The twin suns had already passed their peak after a few hours of searching the forest and even doubling back to make sure we didn't miss anything. Varga had been relentless in her search for a kill, and it was becoming apparent that her drive might lead to them both entering a pot of boiling water if care wasn't taken.
He was lucky they hadn't gotten stuck in the snow or fallen down a hole already. Femi couldn't help but expect something to go wrong in this damned evil forest. It just should have been expected with all the past records of almost joining his ancestors.
Every time he stepped into this cursed place, even if it was just to take a piss, he had to stay on high alert. Especially with snakes, which had a way of lunging out of nowhere, aiming straight for his third leg. And the worst part? It had already happened once. The memory alone was enough to make his tail curl tight between his legs in protection.
Thus, coming out into the forest should really be something every body avoided, but it seems they lacked common sense. His whiskers twitched in irritation at their collective stupidity.
Varga herself as usual, was leading, and Femi followed her. This was no trip to empty the snares, it seems they would be ranging far outside the somewhat safe areas they normally frequented.
The Krag woman led with what Femi would describe as quiet desperation, which was very unlike the Varga he had come to know. Her shoulders hunched forward like a drawn bowstring, every muscle taut with pent-up emotions. This, with all honesty, was making him worried they may actually come across an Eri.
As they walked north, the terrain became rough. Hills and partially frozen ravines sprang up out of nowhere to block their view. The snow here crunched treacherously underfoot, hiding jagged rocks and ice-slick roots.
Femi found the constant changes in elevation exhausting. Now he had some respect for the roads back home. They were bad, but at least they were better than having to scramble up snowy hills and rocky inclines. It was a lot of work for a Ratman with short little legs!. His claws scraped desperately for purchase on the frozen earth.
"Don't worry about being too quiet," Varga told Femi as they continued their search. "Make as much noise as possible to attract prey."
"Varga, I'm not going to lie, you are making me worried," Femi replied with unhidden unease.
He knew that what Dana had said to her affected her, even though at the time she didn't say it out loud. Now she was looking for danger to ease herself.
But no be my life, you will use to play that rough play, Femi thought.
The forest's snow-covered canopy that Femi was walking below blocked out most of the ever-strange twin suns, but it wasn't nearly as dark here as in the strange ice-spider infested woods.The light took on a watery quality here, diluted by countless snowflakes suspended in the air. He shuddered at just the memory of the creepy webs that blanketed those shadowy woods and their nasty residents. The phantom sensation of silk strands brushing his face made him swipe at his whiskers.
The trees here were tall and thick. The ground was covered by roots where it wasn't blanketed in snow. Probably ancient roots twisted through the frozen earth like the veins of some slumbering giant. Here and there, small white flowers peeked out from beneath the snow. Femi actually found it all very calm and nice looking.
As Femi followed the currently unstable Varga, he sniffed and examined the ground for signs of a deer trail. He hadn't found anything yet though. If he could find one, they could both go back without testing the heavens.
He darted around to check under bushes and around rocks for hoof prints, but no luck. Only the faint, fading scent of snow hares that had passed through at dawn.
As they followed the frozen ravine, a low area appeared in front of them, and they walked cautiously down into it. The temperature dropped noticeably as they descended into the ravine's icy throat. Soon, the ground began to get slippery, and they had to watch where they stepped.
Femi's short legs meant he had to hop from spot to spot to keep up with Varga, who could simply step over the wet, slushy areas. His movements took on a frantic, jerky rhythm like a headless chicken on New years. Femi almost fell into the slushy mix of earth and snow several times but managed to catch himself after some skillful wild flailing.
After a bit more walking, the pair stepped through a gap in the foliage and into a wide open area. There was a large break in the canopy above that let in golden shafts of sunlight.
The area had few shrubs that burst out from the snow. The few trees Femi saw were thin and looked like they would fall at any moment. Their trunks groaned ominously in the wind.The drone of insects and cries of birds were louder here as well.
Varga stepped forward into the sun but stopped to survey the clearing before going any further in. At least she's still cautious. Femi stepped up behind her and looked around as well. He couldn't see much, though. Just some old trees.Their gnarled bark seemed to twist into screaming faces when viewed from the corner of his eye.
"Hmm, something feels off," Varga muttered to herself as she looked around.
