Abigail was weirded out and felt uneasy as she watched the Onyxclaw come to a stop. She wasn’t afraid. She was just worried that her identity would be exposed.
“Dustin, didn’t you say it couldn’t distinguish between good and evil? Why did it stop in front of us? Did it realize something?” Abigail squeaked through her teeth.
“It’s just a coincidence. Don’t worry, relax. It’ll leave soon,” Dustin reassured her gently. He had just finished speaking when the Onyxclaw suddenly lowered its head, and its long canine almost touched Dustin’s head.
It breathed heavily onto Dustin’s face. It felt warm but gave off a pungent smell. Dustin held his breath and muttered silently, “Buddy, you’d better not mess around, or I’ll kill you.”
Seemingly sensing Dustin’s threat, the Onyxclaw snorted and shifted its massive head toward Abigail. She clenched her fists, barely holding back the urge to strike.
The Onyxclaw was close to the size of an elephant. With its proximity, one bite could easily snap off Abigail’s head. This creature was stepping out of line.
“What’s going on? Why did the Onyxclaw stop in front of them? Are they the so-called wicked people?”
“Let’s see what it does next. If it acts further, their identities might indeed be suspicious.”
The guests whispered amongst themselves and pointed fingers. Since the Onyxclaw moved through the large crowd earlier without incident, it was odd that it chose to stop in front of Dustin and Abigail.
“Hmph! I knew from the start that they were no good. The Onyxcalw just confirmed my suspicions!” Florence crossed her arms, looking as arrogant as usual.
“It would be thrilling to watch the Onyxclaw bite off their heads,” Julie muttered to herself with an expectant look.
Dahlia, however, remained expressionless and showed no reaction. She still thought that Anders was merely putting on a show. How could a beast possibly discern right from wrong?
The atmosphere was growing tense when the Onyxclaw made a move again. It didn’t attempt anything special. It simply sniffed the air near Dustin and Abigail before turning around and walking away. Dustin and Abigail exchanged a relieved glance. That was close. Their cover was almost blown!
If the Onyxclaw had been aggressive toward them, they would have had to defend themselves, complicating the situation.
“Huh? Why didn’t the Onyxclaw eat them?” Florence frowned, displeased. She was still resentful at being bumped into and had hoped that the Onyxclaw would attack the two.
“Here it comes. It’s coming over. Should we try touching it?” Julie was nervously excited. If she could just touch the ferocious beast, she would have a thrilling tale to share for many years.
“We can try. After all, someone already touched it earlier. It should be fine.” Florence nodded.
“Nice, let me be a star for the day!” As the Onyxclaw approached, Julie took a deep breath and summoned the courage to reach out and touch it.
However, at that moment, something seemed to have set the Onyxclaw off. It let out a low growl and suddenly turned aggressive.
With a swift motion, it bit onto Julie’s outstretched arm.
“Ah!” Julie was stunned and didn’t fully process the situation at first. Only when she felt an intense pain shoot through her did she let out a piercing scream.
Mid-scream, the Onyxclaw swung its head violently, tearing Julie’s arm off. The tremendous force sent her flying several feet, and she crashed heavily to the ground.
In an instant, blood sprayed from her severed arm.
“Ah! My arm! My arm!”
