Barry couldn’t believe his eyes.

The canine maiden stood, her back turned to him, leaning forward, growling, facing off the feline feral as her body flickered with dark energy. For a brief moment, she paused, looking over her shoulder at the human, before turning back to growl at the feline harder still.

Barry’s head spun, not wanting to waste his good fortune. His eyes darted around in an attempt to determine the quickest route to safety. His shoulder throbbed. The feline had gouged into it with her claws, blood was dribbling its way down his arm. The adrenaline was likely the only reason why he wasn’t incapacitated by the pain by now.

The moment the Hound moved towards the feral, Barry began to slowly inch away, trying to keep a careful eye out for any other familiar faces. Or rather, at the very least, he hoped to spot some way out of this nightmare. The fights happening all around were growing wild as those strange powers were flying all over. The ferals seemed to have stopped their push, but the remaining fights were all equally lethal to him if he got too close.

The Elves fought by summoning plants to their side, attacking the ferals from underneath or from above, arrows piercing through the moment they couldn’t escape. The Dark Elves, on the other hand, danced with their blades, seeking to cut the distance and approach their targets. The ferals for their part moved far more wildly. Most sought to attack through claw and fang, moving in from opposite directions and barely using enough coordination between each other. A few would throw elemental powers from a safer distance, lightning and fire being the most frequent. The battle was slowly turning to the advantage of the elves while the Dark Elves were barely managing to hold on.

A bark drew Barry’s attention back to the Hound. The noise had been loud and clear, powerful enough it startled everyone else. But especially the feline. The dark-haired maiden’s body darkened as she lunged forward, her form blurring as if, for a second, she lost her shape. The feral tried to dodge, jumping out of the way. Except the Hound had not been there, instead emerging out of the feral’s shadow and grasping the feline’s ankle.

With her free claw, the Hound ripped through the feline’s stomach and tossed her out of the way in a spray of blood. Growling, her eyes looked around, pausing as she looked at Barry.

The human didn’t hesitate this time, turning to run away before she could get to him.

“Barry!”

Kajou’s voice rung out, the Amazon having spotted him through the torn wall and rushing back inside. The Hound was squarely between the Amazon and Barry, the canine instantly spun around and growled, hackles raising and her body flickering with dark power as it suffused the surrounding air.

“I beat you once, mutt, and I was handicapped.” Kajou swung the blade downwards, the metal taking deadly glow. Barry recognized the gesture instantly, how could he forget what had haunted his every waking moment since he’d been rescued from the cave? It was exactly how Pan wielded her sword, the only difference being the color of the light being faintly blue rather than yellow.

The Hound didn’t take her open invitation for an attack, her body flickering with wisps of darkness. A defensive pose as she waited for the Amazon instead. Kajou took the initiative, lunging forward, her blade sung as it sliced through the air in a direct forward thrust.

And for a fraction of a second, Barry noticed the canine looking over her shoulder over at him. Their eyes met, there was a strong emotion within those eyes, one he couldn’t recognize. The Hound vanished in a blur of darkness.

Kajou’s attack missed entirely, the canine had moved positions right next to the human, her arms wrapping him into a hug as she pulled him back into the shadows. Barry struggled to no avail, feeling the world stretch and contract as darkness turned to light. They’d emerged some place else, a dozen or so meters further away from the wall, deeper into the Court.

“Let me go!” Barry struggled, only to have his breath taken away as they plunged back into the shadows, emerging yet again further away from Kajou. The Amazon was trying to give chase, but the distance was increasing with each jump.

The Hound’s eyes were looking around, taking an awkward step forward while keeping Barry between her arms before lunging straight back into the shadows. But when they emerged from the next jump, something yanked them both sideways. The abrupt gesture tore Barry out of the Hound’s arms, his body rolling through the dirt.

A yelp dragged his attention at the Hound, seeing her getting thrown squarely into a nearby tree as if she weighed nothing more than a rag doll.

“Are you alright, little human?”

It was the very tall armored tanned woman. Embla. Her question had been directed at Barry, but her eyes had not left the Hound for an instant.

“I…”

He couldn’t quite find the words to speak when he saw the weapon the maiden was wielding on her free hand. It was an axe, but a massive one. Its pommel must have been at least four meters long and thicker than his thigh, the sharp metal head a third of that length. Both metal and wood were scarred, gouges that had chipped away at both its edge and its pommel. As if it had seen countless battles.

