The Pearl Fox

The Dreaded Fury 2: Fire

The animals were too frightened to go on anymore. Horses bucked violently, throwing off their riders. Elephants charged off into all directions except towards the pale column of smoke. Rhino became too terrified that they resorted to their wild instincts and fled into the fields. Soldiers and officers, guards and knights, warrior priests and  other reinforcements couldn't control their animals.  A number of men were killed because they were thrown to their deaths and trampled on by frightened beasts. It wasn't clear to any of the men what scared all of their working animals and they had miles to go until reaching the source of the smoke. It was a major setback, while very few citizens, farmers and trappers were arriving. They had left that area, and were going West towards the city of Hillside Lake, and some chose to head for the villages in the outskirts. 

Topaz raised his weapon and struck the black lion with two heads full in the chest. It pierced the demon and a gaping blackened hole in its body. The monstrous lion still charged at him, with both jaws open. Topaz moved away and threw thunderbolts at it from the weapon. Lightning zapped into the demon and emerged on the other side. There was a sickening smell of sulphur and dioxide, while smoke poured up from the lion demon. Then the creature collapsed on its own legs and fell heavily, never getting up. Once the beast stopped breathing, it still oozed smoke from where the lightning struck at it. 

Topaz ran towards the whimpering dying wolf that was completely drenched in blood, and he sat down next to her. She weakly gazed up at him and her eyes were darkening. Topaz removed his dagger from the leather sheath attached to his belt, and held it. He wanted to to put an end to this wolf's pain and she couldn't be helped now. He couldn't plunge the blade into her while she was looking at him. He waited for her to close her eyes, but she didn't. He simply got up, and waited, and then looked across at the heap of black coal that was what had been the two headed lion. It had come from somewhere. He didn't want to know about them as he realised this just might be the end of the world. 

The wolf was quiet, so he returned to her to finish the deed and then he saw something that made him gasp. He dropped the dagger that he was holding. On the ground, laying there covered in blood, was a naked woman. The wolf had totally disappeared. It was gone, but now there was a woman, with pale moon blonde hair. She was barely breathing, and her blood oozed from the severe wounds. Her flesh had been torn on her arms, waist, shoulder, back, legs and neck, just missing the veins. Topaz quickly pulled off his cloak and covered the woman with it. He started to panic, and his hands trembled while he tenderly covered her over. He left her face exposed, but she was close to death. 

The sounds of energy flooded the weapon in ripples of blue light, and he knew it was time to use it. There was nothing here, the lion was gone. He picked it up still, and then soft creamy electric like the beams from the sun through clouds, fell over the woman. Appalled by the way the hammer thing was behaving, he tried to fling it away but he couldn't let go of it. It was sticking to him. 

Tears swelled in his eyes. Distressed by what was the weapon was doing to her, he yelled in frustration. The electric thumped and whizzed out of the device and enveloped the wounded woman like a blanket. It even forced off the cloak. The woman was lifted up onto her back, as limp and helpless as a doll. 

Then it was over, and the woman was no longer dying. She wasn't covered in gaping bite wounds anymore. Her flesh had been restored, and all that remained of her injuries was blood stains on her skin. She sat and looked at him with her green eyes. Topaz found her beautiful. Her hair was like the same light blue milk from certain flowers in the forests. It was such long hair that it covered her full breasts. Topaz couldn't help but look at her. She was a wonder, and what he'd seen was incredible and difficult to believe. She was a wolf, now a human. She was wounded but now she wasn't.