Wild (An Inheritance Fanfiction)

Chapter 26: Challenger

“Now!” the voice of the elf carried past the battle howls of the wolves charging up towards the small group crowded around the cave.

Sharrag took to the sky as quickly as he could and watched as the two of his Shrrg slammed themselves against the top layer of logs. Slowly one of the logs slowly rolled over the edge of the wall and fell down the hill. Sharrag opened his maw and unleashed a small potion of his fire on the log setting it alight.

More logs followed. Sharrag set them alight as well. Before long four flaming logs were rolling down the hill towards the wolves. They scattered before the obstacles, hoping not to be the unlucky ones that were crushed. A desperate howl follows and a dozen or more Shrrg were squished by one falling log. Some of the smarter creatures tried to pull around the side to get away from the danger of falling logs. Sharrag spotted this manoeuvre and swooped down, breathing a line of fire across the ranks of the wolves cutting them off for trying to run to the side.

He rose to the air again, scanning the valley for the shade. If they killed him they would win this battle. Not seeing him the dragon banked back towards the small wooden fought the elves had built. A few more logs came tumbling down the mountain towards the wolves.

Now their front line was broken the Shrrg were in disarray, a formless mass. Sharrag could sense they were going to retreat soon and reform. They had no idea how many of these logs would keep coming and the dragon above them didn’t make it much better. Shrrg weren’t meant to fight in such masses against such powerful enemies. It wasn’t in their nature.

He swooped down and lit up the wolves again. They had minimal fire wards but not even a shade could protect such a large force for long. The green fire easily broke through the wards and he burned nearly a hundred Shrrg in a single pass. It was almost sickening. He went for one more pass and just as he thought the Shrrg began to retreat back down the mountain. Sharrag sent a roar after them to help them along.

With a snort he turned back to the cave and flew back down, landing with a thud. The Shrrg were giving each other smug looks. Sharrag could feel there excitement at beat back the first strike against their small encampment. But Sharrag knew that next time the Shrrg wouldn’t retreat so easily. If Sythrel was in control even natural instincts couldn’t hold them off for long.

Levial seemed to think the same thing and gave Sharrag a look. Sharrag reached into his mind.

‘That was too easy. What happened?’ he asked, not bothering to try and speak over the screams of crushed and burning wolves from down in the valley.

‘Shrrg were never meant to charge in a head on attack against powerful enemies such as us,’ explained the dragon, ‘The flaming logs and a dragon in the sky were enough to break them from the shades control and sent them retreating. One thing a Shrrg fears more the death is injury. When injured a Shrrg cannot fight or hunt. A wounded Shrrg is a dead Shrrg, and it was a high chance that they would be either injured or killed in this fight. Next time we won’t be so lucky.’

 

Levial nodded with understanding and looked past the wooden wall to the valley below. Sections of the wall had all but disappeared and Aradon was already ordering the wolves to bring a few logs in from the side. Sharrag didn’t think the wooden wall would last much longer against this hoard. The only one who had any hope of surviving would be him, and that was because he could fly.