Chapter 11

Henry Changes

Our hero awoke under freezing cold water, unable to move. He didn’t remember how he got there or even whether he was dreaming. All he knew was that he couldn’t breathe—and he began to panic.

Fortunately, Ava found him just in time. She dove in and pulled him out onto the snow. He coughed up water. It froze as soon as it hit the air. That’s when the pain returned. All at once, every bone in his body felt like it was on fire. He cried out in agony.

“Quiet!” growled Ava. She was relieved he was alive, but terrified he would attract more danger. Winter’s predators always accompanied the first storm. They needed to get out of there as soon as possible. She could check on him later. “Can you stand?”

Our hero could not. He couldn’t even move—but only whimper.

“Agh! Ava . . .”

He started tugging on her fur with the only arm that worked.

“What?” she asked coldly.

“I’m . . . I’m sorry . . .”

“Never mind that, now. Just keep quiet. We’ll have to carry you.” She kept looking over her shoulder and sniffing the air.

“O . . . okay . . .” the boy squeaked.

“Henry, come and give me a hand,” Ava called out. But there was no answer. “Henry?” She looked around for him. He was standing in the snow, not moving, not talking, not even blinking. No expression on his face either. He just stood there, staring.

“H-h-Henry . . .” the boy whimpered. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t . . . get it. P-please . . . help me . . .”

But he still wasn’t responding. It made Ava very nervous. She knew that look in his eye. She’d seen it in animals before. Finally, after it became perfectly clear our hero wasn’t getting back up, he spoke. His voice sounded very different from before—lower and more serious.

“Step aside, Ava. You know the rules. Look at him. He’s useless. He can no longer serve any purpose.”

Our hero didn’t understand, but Ava did.

“He’s fine! He’s just hurt, that’s all.”

“Gah hah! Just hurt? Please! Look at him! He won’t last the night—and you know it.”

The boy couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Henry . . .” he whimpered. “W-what are you saying? We’re friends!”

“Friends? Friends!? No, child. I don’t have any friends.”

“But . . . you said . . . you told me . . . and what about—”

“But nothing! I tricked you! Get it? I pretended to be your friend. Those were all lies! I just wanted to eat you! That’s why I brought you here. Gah hah! I knew you’d be dumb and desperate enough to climb! I knew you’d fall. And now, you’re mine!”

You could almost hear our hero’s heart break in two. His eyes filled with tears. The pain was even worse than his broken bones.

“No!” growled Ava. “Over my dead body.”

“But I want him.”

“Well, you can’t have him.”

“Why?”

“Because I won’t let you.”

“Why!?”

“Because—he’s too important.”

“WHY?”

“I don’t know why!” said Ava. “I just know he is and that’s enough. You can’t have him. Not him. And if you try, you’ll have to go through me.”

“Fine,” snarled Henry. “Let us settle it the old way. By the ancient law of combat, I will claim him.”

He lifted his massive paw and drew out his claws. They were like a set of razor-sharp hooks. He smiled with all of his teeth. Ava bared hers as well. Her hackles shot up. She bent low, ready to charge. Henry charged first.

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“Grawr!” he shouted, like a battle cry. He began snorting and squealing like a pig with each stride. Snort, snort, snort! Wee! Wee! Then, he bellowed and roared like a bull. Moo!

Ava ducked under his paw as he swiped at her. It would have taken her head clean off. She bit into his side, tearing out a chunk of his flesh.

image [https://i.imgur.com/qeKxzIp.jpeg]

“Agh!” he cried. “Why, you little!” And he used his other paw to backhand her across the jaw. She flew into the snow. Ava felt dizzy after that, and before she could get up, Henry charged again. He headbutted her this time. She flew through the air and landed in the pond, the same pond she had pulled our hero from. Henry laughed evilly and snorted some more.

“Brah! Hah! Hah! Snort, snort, snort. Where are you? Snort, snort.” Henry went to the pond and found her. He sunk his claws into her and pulled her out. “Ah! Hah! Gotcha! Heh! Heh! Heh!”

He held her up, thinking she was defeated. But she suddenly squirmed free enough to slash him across his left eye. Henry wailed and howled in pain. But it wasn’t enough to make him let go. He still held Ava in his clutches—and now he was angry.

“Agh! My eye! So, you want to fight dirty, huh?”

He dunked her back under the water and held her there.

“Thought that was pretty funny, didn’t yeh!” he growled.

Our hero saw his friend flapping and struggling. Henry was drowning her. The boy knew she didn’t have much time. Henry started laughing again.

“Brah! Hah, hah, hah! Look at her squirm! Having fun under there? Hee, hee, hee!”

