Chapter 47 - Trapped

Antrandis stood, his fur gently rippling with the breeze. Snowshadow at his side as they stood on the outskirts of the ruined town. A low and wide bridge still mostly intact where the river branched off from the main flow, cutting a path around the town. He could smell the children’s scent, his heightened senses making short work of tracking their movements. They had passed this way. His nose twitched involuntarily.

“Do you smell that too?” he asked.

Snowshadow looked at him, “Unfortunately.”

“That is wolf, isn’t it?”

“That is the same scent that was at their trail earlier today.” she replied.

He looked at her. Her look of puzzlement matching his own.

“It is not a were, a hybrid maybe?” she said dipping her head to sniff the ground again, before pulling up with a look of distaste on her face, baring her fangs and rasping her tongue over her teeth as if she had tasted something terrible.

He shook his head, “We can work it out when we catch or kill one.”

She nodded as she watched the last rays of sunlight disappear from the valley. A howl rang out clear as the red glow of the partial eclipse took over the sky. Antrandis padded forward a few steps, the silence in the valley palpable as the night turned black, the ruins were dark.

Faint light from the stars reflected in his large eyes as he glanced around,“They are hiding, somewhere in there. There is no fire.” he said.

Snowshadow nodded, peering along the river, picking out the movement in the water with her sharp vision. A sudden flickering light cast its sharp glow between the buildings.

“The wolves are crossing at what is left of the main bridge. Wait, fire? Centre of the town.” she said with urgency flavouring her words.

Antrandis started to move, breaking into a loping run along the riverside. Snowshadow caught up to him and matched his pace.

“Judging from the size of the fire, they think it will keep the wolves away.” he said.

“They wouldn’t know about the dire wolf. She is commanding them.” said Snowshadow in return.

Running, reaching the first of the buildings, they found themselves bathed in firelight from above. They both stopped running, dropping into a walk, watching the ball of fire grow over the river. Antrandis narrowed his eyes, not quite believing what he was seeing. Snowshadow stopped beside him, the firelight casting strong flickering shadows throughout the ruins.

“A fireball?” she said.

He nodded as it hit the surface, steam rising furiously.

“Whichever one it is, understands basic tactics. Cut off reinforcements.” he said as he glanced around the ruins, his eyes searching for wolves.

“It is not finished Antrandis, something is happening.” she said.

They both came to a stop, watching intently as ice formed in the sky over the river, where the clouds of steam were but for a short moment. Antrandis watched curiously, taking a step forward.

“Ice?” commented Snowshadow with surprised tone.

Suddenly he understood, eyes wide, “No, cover your ears, Shadow. Quick, behind the wall!”

She glanced at him as they ran, sudden, bright light blooming over the whole area, turning the night to day. They both slid behind the wall, burying their heads between their paws, protecting their ears as an unexpectedly large, concussive explosion rocked the valley. After a few short moments, Antrandis looked up, peering over the wall as debris showered down around them. He took stock of the situation as his ears rang, despite the disbelief in what he had just witnessed.

“The ruined bridge, it is gone. They just blew the whole damn bridge away.” he said in exasperation.

Snowshadow was already at the water’s edge, checking the opposing side of the river. Chunks of bloodied wolf fur laying nearby among some rocks from the bridge.

“My love, those children just halved the wolves. Winter was not wrong in saying they are powerful.”

Antrandis shared a long look with Snowshadow as they both thought the same thing. Sudden movement in the distance caught Antrandis’s eye, a shadow running in between some ruined buildings. Within a moment, another flash of light burst out from near the centre of the town. They exchanged glances again and broke into a run. Meeting with the main road that ran parallel to the river and heading for the centre of the town.

Tiffaniel opened her eyes slowly. Everything was blurry, the smell of cinders, burnt hair and scorched flesh around her. The last few seconds had been an incomprehensible blur. She shakily lifted a hand, ice cracking and falling from her skin. Was that blood dribbling down her arm? She remembered being dragged and flames, everywhere. There was something shaking against her, a limp quivering. Her brother’s eyes were like two days before, clear blue sapphires with flames pouring from them, though this time his orange flames were entwined with blue, and then he snapped his fingers. Unlike two days before, they were not filled with fear and desperation, instead anger and purpose.

His voice was suddenly in her ear, his hand gripping hers, “Don’t look.”

She kept her eyes closed.

“Tiff, are you hurt?”

She shook her head. Apart from the limp quivering at her side and a roaring that filled the night, she felt fine, even her ankle had stopped aching.

“We have to move, Tiff.”

She looked up into Groyven’s flaming eyes, the obvious concern on his face, or was it fear? She noticed the ice melting from her hand.

“We have to move now, Tiff! Now!” he said forcefully while dragging at her hand, pulling her up.

She struggled to get her legs under her, dazedly looking about, it was so bright, everything was so bright. Everything was on fire. But wasn’t it night? She felt his hands grabbing the sides of her face, she looked into his eyes, blinking slowly, confused as vertigo hit.

“Tiff! Don’t pass out, please! We must go. Now!” he yelled at her.

“Why, why are?” her vision faltered, swimming, “Don’t, don’t yell at me, Ven. I said, I said I was sorry.” she tried to pull out of his grip, struggling.

