Flesh And Fur: A Dance With Darkness

37 - Attack

"Elise," he spoke aloud, unable to project his thoughts. "You need to return to the village. Gather... warriors." It was getting more difficult to think. Difficult to articulate. His vision began spinning, making him dizzy as his stomach churned. He doubled over, vomiting where he knelt.

"I will not leave you!" Elise hissed, eyeing the foes. They were nearly upon them. Why were they taking their time? What did they want?

"I... think... poisoned..." Aleric grunted, swallowing hard against the sudden dryness in his mouth. He rose unsteadily to his feet, propping himself against a nearby tree.

Elise's eyes dropped to his wound, noticing a purple liquid oozing from it. Keeping her eyes on the approaching men, she used one finger to swipe at the fluid. She brought her finger to her nose, immediately recognizing the scent in horror; wolfsbane.

Without warning, a sudden sharp pain struck her in the shoulder, knocking her backward into a tree. In shock, she looked down, staring at the arrow shaft that was sticking out of her flesh. Aside from the immediate pain, she didn't feel anything and assumed her body was in shock, protecting her from the sensation of the pain.

She attempted to move forward, finding that she could not. Her shoulder seemed to be stuck. The arrow must have gone straight through her body. Given how close the men were when they shot her, that seemed highly likely.

Without second thought, she snapped off the feathered end and lurched forward, pulling herself free and almost stumbling into Aleric. The same purple liquid that was oozing from Aleric's wound was also seeping from hers. She hoped that since her arrow had gone all the way through there wouldn't be enough poison in her system to put her in the same state he was in.

"Enjoying the treat?" The man on the right laughed. "We made it just for your kind."

Your kind? Did that mean they weren't wolfen?

"Have you figured it out yet?"

"You coated the arrow with wolfsbane!" Elise hissed.

"Yesss... well done. You figured it out so quickly. What a smart dog."

Elise bristled at being called a dog, but that wasn't the biggest concern right now. "Why? What do you want?"

The man holding the bow shouldered it, laughing. "We came to have some fun. We were only expecting one mutt, but it seems we've lucked upon two."

"What do you want? Why are you in our territory? Why are you hunting our pack?" Elise asked, shifting her stance as she looked between the four of them.

Aleric wasn't looking good. He was wobbly on his feet, barely staying upright, his eyes unfocused -rolling shut despite his best efforts to keep them open.

"Don't worry, it isn't enough poison to kill you. We've mixed it into our own secret blend. Weakens without killing so we can get information or just enjoy a long time together..." The first man said as he stopped around ten feet away.

Elise's eyes narrowed, and she stepped in front of Aleric, who was visibly struggling to stand. "You won't touch him!" she shouted, her voice carrying the fierce determination of someone who had nothing to lose, or maybe everything.

The four men spread out in a half-circle, advancing slowly. They didn't appear to be in a rush, which sent a cold shiver down her spine. What kind of people took this level of pleasure in tormenting others?

The bowman took another step closer, his eyes glinting with excitement. "Drop your weapon," he crooned in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Let's talk."

Elise knew better than to trust the words of an enemy who had just shot her and her pack Alpha. She tightened her grip on the knife, her instincts screaming at her to run. But she couldn't leave Aleric defenseless, not in his condition.