Hammerhold Tales: Thrallborn

Chapter Fourteen

Sawain awoke from his slumber. It was still dark. The soft snores of the inhabitants of the tent drifted through the frigid night air. He was cold and stiff, but not frozen solid, to his relief. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, ready to fall back into his sleep. Then he heard a twig snap. His eyes opened and he was wide awake again. He heard rustling in front of the tent.

He slowly and quietly as possible rose from the mass of sleeping halflings. He meticulously crawled over to the front flap, trying not to awaken anyone else. He slowly worked the flap open with one finger until he made a slit wide enough for him to see through. Jatharr stood just in front of the tent with his back to it. The captain gripped both of the wood cutting axes he salvaged from Underfell Town.

Sawain whispered to his ally, "Jatharr?"

Jatharr jumped slightly and glanced over his shoulder at Sawain as he emerged from the tent. He let one of the axes slide down his left hand until he held it by the head then held out his arm with the handle pointing to Sawain. This gesture interpreted in Sawain's mind as Something's wrong, you'll need this.

He took the offered axe and scanned the surrounding grove. The freshly fallen snow on the ground played havoc with his elven eyes, throwing off a glare from the moon. It made it hard for him to see clearly. He squinted as he kept searching. A minute of dead silence passed.

Sawain heard it before he saw it. He heard snow crunch underfoot and turned just in time to see a monstrous wolf lunging at him, fangs bared. He only had time to turn and raise his axe in defense, taking it in both hands. The pouncing beast slammed him with a paw on either shoulder, effortlessly knocking him off his feet. He got the axe up in time to catch the monster's jaws with the handle. He hit the ground hard, knocking the breath out of his lungs. He fought with all the strength he had to keep the slavering, gnashing maw of fangs from ending his life in one deft bite.

It was too heavy, he couldn't push it off of him. Its eyes glowed with a strange green effervescence. its gray fur was broken at the joints by bony growths that made it look even more sinister. It snarled and gnashed at the handle, splintering it bit by bit. Panic rose in his chest as the axe handle began to crack. In a final act of desperation, Sawain mustered all his strength and pulled his unpinned legs up to his chest, tucking them against the wolf's underbelly and kicking as hard as he could, He kept the push going by bracing himself with his pinned shoulders.

The wolf's hind end lifted off of the ground and flipped over its head, twisting it around and breaking its pin. Sawain rolled to the right and scrambled to his feet, grasping the gnawed on axe firmly in his hand. The wolf quickly recovered from the maneuver and was crouching to pounce again.

Sawain was ready this time. The wolf flew at his throat again, but Sawain was quick enough to side step it. The massive wolf, which was twice as big as any wolf he had ever seen before, passed him harmlessly, skidding across the frozen surface of the grove. He saw a side assault coming from his right in the corner of his eye and swung the axe hard in the direction of the new assailant.

An agonized yelp escaped from the smaller wolf who caught Sawain's axe blade in the chest. He followed through with his swing and knocked the smaller wolf backwards. It crashed to the ground, limp and lifeless.

Sawain barely had time to regain his posture before the large wolf charged him again. He swiped recklessly with the axe and hit the wolf in the head with the handle, shattering the weapon on its hard, bony brow. It smashed into him again, digging its razor sharp fangs into his shoulder. Sawain crashed to the ground, the full weight of the gargantuan wolf pressing hard on him.

Pain ran through his body like an electric current. He could feel the warm blood running from his shoulder. The sickly metallic smell reached his nostrils. It awakened the berserker within him immediately. Unfiltered fury stoked in his chest and released a terrifying roar from his throat that loosened the wolf's vice-like clamp on his shoulder. That was all he needed.