Grimmer (Sequel to Kailin)

Chapter 19: Battle of Dunbirth

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Tami

***

Daybreak came and I looked over, exhausted. These must be impossible numbers.

Lora from Traditional ran past me, ignoring my comment.

Corbin helped by coming to me and we finished another brutish thing. I don't think so.

Then, personally, I said, How long can Ana go like this? She isn't even watching.

Don't know, but I don't think she's dropping anytime soon.

After we finished that group that had tried to distract us, we had to scramble back toward the big city as Anaera had.

They were coming in waves then, one immediately replacing the one us wolves had mostly plucked off. But we arched as Ana, who was being driven by some force beyond us, tore through new ranks, then never failed to fall back to protect some... human. Her wild moved as a shadow of death larger than even some Grimmer.

It was still so dark, the only helpful light came from fires. I hugged up close to one twin or the other. I would act as the flanking set of teeth and they'd come up to finish the kill.

At first, when humans dove through our numbers too, the other elves and I had shrunk back. It seemed silly to keep trying to put up a fight here, so deep into the oncoming force and away from our allies, when they were so eager to take it over. Ana didn't stop though, and the wolves followed her without her realizing it. I had thought that maybe when the humans came to fight, too, Ana would want to shift back. Especially when we saw those attractive camp men she was supposed to be friends with. I would've shifted back if not to just impress one or two. Give a wink. Brush my hair away. Hey, I was linked, not off-limits. But anyway, where would I get with a human? Ha!

I scurried out from under Ana's massive figure as she was suddenly thrown in my direction. I snarled, at first thinking it was a horse or some grimmer or something as massive as that -- but when she snapped back at me, I smacked my jaws shut and quickly apologized. In the blur that she stood in, I felt suddenly intimidated. She was nearly an entire shoulder taller than I!

Just as quick as she fell she killed the one that had pushed her over.

I got caught watching her. That friend of hers, the cute major, claimed a spot not too far off. She refused to look at him. Like, even once, they both happened to meet their eyes, and she completely turned away from him and tried to work away. I whined to myself. Did she not agree with what I'd said earlier?

It seemed like with the next wave, the struggle became harder. Maybe it was just me being tired. It probably was. But no, maybe it was because they were fresh and we weren't.

No....

Then, suddenly, Others moving from the east. Moving fast.

I felt Ian through our connection stop. Then his rush to find someone he could relay the message to.

As if the Grimmer had been told as well, they split once more, leaving only those who were already locked in combat with some of us. We tried to chase them, but Ana immediately snarled through all of our minds.

Stay where you are.

The wolves all faltered and had to keep the positions. Commanders yelled over us at their men, selecting some groups to stay and others to follow. I didn't understand it but listened to Anaera. We had to. We looked over to her snarling figure, hanging over a dead mound, blood coating her bared teeth, her cheeks, her chest. Her hackles were raised and her legs were tensed, her claws digging into the fallen figure. I followed her look.