"Varga... maybe we should start heading back. We still have that meeting?" Femi said, trying to get back to relative safety as quickly as possible. His voice came out higher than he'd intended, betraying his nerves.
She apparently didn't hear anything though, because she started walking forward again into the clearing. Her boots crunched through the ice crust with deliberate, dangerous purpose. Varga trampled the snow as she moved inwards, each step left deep, angry impressions in the pristine snow.
Her stride carried her towards a group of old trees. She stared at it for a few seconds noticing the claw marks on it before turning and glowering at the rest of the clearing suspiciously.The parallel gouges in the bark were fresh enough that sap still oozed from the wounds.
Suddenly, a sharp cracking sound assaulted Femi's ears, the sound ripped through the clearing like a school bell. Varga heard it too and swiftly took out her bow and aimed at the sound, about to fire.
"STOP!"
But before she could fire, Femi's voice echoed in the woods. The echo bounced strangely between the trees, making it seem like multiple Femis had shouted at once.
Why would Femi stop Varga from shooting? Well, the reason was because the target was none other than the troublesome pet.
Victim.
It had its tongue out as it breathed, and its eyes gazed at both of them with such stupid innocence, as if one of them had not just tried to fire an arrow at its head. Snowflakes clung to its muzzle like powdered sugar. Femi couldn't hide his frustration at this troublemaker, whom he was sure had been told to stay behind after being bribed with rabbit meat. How did he even follow them here?
As he picked up the young wolf pup, it started licking his face, its tiny tongue darting in and out of its mouth. The warm, rough tongue scraped against his furry cheeks.The pup let out high-pitched yips and whines, its tail wagging furiously as it snuggled into his chest. Its entire body wriggled with unrestrained joy, nearly slipping from his grasp. He couldn't help but smile as he gazed into the pup's eyes, and for a moment, all thoughts seemed to fade away and all was right with the world.
But reality soon set back in. It seems that we will have dog meat by the end of the day, he thought to himself, a sigh escaping his lips as he turned to face Varga. Her expression was menacing, her eyes narrowing as she gazed at the pup. Her glare could have flash-fried a lesser creature.
Ah, this is the first time she's seen this dog, he thought, his mind racing with ways to explain the situation. But before he could come up with a convincing story, Varga's voice cut through the air. "What is that?" she asked, her tone not pleased at all.
He tried to spin a tale, but his words were cut short as Victim's behavior became increasingly erratic. The pup suddenly stiffened in his arms, its playful demeanor vanishing like smoke, then it began to struggle.
"Behave, you stubborn goat." His attention turned back to Varga as he began his tale.
"Ah, but you see, I found this pup injured and alone in the forest, so I decided to, ah..." His sentence was left unfinished, Victim's antics took a turn for the worse, demanding his attention. The pup's claws dug into his arm with surprising strength.
Femi turned to whisper to the pup, "What, why are you making so much noise? Can't you see I'm trying to explain so she won't eat you today?" His whisper came out as a frantic hiss through clenched teeth. But the pup continued to yelp and whine, its gaze fixed intently in a certain direction. Its ears swiveled like weathervanes in a storm, pointing unerringly toward...
Before Femi could figure out what was going on, a loud crack sound echoed through the air, cutting through the tension like a knife. The sudden noise sent the pup into a frenzy, its yelps growing more frantic as it tugged on its leash.
Femi's heart sank. He had forgotten about them. How foolish of him to think...he was safe. That his village people would not act against him here.
How foolish indeed.
"ROOOOOAR!"
The Ratmen whipped around in time to see a large furry paw break a tree and slam into Varga.
Varga raised her arms in an attempt to shield herself. The paw knocked them aside as it smacked into her with a loud thud. Blood spattered across the ground as Varga was battered away.
Femi gasped in shock. Varga was down. He could see one of her arms was hanging loose to her side. The limb hung at a nauseating angle, the elbow bending where no joint should exist.
"That's not good."
He rushed forward to help Varga get up. Femi really hoped she could run. If not, he wouldn't be able to get back to camp without her!
"ROOOAR!"
Femi froze mid-run, the roar vibrated in his chest cavity, resonating with his pounding heart. Then he turned to the sound of the terrifying sight.
"Ah, bulletproof bear."
