Prey and Predator III

My heart sank, gazing upon my beloved snake. Her slim body was writhing in disgust.

Rupert approached me in triumph, his body language screaming with satisfaction. Do we fight back, or do I follow orders? There is no guarantee that the monster of a being, The Virtuoso, wouldn't come back in a blink. If Rupert ever gets in contact with him again, I'm dead. We're both dead, Snakey and me.

"Ple-please, I begged, my hands quivering in a praying posture. "There has to be... there must be another way!"

He strode forward, his steps tenacious, and stood like a ruthless street lord. His face remained cold and unchanged. "Do it," he commanded, fixing me with an unwavering and unyielding gaze. "Or must I give you a headstart?"

"N-no... No, wait! Please! My eyes darted around, hoping there was something... just someone to save us.

He drew his arms across his chest, his muscles tensing as he stood firmly in his stance. "I don't consider myself a very patient man."

Myriad thoughts clashed with each other within my mind, flooding my critical thinking. I pushed my body backward, away from Rupert, who I could barely see through the sudden stream of tears. My legs and arms instinctively moved in fear as heavy hiccups occasionally interrupted my already erratic breathing.

With a lazy grace, he lifted his leg to hip height and...

Snap

My body froze entirely at the sound. I knew what he had just done, but my emotions were a jumbled mess, unsure how to process what I felt. It was as if I had entered a state where my feelings didn't correlate with my body. After all, I could only stare at my dying pet as the sound of my racing heartbeat overwhelmed my ears.

Rupert lifted his foot off Snakey, then picked her up by the tail and tossed her toward me.

"Now, will you let it suffer a long and cruel death, or will you end it now?"

With a sickening thud, her limp body hit the ground, causing dust to rise around her.

He was right. Snakey's organs had probably been crushed, and there was no saving her. But, despite that, I couldn't bring myself to kill my only companion, my only friend. Not even the thought. It filled me with revulsion.

Rupert glared at his watch, the ticking of its seconds like the countdown to a death sentence. "Tsk, I don't have time for more of this. Goodbye, kid."

With a swirl of his expensive attire, Rupert turned on his heel and strode away, leaving behind nothing but a gust of wind in his wake. Looking down on Snakey, her body was jerking in agony. This wasn't the time for me to be selfish and blindly obey my emotions. She was suffering.

I scoured the ground frantically, my eyes finally falling upon a small, sharp pebble. I snatched it up, my heart pounding as I prepared to end the life of my dear companion. My hand shook as I reached out to her; I knew this was the only way.

I hammered down with all my strength, hoping it would be a quick and merciful death. Snapping her head, a physical recoil of disdain and shame showered upon every corner of my body. She let out a final, pitiful hiss before falling still. It's over.

"I'm sor-I'm sorry... I-I... So sorry," I sniffed, barely able to understand myself, feeling as though a part of me had died alongside her.

But as I grieved, a strange sensation washed over me.

With wonder and awe, I looked up to see a faint, ethereal form rising from her corpse, like smoke rising from a dying ember.

Wiping the tears from my eyes, I stood up and reached out to it, feeling a sense of longing. It was as if her soul wanted the same.

With trembling hands, I felt an inexplicable pull toward my heart. It was as if an unseen force was steering the soul closer, and I couldn't defy the urge to follow its lead. As it neared my chest, a sudden warmth spread throughout my body. It was like a match striking against a rough surface; my heart kindled with fiery fervor as the soul merged with mine.

The soul seemed to flow into me, like water seeping into parched soil. I could feel it permeating every inch of my being, infusing me with its vibrant energy. It was like experiencing a second birth. Every fiber of my body rejuvenated and revitalized, and every cell of my body was reconstructed.

As the merger reached its peak, I felt my perception of the world around me change. The colors of the barn and hay shifted to screaming shades, lit up with a warm glow. The heat and cold radiating off objects were like a canvas of vibrant colors. It took me a few seconds to fully grasp the reality of my new form; I had transformed into Snakey.

It should've been obvious, considering their irregular eyesight and how much I've shrunk.

Her corpse was still there, unaffected by my transformation—a solemn reminder of my greedy hunt.