Guardians: Protectors of Light

Chapter 23

 "Someone needs to watch his back! You get in it," Valery snaps, pulling her bow back. "You aren't as skilled with a bow as I am."

Groaning, Angela moves to stand beside Valery, yanking her sword out. Sandra starts making her way down the tree to stand beside them, covering Valery's other side.

"Damn it all. If we die watching YOUR ass, I'm going to make you suffer for all eternity!" Angela shouts, taking a position.

Gavin moves swiftly, zig-zagging through the grass. Sandra takes her place beside Valery, her sword up and ready. The wolf steadies, looking at Gavin and back at them. Valery releases her grip, firing the arrow. It lodges itself right between the beast's eyes. It stills, dropping to the ground, dead.

"Good shot!" Angela cheers.

"It's ok," Valery sighs as Gavin nears them. "I dropped it."

Panting, face flushed, he takes a look back. The beast doesn't move. Sandra relaxes, dropping her blade.

"Come on down," Angela calls to those in the tree as Sandra slips her blade onto the sheath strung along her back. "We need to keep moving." Angela sheaths her own sword. "That howl would have been heard at the plantation. They are going to find the body of that thing and be on the lookout for the ones that killed it."

Gavin takes a moment to catch his breath as the other two climbs out of the tree.

Kalina grabs hold of the lowest branch and swings her way out, landing smoothly on the ground.

"That's how you get out of a tree," she grins. A quick squeak from up above, Savannah tumbles out of the tree, landing right on Kalina. Both tumble to the ground.

"And that is how you fuck up getting out of a tree," Valery teases, holding a hand out to Savannah.

"Are you alright?" Angela asks Savannah. Savannah nods, her eyes now dry, face pale.

"Liana keeps assuring me it will get better. Feeling them die," Savannah says.

Valery snickers quietly to herself. She also told me that bitter medicine would taste better over time. Guess what? She lied.

"The next copse of trees is about a mile away," Angela comments, leading them away from the wolf's corpse. "We can't lead them to camp. We'll wait there, spread out. Kill 'em, scatter 'em to the seven winds so we can't be tracked, and get back in time for marshmallows and smores!" Angela cheers with fake enthusiasm, trying to liven up the worn-out, overheated group. None return the grin.

Valery's tight-fisted grip on her bow doesn't loosen until they make it to the next copse.

"Drink up me guys. It's our last bit of water, so don't ask me for shit after this," Angela warns, handing out water bottles again. "Once you've finished, get ready for a fight. There shouldn't be too much space between us and them."

"I'll keep guard," Sandra volunteers. "I'll hang out a bit, away from here. Send out a birdcall when I hear them approaching. It will give you time to get into positions. I'll run in, guiding them into the trap."

"Don't let them get within firing range of you," Angela advises, pushing her bang out of her eyes. "The archers can take a position in that tree and pick them off. Us swordsmen will hang below in case any of them slip up." She orders as Sandra slips back out of tree cover.

"I'll make sure none leave," Kalina promises.

Gavin and Valery each claim a tree on the left and right side of the copes, eyes eastward. Savannah settles herself hidden behind a tree just behind Gavin, ready if he misses any. She takes a deep breath, calming the last of her shaken nerves. Angela picks a tree just behind Valery, ready to back her up. Kalina takes her position in the back, ready to finish off any who make it past them all.