Nomad {Editing}

::Chapter 18:: Downfall

All but crushed against the wall of stone and rock, Charlie could barely find the room to breathe.

Panic was beginning to set in across the group. The atmosphere was poisonous to Charlie, and it only drove his anger to the point where he could barely think about anything else but the need to kill.

It should have proved helpful, considering the situation, but there was no place for him to take out his anger. At least not in a manner which would have been beneficial, he would have only ravaged his own ranks.

Wrapping their arms around his neck in an attempt to hold him back, Robert and Evie struggled against his strength and tried to avoid the gnashing of his fangs. He was under attack, and they were the ones trying to stop him from defending himself.

Blinded by his anger, his pain, his terror. The line between friend and foe was long blurred.

Something struck his head, taking him by surprise as he skidded and stumbled before regaining his balance. Ears flat to his head, he spun around with his teeth bared to find Briar with her sword raised.

The healer didn't look scared or concerned, only angry. "Calm down or I'll use the pointy end next time."

In spite of Charlie's annoyance about the pain now splitting his skull. For the time being at least it had the desired affect, and he came back to a more calm way of thinking. Even if he didn't know how long it would last.

A moment of logic after a lifetime of madness was nothing for the young wolf.

Logic wasn't going to last long now he could see well enough to realise what stood before him.

With every forwards movement, the enemy forced the army back against the wall. Until the people closest to the wall of stone were being crushed by the weight of the people in front of them.

A few, in a panicked state had begun to drag themselves up the side of the cliff face desperately. Only to fall back to their deaths or injure themselves even more then they had when they had begun.

For what must have been the hundredth time in recent days, they were trapped with no escape.

Only this time Charlie could honestly see no way of getting out of this alive.

But as they were finally forced as close to the wall as was humanly possible, a fight didn't begin.

Instead a man stepped forward from among the ranks of the enemy, not much older then Robert or Arthur, but he carried himself like a King. Yet even in the face of the enemy, there was a small smile on his face.

As though he believed that this battle was already won. Part of Charlie agreed.

Growls echoed from across the group, apparently he wasn't the only one who had noticed.

No matter how bad the odds seemed, they were eager to prove him wrong.

Yet that didn't seem remotely possible.

Charlie didn't know what to think of this.

Part of him didn't want to trust this strange man for that reason alone. Charlie had always thought of his father as a sadist, but this was something entirely more dangerous in it's own way.

As much as he hated to make presumptions, it seemed that for once he wasn't the only monster on the field.

But he seemed intent to speak first, and had no intent of battling. For the time being at least.

"Where is Charlie?"

Under no circumstances had Charlie expected it to be a question, nor had he believed it would be directed towards him. He would have stepped forward, had there not been Robert and Evie still holding him back. The pair looked equally surprised by this.