I had never felt the sensation of being chewed on before, and it wasn't pleasant. Desperate, I jabbed my thumb into the wolf's eye again and again until it finally dropped me with a deafening howl. Racked with pain, I rolled down a nearby slope in a panic. I stood up on shaking legs and fled awkwardly through knee-high snow, hearing the heavy thumps of massive paws approaching.
A claw the size of a scythe blade grazed my back before I finally pushed enough air beneath my wings to escape. Danica leapt into the sky after me, but her snapping jaws came up empty.
"Your tricks won't save you. Next time we meet, I'll have wings!"
I darted between the trees as fast as I could. After putting enough distance between myself and the wolf, I took refuge in a canopy of evergreens. I laid across a wide branch, determined not to die from my wounds. It was clear I'd never be able to defeat Danica in a fair fight. My labored, quickened breath crystallized in front of me as I fought back pain and discouragement.
Changing between forms was exhausting and painful, but helped heal my wounds. After a dozen cycles the bleeding stopped and allowed me to concentrate on my next move. Time wasn't on my side—exposure would claim me if I didn't retaliate soon.
Then it came to me. Perhaps my meditative state could be used for something more direct than simply tracking magickal energy. Maybe those energies could be manipulated as well? Danica's power was potent but could be used against her.
My first effort failed. I attempted to draw the magick I needed from her remotely, which would have saved me time and spared me a fight. Sadly, it became clear that my experience within The Consecrated Planes was lacking, which left my abilities limited. I'd need physical contact to have any effect on her energies. With any luck, I would only need to lay my hands on the snarling nightmare for an instant.
Plan in place, I returned to the clearing on foot, knowing Danica would be expecting me to arrive from the sky. This time, the chaotic tracks in the snow revealed exactly where the bitch was hiding. I took a deep breath and crept close enough to strike. The beast's musky odor soon filled my nostrils.
"Monster! I have another joke for you!" The thick snow dampened the sound of my voice. With any luck, the leshi would have difficulty pinpointing my hiding spot behind the pines.
"Ah, the little sparrow returns!" growled Danica. "Tell me, then!"
"How many wolves did the hunter smoke out of the den?" I called.
Danica was already chuckling. "How many?"
"A pack per day!"
"Clever!" chortled Danica, before breaking into uproarious laughter.
YOU ARE READING
ALOJA: The Journal of Pteridophia Anteres Lumina
Fantasy-A TALE FROM THE SECRET SEA- As a child, Pteridophia washes up on the shore of a small village in Catalonia, a stranger in a strange land. Just as her isolation becomes unbearable, a forbidden object high atop a towering sea cliff beckons to her, se...
