Tales of a Shifter (P5) The White Mountain

Chapter 83 - Enemy My Enemy

Chapter 83 - Enemy My Enemy

Brandon was a clammy, sweaty, bloody, warrior of a man. Ezekiel couldn't quite fathom how he was even conscious. The amount of punishment that his lover was capable of taking was nothing short of inhuman and Ezekiel despised that there was nothing he could do to make it all stop.

And Ezekiel also couldn't deny that his chest burned with pride and determination for his lover, silently pushing him to keep fighting. Keep moving. Ezekiel knew that Brandon was strong, he had witnessed the man endure so much it made his soul bleed for him...and every part of the Shifter burned to protect Brandon in that moment so that he wouldn't have to suffer so much pain ever again.

The Druid was a survivor and even though he and Ezekiel were at the ends of their ropes emotionally and physically they kept pushing forwards. Ezekiel did it for Brandon. And he knew Brandon did it for him.

Suddenly Brandon cried out and slowed to a stop, with a shaking arm and a heaving chest he pointed forwards. "Shit....we got company."

"Be careful...stay close to me. I'll take them out." Pushing the Druid behind him Ezekiel dodged left with a snarl. The aggressive act, pulled the beasts to focus on him, and Ezekiel moved low and aggressive, as Brandon shuffled at his back, and Ann at his side. They circled their attackers, waiting, not daring to talk, or even think of running. Running would get them all killed.

Ezekiel snarled, and he let some of the Reavers rage unbound inside of his gut and blood, the rage was all he had to rely on. The only thing keeping him from collapsing, it was the only strength he could call on. And for the first time in his life, he called upon it...willingly. And it was terrible. To feel the rage seeping into his heart and mind, and doing nothing to prevent it.

The act went against everything he had believed in all of his life. That the Rage was evil, and meant to be controlled at all costs. But for his Mate.....he was willing to relinquish the control that he had always depended on. The control that had kept him alive for decades. The control that kept him sane.

Until with an unpleasant peal of insane choking cackles the pack of Ghouls shot forwards. Though they were nothing more than wild, hungry, insane and foul smelling animals; Ezekiel knew better than to underestimate them or their poisons claws.

One of the Ghouls, splotched with black and grey skin, was fast out distancing the other. So Ezekiel shot forward to intercept it. As they came abreast the Ghoul blindly struck out at him.

Eight inch claws brushed Ezekiels shoulder as he dogged into the Ghouls space; then with a downward motion he split the Ghoul wide open from jaw to gut. With a terrible screech the Ghoul clutched at its innards, further disemboweling itself on its own claws in its panic. Ezekiel took the second one on even as first Ghoul laid whining and dying at his feet.

The second Ghoul alerted by the dying Ghouls cry's slowed its frenzied approach. Ezekiel turned, hissed at it, crouched, and waited. The smell of putrid blood tickled his nose and stomach, but he pushed that out of his mind. The Ghoul circled him slowly, but it quickly got tired of that and rushed right in.

Teeth, talons and legs flying its wild attack forcing Ezekiel to defend and retreat slightly. Shuffling downwards Ezekiel swiftly ducked down to avoid a kick and side steeped a talon that would have slit his stomach open before he realized that the Ghouls was trying to lure it attention away from Brandon. In the back of his mind he registered the fact that two more Ghoul had finally made it into the fight.

Keeping his eyes on the Ghoul before him Ezekiel dogged down and through its legs and out of its eye sight.

With a high pitched screech its eyes settled on Brandon, but before it could do more than lunge forward, Ezekiel drove his claws deep into its spine, killing the beast instantly.