THE MOMENT
David ran as fast as he could. The sun had set and he ran deeper into the unknown forest, but werewolves easily kept up with the 10-year-old. Their laughter and howls were to taunt the boy more than anything. He'd seen at least four of them before he started running and he had no idea how many were chasing him. He didn't know where he was going either, but the goal was just to stay ahead.
"Someone, please!" He begged the wind as he sprinted. He didn't have the breath to yell for help, but he pleaded with the universe as well as he could while keeping his legs moving. "A knight! An angel! Help me!" tears in his eyes made it harder to see, and the forest grew denser and darker as he went. Finally, the light was gone; then, he tripped. He tumbled to the ground and recovered quickly; but, not quick enough.
"What's the hurry, little man?" a deep, raspy voice growled at him and he spotted a pair of yellow eyes moving toward him. He looked around and realized he was surrounded by three other pairs.
"Stay back!" he yelled. "I know magic!" It wasn't a lie; but, it was a bluff. He only knew a few simple spells and none of them were for combat.
"Wonderful!" the same voice replied and the others laughed around him. "You'll have a nice mana-flavor," he added. The eyes moved closer and David had nowhere to run. He had one chance left and tried to catch his breath to be ready to run again. He readied the one spell that could be useful at that moment. Then, something strange happened, a new voice spoke up.
"Oh wait, this isn't right," another deep, but clear voice said. The newcomer attracted everyone's attention; but, that was when David panicked. Along with the four pairs of yellow eyes around him, he saw a set of red eyes towering over everyone nearby.
"FLARE!" David closed his eyes and released a brilliant burst of light magic. It was intense at first, but lingered long enough for David to take in his surroundings after the initial cast. He looked around and was surprised to see a tall, broad, pale vampire standing next to him. He'd flinched from the light but recovered quicker than the werewolves.
"Ow, hey," he shook his head. "You okay?" he asked before David bolted again. The vampire was well dressed in suit and despite his mountainous appearance, he seemed initially friendly to David.
"They're trying to kill me!" the child bet on his intuition and inched closer to the vampire.
"You're picking on a child?" the vampire turned and looked at the leader. The light persisted, though dimmer now, and the tallest werewolf was still shorter than the vampire.
"And a vampire, if we have to...," the werewolf chuckled as all of them inched closer.
"I wouldn't suggest that...," the pale bodybuilder shook his head. "My name's Ruin, any chance you've heard of me?" he asked.
"No, but that's a good idea of what we'll do to you...," the leader chuckled.
"Oh, that's a shame..., this would've been easier if you did know me," Ruin said. "I'm a vampire, but I also have a Superpower," he added. He turned and pointed at a tall pine tree. "I can disintegrate anything I want," the tree instantly became white powder and crumbled to the ground. The white dust disappeared after a few seconds and it was as if the tree never existed.
"Anything I want," Ruin repeated, then nodded at the leader. instantly, three surprised yelps filled the air as the three werewolves approaching from the sides disappeared. The ground vanished beneath them and each one hit the bottom of their own chasm. "You don't want any trouble, do you?" he asked.
"So you know a little bit of magic...," the leader grumbled as he assessed the situation. The other members of his pack were already climbing out of their holes. If Ruin could hurt them, he would have already. It was all intimidation, he just had to work around it.
"No, I told you. It's a Superpower," Ruin said. "See? Anything I want," he chuckled and pointed at the leader. With a woosh and a sudden draft, the werewolf's brown fur and torn clothing disintegrated off his body. It was a shock, but, he wasn't prepared for how hilarious his packmates would find it. He stood bare and howling laughter filled the air.
"Stop laughing!" he forced as much command into his voice as he could and it helped; but, not much. They chuckled quieter, but the laughter didn't stop.
"C'mon, I'll walk you home," Ruin extended a giant hand toward David. It was bigger than the boy's head; but, he accepted it and followed Ruin as the vampire began walking directly at the leader.
"This isn't over!" he growled; then, he yelped as the ground disappeared beneath him. Ruin paused and turn to look at the remaining three. Their lesson was learned and they all took a step back.
"Now that it's over, you gentlemen have a nice night," Ruin nodded at them and he escorted David away from the attackers.