17. Battle.
Humans. She had been right, she had smelt humans. It had been many hunts since she had last feasted on humans. This was turning out to be a good night. Her mouth watered thinking of the treat she was in for tonight.
The wolf stared at them as Maria moved closer to her and away from the others. She cocked her head as if she remembered something but could not quite put her paw on it.
"This one smells familiar." she thought to herself. "Why is that?" She could not figure out why, but part of her felt that this one was the most dangerous, though she was the smallest of the group. She dismissed the thought, saying it was because of not having hunted humans in so long a time.
Maria used the confusion to her advantage.
"Everyone start to move back into the forest while she is fixing her gaze on me." she told the others in a low voice. "Good luck."
"Good luck as well." whispered Jenny.
They slowly began to move away, while Eva was still staring at Maria.
She stared at the young one in front of her. She was armed, but only with a small blade. She wanted to laugh upon seeing it. Did this puny little human think that she could defend herself with that thing, against one like herself. She chided herself on her earlier assessment that this one was dangerous. This would be an easy fight, and then the feasting would begin.
It looked like they would get away when the silence was broken by the cry of a crow. Eva looked up to find the source and when she returned her gaze to Maria, she noticed the rest of her prey was missing. A growl left her throat.
"Tricked?!" she thought. "I can’t believe I have been tricked but these pathetic creatures." her anger increased. "I’ll get you first, little one. But your sacrifice will be for naught. I will find the others and they will suffer the same fate as you, though yours may be more painful."
Maria saw the anger in the wolf’s eyes as she stared at her. She braced herself, and carefully observed the wolf’s movements. She could see that she was getting ready to ponce. She saw Maria as an easy target, so she was not being very cautious. Maria could tell what she was going to do next, thanks to her aunt’s lessons.
The right front paw turned slightly inwards. That meant that meant she would leap at Maria from her left. She spread open her stance to be ready to move when the leap happened. The wolf moved a little quicker than Maria had expected. She dodge to her left ducking under the wolf as it came at her, but she still contacted her shoulder with the belly of the creature.
"What the..." she thought. "This one is not exactly as she seems." she turned back to her prey with a new eye. "Less cockiness." she told herself. "Or you may end up losing some of them."
Maria straightened up and turned back to the wolf. Unfortunately that put her between Maria and the forest. No going that way for now. For the moment she concentrated on the wolf. She knew that she could not just keep dodging. She had the lesser stamina of the two. She would tire out before the other did. It looked like she would have to up the stakes and use this thing in her hands. If she had to then let’s see if we can’t make her change her mind about wanting to fight her.
The wolf tensed up. Maria could tell that this time she was going to come from the right and low. When the wolf sprang at her, Maria rolled to the left and reached out with the blade. She connected with the right flank of the wolf. The blade scrapped along the wolf’s side and an ugly red line ran along it, along with steam and the smell of burning hair and flesh. The wolf let out a cry of surprise and pain, that reached so deep into Maria’s heart that she wanted to cry out as well.
Pain!! Searing Pain like she had not felt in a long time flowed throughout her body as she landed sprawled on her side. She looked at herself. Blood was flowing quickly from the wound. She had sustained wounds before but none like this. What was that weapon the girl had? She slowly got herself upright and looked again at her prey.
She had a fireblade.
She had not noticed it before but now she knew. How did this one get a fireblade? She shook her head. "That does not matter right now." she told herself. "What matters is that this one is more dangerous than I thought, so caution is needed." But one problem that still remained, was that the human seemed to be able to anticipate her moves. This called for some serious strategy.
Maria waited as the wolf rose unsteadily to her feet. It stared at her as if trying to figure her out. She hoped that the fact she had been able to wound her would discourage her from wanting to fight. But she knew that was next to impossible. She was a stubborn wolf, and Maria feared she would be left with no choice.
Quickly the wolf ran at her this time. Maria was preoccupied with her thoughts and had little time to react. She moved right but it was not enough. A front paw reached out and scraped her on her left hip. Maria fell to the ground but quickly rolled back up into a standing position. Her left leg nearly buckled under the pain. She looked down at her wound. There was some blood seeping through the tattered clothing. It stung pretty badly but right now she could stand it.
It was time she took the initiative, she thought. Sometimes it was better to attack then to defend. If she hurt her enough, she might decide it was not worth it.
Before she could discourage herself she ran at the wolf.
She was savouring her wounding of the girl, that would teach her that she was not to be toyed with, when the girl suddenly moved toward her. She had not been ready, and tried to dodge, snapping at the girl as she passed to try and keep her away. But it was too little too late. The blade cut deep into her right front leg. The pain was worse than the wound on her side. She cried out again, even though she did not want to give her opponent the satisfaction of hearing her cry.
Maria hated that sound. And she hated the fact that she was he cause of it. If she got out of this alive, she was going to teach that bastard who put her here a lesson.
She stumbled when she tried to stop. Her wound must be a little deeper than she had originally thought. Her leg was unsteady as she turned back to her aunt.
She was panting now and blood was mating her hair. She had seen her aunt wounded before but the wounds always seemed to stop bleeding in a little while, but these wounds were still flowing and raw looking. She did not know how much longer she could put this off, before she either was killed or ended up cradling a lifeless aunt in her arms. She was contemplating running into the forest, hoping a wounded wolf would have a harder time finding her, when suddenly arrows were sprouting out of the wolf.
A shout came from the forest.
"Now! Hurry up and get in here!" said the voice of Harold, somewhere behind her.
She turned and ran. The decision had been made for her.
Arrows pierced her body. But they were not firearrows. They did not hurt as much as the blade did. She reached around and pulled them out with her mouth. Stupid humans, thinking these things could truly hurt her. Turning back she realised that these were not meant to hurt her. She growled in frustration at herself for letting them get away with these cheap tricks. She went into the forest after them. They would see who was the better hunter here.
Maria moved as silently and as fast as she could, keeping an eye out. She did not know where the others where but she hoped they were doing ok.
"This way." she heard Harold off to the left.
She moved in that direction, and heard behind her the sounds of her pursuer.
She was just in front of her. She would make an example of this one. She would suffer.
Maria ran toward what she could see was a small grove. Just as she was about to enter, she heard the wolf leap at her. She turned to face her when she felt something grab her and the next thing she knew she was surrounded by wood.
She leaped for the girl when she hit the wall of branches. She fell to the ground and stood back up shaking herself.
"Give her to me!" she cried out to the trees. "She is my prey, I have every right to take her!"
"No." came the soft reply. "We will not let you. There is a group of deer nearby with one being very old and sick. You may satisfy your hunger there."
"You have no right to do this!" she told them trying to push through. The branches only tightened more.
"I will tell your Goddess what you have done." she threatened.
"Go ahead." said the voice. "We have our reasons and she will understand. Now go, or you will eat nothing tonight."
She reluctantly agreed. There was no arguing with them. They were a stubborn lot. She had not the strength anyway. She sniffed around and found the sent of the deer, and went off in their direction.
"I will meet you again one day little one." she thought. "And that day you won’t have the Dryads to save you."