"Hello?" Brett whispered.
"Brett, this is Adelaide. We're up a tree. They have us surrounded." Adelaide's voice shivered. "They're just standing below us, nineteen... twenty eight wolves and three that look like humans. It seems like they're waiting for something."
Brett cursed and dropped to the earth, bending his knees and tucking into a roll. He sprang up and was running, the phone never leaving his ear. "I'll be there in a minute."
"No, don't! Emily's doing something, I think we're going to try a flying spell or something."
Brett was already closing the distance. The woods were silent except for his own panting breath. The moonlight was now edging above the horizon, and by its light Brett could see the clearing. A semicircle of wolves, eyes gleaming yellow, waited for him.
Emily and Adelaide were standing on a slim branch roughly twenty feet above the ground, Levi supported between them.
The wolves just stood their in the cold. As he approached, the three human-looking ones Adelaide had mentioned were in the process of completing their transformations to wolf. Slowly Brett stepped into the circle of moonlight illuminating the clearing.
"Ah, you've arrived," a voice growled out of the darkness. The other wolves stayed still. "Well, we didn't want to kill them without you here."
Slowly, melting out of the darkness, a monster wolf appeared, and Brett's heart sank. Each of the other wolves was the size of a small horse, but next to this new one they were like puppies. This new wolf had red eyes the size of dinner plates, and a head the size of a dumpster. Its shoulder brushed tree limbs fifteen feet off the ground. Despite its size, the great black beast stalked as silent as an owl. Its great claws tapped the ground gently. It sat on its back haunches next to the tree of the girls and Levi. Adelaide stifled a scream as the great beast snuffled inches away from her leg, the air from its nostrils blowing ruffling her shirt and hair. She kicked at the nose, and it twitched.
"I like my dinner with a little kick," The beast purred, a rumbling sound that caused Brett's whole body to vibrate. It licked its lips hungrily, eyeing Brett's friends just above its head. Then it glanced back at him. "I could eat them all before you had a chance to cross the clearing," it crooned.
"But you won't," Adelaide interrupted it. Her voice shivered, thin and flat in the cold air, but she continued. "You're a bully and a coward. You don't want to face all of us. You're afraid." She forced herself to look down into the eyes of the wolf.
"Coward!" Levi shouted angrily. "You send four giant wolves to kidnap a scrawny guy like me?" He pointed out into the darkness, "How many wolves do you got, fifty? Yeah, my pal Brett's got you running scared." He coughed, and Adelaide held on to him as speckled of blood stained his lips. Still, he continued. "They follow you because you're bigger and meaner, but none of you could win an even fight if your life depended on it."
Next to them on the branches, Emily was chanting quietly. Pale lights, a sphere of runes, bloomed around her and the two others.
The monster creature opened its mouth, tongue lolling to the side. "Oh, this is too much!" A yipping kind of horrible gurgle erupted from its throat, and Brett realized it was laughing. "Yes, you caught me. I'm a bully." It leaned against the tree the three were in, rubbing its shoulder against the bark. With every movement the tree shuddered, tossing Adelaide, Emily, and Levi around. "I'm completely defenseless against a cripple, two little girls, and a child with a sword." It rubbed more vigorously, and Levi fell out of the tree. A crack was heard when he hit the ground, and Levi screamed in agony. Brett could tell that his leg was broken.
"Let them go!" He screamed, finally finding his voice. "I'm the one you want. They've got nothing to do with this!"
Adelaide dropped out of the tree and rushed to Levi's side. Emily made her way down as well, but as she was stepping from one branch to the next the great wolf grabbed her by the leg and flung her into the center of the clearing. The brilliant glowing runes she'd summoned winked out.
"Let them go? But they're godspawn, just like you, little boy," the beast purred.
Brett made to run to the center of the clearing to check on Emily, but two of the smaller wolves sprang into his way, teeth bared and growling.
Brett felt and answering growl escape his own lips. A low rumble echoed in his ears, and the ground shivered again beneath his feet.
"Oh let him pass," the huge one said, and the two smaller wolves slinked away, snapping and growling, but leaving.
Brett ran to Emily, who was just sitting up. "Are you okay?" He asked.
"Well, I have a slash on my leg from that thing's teeth, and I just got thrown thirty yards." She said, holding her head in her hands. "Despite a killer headache, I think I'll be okay." She grinned up at him. "I did it."
"Ah, you've arrived," a voice growled out of the darkness. The other wolves stayed still. "Well, we didn't want to kill them without you here."
Slowly, melting out of the darkness, a monster wolf appeared, and Brett's heart sank. Each of the other wolves was the size of a small horse, but next to this new one they were like puppies. This new wolf had red eyes the size of dinner plates, and a head the size of a dumpster. Its shoulder brushed tree limbs fifteen feet off the ground. Despite its size, the great black beast stalked as silent as an owl. Its great claws tapped the ground gently. It sat on its back haunches next to the tree of the girls and Levi. Adelaide stifled a scream as the great beast snuffled inches away from her leg, the air from its nostrils blowing ruffling her shirt and hair. She kicked at the nose, and it twitched.
"I like my dinner with a little kick," The beast purred, a rumbling sound that caused Brett's whole body to vibrate. It licked its lips hungrily, eyeing Brett's friends just above its head. Then it glanced back at him. "I could eat them all before you had a chance to cross the clearing," it crooned.
"But you won't," Adelaide interrupted it. Her voice shivered, thin and flat in the cold air, but she continued. "You're a bully and a coward. You don't want to face all of us. You're afraid." She forced herself to look down into the eyes of the wolf.
"Coward!" Levi shouted angrily. "You send four giant wolves to kidnap a scrawny guy like me?" He pointed out into the darkness, "How many wolves do you got, fifty? Yeah, my pal Brett's got you running scared." He coughed, and Adelaide held on to him as speckled of blood stained his lips. Still, he continued. "They follow you because you're bigger and meaner, but none of you could win an even fight if your life depended on it."
Next to them on the branches, Emily was chanting quietly. Pale lights, a sphere of runes, bloomed around her and the two others.
The monster creature opened its mouth, tongue lolling to the side. "Oh, this is too much!" A yipping kind of horrible gurgle erupted from its throat, and Brett realized it was laughing. "Yes, you caught me. I'm a bully." It leaned against the tree the three were in, rubbing its shoulder against the bark. With every movement the tree shuddered, tossing Adelaide, Emily, and Levi around. "I'm completely defenseless against a cripple, two little girls, and a child with a sword." It rubbed more vigorously, and Levi fell out of the tree. A crack was heard when he hit the ground, and Levi screamed in agony. Brett could tell that his leg was broken.
"Let them go!" He screamed, finally finding his voice. "I'm the one you want. They've got nothing to do with this!"
Adelaide dropped out of the tree and rushed to Levi's side. Emily made her way down as well, but as she was stepping from one branch to the next the great wolf grabbed her by the leg and flung her into the center of the clearing. The brilliant glowing runes she'd summoned winked out.
"Let them go? But they're godspawn, just like you, little boy," the beast purred.
Brett made to run to the center of the clearing to check on Emily, but two of the smaller wolves sprang into his way, teeth bared and growling.
Brett felt and answering growl escape his own lips. A low rumble echoed in his ears, and the ground shivered again beneath his feet.
"Oh let him pass," the huge one said, and the two smaller wolves slinked away, snapping and growling, but leaving.
Brett ran to Emily, who was just sitting up. "Are you okay?" He asked.
"Well, I have a slash on my leg from that thing's teeth, and I just got thrown thirty yards." She said, holding her head in her hands. "Despite a killer headache, I think I'll be okay." She grinned up at him. "I did it."
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