Turning, she caught sight of something black, shaking, wracked with spasms on the ground, blood splashed and soaking the stones of the road. She looked at her hands, she hurriedly wiped them on her robes, but it just made them worse. So much red. So much blood. She pulled at her robes, they were sticky and clinging uncomfortably to her skin. She heard a sharp click then a dull boom thundered off to her left.

“Tiff!”

Suddenly everything came into sharp focus as she looked at the headless body of the wolf, teeth, blood and bone splinters littered the ground around her. She bent over and threw up, retching, realising what had happened. Another click and a light flashed off to the side, a roll of thunder splitting the air. She looked up, coughing, the taste of vomit in her mouth, there were walls of fire blocking off the immediate streets. Flaming wolf corpses littered the square; those that dared to jump through the walls were being immediately immolated.

She turned as she heard another sharp click, Groyven stood, arm outstretched, flames burning up the arms of his robes as another dull boom hammered through the square. She counted a number of empty ampules laying on the ground at his feet. How long had he been there? How long was she unconscious?

He started to scream, blue flames pouring from his eyes, gesturing to the walls with his clawed hands, making them burn higher.

He screamed her name without looking, “Tiffaniel, please!”

“I’m here.” she said from behind him, the air growing cold around her.

A strained smile came to Groyven’s face as he glanced at her. She was taking stock of the situation.

“Which way, Ven?” she asked.

He backed towards her, his eyes on the fires, gasping for breath, “Through the ruins, the side street I left open, it is just an alley. We run down there and come out near the waterwheel.”

She turned, immediately seeing the open alleyway. Looking to the left, she could see the dark forms of the wolves milling behind the walls of flame, their eyes gleaming murder in the firelight. She could feel Groyven behind her backing towards the opening. She barely flinched when she heard another snap of his fingers and rolling thunder, Groyven grunting with the effort. The faint clink of another ampule hitting the cobblestones and shattering.

“Go Tiff, right behind you.” he said as she watched increasingly bluer flame build in his eyes.

She turned and ran, ducking into the alley, Groyven right behind her, sealing the entrance with a deep fire while releasing the walls in the street. She looked back to see his silhouette, the fire behind him as he crashed into a wall. Time slowed as she saw the red eyes through the fire in the entrance, the black form of a wolf launching itself through the flames. Her eyes flared white, her hair flying with her hands outstretched. White mist forming instantaneously around her as she simultaneously drew the moisture from the air behind them. Drawing it forward and forming it into a jagged spear of ice that shot past her shoulder. It entered the wolf’s chest, impaling and reversing its momentum, throwing it back through the fire and out into the square like a rag doll.

She ran back and grabbed Groyven’s hand as he scrabbled to his feet, almost dragging him along as they ran down the alley. A howl arose to their right, yelps and rough barks responding to their left. They slid to a stop, at the end of the alley stood another black wolf, red eyes glowing, teeth bared and snarling menacingly.

“Tiff!” Groyven said, pushing her to the side, his arm out, fingers spread, a wall springing up between them and the wolf.

She glanced at him, “Which way?”

“Right, down here.” he grabbed her hand and guided them into the shell of what seemed to be a small warehouse or a town hall.

Groyven quickly set the alley behind them afire. They looked about, the entrance headed out to the main road. Immediately they both headed for it. Pulling up short, they heard growling just outside.

“Tiff!” Groyven harshly whispered, pulling her to the side, against the wall.

They quickly started to back up, heading back to where they entered in the hope that the black wolf had left. Groyven lowered the flames as they neared, keeping a close eye on the entrance while the white and grey wolf they saw earlier during the afternoon entered, teeth bared and snarling. Its pale eyes fixed on them. Groyven slowly raised his hand, his fingers poised to snap.

His eyes meeting the wolf’s. In that instant, he realised its eyes were not on him, but the alley exit behind them. The faintest flicker of movement, he grabbed at Tiffaniel and pulled her away from their planned exit, dragging her down as the wolf launched itself at where she stood. Ferocious biting and barking taking place as the white and grey collided and attacked the red-eyed black that burst into the room from behind them. They circled in the room, snarling, hackles raised, snapping at the air.

Groyven looked at the grey and white in confusion as it managed to place itself between them and the black, inching itself into the path as they snapped at each other. Without warning, the grey and white was torn off its paws, the black wolf slamming into it, knocking it down sideways and biting at its neck as it struggled to get its paws back under itself. Groyven felt a chill beside him, the black wolf looked up, its red eyes locked on Tiffaniel, blood dripping from its teeth as it snarled menacingly at her.

Without a moment to react, a deep resonating growl ripped though the room. Both Groyven and Tiffaniel looked to the entrance, the door way was filled with a large, dominating wolf. Its fur dark, the green webbing in its eyes flaring angrily. In one, explosive movement it was on the black wolf, tearing it to the ground, pinning it as it scrabbled to escape and in pure savagery bit at its neck, its teeth shearing clean through the meat until it crunched into the spine. Standing, lifting the instantly dead form and shaking it, the body and head fell to the ground, followed by the neck that the dire wolf tossed from its mouth. It turned, staring down the children as they watched in shock, it slowly raised its head and howled.

Shadow of the Eclipse: Chapter Timeline

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