The boy looked around. What could he do? That’s when he saw his spear. It wasn’t far. Maybe he could use his one good arm to crawl and get it. Maybe he could get Henry when he wasn’t looking. Slowly, the boy crawled towards it, trying the best he could not to whimper from the pain.

“Die! Die!” Henry cried out. “Muah! Hah! Hah! Hah!”

Sometimes he would pull her out and give her a quick breath. But it was only because he wanted more time to enjoy drowning her. “Ho! Ho! Ho!”

Finally, our hero made it to his spear. But he couldn’t stand up. Even holding it hurt. Still, he knew he had to save his friend. So, with the little strength he had left, he turned himself onto his back and launched his staff like a javelin. He could feel his broken bones move and the cuts on his body open up more. It hit Henry, but wasn’t nearly strong enough to stop him. At least it distracted him enough to save Ava.

“Agh!” Henry yelped. He spun around with fury in his eyes and looked at the boy like he was going to charge him next. He lifted Ava out and slammed her on the ground.

“Now,” he growled. She couldn’t move. “I want you to watch this, Ava. I want you to see me eat him. I want you to hear his cries and begging. I’ll start with his toes. Then his legs! Then his knees! His fat little belly! And last, his face!”

Henry looked thoroughly like a monster now. He licked his lips and began kicking his back leg like a bull ready to charge. He let out a bellow. Our hero was frozen in fear. Then Henry ran at him—snorting and oinking like a pig again. Snort, snort, snort. Wee! Wee! Moo! Ava was down. Our hero had no more defenses. He was helpless. Wee! Wee! Snort, snort, snort! Henry ran right on top of the boy and then stood up on both his hind legs, like a giant. He looked down and roared at him.

image [https://i.imgur.com/tBXrKrM_d.jpeg?maxwidth=520&shape=thumb&fidelity=high]

The sound reminded the boy of being up in the storm. It was over. He knew it. He closed his eyes and braced himself for his doom. But just before Henry struck, he heard a sound in the distance . . .

It was howling. Not Ava’s howling. Ava couldn’t howl like that. This was something different. Henry recognized it.

“No . . . no . . .” he stuttered. He crouched down and listened again, unsure of whether it was real or just the wind. But then he heard it again. “Oh, no! He’s here! Maul and his pack!”

Maul was no ordinary wolf, reader. He was far bigger and stronger. Many didn’t believe he was a wolf at all, but a monster who was hiding in one. Even Henry was scared of him. Shuddering and trembling, he put his claws away and took off running as fast as he could.

“He’s gone,” Ava groaned. “Good riddance.”

The boy was sprawled out, already half-buried in the snow. It reminded Ava of when she first found him as a baby.

“Now,” she said. “Listen! You’ve got to get up. We’ve got to go. Henry is gone. But Maul will be here soon. He’s a thousand times worse. I can’t take him by myself. His pack will track us down and find us.”

“I can’t, Ava,” our hero whined. “Look at me. I can’t even move. Just leave me. I don’t mind. Like you said, everybody dies.”

“Enough of that!” she barked. “Move it, I said! I never asked for your opinion! On your feet, soldier! NOW!”

“Ugh . . .okay . . .” he squeaked. “I’ll . . . try.”

“That’s it!”

He tried to pick himself up, but just collapsed. Then they heard more howls. Ava knew the wolves would be there any second.

“Grr! Get up!” she barked, losing all patience. “GET UP! GET UP! GET UP! NOW!”

He tried again—but failed and fell even harder this time. Now he was screaming in pain.

“I can’t!” our hero cried. “I can’t . . . I’m sorry!”

“Blast!” said Ava. “Fine. Have it your way. I’ll carry you myself.” She got down, bit into his arm and threw him over her shoulder, onto her back. “Hold on,” she commanded him. “And bite down on my fur if you need to. This is going to hurt—a lot. And you’re going to need to be quiet. No more of this whining.” And she took off at full speed.

Ava hurried with him through the rest of Snake Valley and into the woods that led to their cave. She could hear them growling and hungrily panting behind her, snapping at their heels. Weaving through the trees, she leaped over some of the traps the boy had laid. Two of the wolves got caught in them. She kicked a third down a pit with spikes at the bottom. There was still no sign of Maul, but she could smell that he was close.

image [https://i.imgur.com/D4Q6BFb.jpeg]

Finally, she reached the secret back entrance to the cave. Just before the pack followed her in, she hit a switch the boy had made. Large, jagged stones dropped from the ceiling, crushing several more. Darkness and silence followed then, and our hero couldn’t tell whether he had lived or died.