Dusk and Ash (In Progress)

Chapter 8

"What are those?!" Durmhain yelled over the howls approaching from behind.

"Just run!" Ysli yelled back.

Exhaustion vanished from Durmhain's body as he tried to step as close to Ysli's path as he could to ensure good footing. Her swift gait was only slightly smaller than his, but it was enough to create an awkward tension between watching the ground and fleeing for his life. Very quickly, he decided to throw caution to the wind and ran at a breakneck pace. Mak'do would have outpaced Durmhain and Ysli both with his longer legs and stride, but he stumbled unsuredly on loose rocks and slipped frequently in the snow.

As they ran further south, the forest became less dense and the snow gradually decreased. Patches of long grass began to shoot out from underneath. The angle of the ground was at a steady decline, and Durmhain let himself be pulled fully by the momentum, only focusing on keeping his feet beneath him as he bolted through the freezing air. The canines had been silent for a long time, but Durmhain doubted they would have given up on prey so easily.

Durmhain crashed into Ysli's back as she skidded to a halt and nearly knocked her over. He would have pushed past her and kept running except he saw the reason she stopped. The canine creatures stalked forward in front of them. In the full moonlight, they looked at eye level with Durmhain, their eyes flashing with an aurora of colors. Growths of ice and rock emerged from beneath their furs, like ridges of a mountain range through a forest. They slowly stepped forward, carefully and fluidly approaching, their maws widening. Looking around, Durmhain saw they were completely surrounded. A circle of the creatures was closing in on all sides.

"Use magick, Durmhain?" Mak'do asked.

"Can't without someone dead," Durmhain growled back. "Which we will be much quicker than they."

"Dead?" Mak'do asked, then his eyes widened with recollection. "It was not dream. You did awaken those below."

"Yeah."

"What of your golden power? You truly forsook your god?"

Durmhain grit his teeth in shame.

"By the sun," Mak'do said and picked up a jagged rock near his foot as a weapon. "No wonder we doomed to die."

Bowing her head, Ysli sat into kneeling and lowered her gaze.

"You're giving up?!" Durmhain hissed.

"To be consumed by the Sithu'ae is blessing among my people."

"Then why didn't you just stay behind as a distraction for us?"

Ysli smirked. "It doesn't mean I wouldn't prefer to live. Besides, I doubt I would have given you much time. Sithu'ae are hunters, and we have given them a fine chase. They will kill us quickly."

"Well, thank sun for tiny aid," Mak'do snorted.

"Huh?" Durmhain asked.

"This... saying? Thank the gods for...,"

"Small favors," Durmhain finished. Kunuum.

Oh, NOW I have a name, the demon sighed.

Can you do anything?

Against a pack of very much alive Sithu'ae? Nope. Besides, we're both almost spent.

The Sithu'ae were closing in. Why are you so glib about this? You'll be thrown back in the Abyss.

Where I belong. And I'm thinking I might prefer seeing Omnox again than staying bound to you. You humans are always complaining, completely ungrateful-