Flamefist

Their first few days were fairly uneventful.

They trekked through the Woods of Khatir, running into the occasional Beve. There seemed to be a silent agreement between the party of men and the wildlife to keep their respectful distances. The woods, dominated by the Khatir trees which gave it its name, didn't allow much room for other vegetation to flourish under the massive canopy of branches and evergreen leaves. What herbs they passed Jon collected by gently drawing his dagger, the same one that had drawn demon blood, and removing leaves, sometimes a stem, occasionally the roots. Those he ground up and neatly stashed away in his pouch.

"What are you collecting?" Will asked, after they had stopped for the ninth time that day. The gathering was slowing them down a bit, and those wasted minutes were beginning to get under Will's nerves.

"Nothing in specific. Disinfectants, anti-inflammatory roots, antidotes. You never know what could happen."

"Remind me to thank you when they come in handy," Will rolled his eyes.

"I will," Jon replied with a small smile. The boy then stood up, stuffed the root into his pouch, and gestured to Will to lead the way. The bounty hunter obliged.

They had also begun combat practice, both armed and unarmed. Will tried to stay optimistic and cheerful, but the scrawny boy was basically hopeless. He lacked balance, awareness, aggression, and reflexes; all essential skills for combat. They'd sit down after practice, sweaty and tired. The difference was that Will would sit down untouched while Jon had to find a part of him which wasn't bruised to rest on. They took turns keeping watch, but Will had the longer shifts and rested for shorter periods of time. Even with his renewed endurance and willpower, he was tiring. Jon helped sometimes by mixing herbs and fruits into energizer drinks, generally keeping himself busy with his books and plants. Will knew how the boy felt.

The boy was trying to be useful. Feeling useless, as experience had shown Will, had a way of breaking a man. It was corrosive to the mind and soul. Eventually, the feeling would hatch into guilt, and the larvae would leech from self confidence until that was gone as well.

So Will stopped prodding. He let the boy do as he wanted, endured the long hours of work, and gratefully accepted the short hours of rest.

Even after their happy reunion at the Wizard's hideout, the two were still wary of each other. They were colossally different in most ways, so getting along was always a thorn under the toenail. Staying silent and keeping to themselves seemed like the most reasonable decision for both. The spark of attraction Jon had for the older man seemed to be flickering out as well, and that scared Will.

'Because he loves someone else?'

'Because he has a crush on a demon. If she's as intelligent as she seems, she'll abuse that. Best case scenario is that he'll be too infatuated to fight. Worst case is that she'd turn him against me.'

"Will? What's that chattering noise?"

The bounty hunter was jolted back to real life, and at first he didn't know what Jon was talking about. Then he heard the odd sound that could only be described as "chattering", and Will barked a short laugh.

"You scared me for a second."

Will listened again, and the soft sound played again. A sweet, nostalgic smile trespassed onto his dry lips.

"That's a Jeston. Playful birds, they used to be common near my hometown. They lived on the outskirts of the Woods of Y'Prook, but they were bold enough to build nests near villages. People wouldn't hurt them either. But that's strange..."

Will trailed off, frowning.

"What's strange?" Jon asked intriguely.

"Jestons are native to Y'Prook, but I remember it was because... Something about the bark of the trees..."

Meanwhile, Jon's interest seemed to slowly turn into nervous concern.

"Will?"

The bounty hunter froze in place, and realization finally dawned on his pale face.

"Jestons only eat Prookian bark. They physically can't ingest anything else. Which means this isn't a Jeston, it's a -"

A vicious snarl sounded ahead, shortly followed by aggressive growls.

" - signal call! RUN!"

Will dolted to the left, with Jon hot on his heels.

"Slow!" called the voice of the huntress. The sound seemed to come from every direction. "Slow in thought and movement! Thou are unworthy!"

The bounty hunter grabbed Jon's arm by the elbow and yanked the boy forwards, before he could slow down or even stop.

"Keep moving! Ignore her," Will hissed.

Still clutching the blond's scrawny arm, Will scrambled forwards. Luckily, there weren't a lot of of bushes and brambles, just the occasional fallen branch or log. They were doing good speed, but the growls and snarls kept growing louder as the creatures kept drawing closer.

"Fuck," Will cursed, skidding to a stop. He drew Moonsaw and took a defensive stance, his left heel implanted in the dirt, his right foot firmly set in front. Jon fumbled with his sword and managed to draw it too.

The noises had abruptly stopped.

"When facing a beast like a wolf or a dog, or whatever the fuck that is, be sure to keep your distance," Will panted. "Utilize your superior range to your advantage. And try to protect your back by keeping it against a wall or tree. They will flank and surround you."

Jon's sword arm trembled in response.

"I just need to know what kind of creature it is," Jon said nervously, his voice cracking near the end. "There has to be some mixture of herbs that can repel them."

"Don't be foolish, just hold up your sword and prepare yourself!"

"The boy is on to something," Neith's voice called again. She sounded both surprised and impressed. "Smart and cute."

"C-cute?"

"Snap out of it, you dimwit!" Will spat. "She's manipulating you!"

"Manipulation isn't my style, Flamefist," Neith replied. "The strong survive and the weak die. Prove that thou deserve to live."

A pair of yellow eyes blinked beside a Khatir trunk. Will stood at alert while Jon struggled to recover. Two beasts of flesh and fur leapt out of the shadows, and the snarling started again.

"Gods," Will murmured, tightening his grasp on Moonsaw.

The creatures were wolves, covered in scars from the tips of their wet runny snouts to the end of their bushy brown tails. They were Timber Wolves, the largest and most dangerous of wolves. One of the wolves fixed its eyes on Will's gleaming silver sword, and its upper lip curled in a sneer of cruel intelligence. The creatures eerily reminded Will of Azrael.

