Lin coughed, crimson dribbled from his lips as his vision faded at the edges. Every inhale burned his chest—ragged and shallow, like he tried to breathe through a straw packed with gravel. His ribs wailed in protest, and his legs trembled uselessly beneath him. The earth swallowed him alive while his hooves slid helplessly. He felt his strength fade fast, and his body betrayed him with every second.
"Is this seriously how it ends?" Lin wondered bitterly. "Beaten to death by a bunch of goats?" He tried to lift himself up again, but his muscles ignored him. He sagged back into the dirt. The world tilted, and his head buzzed like a nest of angry hornets. The others kept shoving him down, jeering as they struck. The sour taste in his mouth grew stronger as he fought for every breath.
Agony clouded his senses, and his consciousness started to slip away. As everything began to fade, he saw something new—an adult goat charging toward the brawl, its powerful hooves tearing up the turf.
