In what can only be described as an inappropriate response to the death and gore as well as the horror of the “wolflike creatures”. Zack started maniacally giggling as his brain thought of a meme he once saw featuring a “bearsharktapus”. He thought of the meme because these creatures were vaguely wolve like. If wolves had tiger paws, three glowing red eyes, spikes growing out of their body. Much like a bearsharktapus would be vaguely bear like if it was also a shark and a octopus. He realized being confronted with these creatures was so terrifying he may be mentally checking out of the situation.
Zack thought, however, they do really sound like wolves, weird.
Sophie looked at him and asked, “what could possibly be funny right now. Do you know what they are.”
Zack shot back before he had a chance to edit his thoughts, “Well they sure as fuck aren’t Bearsharktapuses, wait, Bearsharktapi?”
Sophie looking really annoyed said, “First, obviously they are not. Second it is pronounced Bearsharktapi when plural. Did you even go to primary school?”
Zack giggled in humor and terror, then he snapped his head back, “Fuck wait what, those are real?”
Marko shook his head and said, “Perhaps we should prepare to fight instead of arguing about the plural pronunciation?”
Zack asked with a high-pitched voice, “what are these things?”
Sophie replied, “Gevaudan, or more locally known as demon wolves.”
The wolves were all out in the open of the small farmstead. They stood five feet tall on all fours. They had matted silver fur and fangs that seemed to jump out of their mouth in all directions.
Zack thought, their mouths are strikingly like a tiger shark in terms of teeth, maybe the meme wasn’t that far off.
Zack slapped himself several times, ok this shit is real and I need to focus!
The Gevaudan were twenty feet away and closing as they began to circle the group. Teesa took action first; with impossible speed she jumped forward and decapitated the closest wolve and jumped back. The who move took less than a second. She was back by Sophie and Zack before the wolf’s head hit the ground. Zack flinched and let out a scream when Teesa landed back next to him.
He looked up and said, “Sorry, I just, um sorry. You are so fast; I was not expecting that.”
Teesa looked at Zack and said, “It is a one-time use move with a thirty-minute cool down. I thought it might scare the rest away.
Sadly, for them it had the opposite effect. The Gevaudan closed ranks and advanced on the adventurers. Zack pulled out his sword and immediately dropped it.
Sophie screamed, “For fucks sake, how have you survived this long?”
Zack picked up his sword. Filled with panic he said, “I have no idea, what do we do now?”
Marko replied, “we kill these disgusting dogs.”
With that he buried his axe in the back of one of the wolves.
Sophie sliced up the nearest wolf when Zack heard Teesa howl in pain. One of the wolves had his jaws wrapped around her leg. Zack leapt forward and buried his sword halfway through its neck. A moment later two wolves jumped Zack and he was down on the ground with them on top of him.
As Zack and the wolves hit the ground, Marko blindsided the wolves like a pulling guard in football. Both wolves crashed to the side. One with an axe buried in its head. The other stumbling around like it had a concussion.
Zack heard the deep wet thud sound of an arrow hitting its living target and the wolf dropped to the ground dead.
With half the wolves dead in the first minute of the fight the other wolves immediately fled into the forest.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
Zack sat on the ground trembling with fear and adrenaline. Teesa was howling in pain with several puncture wounds from the wolf’s bite. The sound of Teesa’s howling struck deep into Zack’s psyche. He understood and weirdly felt the pain Teesa was in. Immediately a sense of focus calmed his nerves. He ran over to Teesa and put his hand on her leg.
Instinctually he knew to pour energy of empathy and well-being into Teesa’s body. As he did the wounds stopped bleeding and began to close. Teesa went from howling in pain to staring at him.
Her stare was so off putting he pulled back from her leg as if touching her was inappropriate.
Zack said, “sorry, I uh…you sounded like you were in serious pain. I, um, was just trying to help.”
Sophie and Marko walked over and looked at Teesa’s leg. There was barely a mark where the wolf had bitten her.
Sophie looked at Zack in astonishment, “I thought Auntie Vita said you knew a little healing magic?”
Zack was suddenly confused, “I do, I mean I did, well yes, see I healed her.”