The bear was a mountain of muscle and rage, easily thirteen feet tall on its hind legs. Its fur was a matted, dirty white, but what made Femi's blood turn to ice were the plates. Thick, overlapping scutes of ossified bone and keratin, the color of aged ivory, covered its shoulders, back, flanks, and skull like natural plate armor.
Each plate bore the scars of countless battles, etched deep like some gruesome history text Jagged spurs protruded from its elbows and spine. The spurs gleamed wickedly, honed to razor sharpness by years of rubbing against stone and tree. Its eyes were tiny, furious black beads sunk deep within armored sockets, and its maw, when it opened to bellow again, revealed yellowed fangs as long as Femi's forearm, dripping with thick saliva.
The bear dropped to all fours, shaking the earth. It didn't charge, it lumbered, a terrifyingly fast avalanche of armored fury aimed straight at Varga. Snow sprayed in great plumes from its massive paws.
Varga didn't flinch, even while still on her side. With a speed that belied her size, she grabbed Ova's massive axe from her back.
"COME ON!"
She roared as she prepared to clash with the armored bear with one arm holding the axe, but before their clash, a small branch hit the bear at the side of its head, causing it to slow down and then stop in its tracks.
"Brother bear, calm down. It's not that serious."
The bear turned its head to the tiny creature that had challenged it in its territory. Its neck creaked audibly, the armored plates grinding together creating a annoying sound.
"GRAUGH!"
"Femi, you are a complete fool," he cursed his stupidity.
Femi had no idea why he did that, but he knew he was going to die if he stayed. He dropped Victim and drew his knife and axe.The weapons felt laughably small in his paws. "As soon as I find an opportunity, I will start to run."
"Femi! Scatter!" Varga bellowed, her voice cracking as she tried to get to her feet.
Femi didn't need telling twice. His heart was beating like a talking drum as he darted away, becoming a small, dark blur against the white snow. He felt his blood rushing to his ears, his senses heightened, reflexes becoming sharper.
As the bear closed the final yards, its hot, rancid breath washing over him, causing his eyes to water. Femi leaped to the side, avoiding being killed by its paw. The displaced air from the swing ruffled his fur. Too close, too close.
Femi didn't wait to see if the bear would strike again. He lunged away, muscles screaming in protest at the sudden movement, hoping he had put some distance between them.
The bear reacted with terrifying speed for its size. It dropped back onto all fours with a ground-shaking thud, its armored head swinging down like a battering ram. Femi threw himself into a desperate roll, the wind of the massive skull whistling past his ear. He came up under its flank, slashing upwards with his knife. The blade scraped agonizingly across the bony plates, glancing off with a shower of sparks. Useless.
A paw the size of a shield swept sideways. Femi ducked, the claws tearing through the air inches from his scalp, ripping a chunk of bark from a nearby tree. Splinters rained down, some peppered his back, causing him to wince in pain. He scrambled backwards, putting distance between him and those rending claws. Femi's breath came in ragged gasps. Time to try the axe.
The bear advanced, a wall of muscle and bone. It didn't roar again; it conserved its energy for the kill. Its movements were deliberate, powerful, unstoppable. It knew the little creature couldn't hurt it. Femi once again became a blur of frantic movement, running around while chittering in terror, cursing his village people for this latest mess.
I blame Varga for this mess. Had to be looking for unnecessary trouble, Femi lamented while running for his life.
Femi could see Varga with the corner of his eye, and she had managed to get up, but even a blind man would be able to tell she wouldn't be in any brawling condition. She seemsed to be having diffculty breathing and with her left arm limp at her side and her right leg seeming injured too, since she was standing on her left leg and the right had a bad cut...
"Have mercy on my soul."
"Growl...Yipppp... yippp!"
The pup's battle cry was absurdly small against the bear's roar, and before anyone could react, chaos erupted. Victim sprinted towards the bear, and in a swift motion, the bear turned and swung its massive paw, the air itself seemed to ripple in the paw's wake.
Femi's stubborn pet lunged forward, growling as it rushed to intercept the bear's attack and protect its owner.The scene unfolded in a blur, with Femi's heart racing in horror as he watched the bear's claw hurtle towards Victim. Time dilated, each fraction of a second stretching into eternity.
Badam..badam..badam.