A Game of Chi Book III: A Sword of Dust

Chapter 40: Worriz III

WORRIZ

Without even waiting for Worriz to finish his sentence, Wilhurt ran forward, his Derimous aimed at Worriz' heart. With a gasp, Worriz quickly blocked the blow with his own weapon, causing a metallic clang to resonate atop the Barrier. Wilhurt ran towards him once again, not even stopping to catch his breath. Why is he fighting with this savagery? Worriz thought, narrowly avoiding a slash. I know he hates me and wants to remain in power, but he's going all-out and we've only just started fighting! Worriz leapt aside as Wilhurt slammed his Derimous onto the ground where his opponent had just been, causing bits of ice to fly into the air. "Coward!" Wilhurt roared, spinning around. Snarling, Worriz swept his leg underneath the black wolf, tripping him up. "You should have used your weapon," he panted, getting back up to his feet. "You should have killed me!"

"I don't want to kill you!" Worriz shouted back reflexively, and after a moment of pause, he understood that it was the truth. I don't want to kill him. Nor did I want to kill Wrothgar, or Wiz. This doesn't have to end in violence. "What?" Wilhurt shot back. "You don't want to kill me? After what I did to Wonald? To you?" Out of the corner of his eye, Worriz saw Windra and the other wolves' expressions change. Now they know, he thought. I'll have to show the others the Goldfire in my chest later to prove that I've been resurrected. On the ground in front of them, however, was Wonald's still-bleeding motionless body. That reignited the flames in Worriz' chest, and he slammed his Derimous into Wilhurt's. "Believe me, I want to make you pay," he began, "but killing isn't the answer. We've killed and been killed by the bears for centuries, and where did that get us? Have we expanded our territory? Have they?"

"They have!" Wilhurt roared. "They gained new land in the south! In Chima! When we were supposed to keep them out!"

"That was never the Pledge of the Pack!" Worriz responded. "The first Alpha Wolf pledged to defend Chima's northern border from the beasts who dwelt beyond, and I now understand that it's not the bears!"

Worriz and Wilhurt circled each other, each breathing heavily. I have to try reasoning with him, Worriz decided. If anyone is to believe what I'm saying about forgiveness, I have to try to avoid killing him. "If you don't believe in the Ice Hunters," Worriz began, hoping to negotiate, "what do you think I saw? What do you think motivated me to suddenly want to bring the bears south of the Barrier?"

"I don't know," Wilhurt admitted, "but whatever it was wasn't an Ice Hunter."

"And how do you know?" Worriz demanded. "I've seen them, Wilhurt. I was even an Ice Hunter myself for a while!" Deciding to take a risk, Worriz placed his Derimous on the ground and ripped open his tunic, revealing his chest. As he had hoped, Wilhurt, Windra and the others ogled the golden light emanating from the centre of his chest, while Lavertus bristled, keeping his eyes trained on Wilhurt. "I was revived with this Goldfire," Worriz explained, "by Lavertus, Skinnet and the bears. I was an Ice Hunter, but they found me and brought me back so we could protect Chima from the others. We need the bears to —" Wilhurt surged forward and swung his Derimous, but Lavertus jumped in and deflected the blow with his black Valious. "No, Lavertus!" Worriz exclaimed, retrieving his weapon. "This is between us!"

"Then don't throw your weapon away!" the lion retorted. "Otherwise the Goldfire would have gone to waste."

"Enough!" Wilhurt shouted, extricating his weapon from Lavertus' and swinging at him, though the lion darted back to safety. "Enough of this nonsense!" He ran at Worriz again, but this time, he was ready for him. Worriz knocked Wilhurt's Derimous out of his hand with his own, sending both weapons flying. Worriz then punched Wilhurt in the snout, knocking him down. Without our weapons, neither of us can really kill each other, Worriz reasoned. "Stay down, Wilhurt!" Worriz commanded. "Yield and I'll spare you! I don't want to kill you!" Instead, Worriz buckled as Wilhurt kicked him in the shin. "I'll never yield to a traitor like you!" he roared, tackling him. The wolves briefly wrestled, but Worriz pushed him off and Wilhurt slammed into the low, icy wall along the Barrier.