Page 58 of Storms & Sacrifice
“Goddammit Khazak, would you just shut the fuck up and get behind me already!? If you’re still sofuckingmad about it later, you can punish me when we’rebothback at camp,alive!” I turn to face our furry pursuers, sword in hand. They’re almost to us. “Now will you get your ass out of the fucking flowers and against a tree, so I can protect you while you keep your fucking lungsworking!”
“But—”
“MOVE SIR, NOW!”Why is he still arguingwith me!?
I hear him shuffling behind me, and I do my best to follow with my ears, making sure I stay between him and the wolves. They’ve slowed down, stalking their prey. Can they tell one of us is injured? When I hear the noise behind me stop, I look back for a second to find Khazak settled against a tree, kneeling down with a hand on his chest.Better be casting that damn healing spell.He doesn’t look happy, but I’m not sure if it’s because of the poison, the wolves, or me.
You don’t normally want to go into a fight with your back against the wall, but in this case, it would actually help to keep the wolves off Khazak. The tree will have to do. The wolves must know something is up because they start to spread out as they circle us, and soon my head is twisting in three different directions to keep track of them.
The one farthest on my left makes the first move, lunging toward Khazak with a bark. I rush to cut it off, lashing out with my sword in a wide arc to push it back. That leaves my back exposed for one of the other two to come in and nip at my heels, and they dodge the kick I try to give in retaliation. My actions win me no new friends, and all three begin to growl, shiny teeth on display. I can’t help but bare my teeth right back.Bring it on you furry four-legged fucks.
The wolf on the right goes for Khazak next, and when I move to cut it off, the wolf in the center chases after me, forcing me to avoid it while I try to attack his buddy. I manage to shake both of them off of me, but then thethirdgoes for Khazak. I watch as he clumsily pulls his longsword from his scabbard, swinging it once, but as soon as the wolf is scared off, the sword sinks to the ground right next to the snapped bow, his limbs barely able to hold eitherweapon up.
The three surrounding us continue to make attacks we are barely able to fend off. It’s like they’re toying with us. We can’t keep this up much longer. I need to figure out a way to drop one of themnow. As I track one of the wolves stalking around us, my eyes are drawn to the slightly squashed flower patch behind it, and I get an idea.
Time to change tactics. I start acting more aggressively, striking out at each of the wolves with my sword and making them jump back with a growl in turn. I need them to see thatI’mthe threat.I’mwho they need to be paying attention to. I swear I even bark at them as I do it,anythingI can think of to get them to focus on me insteadof Khazak.
It works because the next thing I know, I’ve got three very pissed off looking wolves crouched down and ready to pounce on me. I can’t let up, not yet, so I keep lashing out with my weapon to keep them off balance while trying to get us closer to the flower patch. I don’t need to go far, just enough to get one of them between me and the base ofthat tree.
As soon as one is in position, I rush it, surprising it enough to make it try to bite me in return. The second it rears its head, I give it a quick kick in the snout, stunning it for just a moment. Enough time for me to plant my left foot firmly in the ground and hammer the bottom of my right boot into its side. I kick it harder than I kicked the back of Khazak’s leg in the arena all those weeks ago. I kick it harder than I kicked thatrugbalgoal. I kick it harder than I’ve ever kickedanythingand send the wolf flying back into the tree trunk with a thud, landing in the flower patch below.Yes!
“But what about the other wolves, David?” you may be asking yourself. Not to worry because at the exact moment I see one landing in the patch of paralytic flowers, a pair of fangs sinks into my left wrist.
“Aaahhh, fuck!” I scream, bringing my sword around to knock the hilt against the fur-covered skull, forcing the wolf to release me with a yelp. I can see wolf #1 barely able to stumble out of the flower patch, but shit, where’s #3?! I turn to see the wolf in question has already lost interest in me and has returned to stalking Khazak.
“No!” I cry out as the wolf lunges forward.
Somehow, Khazak manages to pull his bow up just in time to trap the beast’s jaws on its broken grip. I rush toward the two, sword held high in both hands. I bring my weapon down as hard I can on the wolf’s back, hearing a loud yelp and sickening crunch. The wolf’s body crumples to the ground, and for a second, I feel a twinge of regret at endingits life.
Then I feel another set of teeth wrapping around myright leg.
“Motherfucker!” I yell in pain and anger, swiping out at the final wolf with my sword blindly as it retreats, just catching the tip of it on its face. A thin red line bleeds across his snout and lips, and with a final snap of its jaws and an angry bark, it turns and runs east, deeper into the forest until it disappears behind the hills. After checking to make sure the wolf near the flower patch still isn’t moving, I allow myself to collapse against the same treeas Khazak.
“Are you alright?” I ask when I’m steady enough.
“Yes, but... you are...hurt...” He’s still breathing heavily, which doesn’t seem like agood sign.
“I’ll be fine.” My wrist and my leg are killing me. I’m bleeding, but not too deeply. “We need to get back to camp before that wolf comes back. Or something worse.”
“I think...they were just...hungry...” Khazak is looking down at the wolf I felled in front of him.
I step around and see what he means. The wolf’s body looks very thin, almost skeletal. Up close, I can even see patches of its hair are missing. I walk over to the flower patch to inspect the other wolf, and even from a distance, I can tell it looks similar. It’s also not breathing, which means...Not the time to feel guilty, David. It was trying to eat you. Now get moving because that could easily be Sir lying there next.
“Can you walk?” I turn back to Khazak still leaning againstthe tree.
He manages to get both feet under him, but he stumbles when he tries letting go.
“Not without...assistance...” He sighs, or I think he does; it’s hard to tell right now. “You will need...to go back...tocamp by—”
“Do you seriously think that after all that I’m just going to leave you here to get eaten by something else while I’m gone?” If I wasn’t so tired and bleeding, that would have sounded funnier. “I’m going to have to helpyou back.”
“You cannot...touch me...or you will...be poisoned...as well...” He’s got a point. He’s still covered in petals and pollen.
“Can you toss me your bag?” It’s still slung over his shoulder, also covered in flowers.
He shrugs off the bag, trying to swing it in my direction as it falls. Stepping toward it, I crouch down, opening the top with the tip of my sword and revealing the dark black interior. Sticking my hand in, I whisper a silent thank you when I manage to retrieve the large blanket we used a month ago at Shad’rok Springs. Ugh, the one I’m pretty sure we never washed.Oh gods, why is itstill wet?
Shaking off my squeamishness, I drape the damp blanket over my head and shoulders. Then stepping over to Khazak with only aslightlimp, I have him throw his right arm around me. After a couple of false starts, we manage to get him off the tree and onto me. Then we begin the slow walk back to camp.
