Chapter 28: Direwolves

  Julien

  "Direwolves!" The call was long and loud. But He had frozen. Fear pierced not just his heart but his soul. He'd seen the fierce yellow eyes in the darkness not even a hundred yards away from their column. More and more eyes opened as if they had been simply sleeping there until there were more than he could count. Due to the torches all around him he couldn't get a good view of them but at first sight he could easily tell they were big. really big.

  Some part of his mind must've been working because he looked down when he realized the three foot long sword that had been on his hip was now in his hands. The leather wrapped handle was cool despite the warm air. The feel of it seemed to pull him from his shock. He shook his head as he felt an arm on his shoulder pulling him back. Lines were forming around him before he even had the chance to ask what was going on. It seemed that orders were being shouted out from everyone.

  "Shields!!" The call was loud and rang with the force of authority it took him a whole minute before he realized it was his father speaking. His father wheeled around on his horse a golden handled sword held tightly in his grip. Chaos had been ripping through the soldiers but at his father's call shield came unslung and more orders were called out as the seargents took to giving orders.

  " Guardsmen to the front!" One of the knights at his father's side roared. Through all of this Julien had been standing like a fool. Finally his training took hold as he stepped backward. It was nearly too late. Claws ripped into the place he had just been and the shock of that nearly made him lose his balance. A hand proped him up. As a shield passed in front of him to block another claw strike. Julien quickly gained his footing and dropped into a ready stance but a figure stepped in front of him.

  Eryk clad in his armor stepped forward shield forward and longsword pointed out. He grunted as yet another Grey blur came for him. Eryk pushed off with his shield and knocked the Grey blur aside. It landed heavily on its back and julien got his first clear view of the beast. It was snarling and snapping as it struggled to get its hind legs underneath it. It stood almost to his chest and had long Grey fur that covered the huge amount of muscle needed to keep the huge beast upright. Slober ran down its maw and the red manic glow in its eyes didn't even hold a spark of intelligence. All he saw was raw hunger and instinct.

  Julien wasted no time stepping up to Eryks other side as guardsmen began to do the same, gathering around them in a makeshift line formation. Not all of the line was so lucky to have time to form however

  "The line has been broken to our right!" The voice belonged to Altaya and he would've turned to see her if he could've taken his eyes off the scene in front of him. Countless glowing eyes rushed towards them from the forest. Julien had never been good with numbers like Carlouse but he got by well enough to understand there were at least a hundred massive wolves coming their way.

  A shrill scream abruptly cut off from further down the line and he knew they had had their first death. His thoughts were shattered as a massive canine the size of a small cart leapt at him from the underbrush. He didn't have a shield so but his training moved his body before he could think too much. He stepped forward dropping into a low crouch as he lunged forward with the plain sword.

  The blade took the beast in the throat sliding through fur and flesh easily. Blood sprayed in an arc as his sword exited the back of the creatures head. A whining gurgling was the only thing that escaped the wolf as it sank to the ground. He pulled the blade free and scanned the darkness for another. When he couldn't find one immediately he turned to see the rest of the line.

  Altaya was now on his other side attempting to help a guardsmen slay a beast that had clamped onto his arm. Further down the line he was able to pick up the massive form of Aramin as his hands were locked around the jaws of a smaller wolf as it tried unsuccessfully to snap at his friend. The moving of bodies and shrieks of pain only increased as time went on and the rough line they had formed disintegrated. Julien found himself pressed in the next moment as he was push back by the snarling jaws of another wolf this one a mottled brown. It snarled as it lunged forward clawing at his leg. The claws tore right through his boot on his left leg and a fiery line of pain caused him to stumble briefly. he pushed away the pain and pivoted on his uninjured foot for momentum, bringing his sword down on the creatures sloped snout.

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  The Wolf howled in pain before jumping back blood spurting from the creatures ruined nose. No sooner had the creature retreated as another jumped from just behind it. It was too close, too fast and he couldn't get out of the way in time. He did however managed to avoid being ripped to shreds by the snarling jaws. instead the creatures massive body slammed into him, knocking the wind from his lungs and driving him to the ground by sheer weight.

  Snapping jaws appeared over him rather quickly. Panic flared as he pressed the flat of his sword into thr massive canines' throat with both hands to hold it at bay. Dome dark corner of his mind commented on how soft the wolf's fur was. Softer than any blanket he'd ever known. He forced the thought away mildly worrying over his mental state. The jaws were inches from his face. He pushed straining what muscle he did have to the brink and to his surprise he began to push the creature off. He didn't have time to marvel at that however because in the next instant a sword blade exited the roof of the creatures mouth showering him with blood and gore.

  He quickly slipped from beneath the creature as the mad light in its eyes dimmed to nothing. A rough hand hauled him upward by his arm. After a quick glance, he noticed his father's grim face. He flicked the blood off his blade with a flourish. They said nothing as their wasn't anything to say. At least Julien could think of nothing. What should he say? Thank you? His father gave him the briefest of nods before retreating to his waiting horse. Even through the throngs of fighting, Julien saw his father's determined expression. After a quick glance around at the men and beast struggling around him he made to follow his father.

  They needed to end this before they lost half their men. He was just about to raise his voice to call to his father when he spotted a dark shape, smaller than the others barreling toward where the king was remounting his horse. For only a split second his father's attention was distracted by the task. It would be enough. Time seemed to slow as panic rose in his chest again like a familiar friend. Then he was moving, he didn't have time for conscious thought as his sword came up and he charged. But he knew he wouldn't make it in time. turned out his body knew it as well. His other hand went up and he didn't even realize he was grabbing Threads until energy suffused his body filling him with energy. Three torches held by the soldiers nearby guttered out as he pulled with his mind. Without much thought he directed the energy to his palm. Light and heat bloomed in his left hand as a ball of fire no bigger than his fist manifested. he flinched at first because of the light but the first thing he truly noticed was the fact the fire was not harming him even though it was only a few inches from his palm. Before he could give it much thought the ball of fire shot forth with the speed of a crossbow bolt. It flashed across the short distance and impacted the slim wolf mid leap.

  To Julien's surprise and later horror the ball of compacted fiery energy exploded in a large display of light and heat sending the wolf flipping end over end into the darkness on the other side of the road. Whether it was luck or providence this was all the rest of the overly large pack needed to break and run for the trees. wolves were primarily ambush predators and when that didn't work they retreated. They left as suddenly as they had come scampering off into the darkness leaving their wounded and dying behind.

  Julien's eyes locked with the shocked expression on his father's face. He felt similarily. A second later his father's jaw firmed as he had obviously came to the decision to address what had just happened later. His father vaulted onto his horse and digging in his heels he trotted off down the tattered line.

  "Recover!" He called his voice cutting over the screams of men. the call was taken up down the line and Julien who had just been standing their in a daze started when for the third time that night someone grabbed his shoulder and moved him in a direction of their choosing. He spun only to find the concerned face of Altaya not inches from his own. He recoiled but she had already begun checking him over for injuries. The look of concern on her face was more than a little heartwarming but it soon changed to one of indignant outrage. She slapped the back of his head.

  "Ow!" he exclaimed. "Why didn't you stay with me!" she all but yelled. Before he could even begin to put together an answer for that she shifted to the more important topic. "And we are going to have to have a talk about what, and how you just did that."