Honor Bound | (On-going)

Ambush

"Rawck!"

Skold's massive black-feathered form swooped down, screeching, and slashed at the bulbous cow-like eyes of Roland's attacker. The thing jerked its head to one side, swinging its forest of weirdly-shaped horns at the angry bird. But, its half-hunched position, as it grappled with Roland, limited the arc of that swing. Roland was pinned down under the bear-dog-yeti-creature's massive bulk.

Damnit! Bitter and angry, he growled low in his throat as his mind raced. This was not supposed to happen this way!

The beast shifted its weight. Its mouth gaped as it attempted to bite Roland's exposed neck and shoulders. Yet again, the bird screeched and flew into the thing's face. The third, spider-like arm, which grew from the left shoulder blade, swung uselessly at Skold. Its pincer-like three fingers opened and shut in thin air with each swipe. Roland was glad Fey's raven familiar fought alongside him, he would have been dead twice over now without the large bird's help.

The raucous distraction granted Roland a chance to look for the rest of his pack.

From his vantage, pinned under the creature's bulk, he spotted the two. Not good. They were scattered between the tree line and the village fields, both were locked in combat with other monstrosities. But, where was Amber?

The fading twilight obscured details. However, one thing was painfully obvious. With Fey and Dawn hiding deeper in the woods, they were outnumbered.

Two hyena-dog looking things harrassed Lynda in the farm fields, just outside of the tree line and in full view of the village. Just at the edge of his vision, within the forest itself, a ghostly worm-like thing the length of two small pickup trucks, and about as thick around as a small child was tall, slid through the brush after Mark. 

Amber was nowhere to be seen.

The monster above him grunted, as one of Skold's talons snagged a bull-like ear and yanked it. It eased some of the pressure off Roland's back, but not enough to wriggle free of the monster's grasp. Another glance reaffirmed that his two pack-mates were relatively okay.

Both of the hyena-dog-things had limps and sported nasty cuts and slashes, while the sleek, dark fur of Lynda's lithe, hybrid wolf-woman form remained untouched and pristine. Well... save for a few leaves and twigs caught up in her long, black, braided hair. It was testament to the pack tactician's skills in close combat.

Mark, however, had not gone so deftly blemish free. Several circular sections of his pants and shirt were missing as he dangled from a low-hanging branch of a nearby tree and pulled himself up out of reach. A smirk crossed Roland's. Mark wouldn't ever live this one down. Running away from a worm? Really?

The beast Roland faced pressed downwards and turned its massive pig-dog-bull head towards the bird and snapped. Roland shifted his weight and shoved. The creature stumbled back two steps, then laid open Roland's left shoulder with a fearsome claw-swipe. The immense power behind those six-inch bear-like nails cracked his collar bone.

Roland stumbled back, eyes blinded by the white-hot searing pain.

"FAAWWWWCK!"

Skold bellowed as he lost his footing, ducking the monster's spider-like arm. The sharp pricks of Skold's claws stabbed along Roland's good right shoulder, as the bird landed and then launched itself back into the monster's face. This time he scored a hit with his sharp beak, right up the monster's tender bull-like nose. It flinched and shook its head, then violently sneezed several times.

Skold cackled and flapped madly for more height.

Roland stumbled to his right, trying to get some distance between himself and the beast. He tried to summon the yha'el, and call up his wolf-form, but the pain of his injury disrupted his concentration. His wolf-side mind wailed a gut-wrenching warning, but the monster was on him in a flash.