Chapter Twenty-Eight Ruhlin #3
An affirming grunt as the creature scooped up the wolf’s twitching corpse and hurled it at the beast assailing Ohtera. The collision sent the sole surviving great wolf tumbling, enabling Ohtera to dart close enough to open its throat with a powerful sweep of her claws.
In the aftermath of danger, Ruhlin felt the onset of another transformation, though his awareness remained unaltered. The monster growled again, but it was a fading expression of annoyance. Wait! Ruhlin pleaded. Stay with me. You want to escape this place. So do I. Only together can we do this.
A change in the growl, curiosity mixed with doubt.
Also, Ruhlin felt a twinge to the stagna that didn’t come from any watching Ventra.
This was an internal spasm of muscle and sinew accompanied by a demanding snarl.
I don’t yet know how to remove it, he told the monster.
But I do know without question that it can be done.
He conjured the memory of the broken stagna Ohtera had shown him.
This time the answering growl held a grudging note of acceptance, albeit suffused with impatience.
We must wait our moment… Ruhlin began, his thought faltering at the sight of Ohtera stiffening in feral alertness.
She had been crouched alongside Delryk’s body, face grim as she surveyed his mangled form.
Then, nostrils once again flared, she spun about, the bones of her spine pronounced along the arc of her back.
“Be ready,” she told Ruhlin in a spittle-flecked rasp. “They’re not done with us.”
As she spoke another set of doors clattered open to unleash a fresh threat.
These moved with even greater swiftness than the great wolves, raising fountains of sand as they sped across the arena.
This time Ruhlin could identify them instantly, having seen others in the mountains around Tahrim Kyrn: snow leopards.
As the cats closed in, he felt the monster’s will begin to supplant his own once more, but not fully.
His vision became glazed with a red tinge, but this time he could follow events with a fresh clarity.
The leopards proved more wily than the wolves, darting close before wheeling away to circle their prey.
They maintained a wider gap between the monster and themselves, but appeared especially aggressive towards Ohtera.
Four of them formed a tight circle around her, lunging from different directions to slash at her limbs.
Despite his keenness to go to Ohtera’s aid, Ruhlin found himself incapable of compelling the monster to do so.
Fully distracted by the three leopards encircling them, it eschewed waiting for one to come close and launched an immediate attack.
Performing a fast, shallow leap, it pinned one of the creatures beneath its feet, crushing its spine and ribcage.
The others immediately took the opportunity to pounce, one trying to savage his legs while the other landed on his back, fangs latching onto his neck.
The monster’s joy surged anew as it whirled, delivering a bone-crushing kick to the leopard vainly attempting to tear flesh from his calf.
The cat sailed through the air, blood trailing from its gaping mouth, to land a dozen feet away where it lay still.
Reaching over his shoulder, the monster tore the second leopard free and, spinning, cast the screaming beast high in the air.
It sailed into the lowest tier of seating, immediately creating a storm of panic as spectators tried to flee its fury.
From the altered pitch of the crowd’s baying, Ruhlin concluded their fellow spectators found it most amusing.
Ohtera! Ruhlin shouted silently, trying to recapture the monster’s notice. My friend… Our friend.
The answering growl was rich in puzzled indifference, but he did consent to turn and regard Ohtera’s plight.
She had managed to dispatch one of the attacking leopards, but suffered for it.
Leaking blood from a bite on her leg, she sought to retreat from the remaining cats.
They showed no desire to let her, continuing to circle and lunge, succeeding in drawing blood as Ohtera fought them off.
We need her, Ruhlin told the monster. Without her, there will be no escape.
The monster gave an unconvinced huff but lost no time in launching itself at Ohtera’s tormentors. A few moments of joyous rending and tearing of feline bodies and it was over.
Standing in the centre of the arena, deluged by the crowd’s acclaim, Ruhlin half-expected another set of doors to open.
What would they face now? Bears, perhaps?
But a glance at the Vortigurn’s platform convinced him their ordeal was over.
The king’s shadowed form was gone. The crowd’s jubilation also told of a much appreciated end to the day’s entertainment.
“AMUNDYR!” they chanted, over and over, something that stirred a rumble of derisive contempt from the monster.
Thank you, Ruhlin told it. The slabs of muscle covering his limbs diminished quickly and the red tinge fled his vision. The monster’s parting growl held a curious note, a combination of threatening tones and nascent hope that Ruhlin translated as: I trust you. Do not betray me.