“Stay put.” The maiden proclaimed, swinging the massive axe left then right.

With just one arm.

Her body leaned in either direction with the shift in weight, but her feet never left the ground as she stepped towards the Hound.

The canine vanished into the shadows.

“Not letting that happen a second time.”

The Dark Lady stomped her foot to the ground, a shock-wave of red light glimmering all around her. The Hound had appeared right in front of the tall woman, clearly shocked she’d been forcefully pulled out of the darkness. The axe’s pommel came down with a direct thrust that hammered against the canine’s chest.

Something cracked as the maiden was sent sprawling back and rolling across the dirt.

With the dirt crumbling under the Dark Lady’s feet, her whole body was rocketed towards her prey, axe swinging high and coming down at blinding speed. The Hound had little chance but to dodge, rolling out of the way and barely avoiding the deadly edge. Not that she came out unscathed, the impact against the dirt had caused an explosion of debris.

With a yelp, the Hound hurried to her feet as the Dark Lady yanked her weapon from the ground. Bleeding, the canine’s eyes flickered towards Barry, concern plastered across her face.

Growling, she glanced back at the armed opponent, snarling.

“That’s a nice look you’ve got.” Smirking, the Dark Lady swung the axe back and forth, the weapon swooshing through the air with ease. “But I can’t let a feral get close to our guest.” The weapon began to glow with red energy as she raised it over her head.

The Hound didn’t hesitate, turning around and making a run for it, ducking behind one of the trees before whatever it was the Dark Lady was preparing could be unleashed. It caught the armored maiden by surprise, she cursed as she lowered her blade, clearly unwilling to unleash her powers in full against the building the Hound had hidden into.

“Tch.” The glow died out, she lowered the weapon and allowed its weight to rest on her shoulder. “Not much fun when they run.”

“Are you going to… chase her?” Barry’s voice cracked as his eyes kept darting around, looking for potential threats.

“One stray feral shows up, and you’d turn into a quick meal.” She shook her head, glancing at him with a serious expression. “Besides, I-.”

Embla’s expression tightened as she whirled around, brows narrowing as she’d clearly sensed something amiss. Her brows furrowed, and she shifted her stance, tightening her grip on her axe. A flicker of shadows to her left was all she needed to react, glowing red energy following as she stomped. “Not gonna w-.”

The Hound had emerged, but not in front of the Dark Lady, rather, directly behind. The trajectory the canine had used in the shadows clearly different to what Embla had anticipated. And the canine did not stop, the instant she’d been forced out of the shadows she shifted direction in a straight line towards Barry.

The human met the canine’s desperate gaze and something clicked, his eyes widening as he saw Embla dropping the axe and rushing to intercept. His body moved without thought, leaning forward and towards the Hound.

The Hound’s arms wrapped around his body, pressing him down, forcing him to the ground as she exposed her back to Embla’s incoming attack. Barry winced, feeling the dark-haired maiden press her face against his shoulder while her furry arms tightened around him into a protective hug.

No attack came, only the crunch of dirt as the Dark Lady came to a grinding halt. “What is the meaning of this?” Her voice came with a hesitant strained edge.

Barry’s eyes focused on the concerned look the Hound had as she met his gaze. “I think…” His hand reached out to touch the woman’s shoulder, seeing the canine relax ever so slightly as she eyed Embla warily. “I think… we’re bonded.”

The massive woman approached, kneeling next to the two of them and completely ignoring the snarl the Hound gave off as the dark-skinned maiden approached. Embla’s eyes were fixed firmly on Barry, her body glowing slightly with a reddish hue.

“You’re an otherworlder.” The Dark Lady spoke, almost with a gasp.

A wave of relief washed over the young human, he felt himself slump within the Hound’s arms and nod. “I just… I just want to go home.” His voice shook, almost exhausted, clearly too full of emotion. The canine tightened her arms around him, pressing his body against her own.

Embla hesitated, her eyes glancing at the Hound before she nodded, her right hand moving to press against her left shoulder. “If there is a way to take you home, I do not know of it.” She said, her expression a hardened look of determination. “But we can keep you safe.”

Barry could only nod.