The Coven of the Black Rose

Chapter Nine: The Wolves

    Tasra wasn't afraid but was nervous for some reason he couldn't determine. It was just a sheep but upon hearing its loud bleat made him startle, even though he was aware that lost sheep were often found wandering in the evening. It was still strange. "Yeah. Let's just get our weapons from the cabin." Asha nodded in agreement.
    Later on, they both have sword, hung around their hip. Tasra brought a lantern, quiver, and a bow while Asha has a spear with her. There was a boat found on the edge of carrot field, then they rowed their way on to the woods across the stream. Soon, Asha jumped out first, stepping her feet on the wet surface of the land. Grass bushes have scattered on the stream bank. Tasra whispered to her. "There must be hunters who captured the sheep."
    "You may be right. But I can feel that it is... strange?" They walked into the woods where all they see were the silhouettes of the trees and plants around then.
    "And finding lost sheep in evenings at the woods is also strange, in the very first place."
    "I know, Honey." They couldn't see everything under the dusky sky, but they could sense whether their path is clear or not, so they just walked straight ahead of them, minimizing their footsteps as they could. The light of Tasra's lantern wasn't bright enough to enlighten everything in their surroundings.
    "Have you ever thought about where do they come from-" Tasra was interrupted when Asha shushed him. They halted their footsteps. The bushes around them rustled. It was not a mere blow of winds. They sensed as if some creature was lurking around. Asha sharply glanced around then took few steps backward. Soon, an unpleasant and decaying scent reeked around and then they did not hesitate to look for it. Asha hardened her grip on her spear and yanked the tall grasses of the bush before them. Both of them covered their nose as they cannot withstand the awful smell. Tasra used the lantern then keenly looked what they saw. It was a carcass of half-eaten sheep. Its body soaked in blood. Bones and fleshes were exposed in the air.
    This one is smelly, Tasra thought to himself. So this sheep was not the ones they heard a while ago. Given its strong decaying smell, at least this must be here several hours ago. Asha crouched and stared at the carcass. She shook her head. "This isn't the one we heard earlier. It must be other else nearby."
    "I'm having the same thought." He agreed. Behind the carcass were paw prints of some beast from the blood of the sheep. Asha took a closer look upon studying the paw prints. Her eyes widened, then she turned to Tasra. "It's a wolf that killed this sheep."
    "Wolf? But I've never seen any wolves around here."
    "Neither did I. But I am certain that these are paw prints of the wolves."
    More rustling of grass bushes rattled around. Tasra dropped the lantern beside him then unsheathed his sword. Asha held her spear harder. They scanned around them as they waited for the creature to show itself. They can't be wrong because the rustling was too loud for a wind's blow.
    After seconds, an enormous white wolf emerged from the bush in front them. Tasra and Asha jumped in surprise. It was high as them and they've never seen any wolf that large.
    "Hold..." Asha said, aiming the tip of her spear at the wolf, that was snarling at them with its gaze. Its eyes were, strangely, orange and its teeth were sharp and white, tainted by blood. It took a step closer towards them then barked. Two more wolves came out snarling beside him.
    "What are we gonna do?" Tasra asked, holding his sword with his hands slightly shaking. He knew he wasn't good at sword-to-sword combat. But what was even worse? What else he could do against these against a large ravaging beast. He knew he couldn't protect himself for long. Unlike Asha who has hunting skills and have experience in hunting preys and sometimes even beasts such this.
    "I've never seen these wolves before." She continued, keeping her expression stern.
    "Yeah, same." All of them have bloods on their snout and on their claws. Suddenly, the two wolves beside the middle ones charge towards them.
    "Watch out!" Asha called. One wolf lunged towards her, opening its jaw. Swiftly, she anticipated it, and pointed it directly to its mouth. A loud thump hit the wolf as it cried. Asha stepped aside, away from it. The spear was stuck in its open mouth. The wolf went stumbling on the ground, then collapsed.
    The other wolf charged towards Tasra. He managed to step aside but he wasn't fast enough to avoid being scratched. "Arghh!" He bellowed and saw a wound scratch on his right arm. The wolf snarled more aggressively then lunged on him for the second time. This time he managed to take a sidestep then swayed his sword into its body. His damage was, surprisingly, big enough for a wolf like that. It glanced on its belly, drops of blood poured. The beast didn't fell on its knees and was still ready to charge at him again.
    It stood few feet away from Tasra, enough time for him to pull an arrow from his quiver and aim it. Without hesitation, he let the arrow flew swiftly. The wolf managed to step aside, preventing his chest to be hit by the arrow, but its leg was hit instead.
