The burning skies of the world upon which Shokushu was situated were not unlike those of his homeland. They burned with the same colors, the same intensity, but there was still a fundamental difference. Something that made them exotic. Perhaps it was the pattern that the colors made in the sky, or an ever so subtle change in tint. Perhaps he had simply been so long gone from his home that he had forgotten what the sun set had looked like. The lumbering beast rolled its massive shoulders and lowered its baleful gaze across the great forest that stood spread before it. His green eyes watched the subtle changes in the tree-tops as an alien wind blew across them, the patterns that it made. His eyes then strained to catch the ever so slight oddities. Shifts in the way the leafs blew that he knew were caused by movement. Then Destrov's eye was caught by a twinkle of light. A grin spread his lips apart, revealing a mouthful of large fangs. He straightened himself off and stepped off of the cliff into a 50-foot drop.

The wind was warm as it blew across the once-man's face, for it was mid-summer. His arms were spread wide to other side, the air moving around his bare limbs in an almost refreshing manner. Moments before slamming into the tree-tops, he spread the leathery wings which he had kept closed against his back and shot forwards as their black membrane caught the wind. Forwards he flew, towards the glint of steel that had caught his eye. More specifically, towards the lithe, red-faced beauty that sat atop it, fatigue from a long day's biking showing.

Her first day on the island had gone well for Hitomi. She wasn't going to have to stay alone in her dorm. She had already made several friends in her classes. In fact, three of those new friends liked to ride a bike path every day. So with a light class schedule today, Hitomi joined them for a ride around the island.

The school's athletic department issues the girls road bikes for the occasion. They spend the morning exploring the island until the other three girls want to return to eat lunch. Since Hitomi put a sandwich in her bike bag, she decides to explore on her own.

The island is filled with breath-taking beauty. The trees and flowers are so lovely that Hitomi is tempted to delay returning to school till evening. A nearby stream-fed pond further tempts the Okinawan girl to do some skinny dipping. But Hitomi will save all that for another trip. Hitomi takes a path that goes part way up the island's mountain. She gets her speed up to take the uphill portions and coasts on the downhill. All is going well until she comes upon a tree which has fallen across the path on an uphill run. After crossing the tree on foot, she doesn't have the speed to carry her the rest of the way uphill.

Hitomi gets off the bike and walks for five minutes to reach the peak. She has to use the bike to help keep her balance since it is hard to walk in her specialized bicycling shoes. Hitomi's four year run of luck in remaining chaste seems to be coming to an end. It is while she is walking that the flying beast spots her. Had she not had to cross the tree and walk, she would have been gone before he reached the trees. He sees her hobble and then lock her shoes into the pedals after she remounts the bike. Hitomi quickens her pace so she can reach the shaded part of the path ahead in only a minute or two.

Destrov's mighty pinions carried his body across the sky, looking like a large, distant bird to any that would look up to see him. As usual, the mighty once-Warrior swirled through the clouds and air, enjoying the feel of air flow around his body but this time his eyes were careful not leave his target. The baleful green orbs stared intently at their intended target. With a twist of his torso, Destrov began his descent, folding his wings behind his back as he dove towards the ground, like an eagle swooping down upon its prey. An inhuman roar tore from his throat as he finally saw his prey hobbling up the hill. Rather then land behind her and pursue on foot as she re-mounted, Destrov took great pains to maneuver himself out of the dive and back into flight. He managed it just before hitting the tree-line, his great pinions gliding him across the trees. As his massive shadow passed over the girl, the very air around her seemed to reverberate with his passing.

The demon-like being began to consider his options. He had only fed the night before, his lust not terribly pressing, but he nonetheless felt the craven desire for taking human flesh in the pits of his mind. He began to beat his wings, pushing himself further away from the tree line and tilting out of the girl's line of sight, where he'd been for a few moments. At last he came upon a plan and swung around to make another swoop at the girl. Yet another inhuman roar tore from his lips as he began his descent, not as sharp as his original one considering his lesser altitude. Destrov's claws were stretched out, prepared to either grab the girl or incapacitate her mount.

Hitomi hears a strange and frightening sound. She looks all around but cannot spot the source. Soon a huge shadow passes her and the wind buffets her bike. Thinking a plane has just passed very close overhead, Hitomi looks up to see what it is. The sight of the demon elicits a scream from the cyclist. Staring at the thing distracts the rider to the point that she veers off the bike path. A fast correction keeps her on two wheels and she tries to keep the strange flying beast in sight.

She relaxes a bit when it flies out of sight. "I guess I was near its nest", Hitomi reasons. "I better get out of here before it comes back." She picks up her pace. Hopefully, the shaded part of the path will protect her from the bird. Not willing to believe the fantastical sight, she tries to convince herself that it was just a large bird of prey. "I must be seeing things. It was only a bird."

Speeding up some to reach the perceived safety of the shade, a horrible roar shocks Hitomi. She turns in time to see the horrific creature coming right at her, claws as big as houses coming straight towards her. Hitomi screams and tries to jump away from the creature at the last moment. With her shoes attached to the bike, she doesn't get far. But she does manage to avoid its claws as the creature crashes into her bike.

