Worrying thoughts of Nero fill my mind. He seemed like a seasoned hunter but what if it was just a façade? What if he can't hunt as well as I thought and thats why he is taking so long? An image of Nero by the river comes to mind. All corded muscles, not an inch of fat to be seen. The way he held his bow, as if it were an extention of himself.
I shake my head to clear the negative thoughts, Nero is fine he will be back by the time I get to camp. I pick up one last heavy limb and heave it onto the pile in my arms. Turning to head back to camp I hear a rustle behind me and a howl rips through the air.
I whip around trying to catch a glimpse of the animal responsible for it, but can't find anything in the dusky forest surrounding me. My nerves are torn from the spike of adrenaline running through my veins.
"You'll be fine Sage, just make it back to camp. Nero will be there, he will know what to do," I console myself. As I turn toward what I think is the right way to camp, another howl sounds from farther in the trees.
"Okay, that doesn't sound so good," The blood rushing in my ears is deafening. Yips and barks bounce off the trees.
"Of course it's a pack of starving wolves," I mumble to myself. Glancing around frantically, I realize I have no idea where camp is anymore. I'm lost. In the middle of the forest. By myself. With a pack of fucking wolves.
Shuffling and growling grows louder in the surrounding trees. Its too dark to make out the shapes of the predators, I have no idea how many are circling me. Dread settles in the pit of my gut.
"Just breathe Sage," I tell myself, voice wobbling, as I close my eyes trying to wrangle my nerves. All of a sudden a limb is jerked out of my grasp and my heart stops, dropping all of the sticks, I squeeze my eyes shut and focus on my breathing. I try to summon my powers but nothing happens. Why is nothing happening!?
"Come on!" I urge my magic to consume me and still not even the tiniest of surges. The knot in my gut twists as my situation grows more bleak.
Another wolf gathers enough courage to snap at my legs and my eyes fly open. My white dress now fills its mouth. Amber eyes lock onto mine as the beast savagely jerks at the fabric, pulling me closer to the trees where the others bark and growl chaotically. No, no, no! I hit and claw at the beasts face until finally sinking a finger into its eye. A terrible whine escapes the creature, the sound echoing through the forest, and it jerks away pawing at its ruined eye.
Backing away, I slowly reach down for one of the branches, keeping my eyes on the surrounding trees. My breaths saw in and out of my lungs as the adrenaline spikes through my body. Just as my fingers meet the rough bark of a branch, two other wolves step out into the small clearing, saliva dripping from their maws.
The wolves are on me before I can even swing my weapon of choice. Pain washes over me in waves as teeth rip through my dress and into my flesh. A blood curdling scream echos through the forest and I realize its mine.
I stumble, my foot catching on an exposed root, and land on my back. My breath is knocked out of me and I'm helpless under the on slaught of razor sharp teeth and claws. Chaos consumes me as I punch and kick anything I can reach. Branches and rocks begin to slice into my bare back as they drag me deeper into the forest.
"SAGE!"
A familiar thunderous voice booms through the trees. I try to scream for help but the air hasn't returned to my lungs and all that escapes is a hoarse whisper. I reach blindly for anything that I can use to attack the wolves attached to my legs, and I come up empty. A defeated whimper escapes me.
Suddenly an arrow thumps into the eye of one of the wolves and I'm wedged between its dead weight and the earth. The other wolf is still tugging on my right leg. I reach over and snatch the long arrow out of the eye socket of the dead wolf. Warm blood coats my hand and legs making everything slippery, finding a good enough grip I shove the arrow as deep as I can into the neck of the wolf on my right. A sharp whine escapes the wolf, and my leg is momentarily forgotten, as it jerks away in pain. Another arrow peirces its side and the creature thumps to the ground lifeless.
Tears stream down my cheeks as agony settles into my bones. I hear footsteps nearing but can't focus as I struggle to drag oxygen into my lungs. The weight of the wolf is lifted from my legs and a dull throb settles in my limbs. I can't see anything that is happening around me from the darkness of the forest. As my lids grow heavy I can't think of a reason to hold them open any longer. Exhaustion suffocates me as the adrenaline wears off.
"Nero?," I rasp as large hands move about my body. A grunt is all the response I get as I'm lifted from the ground. Nausea overwhelms me as the sudden movement causes a flash of white hot pain to course through my body. A gasp escapes my lips as warmth blooms across my back and legs.
Tingling like static begins in my limbs, working its way all through my body. My mind clears as the white hot agony slowly ebbs away replaced with a cooling sensation. I moan with relief as the calming coolness encompasses me and I feel weightless as I drift into a deep slumber.