Chapter 33 #3
Honestly, I could stay and watch this all day, but four Axis wolves have spotted me and are charging in my direction.
I growl and reach into their consciousnesses, each of them faltering, howling in pain, then falling to the ground in quivering piles of dirt-matted fur.
Knowing I can’t stay back any longer, I jump into the battle, using a mix of my speed to evade attacks, what little physical strength I have to keep my would-be attackers at bay, and my blood-wolf powers to render them emotionally incapacitated.
Somehow, Jasper and I end up in the same small clearing, standing back-to-back, fighting off each and every wolf that comes our way.
Jasper snatches a wolf between his mighty jaws and tosses it across the clearing, and before it can rise I latch on to its deepest darkest, most painful memory and amplify it tenfold. The wolf collapses.
“Nice work,” Jasper says, his wolf winking at me, before spinning to swipe at an approaching attacker.
We fight and we fight, but no matter how many Axis wolves we seem to defeat, more appear.
As if their numbers are infinite, the Axis Pack continue to flood the forest, their wolves beginning to spread out as they realize we’ve managed to funnel them into three streams.
“They’re breaking off from the pack,” I communicate to our troops. “Don’t let them get past the tree line.”
But as our numbers are divided, going after the Axis wolves who’ve abandoned their stream, Walter’s advantage comes into play. We’re severely outgunned and with our formation fractured, more and more Axis Wolves are slipping past.
“Rocky Pack!” I call out, connecting with our allies stationed around the camp perimeter. “Get ready! They’re breaking through!”
Through the eyes of the Rocky Pack, I’m able to see when the first line of Axis wolves emerges from the tree line, charging at them like rabid zombies.
“Mason, watch your back!”
A frenzied rogue has snuck up on Mason but on my warning, he spins and is able to fight him off.
The Rocky Pack is strong and their numbers great but even still, it doesn’t take long till they’re suffering as much as we are.
Morven is quickly overrun, as formidable a fighter as he is, even he can’t defend against ten, twenty rogues. All around me Jasper’s wolves are beginning to fall as well. The onslaught is becoming too much.
Desperately, I spread my mind out across the battlefield to check on the status of our troops, hoping someone can come to our aid. But as my consciousness flies like a bird through the trees I’m met with complete and utter devastation.
Salazar fights on bravely, but he’s losing ground and wolves fast. Our troops lie scattered under the pounding paws of our attackers, who are still coming like a herd of antelope, unstoppable, innumerable. Surely, this is more than ten thousand.
Olivia is cornered, back up against a pine tree, with five wolves, snarling and snapping, about to close in.
I check in on the volunteer brigade, but they’ve been completely disbanded, broken apart like a shattered vase.
Aisha is alone, fighting for her life, but she’s wounded, a deep gash is spilling blood from her side.
Omar comes charging through a wall of Axis wolves to stand with her, snapping fiercely, but he’s hopping on three of his legs, one of them hangs limply behind him. Yet more Axis wolves descend on them.
I try to think of what to do. How can we regroup?
Finally, the pain of the injured and terrified becomes too much.
I’m no longer simply a witness, the cries of the Elite Pack tear through my soul, the pained howls of the Rocky Pack.
Aisha’s burning wound, Omar’s broken leg.
Katie is sweating, overwhelmed at the volume of injured limping or being carried into the great hall.
There are no free beds left, and there is so much blood.
Across the clearing Jasper is still battling. But it’s four against one. And as he’s distracted by the three wolves in front of him, the fourth is able to leap onto his back, its teeth tearing into Jasper’s neck.
A scream is ripped from my lips as Jasper’s blood is spilled.
Jasper drops to the ground as his attackers overtake him.
Blood flows across the soil, seeping in, poisoning the land.
The world has turned red.
Everything is pain.
We’re outnumbered.
Wounded.
Done for.
And still Axis wolves continue to flood the forest.
I spin in circles as the wounds of my people stab at my brain, knocking me sideways, making me too dizzy to stand.
This is it, I think, as a wolf at least twice my size saunters from the edge of the clearing, a sadistic grin spreading on his curling lips, saliva dangling from the corner of his mouth, his eyes sickly yellow.
“Walter says hi.” This wolf speaks to me, somehow able to communicate via mind-link.
I try to block out the noise, to ignore the pain and the cries of my people, so that I can use my powers to take out this hulking demon wolf, but it’s too much.
Too loud. The hurt is too great.
Even without four wolves pulling me down, my legs buckle under the weight of it all.
The yellow-eyed monster towers over me, his lips curling back.
I’m powerless. Too worn out to move, my mind split in pieces.
“Max!” Jasper calls out, his voice hoarse and pained even in my mind. He’s still fighting, even though there’s no way he can win, even though he’s bleeding and broken.
“Jasp,” I say back. “I’m—”
The wolf above me opens his maw wide, ready to tear out my throat.
“Long live the alpha.”
My eyes snap closed as I ready myself for the stab of his bite.