Sophie shook her head with a rueful smile on her face. “That was a lot more than a ‘little healing.’ That was a whole lot of healing, like upper-level mage magic.”
Zack gave an embarrassed smile.
Sophie chuckled as she said, “I guess we now know how you have survived this long.” She patted Zack on the back.
Marko said, “did anyone notice one of the wolves was killed by an arrow? None of us fired a bow. Someone else is here with us, there must be some survivors.”
Sophie froze with the revelation and began to scan the area. About forty feet away a young woman exited a barn with a long bow slung to her back. She walked over to the group with her hands up in a non-threatening gesture.
She said, “Nice of you all to show up? We could have used the help a week ago.”
Sophie responded curtly, “We learned about the quest a few hours ago and came right here. You are welcome by the way.”
The woman looked very angry at first, however a moment later she burst into tears. “They are all dead. My whole family. The fucking demon wolves killed them all. I have been holed up in that damn barn for four days.”
Sophie’s face softened and Teesa walked over and gave her a hug. “Are you really the only one left?”
The woman sobbed as she fell into Teesa’s arms, “Yes, they got the jump on us. We didn’t stand a chance against 30 of those demon wolves.”
Sophie asked, “thirty, we saw twelve. Did you manage to kill some?”
The woman responded, “it was so fucking weird. Every time one of them died two others would drag the bodies of into the woods. They left our bodies lying out to be feasted on. I killed 15 of them over the past few days trying to prevent them from eating my families remains.”
Zack chimed in, “Thank you for killing the wolf that jumped me.”
She nodded at him. There was an awkward silence when Sophie spoke up again. “I am so sorry for your loss here. I cannot imagine how horrifying the past week has been. My name is Sophie, this is Teesa, Marko, and Cor. We just found about your family’s quest for help a few hours ago.”
She sat quiet for a second and then said, “My name is Autumn Grace. My husband is, well was Thomas Malina. We just moved back here to take over the family farm. Now they are all gone.”
Autumn started sobbing again.
Sophie and Teesa took Autumn to the main house while Marko and Zack attempted to clean the area up and get a burial spot installed for the Melina family.
Later than evening they were all in the Malina family home considering their next step.
Sophie asked Autumn if they could stay there tonight as they were off to another quest in the morning. Autumn said it was no problem. She got them set up with bedding and retired to her bedroom upstairs.
The four of them sat in silence in the living room staring at the sunset through the big picture window.
Finally, Sophie asked, “so Cor, what happened to you during the fight today?”
Zack face flushed with embarrassment, “yeah that shit was terrifying. It happens so fast. The fight I mean. There just isn’t time to think. You all just jumped into action. I totally panicked. Sorry guys.”
Teesa spoke up, “Well I think you redeemed yourself with your stealthy healing skills. Thank you by the way, that would have taken weeks to recover from.”
Marko with a small hint of suspicion asked, “Cor, what you did for Teesa was amazing. But I can’t help wondering where you learned healing magic?
All three looked at Zack. Zack froze as he was not sure how to explain this.
Zack said, “Um from people back home.”
Hoping they would not press further.
They did press further.
Sophie said, “I feel like there is more to this than you are saying.”
Zack looked back and said, “Ok this is going to sound weird. Sometime when I use magic the input doesn’t match the output.”
Sophie said, “Go on.”
Zack sighed, “that’s it, I am not sure why it happens. Sometimes when my emotions are high, or I am stressed out it seems to enhance my magic. I cannot explain it.”
They looked at him in silence.
Zack struggling with the silence asked, “ok level with me, how weird is that?”
Sophie responded, “Pretty weird. However, not unheard of.”
Marko said, “I had a crazy great uncle back when I was a kid who used to say the same thing. Some nonsense about natural magic. I have no idea what that was supposed to mean.”
Teesa looked at Marko and said, “natural magic? What the heck is that? Sophie you ever heard of natural magic?
Sophie took a long look at Zack like she was trying to decide something.
Then she shook her head, “Nope never heard of it.”
Zack internally breathed a sigh of relief. It looked like his story held. He admonished himself to temper his magical output in the future to match their expectations.