-Ajax-

“I hate picking berries.’’ A grumbling came from my side. “I hate it, hate it, hate it.”

“Stop complaining Varic, we barely have to do anything today. The overseers aren’t even watching us!”

“I don’t care, Ajax, just look at my hands!” He raised them up showing the berry juice that stained them. “Do you see these?” He waved them in my face, the juice dripping down slowly. “Cause I don’t think you do.’

“Poor Varic brought low by berries,” I said laughing.

“Yeah, poor me.” A grin spreading across his face.

We continued to walk through the forest, the sunlight filtering through the eaves of the ancient trees rising up around us, with cool air blowing all around and greenery beneath our feet. It made a beautiful sight.

That was when I heard the growling and the pattering of feet.

Varic and I exchanged frightened and confused looks. The guards should have taken care of all the major predators.

Then we started to run.

I heard more yipping but this time coming from ahead of us, and with those yips came flashing shadows coming from our sides, severing the peace of the forest like a blade.

I was on high alert the adrenaline coursing through me, the wolves were on our tail and were gaining ground quickly. The forest was a blur of green as I sprinted as hard as I could, leaping over roots and weaving between trees.

I could smell the wolves behind me, a horrible smell of rot, and decay. I could feel the grass beneath my feet. Most of all though I could hear their growls, hear their yipping.

Varic was keeping up right behind me, breathing hard.

That was when he tripped. He had been running full tilt and had failed to see the snagroot, he went flying and then landed in a heap right in front of me.

I stopped, trying to help him up, but his foot was twisted in a way that no limb should be twisted and I could see the bone sticking out, its tip covered in flesh, and all I got for my efforts were screams of pain.

The yipping intensified and then suddenly stopped, leaving behind an ominous silence. I dragged Varic until we were backed up against a tree and then tried to catch my breath.

That was when I looked up.

The wolves were surrounding us, they were ugly, mangy things, but bigger than any wolf that I had seen before. There yellow teeth were bared and they started to slowly advance, growling.

“Varic, forgive me.” I said, gritting my teeth. I put him on back and started to climb. The wolves seeing what was happening started to close in faster, and then they started to leap. I felt a searing pain in my calf and look down to see wolf jaws clamped tight around it, before releasing its hold and tearing out a chunk of flesh with it.

Varic was wailing like a banshee, the bone in his leg starting to move and cut. I continued to climb ignoring the pain in my calf, the yipping was becoming louder and started to be replaced by growls. The rough bark of the tree was cutting my hands and Varic was restricting my airway. All I knew was that I had to continue, had to go on.

So I did, further up the tree until eventually I could go up no further and stopped putting Varic down and watching as the wolves circled round and round, yipping and growling. Varic calmed down, and with his face locked in a grimace asked.

“What are we going to do?”

“I don’t know, Varic.”

“I just don’t know.”