Hitomi goes flying through the air herself and lands and slides on the grass on her back. Still screaming, she gets up and tries to run towards the treeline. She falls twice before she thinks of the cause. Her shoes were not meant for running and one of them still has a bike pedal attached. She struggles once, twice, four times before she takes off one shoe. Forcing herself to calm, she only needs two tries for the other. Fortunately, the creature is struggling himself, to disengage from her destroyed bike. Hitomi runs barefoot to the trees. When she reaches the safety of the trees, she notices the "rug burn" (grass burn?) on the back of her legs just below her shorts and the small rips in her shorts and shirt. Fortunately, the rips are merely annoying as her clothing is in no danger of falling off.

Destrov did not expect her to react quite so... Violently to his presence. As his horrific claws mangled the metal of the bike and the girl dove from her mount, he broke his hoofed feet to the ground and with the sound of gravel crunching on hard dirt, he came to a stop. He looked down at the mangled contraption of steel, crouching down to get a better look at it. No blood, no flesh, it is merely steel and plastic. The demon-like monstrosity assures itself as such, and violently wrenches its claws out of the steel contraption. He stands up to his full height, the rays of sun that manage through the canopy sending streaks of light that bring to contrast parts of his body, such as his broad shoulders and the horns sprouting from the sides of his head.

The horrific head turns from side to side, searching for its prey. "It is futile to run," the creature speaks, its voice oddly quiet but still booming with a haughty authority, the deep bass-tone seeming to echo through the trees. He beat his wings in frustration when his baleful green eyes at last caught site of the discarded bicycle pedals. With a roar, Destrov began to charge towards the place the woman was hiding. His face began to contort and he roared loudly, tusks beginning to form in his mouth, as his form began to shift ever so slightly to reflect the childhood nightmares inspired by her parent's warnings.

As Destrov came to the first tree behind which the woman could be hiding, he made a wide sweep with his massive claws, cutting a great furrow in the tree's bark. Due to the dryness of the recent summer, the tree had grown more brittle, and Destrov shouldered the tree aside. With a powerful creak the tree toppled to the side. He saw that the girl was not there and began towards the next tree, his powerful body shouldering aside trees in search for his diminutive prey, not necessarily knocking them aside, but merely bending them in directions which they were not accustomed to being bent.

Hitomi gasps and holds her mouth in fear as the creature stands. It is a monster, a real, live monster! She feels queasy as she looks at the remains of her bike. Had its attack worked, that mangled mess would have been her.

The Asian girl feels his voice throbbing within her chest. She mentally kicks herself when it spots her shoes. She hadn't even thought to hide them. Now the horrifying beast comes her way and begins to search the trees for its meal. Its roar turns her blood cold.

When it reaches into the trees, Hitomi reflexively backs away from it. A small, fallen tree blocks her retreat and sends a bolt of pain through her rug-burned legs. Thinking the monster has grabbed her, she screams, revealing her hiding spot. The creature turns and looks its prey in the eyes. It bends a tree until it's wedged against another and out of the way. Hitomi stands frozen as the demon reaches for her with a vicious, clawed hand. She screams as the claw nears her, doomed to be captured by the thing when, with a scraping sound, the bent tree breaks free. The tree swings and knocks the creature's claw away just before it reaches the terrified girl.

Leaves from the tree smack against her face and bring the Okinawan girl back to her senses. Hitomi stumbles over the fallen tree and begins to run from the hideous creature. It grabs for her several times. But she manages to dodge its clumsy attempts. Hitomi runs deeper into the forest, hoping that the many trees will discourage the extra large creature from following. At the same time, she looks for smoother ground as her bare feet land on rocks and branches causing her to yelp in pain with almost every step.

Destrov's deep voice growled in appreciation for the capture he was about to make, when fate once more thwarted him. The tree smote his claws, as if in vengeance for the destruction of its brother. In retaliation, the monstrosity backhanded at the tree, his armored forearm striking the tree's bark and leaving a very deep dent. Once more, he began to push through the trees, roars and growls of frustration echoing through the forest as he struggled to make his way through the thick woods. But where Hitomi went, Destrov nonetheless followed, for he could hear her yelps of pain and each one further roused the once-man.

The young woman would hear several sickening crunches as the trees around Destrov were pushed aside, making room for the behemoth's wings to pan out and start to flap ominously as they pulled him into the air, his massive body now eclipsing the sun as he caught sight of the young woman's retreating form, with considerable help from her yelps of distress. A dinosaur like shriek echoed through the trees as Destrov's wings carried him upwards, his back towards the sun and he positioned himself between it and Hitomi, so that were she to look up, she would see naught but a black speck in the center of the sun.

There Destrov remained, watching the young woman's form dart through the thick canopy. His eyes may have lost sight of her every couple of seconds, but he still managed to keep track of her, the direction of her running, while erratic, was still predictable enough. Having this time of contemplation as he waited his prey to find a more open spot to go to would normally have distracted Destrov, but an unholy frenzy had befallen the monstrosity and the adrenaline in his body pulsed furiously through his veins. He'd have his prey.