Wild Avalon

25

The sounds of the fight were even closer now. I thought I had more time. I thought I was faster. 'Too much time with books.' Hilda said in my head. Very calm all considered. Too calm. "Fate can decide whatever it wants. Any fight is up to you." Ignoring that she had spurred me on a few moments ago.

I kept moving. I could hear the creature that was tracking me follow all of my false trails. Howling out every time it realised I had led it astray with a false trail. Proving that I was being tracked. Regardless of how well I was hiding my scent, something was following me. Able to find me. I was going to need to outrun it. Or find a very very good place to hide. I had a feeling this forest wasn't full of secret bunkers that I would happen to stumble across. 

I needed an attack, a plan to stop whatever shifter was on my trail. I saw the trees up ahead get thinner. A field, with one lone, twisted tree with a trunk wider than some cars. I made sure it was obvious that was where I was. Running to the tree and starting to set my trap of rope lines. Getting others ready to try and do the world's quickest hogtie on whatever was following me. Every spare moment I spent trying to knot together the fastest net like object I could with all my remaining ropes and cords. When I could hear the monster crashing through the trees just at the edge of the field I stopped. Getting ready to swing the heavy fallen limb of the tree I had found. It was a strangely dense wood and very well shaped to be a club.

I stayed hidden behind the thick trunk of the tree. I felt protected in its presence. I had always liked trees. Growing up in the city, there weren't that many old, big trees to see. Those that were able to last in the concrete desert had personalities I could almost feel when I looked at them. City trees were survivors. This tree felt different. Had a different life. It was unlike any other tree I had seen. It's seed must have come from far away. Carried on an animal or a bird. Or maybe someone had explored here, eaten a preserved snack of their home land and the seed in some bread or snack fell and grew here.

My daydream about the tree was cut short. My trap sprung. I looked into the eyes of the predator that was following me. Truly shocked as I swung the heavy, well weighted club into a snout that looked like it was coming from Rama's face. Unlike anything I had ever seen before. Like a man and wolf as one. Walking on two legs, with a slightly curved spine. Long powerful arms with deadly claws on the end of each finger, matched strong, wolf like legs that were made to run. To chase.

I didn't have time to think, I reacted. The beasts leg got caught in my snare distracting him the same moment the club crushed into it's snout. "Oh you are perceptive aren't you. How pleasingly charming." I was distracted by a voice that seemed to come from the tree. Throwing my already weak net badly. I wasn't getting it right. I was going to lose this fight.

"Not today you aren't" I watched in horror and awe as roots lifted from the ground all around and did all the work of binding what had to be Rama. Those were his eyes even if they were yellow now. Rama was tangled in my net, my snare and now countless roots were binding him. Wrapped around every part of him. More continuing to wrap around him every second.

I turned to look at the tree. There was a face in the bark looking back at me."Hello Hildegard, I would lie and say I am surprised to see you here-" The bark shifted into a more stern visage, staring directly at me. "It would be dreadfully rude to lie to you." Hilda was not giving me any context.

"Umm, Hi. I'm Avalon. Hilda is not really telling me anything right now?" The tree had talked to Hilda, using her old name, had helped me. Maybe this tree spirit would continue to help me.

"Avalon. Of course you are. Well met indeed. You should run along. I have him contained for now, he will certainly remain strong after my strength wanes." The tree said, boughs waving me to run onward.

"That's Rama isn't it?" I asked. Just one question to confirm what I already knew.

"Rhemus, The first Lycan. You asked the wrong question." The face melded back into the bark. I looked back at the bound beast. Different wasn't a bad thing. I was a one of a kind shifter, Rama was something just as unusual. A true apex predator that had been stalking me all night. I took off at a run. As fast as I could push my body. It was a few hours past midnight. The night wasn't going to last much longer. I hadn't heard any signal from the Lycan King that he was free from my snares and ropes. That didn't mean he was still tied up.

I was secretly hoping that he would howl or in some other way give up his success upon breaking free. Giving me a signal to change my tactics. To continue to try and evade and out maneuver him until sunlight. As more time started to pass, I worried that he had learned his lesson, had stayed silent after breaking free and was drawing ever closer to me in the darkness. The tree had said the beast was the first lycan. A creature of legends.

'He said he can't leave his lands, If you keep going in one straight line maybe you can run over the boarder.' Hilda said. Helping but not helping according to her own rules and plans that she wasn't sharing. I had no better plan anyways than to pick a course and stay on it. I tried to add speed into moving along, letting the moon and stars guide my direction.