Galloping fast, the four juggernaut creatures heavily muscled limbs pounded the ground, sending up plumes of red-brown dust in their wake. Nostrils flared; viscous fluids leaked down the sides of their face as the air was sucked in then breathed out rapidly with the exertion of their rapid gate. Steam from their exhalation, billowed from their nostrils and streamed from their mouth in the cold air as they went. The stream from their mouth was a small, exhaled portion running across their vomeronasal organs near the back of their throats to find the scent of their lost brethren. A bellow and sonorous hum, followed by a chirp, indicated that the creature on the right of the lead had caught the scent. It took the lead, slightly changing direction, with the other three now following behind. The speed combined with their weight of close to thirty-two thousand kilograms caused the earth to be ripped up as they went, sending tremors through the hard-packed clay ahead of them. The scent trail strengthened as they closed in on the source. When the lead creature bellowed, they saw the faint heat signature of their brethren under the writhing mass of smaller heat signatures in the distance. All four let out a growl as they recognized the smaller signatures. Bellowing as one, they lowered their horns and increased their speed, bloodlust raging through them as they approached the mass.


    The mound of beasts undulated as they fed on the live prey beneath, though it still fought and occasionally shook some of its attackers off, only for them to pile on again, suffocating, biting, and consuming their prey. One of the beasts stopped, blood dripping from its maw as it felt tremors beneath it. As the tremors grew in strength more of the beasts lifted their heads, flesh and blood dripping from their maws, to see the creatures with their horns lowered heading their way. All hissed defiance, unwilling to let their kill go in the face of the coming threat. With less than one hundred meters between the rampaging creatures and the mound of beasts atop the fallen creature, a handful of beasts leapt from the mound to sprint off towards the attackers. Seconds later, they were dead, impaled or crushed. Shortly after, the creatures were at the mound, their deadly horns leveled at the hissing beasts atop.


    From below the writhing mass of beasts, the fallen creature was suffocating, waiting for death. Though it had fought even when being eaten alive and had managed to kill those that got too close to its jaws, the blood loss and lack of oxygen were too great. Its eyes were about to close for the last time until the sounds of hissing from above, followed by loud familiar bellows, then beasts were ripped away. Eyes again focused on the sight of the two moons. With the beast no longer suffocating it, it felt alive with the now full lungs of oxygen. Then, carnage, blood, entrails, followed by large chunks or pieces of the beasts filled its vision. Turning its head slightly in the direction of the loudest sounds of fighting, it could see four of its brethren plowing, ripping, biting, and stomping every beast near them. Behind them, towards the vale, a beam of bright white light was shooting towards the heavens. Getting weakly to its feet after being freed from the gnawing, biting attackers, it could see beasts being torn to shreds or run off to the dust cloud. Its brethren were victorious but not without damage. Blood streamed from the many bite wounds, ragged flesh with chunks of meat hung from many wounds between the joints of their armor. As the four creatures drove the rest of the beasts howling into the dust cloud, the howling became distant. The wind from the vale changed direction towards the vale, the thickening dust cloud and the faint howls of the creatures now drifting closer, threatening to envelop them.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Standing some hundred meters from the encroaching dust cloud, the five creatures scanned the periphery and were about to leave when one hundred twenty meters south of their position, three beasts slowly emerged from the dust cloud. One beast, much larger than the others, locked eyes with the creatures. The two sides stared at each other, assessing. In the background, the beam of light from the vale and from the heavens connected, and there was a sound that seemed to break the atmosphere. The creatures moved to attack just as the Alpha beast raised its head and gave a cry, which was shortly answered by a huge echoing of cries, then silence, except for the sounds of hundreds, thousands of beasts moving from the dust cloud, emerging, radiating mad hunger. The creatures bellowed a battle cry, as much a warning and farewell to the pack ahead as they charged the ranks of the oncoming horde. With the small intelligence they had and mostly actions of instinct, they knew that this was where they would die in hopes of giving the pack ahead time to pass through the portal.