"Grim Wolf" A Tundrawolf Story

Part Four "The She Bitch"

Natalia's blood-sword dripped with the black blood of an untold amount of Grim Wolves, but for all she killed it did nothing to slow the evil tide circling the Tallhenge. The wolves crowded onto the higher cap stone west of her and on the lower one to the east. For now the stone she stood upon was clear of wolves, but as she watched they bunched themselves up to make another jump from both sides. At first the attacks were all in a rush and they knocked each other off the stones trying to get to her. Now the attacks seemed to be getting more coordinated, as if someone were controlling them.

Natalia thought she knew who was taking command of the Grim Wolves. From the firelight shining through the gaps between the upright stones she could see a big She-bitch standing on one of the larger boulders in the meadow outside of the Tallhenge. The wolf was huge, as big as any Saddleback Tundra Natalia had ever seen. It was scarred and misshapen, the victor of many battles to the death, to remain supreme as a pack leader. The big wolf growled and howled as she barred her black fangs, stopping and directing others on their run around the circle of stones to do her bidding. Natalia watched, wishing she had more arrows.

The She-bitch was flanked by two male wolves even larger than her. They cowered and snapped at her as she screamed at them, but they did as she commanded. Through her howls and barks wolves were jumping up and filling the cap stones not occupied by one of the companions. Other wolves she sent to keep up the attack on the Tundras, the bear and the horses in the circle. Natalia looked both ways knowing the wolves would be jumping any second. She counted four big black snarling wolves that would be charging her at the same time. She dropped the face guard of her helm and hefted her shield that was getting so very heavy on her arm. She raised her blood-sword while saying a silent vow to kill as many as she could before they tore her down.

Just as the wolves made their move towards her a whoosh could be heard coming from above. Black shapes came diving down from out of the night sky grabbing at the backs of the jumping wolves with large, wickedly sharp talons. One came on each side of Natalia's stone, knocking the wolves off balance and into each other while they were in the air. The wolves screamed in pain and anger as claws raked their backs. Three of them missed their mark altogether and fell to the earth below. The fourth landed on its side and slid towards Natalia, desperately trying to regain its feet. She stepped out of the way and dispatched the wolf with a quick sword strike to the heart as it passed by and fell off the end of the cap stone.

"Red Wing Hawks!" Natalia thought after getting over the fright and surprise of the big birds. She watched as another flew over to assist Kal, scattering wolves off of the cap stone above him. She was amazed as she looked upon the great birds dipping in and out of the firelight. From being around them all her life she knew they were far from home, she also knew they were almost always in the company of Little Fliers.

Just as she started to look around two large shapes came rushing down from the sky over the meadow before her. She looked on as they dropped ceramic globes of Wolf Wizard-fire on the circling wolves below. The meadow grounds erupted with explosions as flames and flying pottery filled the air. Screams and yelps of pain could be heard coming from the field. Grim Wolves hated fire more than they hated water that went up over their heads. The only grooming the black wolves performed was to rub their coarse fur along the trunk of a tree. The trees filled their mangy coats with sap that mixed with the grease from the fat of their kills. Their coats went up like an oil soaked torch when fire touched them. Wolves ran in all different directions down in the meadow to get away from the flames. Many of the beasts were on fire, screaming, as they ran back down the hill or off into the forest. Two Little Fliers in their gossamar gliders were attacking out of the blackness of the night's sky.

The She-bitch screamed and snarled in anger and frustration at the dark shapes as they flew by. She gave a fierce growl to the big wolves around her, and they all looked up to the stone Natalia stood upon. The She-bitch, moving as fast as a snake, ran and jumped up on the cap stone below Natalia. Razor-sharp claws scratched on the smooth stone as the wolf balanced itself to make the jump across to her. One of the big males followed while several more jumped up on the cap stone above, all of the wolves were looking towards the sky as they made their move. Once they were on the stones they looked towards Natalia, and once again she raised her shield and sword waiting for the attack. These wolves were not going to wait for any birds. They were moving fast.