"These two, Theeb and Lupa, were Omegas of the largest Timber Wolf pack in Khatir, driven out by the other wolves. I tamed and trained them. They're more than enough to tear thee two to shreds."

The one that sneered was slightly larger and had a darker shade of brown. Will assumed it was a male, Theeb. The female, Lupa, was already beginning to circle around Will and Jon. The bounty hunter turned halfway and waved his scimitar threateningly. The she-wolf paused.

"Timber Wolves are very intelligent," Neith continued chattily. "They can understand human dialect more than any other creature. Centuries ago, they used to be able to imitate human noises. Many a traveler has lost his or her life helping a stranger calling for help."

"Shut up!" Will bellowed. The wolves seemed taken aback for a second, then both sneered in amusement. "Jon, if there's a time for your herbs and juices, now is that time!"

Jon nodded grimly, then plopped himself onto the floor and pulled out his tools and herbs from his fat stuffed pouch.

"Theeb, Lupa, kill the man with the silver sword! Spare me the boy. I think I'll keep him as a pet, until I'm bored with him. Would thou like that, little pet?"

"Jon," Will warned.

The boy nodded again, swallowing hard.

"Yes. Focusing. I know," he whispered.

"Great," Will breathed, sounding as relieved as he felt. "I'll hold them off as long as I can. Which might not mean long. So, for your gods' sake, hurry the fuck up."

Theeb, the larger wolf, bared his teeth ferociously and charged at the pair. Will slashed in front of him and the wolf dodged backwards. Meanwhile, Lupa had flanked right and tried to leap at Jon, but Will was there with Moonsaw. The she-wolf barely managed to dodge roll, and a tuft of brown fur landed right in Jon's lap.

The Timber Wolves regrouped, standing side by side once again. The amused sneers were wiped clean of their faces now. The male poked Lupa's flank, where Moonsaw had torn the fur, with his snout. The she-wolf grunted and pushed Theeb away with her own snout. Will was astounded. Just how intelligent were these woodland beasts?

This time, the wolves spread out further, standing on opposite sides of Will. Theeb was facing him again, and Jon was between Will and Lupa. They seemed insistent on "killing the healer". But Flamefist would protect his support with everything he had, with the fury of his warrior's spirit.

"Enough wasting time!" Neith called out. "Fight or die. Do not delay thy destiny."

"I'm done playing on other people's terms. This is MY game, and I play it MY way," the no longer grizzled bounty hunter replied, twirling his blade skillfully in his hand.

Theeb rushed him again, but the wolf retreated with a brand new scar on his left shoulder. Lupa tried to attack Jon in the momentary distraction, since Will was too far away, but Flamefist tossed a throwing knife with deadly accuracy, impaling her front paw to the floor. She whined and whimpered in pain; a second later, the male was at her side. Will watched as Theeb licked Lupa's face comfortingly.

"Theeb!" Will called out. "You don't have to die, or get hurt. Your mate can survive and bear you little pups. You can start your own pack. Leave us alone."

Theeb glowered at the bounty hunter as the latter turned around Jon then stood between the wolves and the blond.

"Di..." the wolf growled. "Nor..."

Flamefist blinked in confusion. Was the wolf trying to... Speak?

"What was that, Theeb?"

"Disss... Ooor..."

"I think he's saying dishonor," Jon said softly and stood up. "Neith said they were driven away from their pack, right?"

The wolf winced and gently pulled the throwing knife out of Lupa's paw with his teeth. She licked Theeb's face, but the larger wolf did not react.

"Timber Wolves. You may retreat with no dishonor," Jon said loudly and clearly. "You are valiant opponents, but this fight will not end well for both of us. Leave."

"Nnnoo," Theeb growled gently. "Disss... Onor..."

His mate nodded at him, and the pair hunkered down again.

"Jon, stand back," Will cautioned. "They're not retreating."

"Something is wrong. The female. She can't speak."

"Jonathan."

That got Jon's attention, and the scrawny boy quickly passed Will a vial of some green concoction he had mixed.

"If this enters their bloodstream, it will cause them extreme pain. Immobilizing pain. They won't be able to move for a while, and we'll be... We'll be free to do whatever we want."

Will nodded, keeping his piercing gaze on the wolves as he applied the oil to his blades.

"You can still retreat."

"Payyy... Nnnn..."

"Yes. This mixture will cause you pain."

"Nnnoo," the wolf replied. He jerked his head in the direction of his mate, then looked down at his own paws. "Payyyy... Nnnn... Disss... Onorr..."

Will choked up. He understood what the wolf was saying. More than that, he related with what the wolf was feeling. It hurt Will in ways he never imagined.

"Alright, Theeb. Let's end this. Either way, you will be rid of your dishonor and pain, whether you live or you die."

The wolf nodded gratefully and turned to his mate. He gave her ear a quick lick. Lupa gently nuzzled him. Then, their goodbyes said, the mates charged at Will and Jon.

:÷:÷:÷:÷:÷:÷:÷:÷:÷

Yikes. That was a bit sad.

How's it going lads? I managed to get through that exam mood and coughed up a chapter. I actually really like this one, even though I wanted to give Will and Jon a small break to enjoy the Woods. Welp, we can see how THAT turned out.

Theeb and Lupa are... I don't know, they were supposed to be like Azrael at first, cunning brutes. But they grew on to me. And I accidentally made them likeable. Whoops.

Anyhow, this was a bit of a roller-coaster. For me, at least. I hope you're liking how the story is going. If you are, and if you aren't, please do tell me in a small comment. It ensures that I know how my general audience feels about the story. If there is an audience, ha ha.

Ehem. Thanks for tuning in this week. Thank you to everyone who is regularly voting and reading. You are appreciated more than you think.

And as always, have a wonderful day/evening.