    It growled, walking towards him. Tasra saw how tenacious this wolf was, like it doesn't have a cut on its belly and an arrow on its leg. He kept on firing arrows while taking a step back away from it. Asha unsheathed her sword then charged to the wolf that Tasra was firing at. When she was few feet away from it, Asha positioned her sword in stabbing the wolf but the third wolf lunged on her. It moved very stealthy that she didn't even notice the wolf going towards her. Asha grunted and fell on her knees. She was pushed and knocked off, her body laying beside a tree. She was cornered in a tree and a huge boulder stood beside her. She has nowhere to run. She didn't even have enough strength to get on her feet again and the wolf was right before her. She was about to draw and unsheathe her sword but the wolf instantly stepped its foot closer to her. Its petrifying gaze locked on her and kept on snarling. Asha cannot think on how she will escape. Unexpectedly, the wolf just simply scratched her arm, then it sniffled the air. Suddenly, its expression became tame to her. Asha's face was baffled. She didn't know what the wolf did to her yet it took a step back.
    "What are you staring at?" Asha wondered. The wolf tilted its head to her but then two arrows hit its right belly. It cried then its expression turned aggressive again, facing Tasra. He came rushing towards him. Tasra thought if his arrows weren't sharp enough to take these wolves down. Though given their size, it seemed that they were strong enough to endure many shots. He dropped his bow and unsheathed his sword instead. He knew he had no choice but to charge against it. He ran and lifted his sword along with a battle cry. When they met, the wolf has bitten his left forearm but he slashed his sword on its neck up to its upper chest. Both of them fell on the ground and were panting. He saw the wolf exhausted and settled on the ground for a while upon recovering its strength once more. The beast was severely scarred but it still has enough energy to get up again. Tasra wasted no time and ran towards Asha to help her. "Are you okay?" He knelt beside her and helped her to get on her foot. Asha grunted. "Yeah... I'm good." They noticed they were both scarred. "What did it do to you? I thought it would slaughter you." Tasra blurted out his worries.
    "We have to aid ourselves but we have to get out of here first." She whispered. Tasra scanned for the lantern which was far way from him so he wouldn't pick it up. They still remember their way back, anyway. Its light might only leave traces for the wolves to follow them.
    Tasra and Asha turned back but they heard the wolves' snarling, once more. They glanced back and saw the two wolves stood together again. In fright, they saw their wounds healed on its own, restoring its skin and leaving only their white fur stained by their blood. Even the wolf, which Asha jabbed, gained its consciousness. It bit the spear and then it was cut into half. It chewed the spear on its mouth then spitted the debris aside. Similar with the other wolves, its injuries have healed, too.
    The three beasts gathered once more and were preparing to charge again. Asha shook her head in disbelief then turned to Tasra. "We have no other choice. We have to run and mislead them somewhere." She pulled him away but he was just standing there and was staring at the wolves. "Honey! Let's go!"
    Where did these wolves come from? He thought to himself. He knew that it was also Asha's first time to encounter these creatures as she was shocked and petrified to fight them back as a hunter. By that time, he knew he only have one option left. "Yelasas, dem zoram..." He whispered then stretched his arm with his palm opened, facing at the wolves. The swirl of the wind around them got stronger then the branches of trees around them rustled so loud that it distracted the wolves.
    Asha was baffled and just stood there while wondering what was happening. Tasra's eyes flamed green. Thick vines sprouted underneath the wolves. It snared them as it crawled on their feet, afterwards it entangling their body. Tasra closed his fingers until he was forming a fist. Concurrently, the vines constricted the wolves. He opened his other hand then whispered. "Flenaras, sod bihas." His palm flamed emerald then incinerated the wolves with bursting beam of green flames. By then, the wolves' bodies were being devoured by blaze. Their cries filled the air.    
    Asha stared at him, speechless and confused. "Are...are you a..." The flare in his hands quenched silently.
    Tasra hugged him and whispered. "Yes. I am. Let's just go home now and aid our wounds first, shall we?"
    "Yes... yeah sure."
    Tasra was about to pull away when his attention was caught by a white owl on a tree before them. He realized that its eyes were orange, too, similar with the wolves he burnt. His mind became anxious. He pulled away from Asha and blasted to the direction of the owl. Unfortunately, it dodged and flew away, high above the branches towards the night sky until it was out of his sight.
    Tasra didn't dare chasing the owl as his body was tired too. He turned back to Asha whose face was worried instead of petrified. "I'm sorry about that. Let's go now, it looks like I have to tell you something."