Omag bellowed for his enemy, emboldened by the speedy deaths of Goro and Ulok, silverbacks that had died at his misshapen hands, the same hooked fingers that yearned for Gazda’s throat.
He flung the pale-skinned female aside and shifted the axe from his foot to his right hand before lurching across the clearing to the place where he had last seen Gazda fall.
But there was no need to search, for the night ape rose up suddenly from the cover of ferns and saplings many yards away.
Omag was pleased by the wounds that covered his enemy’s form—branches and bark had lifted the skin from arm, leg and shoulder and in many places torn the flesh beneath. The crippled ape beat the earth with his fists, and panted his great humor at the pale and shredded face from which the bruised eyes still blazed red.
When Omag saw the crimson gaze he remembered the night ape’s defiant nature, so the evil ape conceived a blow that would cut beneath this last vestige of pride and deep into his enemy’s heart.
The crippled ape charged back toward the white-skinned female with murder on his mind. He would kill her and cut Gazda’s head from his battered body before the upstart could recognize his loss!
CHAPTER 18 – Forest Rescue
Glancing back, Omag saw the night ape stagger, pitching forward through the undergrowth to land upon his knees. He regained his feet, and balanced his shambling upright gait with the flexible saplings that grew unevenly to every side.
Omag crouched over the female that still lay in a heap upon the ground. He grabbed her hair, and stood upright with his weapon raised.
Gazda halted.
“Omag is King of the Apes,” the crippled ape lisped with a shower of brown drool. “Gazda must submit!”
“Kings do not kill females,” Gazda said weakly, staggering in place.
“Submit!” Omag roared and lifted the white-skinned female by the hair. With his red-rimmed eye on the night ape, he pressed the axe-head to her slender neck.
But Gazda dropped to a knee, before struggling to his feet again where he swayed, smiling to show his long fangs.
He rasped, “Cowards kill females and infants.” The night ape curled his arm and flung something across the distance between them.
A small stone rapped against Omag’s beetling brow. As the crippled ape pressed the back of his hand to the bloody wound, Gazda’s fangs shone in an insolent grin.
Omag glanced at the blood on his hand, and at the stone on the ground.
“I had no fruit to throw this time,” the night ape laughed, before he pursed his lips and made the sound: “Sip-sip!”
Enraged, Omag threw the female to the ground, and beating his chest he bellowed savagely. His mangled lips flew aside as spit and pus spattered the ground at his feet that stamped and pounded the forest floor like a drum.
He snapped his long fighting fangs in anticipation of Gazda’s neck. Snarling, the great ape slashed the earth with his axe again and again to open great black wounds—and then he charged!
Gazda roared and drawing his knife ran toward Omag’s hurtling mass. Both great predators met with such force that sparks were struck as their weapons collided with a deafening CLANG that forced Gazda’s blade twirling from his day-weakened fingers.
Before he could reclaim the weapon Omag swung the axe-head, narrowly missing Gazda’s skull as he tumbled out of range. Still injured by his fall, with his power diminished in the sun, the night ape could barely get his feet under him before the crippled ape pressed his advantage, surging forward with weapon raised and fighting fangs flashing.
Gazda rolled to the side to miss the downward rushing axe-head that chopped so heavily into a thick tree root that it stuck.
Omag grunted, the powerful muscles on his twisted arms bulging and quivering as he heaved but was unable to gain leverage on the broken handle that protruded from the axe-head.
With Gazda struggling to his knees so near, the frustrated Sip-sip lunged out and stamped on the night ape’s back, toes gripping a pale arm to drag him near, as the crippled ape’s long fingers wrapped around the axe-head, wrenching the weapon to pry it free.
Gazda contorted on the ground, and sank his fangs into his opponent’s calf.
Omag shrieked in pain and fury before he kicked the night ape’s head to break the hold.
Gazda wriggled and turned, attempting to slide out from under Omag, but the crippled ape had a solid grip on his arm with the long toes of his right foot. Sip-sip moved quickly then and grabbed Gazda’s free arm with the left foot before he dropped his full weight on the night ape’s abdomen.
“Omag is King of Apes!” the crippled ape cried, finally wrenching his axe-head free and holding it awkwardly by the blade over Gazda’s chest—the sharp end of the splintered axe handle was pointed downward like a stake.
“Omag is Sip-sip!” Gazda taunted from the jungle floor, twisting in his enemy’s grasp with the last of his strength.
Omag bellowed, showering Gazda with reddish mucous as he brought the axe down, the broken shaft stabbing at the night ape’s breast.
But Gazda was prepared for the move, and had seen the poor grip that Omag had upon the blade, so as the spike of wood speared down at his heart, the night ape wrenched his head, chest and shoulders upward.
The broken handle speared through Gazda’s muscular shoulder blinding him with fiery pain, but still he smelled Omag’s rancid flesh so near and striking upward like a snake, he sank his fangs into the crippled ape’s throat.
Ooso’s killer. Usurper! Murderer!
Omag’s massive body tensed as Gazda’s sharp teeth tore at the diseased flesh under his jaw and he raged as the blood pumped out. The crippled ape ripped his weapon out of Gazda and turned its bloody grip in his hand.
Omag growled as he pressed the blade to the back of Gazda’s neck.
But as the crippled ape’s blood flowed out, so did much of Gazda’s strength return as the coursing liquid gushed down
