cover his head and shoulders with his robes, but his injured arm still hung heavy and useless at his side,
and as the robe came over his head, he could feel the wings of two of the hideous creatures flapping against his neck and
chest, trapped inside the folds of the fabric!
Then he was bitten on the thigh and again on his calf and he felt the cold wings with their tiny clinging claws gripping him
tightly as they siphoned the blood from his body. More and more bloodwings clung to him as he flung himself from side to side,
beating at their soft bodies, plucking them from his flesh, and throwing them aside. They scented fresh blood now, and for
every bloodwing he dispatched, two and three more took its place. He could hear the pup howling now, a low, keening sound
that only served to intensify the horror.
Braldt threw himself to the ground and felt the soft bodies smash beneath his weight, heard the sharp crack of fragile wing
bones, and the shrill screams. Over and over he rolled, crushing the bloodwings beneath him, ignoring the pain of his shoulder
and the dizziness that threatened to overcome him. Somehow, he was aware that the pup was close by, its jaws snapping and
crunching an accompaniment to his passage.
He then came up hard against the body of the male lupebeast, stinking and rotting, filling his nostrils with the stench of
decay. His hand reached out and swept over the ground, searching, searching, no longer attempting to beat off the screaming
maelstrom of bloodwings who settled upon it, until at last he found what he was searching for. He rose up with a scream and
plunged the blade of the sword up into the low, earthen ceiling time and again until he was rewarded by a cascade of dirt
and stones that swept down upon him, stripping the bloodwings from his body. He struck out again and again, widening the hole,
allowing the bright sunlight to pour in, creating havoc.
Once begun, the low roof, already weakened by the numerous cracks that crisscrossed its surface, collapsed in upon itself,
burying the bodies of the lupebeasts and the coven of bloodwings. A few escaped, but these made no attempt to attack and quickly
departed, seeking safer, darker quarters.
The earth stirred at Braldt’s feet and the pup’s nose emerged, caked with dirt, quickly followed by the rest of its head and
shoulders. It sneezed once, twice, and then staredup at Braldt with bright eyes as though wondering what came next. For all his pain, Braldt was forced to laugh, for the young
animal, hated lupebeast though it might be, had the heart of a warrior.
“Come, little one, it is time we left this place, you and I, our bellies are empty and I have had my fill of bloodwings and
death.” Gripping the pup by the scruff of its neck, Braldt fitted it into the drape of his robe and began to search for a
way out.
Much of the roof was unstable and came down as soon as Braldt placed any weight on it, tumbling to the floor of the cavern,
burying it still deeper. But at last he found an area that was composed of rock and did not give under his weight. He could
not pull himself up with one hand for he was too weak, but he piled rocks one on top of the other until he was able to climb
out of the ruins of the cavern and rest on the hot, sun-drenched plateau. The pup slipped out of his robes and lay flat beside
him, its head lowered, ears flattened against its broad skull, and the bright intelligent eyes, darting nervously in all directions,
filled with fear. The pup panted heavily, from fright rather than heat, but made no attempt to leave Braldt’s side.
“First time you’ve been outside,” Braldt said, laying his palm atop the pup’s head. “No wonder you’re frightened. It’s a scary
place, little one, and if you’re going to make your way in it, you’ll have to grow up fast and tough…just like I did. It starts
now and we’d best be on our way before something else tries to kill us.
and as the robe came over his head, he could feel the wings of two of the hideous creatures flapping against his neck and
chest, trapped inside the folds of the fabric!
Then he was bitten on the thigh and again on his calf and he felt the cold wings with their tiny clinging claws gripping him
tightly as they siphoned the blood from his body. More and more bloodwings clung to him as he flung himself from side to side,
beating at their soft bodies, plucking them from his flesh, and throwing them aside. They scented fresh blood now, and for
every bloodwing he dispatched, two and three more took its place. He could hear the pup howling now, a low, keening sound
that only served to intensify the horror.
Braldt threw himself to the ground and felt the soft bodies smash beneath his weight, heard the sharp crack of fragile wing
bones, and the shrill screams. Over and over he rolled, crushing the bloodwings beneath him, ignoring the pain of his shoulder
and the dizziness that threatened to overcome him. Somehow, he was aware that the pup was close by, its jaws snapping and
crunching an accompaniment to his passage.
He then came up hard against the body of the male lupebeast, stinking and rotting, filling his nostrils with the stench of
decay. His hand reached out and swept over the ground, searching, searching, no longer attempting to beat off the screaming
maelstrom of bloodwings who settled upon it, until at last he found what he was searching for. He rose up with a scream and
plunged the blade of the sword up into the low, earthen ceiling time and again until he was rewarded by a cascade of dirt
and stones that swept down upon him, stripping the bloodwings from his body. He struck out again and again, widening the hole,
allowing the bright sunlight to pour in, creating havoc.
Once begun, the low roof, already weakened by the numerous cracks that crisscrossed its surface, collapsed in upon itself,
burying the bodies of the lupebeasts and the coven of bloodwings. A few escaped, but these made no attempt to attack and quickly
departed, seeking safer, darker quarters.
The earth stirred at Braldt’s feet and the pup’s nose emerged, caked with dirt, quickly followed by the rest of its head and
shoulders. It sneezed once, twice, and then staredup at Braldt with bright eyes as though wondering what came next. For all his pain, Braldt was forced to laugh, for the young
animal, hated lupebeast though it might be, had the heart of a warrior.
“Come, little one, it is time we left this place, you and I, our bellies are empty and I have had my fill of bloodwings and
death.” Gripping the pup by the scruff of its neck, Braldt fitted it into the drape of his robe and began to search for a
way out.
Much of the roof was unstable and came down as soon as Braldt placed any weight on it, tumbling to the floor of the cavern,
burying it still deeper. But at last he found an area that was composed of rock and did not give under his weight. He could
not pull himself up with one hand for he was too weak, but he piled rocks one on top of the other until he was able to climb
out of the ruins of the cavern and rest on the hot, sun-drenched plateau. The pup slipped out of his robes and lay flat beside
him, its head lowered, ears flattened against its broad skull, and the bright intelligent eyes, darting nervously in all directions,
filled with fear. The pup panted heavily, from fright rather than heat, but made no attempt to leave Braldt’s side.
“First time you’ve been outside,” Braldt said, laying his palm atop the pup’s head. “No wonder you’re frightened. It’s a scary
place, little one, and if you’re going to make your way in it, you’ll have to grow up fast and tough…just like I did. It starts
now and we’d best be on our way before something else tries to kill us.
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