soldiers are crushed and retreat. The children are devoured and taken. Mothers weep and fathers curse the gods.
Again & Again
The cycle continues. Soldiers fight back, many injured and killed in the process. The beasts continue to kidnap the children. Another period of mourning is held. Yet, when next the beasts return, the soldiers fight once more, for what other choice do they have?
Again & Again
The pattern fluctuates. Weak points are found within the ghastly armor. Opportunities are had. Little by little, the soldiers push back. Little by little, the beasts are driven back.
Again & Again
The cycle winds down. The number of beasts that appear decreases. So too do the amount of attacks that happen in each village. Then, for about a year, there are no attacks at all.
Again & Again
The cycle ceases for a time. The people rebuilt their ruined communities. In this interlude, questions and discussions are had in various villages by people of various standings on the nature of the demonic creatures. Some argue they are an evil god’s pets sent to cause misery and death to humanity. Others believe they are a new type of wild animal species yet undiscovered by humans. Those that are religious say the beasts are gods, come to claim payment for helping humans in some way. These men and women are ignored, many believing their ideas to be blasphemous and said by mad men. Still, peace returns for a time, with the beasts seeming to have vanished just as quickly as they had arrived.
Again & Again
It does not last.
Again & Again
The cycle continues.
Again & Again