Luna’s ears perked, and she spun her head toward the howl that echoed through the trees. She let out a barely audible whine, longing to answer the call of her former pack. It had been over a year since she had been plucked from the litter of wolf pups by her Quinn, and she sometimes missed her family.
The man watched her carefully for a moment before whispering, “You can go to them if you like. You do not have to spend every moment with me.”
She turned back to look at her human in annoyance. She huffed in disagreement and pushed against his hip with her shoulder, as she padded ahead of him to lead the way.
Quinn chuckled and hurried to catch up, dropping his hand to let his fingers entwine into the creamy white fur between her shoulders, “Fine, but no attitude later.” She leaned into him, and he let his hand run across her back. He loved the feel of her soft undercoat on his fingertips. It reminded him of running his hand through his daughter’s hair as he soothed her to sleep.
He felt her muscles go tense under her coat and stopped as she froze in place. What is it, girl? He watched her scan the shadows of the treeline to their left and dropped a hand to one of his long knives as a low growl crept up her throat. She had smelled something that put her on guard. What do you see?
He let his eyes flutter closed and concentrated on Luna’s body beside him. Shared Sight was a new gift for them, so it took a moment to settle into it. After a moment of unsettling transition, her superior sense cut through the layers of shadows in the thick copse of trees, and he could see what had her on edge. Large bodies moved through the darkness, trying to keep the trunks of the trees between them and the lone man and wolf. They could make out five of the hulking forms before Quinn broke contact with Luna.
He drew his weapons carefully to keep the movements hidden and turned the blades to rest against the length of his forearms. They could easily handle three of these creatures, but five…Luna, stay behind me when they make their move. He started forward as if he hadn’t noticed them, the wolf following suit, and waited patiently for the attack. Small limbs and bushes crunched beneath their boots as the enormous creatures charged after their next meal. Great masses of muscles flexed in their arms and trunk-sized legs, and saliva dripped from their yellowed tusks over lips curled into victorious smiles as the seven-foot-tall orcs barrelled toward the human.
Quinn spun toward the beasts, dropping into a defensive stance, and Luna leapt forward-ears laid back, teeth bared, and snarling viciously-to put herself between the danger and her Quinn. Luna, get back! The wolf ignored his call for obedience and poised herself to pounce.
“Luna!”
She flinched at Quinn’s uncharacteristic bellow of anger and shrank back behind him slowly, watching the enemy closely. She didn’t like putting Quinn out front, but he had made it clear that he wouldn’t tolerate her disobedience.
Ancient words slipped easily over the man’s tongue and through his lips, and gnarly, twisted vines sprang from the ground, coiling around the legs of the two orcs at the rear. Their screams of surprise, then choked sobs and gasps as the vines constricted around their torsos and throats doing little to slow the others. Quinn quickly switched to another spell feeling the tingle of power that rose goosebumps across his flesh. The ground gave a great heave as rock split from the earthen floor to strike at the two unsuspecting creatures to his left. A rush of air left their lungs as the stone met with their chests and they collapsed gasping for oxygen.
Quinn shot forward running at the remaining orc, blades flashing at his sides. He could hear Luna’s fierce growl and paws pounding on the ground as she followed, and he dodged to the right to avoid the massive fist the beast swung toward his head. A bellow tore through the forest as Luna’s powerful maw sank deep into the orc’s exposed forearm, and Quinn drove his knife into the knotted core of the creature’s abdomen.
The orc flailed his injured arm, attempting to fling the wolf into the troublesome human but Quinn tore his knife free and repositioned for another attack. Luna held tight, rending the orc’s flesh as she jerked and twisted her head and body. With the human out of the way, the beast brought his remaining fist down to smash the wolf in the head. She released him and landed lightly, shifting her weight to change direction as she lunged toward his massive calf.
The man charged at the distracted orc and stabbed at the weaker hide of the stomach. The knife dug in deep this time. He ducked under the powerful backhand aimed at his head and shoulder and jerked his knife across its belly, spilling the creature’s guts onto the grass.
It took a moment for the screaming, frantic creature to realize its fate, and Quinn and Luna retreated to a safe distance. The orc finally sank to its knees, then fell over as the blood seeped into the ground.
The pair hurried forward to the recovering beasts that had been delayed by the stone wall. Luna didn’t hesitate as she tore into the first rising creatures throat, bowling it over in the process. Quinn moved quickly to dispatch the second, but this orc had recovered far more quickly than the other. The creature’s backhand slammed into the man’s sternum, knocking him backward. Quinn rolled but landed hard against the risen stone of the wall, stunning him.
The orc pulled itself from the ground and stalked toward the helpless human with hatred in its eyes. A white streak shot forward and slammed into the hulking creature. It fell to the forest floor with Luna on top of him, snapping and tearing into his face as she dug her claws into his chest and stomach ripping open the tough hide. She yelped as it slugged her in the shoulder and she rolled off it, fighting to get to her feet. The injured beast roared and thrashed as it groped at its mauled face. Sanity and rage crept over it, and it pulled itself over to take its vengeance on the wolf. A knife drove deep into its temple and the orc collapsed in a heap.
Luna limped slowly to Quinn as he pushed himself up against the stone wall, wincing at the pain in his back and shoulder. She nuzzled his cheek, and he let out a wheezy chuckle as he scratched her head, “I am fine just a few bruises. Nothing to worry about. Let me see your shoulder.”
She groaned in defiance and turned away. He gave her a stern look and ordered, “Let me see it." She sighed in resignation and turned so that he could examine her injury. He ran his hands over the bones and muscles carefully, and she whined in protest. "I know, I’m sorry." He finished and gestured for her to lay her head in his lap as he caressed her face and ear. "Nothing broken. Looks like we were both blessed by Caeuss today." She pinned his arm down with her paw and gave it a few licks before starting to gnaw lightly on it. "I think we’ll rest a while. What do you think?" She gave a heaving sigh and shifted to lie next to him. He smiled down at her as he caressed her fur, then whispered, "Thank you for saving my life." She let out a playful groan as she smiled up at her Quinn.
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