Lost! [A Northworld Viking Saga]

Throb!

The wolf stopped circling him and sat down a short distance away.

"Can you speak?" Thorgaut asked him. "Are you one of the mythical talking animals I've heard of?"

The wolf cocked its large black head to the side. It remained completely immobile and unflinching for a long time.

The other wolves gathered around it and sat too.

It was unnerving and Thorgaut didn't know what to make of this turn of events. So, he remained still as well and stared back at them.

The black wolf turned to the yellowish-red wolf and snarled a command. It stood up immediately and approached Thorgaut cautiously.

It was almost close enough for Thorgaut to reach out and touch. But he didn't do that of course. It was a tense moment.

He remained perfectly still with his arms crossed in front of his chest still holding the arrows.

Thorgaut wanted to move. He was still hanging upside down which was uncomfortable to begin with. But now his muscles began to burn from the tenseness and stillness he tried to maintain.

For some strange reason, Thorgaut realized he didn't feel fear. The animal didn't seem intent on harming him at the moment. It was as if the animal was analyzing him for some reason.

After a minute or so, the wolf turned around and walked back to the rest of the pack where they seemed to be conferring among themselves. Thorgaut had no idea how though. He couldn't actually hear them say anything.

The wolves seemed to have reached a decision. They separated and spread out around him. The black wolf went to his right. The white wolf to his left. The gray wolf went around behind him where he could no longer see it.

Thorgaut twisted his head for a minute to try to see where it was going. He caught a glimpse of it but turned back to keep an eye on the yellowish red wolf that was still in front of him.

All four wolves stepped in closer and tightened the circle around Thorgaut. things didn't look good, and he realized that staying still wasn't fooling them into thinking he was dead. And they sure didn't seem to plan on leaving anytime soon.

"Hey!" Thorgaut yelled at the top of his lungs. "What's going on? What are you all doing?"

The wolves paused when he started to yell. The yellowish-red Wolf snarled quietly as if it was telling him to hush up. Then it took a step closer. Its eyes bored in on him. The wolf's eyes began to glow softly. Thorgaut squinted looked at it more closely. The glowing eyes of the wolf really weirded him out. A chill of fear ran down his spine.

"What are you doing to me, you demon-wolf!" Thorgaut shouted in its direction. But it didn't stop. Its eyes shone even brighter.

Thorgaut looked wildly around the other wolves surrounding him. They had all stopped as well, but their eyes were not glowing like the yellowish-red wolf. It took another step closer. Thorgaut's ears began to ring and he felt a buzz in the back of his head. He could almost feel it's snarl vibrating at the base of his skull.

He closed his eyes tightly trying to squeeze the vibrations out of his head, but they only got stronger. He opened his eyes once again, and his head throbbed with pain. The glow in the wolve's eyes dimmed and brightened in sync with the throbbing he felt.

"Was he being hypnotized by a wolf?" Thorgaut asked himself. His mother had never told him any stories about strange wolves with glowing eyes. This was pretty freaky. none of his friends would ever believe him if he made it back alive.

The throbbing came in faster and more intensely. The pain in his head was excruciating. Thorgaut senses seemed to become sharper and more acute with each passing throb. He could sense each of the other wolves around him and their connection to each other. Even the gray wolf that was behind him still sitting quietly.

Just when Thorgaut didn't think he could take it any longer, the black Wolf to his right gave a low growl. The yellowish red Wolf took a step back. Its eyes stopped glowing in the throbbing immediately stopped. Thorgaut blacked out.

When he came to he didn't know how long he had been out. His head still hurt like crazy. He opened his eyes and found the yellowish red wolf right up in his face. both of his arms were hanging down towards the ground. The arrow had fallen out of one, but the other was still resting in his right hand with its tip against the ground.

Thorgaut reacted instantly, closing his fingers around the arrow bringing it up swiftly towards the wolf head. The wolf tried to leap back, but it was too close and not in a very good position to get out of the way in time.

The jerked its head towards his hand to see what was going on. Thorgaut couldn't have planned it any better. He drove the arrow deep into the wolf's left eye. He didn't let go and slid his hand down the shaft as he continued to push it in.

The Wolf couldn't pull back because the arrow was locked into its head. Since Thorgaut arm was so close it twisted its jaws into his arm and snapped its sharp fangs down into his flesh. 679

Art screamed again in pain and fury. These crazy animals would not give up. Every time you turn around they were trying to bite him. This was ridiculous. He needed to find a way to put a stop to it. but now all his arrows and rocks were gone. And he sure didn't think you have a shot at diplomacy here anymore.

He reached out with his other hand and grabbed onto the arrow as well. He pressed the arrow even harder deeper into the wolve's eye until it finally let go of his forearm. It raced off into the woods with its yellowish-red tail between its legs.

Thorgaut glanced briefly at his wrist. There was a lot of blood, so he couldn't see exactly how bad the damage was. But it seemed that the leather band he used to protect his write while shooting a bow had protected his arm from the worst part of the bite. He sighed in relief as he twisted around to see what the other three wolves were up too.