Stranger Passing: The Sword and the Flame Novella

Chapter 7

With the pitcher full, Surie set it to the side and began rising to her feet when she heard a grunt behind her. "Eron?" When she turned, the terror at seeing the large dire wolf in the grass caused her to fall back into the stream, crying,

He hadn't meant to be seen, but Cimble's desire for meat helped his instinct to override his mental faculties once more. His grunt was based more on being so close to ending the conflict within him than to terrify his prey. Once it was done he couldn't undo it, so he stepped out from the grass in a slow, measured stride intended to further terrify his prey. By his third step the little one sat in the water crying, not even bothering to try to call for help. Gleeful he was about to feed, the dire wolf tensed his leg muscles to leap at the young girl when a stone struck the side of his head.

"Get away from her!" Eron threw another stone that struck the dire wolf's left shoulder.

With a guttural growl, the dire wolf turned his attention towards the boy. Cimble hadn't noticed him before, but all it meant was he'd have two meals instead of one. So much the better. He took a step towards the boy, thinking it'd be better to take care of the one with the rocks first. Cimble's mistake was taking his eyes away from Surie. Without his menacing face, she found her voice and began screaming.

Surie's scream carried over the village of Glensford, causing the townsfolk to look up from what they were doing out of curiosity. All except for Reinhart. Before the sound had a chance to die, he was on his feet, racing towards the source before anyone else realized something was wrong. He could hear Milda yelling something, but the sound of her voice began to fade as he covered the few hundred yards to the house.

The sound of the scream might have faded, but it continued to burn in Reinhart's mind as he leaped over a pair of Halflings standing in his way. Somewhere along the way he realized he lost his cloak, but he shook it off as not being important at the moment. As he closed on the house a second scream cut through the air from the stream. Pivoting on his left foot, he sprinted towards the water with his right hand locked on the handle of his sword. While being ready to draw it at a moment's notice, he hoped it wouldn't be needed.

Cimble turned on the girl after her second scream. His previous intention to feed was all but forgotten and his instinct screamed at him to run while he could. Angry at himself for losing control, but more so at the little one for making so much noise, the idea of being banished yet again through no fault of his own ignited a fire and pride in him he thought was dead. The rocks the boy continued to throw bounced off of his haunches with no effect. The time to stalk his prey had passed. Now he would show them why he was the alpha of the pack. With a snarl, the dire wolf launched at the girl for the killing attack.

Eron watched as the beast turned back to his sister, causing his heart to leap into his throat. He wanted to move, to help her, but he couldn't will his legs to move for what felt like an eternity. When they did begin to work, he knew he wouldn't make it in time and, if he did, what could he hope to achieve? The beast's haunches were at least six inches taller than him! All of that didn't matter when the dire wolf launched towards Surie. Towards the sister he talked into coming with him because he wanted her to forgive him. Towards the sister he'd led into the jaws of death.

Another scream pierced the air but it hadn't come from Surie or himself. To Eron's surprise, Reinhart exploded from the long grass to their right and drove a shoulder into the side of the dire wolf while it was in mid-leap. Wrapping his arms around the beast to keep it from getting loose, the pair landed in the stream, sending water and rocks flying from their struggle.

The sight caused Eron to pause until they were out of his line of site. Seeing his terrified sister still in the stream, he ran towards her, desperate to get her away from the dire wolf and any danger. As soon as he reached her, he began trying to pull his sister out of the water, but Surie remained where she sat, her eyes transfixed on the struggle between the beast and Reinhart.