Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Duendewood: Late to the Party

Alnira Berris led her pack of wolves through the forest, trotting steadily to keep ahead of the hunters. They moved under the cover of Pass Without Trace, but somehow the hunters kept their trail. They were bound for Calisthum, where the druid Elendor was gathering the remaining druids; she hoped they would be safe there. Surely a gathering of druids would be enough to repel the false king's hunters. 

With a dozen druids in her charge, they should have been able to turn and fight... but these were young druids, new recruits, and not yet comfortable with their powers. If the hunters could track them despite magical interference, then they had at least one or two puissant individuals with them, and someone like that could cut through her refugees and possibly even herself. 

Somewhere behind her, somebody screamed. It took her a moment to realize that it was a horse, but the next voice definitely was not. One of the wolves following her whined, but she growled back: keep moving

The woods behind them were filled with screams now, and a muffled whump that sounded like magic and shook the ground. Then there was more screaming, and then silence. 

Someone appeared ahead of them, and Alnira slowed. It was an elf, though, and he was gesturing. "That way. Into Calisthum." 

She stopped, released her wolf form, and stood. "You're him, aren't you? With the--" She gestured. "--gelatin on your belly." She'd seen him in a vision a week before; so had some of the others. Apparently the image had affected her more than she'd realized.

"I will put more gelatin on my belly if you will just get to Calisthum while we finish dealing with your pursuers," the man said, and Alnira nodded. 

"If you get us all to Calisthum safely," she told him, "I will do anything you want." 

He looked her over, then nodded. "Deal."

Alnira Berris dropped back into wolf form and led her new-formed pack onwards. Behind her, a woman's voice asked: "Wait, did she not even see me? Does she not know that I was the one who killed all those--" 

"We have work to finish," said the man, quietly. 

"Fine," the woman sighed. "But you owe me for this one, Ruin."

Alnira was too busy guiding the other wolves and their companions to process this; she looked back and growled: Keep moving.

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