first, and his head spun toward the noise. “More?” he whispered, a note of concern in his voice for the first time.
The cries were blending together now to Temi’s ears, and she couldn’t tell if there were two creatures or ten. “How many?”
Jakatra stopped walking. “There are at least four.”
“Four animals as big and strong as what I just fought?”
“Not quite as big, but stronger and faster. And they never travel in packs. Or even pairs. The female kills the male after they mate if he doesn’t leave her side soon enough.”
“They sound cozy.”
Jakatra didn’t answer; he was looking in all directions, analyzing the forest, his eyes glowing faintly in the deepening gloom. Searching for somewhere to hide? To run to?
“Jakatra?” she whispered during a lull in the howls. The woods were utterly silent around them. “Did you bring any of your superior protections that drive them away? For backup?”
His expression changed little, but she got a sense of bleakness from them. “If I had, they wouldn’t have come.”
“Do you have a way to communicate with Eleriss?”
“No.”
The howls grew shorter, more excited, reminding Temi of coyotes on the heels of their prey. Except these creatures sounded much bigger than coyotes.
“They’re here.” Jakatra pointed into the trees.
It was too dark now for Temi to pick out anything—the silvery illumination from her sword didn’t reach that far—but she trusted he could see with his glowing eyes.
“Come, up that big tree. Can you climb it? There are too many for us to fight.”
“I’ll figure it out.”
Temi raced after him to a tree with a six-foot-diameter trunk. It looked sturdy enough to withstand even the most determined predator. So long as none of them came armed with chainsaws.
The cracked plates of bark reminded Temi of alligator junipers back home, but the trunk rose straight up without any branches for the first twenty feet. Not fazed, Jakatra charged up the tree as if he were Usain Bolt sprinting down a track. Temi gawked. There was no way she could duplicate that feat; he hadn’t even put his sword away for the climb.
More animals were gathering in the shadows, spreading out to surround them. Jakatra must be mistaken. They were definitely hunting with pack instincts. And they were getting closer.
She stuck her sword into the scabbard hanging across her back and slid her hands over the rough bark. When the blade disappeared into its home, its glow quenched, the darkness left behind filled her with as much fear as those howls did. She reached up, gripping the trunk and jumped, trying to dig her boots into the bark. They skidded down several inches. Panic rose in her breast, along with the realization that she might not be able to do this, that she hadn’t climbed enough trees as a child.
A high-pitched yowl erupted from the brush not twenty feet away. Sheer adrenaline changed Temi’s mind—she could do this—and propelled her upward. Her shoes skidded again. She cursed, hugged the tree for all she was worth, and kicked them off. She made much better progress in socks. But was it enough? Heavy paws trod on the undergrowth around the trunk. Snarls and slavering sounds filled her ears.
“Look out,” Jakatra yelled from above.
Temi dug in with her feet, left the fingers of one hand wedged between two scales in the bark, and slid the sword out with the other hand. Light splashed the side of the tree and illuminated part of the ground, as well as the black feline-like creature leaping into the air, a paw slashing for her leg.
Temi swatted at it weakly, afraid she would fall from her precarious perch. Luck guided her hand, and she connected with a pointed nose. The creature yowled, and she glimpsed a rack of sharp fangs before it dropped back to the ground. Countless others were swirling around down there.
“Keep climbing, go,” came Jakatra’s muffled voice from the other side of the trunk.
His unexpected proximity
The cries were blending together now to Temi’s ears, and she couldn’t tell if there were two creatures or ten. “How many?”
Jakatra stopped walking. “There are at least four.”
“Four animals as big and strong as what I just fought?”
“Not quite as big, but stronger and faster. And they never travel in packs. Or even pairs. The female kills the male after they mate if he doesn’t leave her side soon enough.”
“They sound cozy.”
Jakatra didn’t answer; he was looking in all directions, analyzing the forest, his eyes glowing faintly in the deepening gloom. Searching for somewhere to hide? To run to?
“Jakatra?” she whispered during a lull in the howls. The woods were utterly silent around them. “Did you bring any of your superior protections that drive them away? For backup?”
His expression changed little, but she got a sense of bleakness from them. “If I had, they wouldn’t have come.”
“Do you have a way to communicate with Eleriss?”
“No.”
The howls grew shorter, more excited, reminding Temi of coyotes on the heels of their prey. Except these creatures sounded much bigger than coyotes.
“They’re here.” Jakatra pointed into the trees.
It was too dark now for Temi to pick out anything—the silvery illumination from her sword didn’t reach that far—but she trusted he could see with his glowing eyes.
“Come, up that big tree. Can you climb it? There are too many for us to fight.”
“I’ll figure it out.”
Temi raced after him to a tree with a six-foot-diameter trunk. It looked sturdy enough to withstand even the most determined predator. So long as none of them came armed with chainsaws.
The cracked plates of bark reminded Temi of alligator junipers back home, but the trunk rose straight up without any branches for the first twenty feet. Not fazed, Jakatra charged up the tree as if he were Usain Bolt sprinting down a track. Temi gawked. There was no way she could duplicate that feat; he hadn’t even put his sword away for the climb.
More animals were gathering in the shadows, spreading out to surround them. Jakatra must be mistaken. They were definitely hunting with pack instincts. And they were getting closer.
She stuck her sword into the scabbard hanging across her back and slid her hands over the rough bark. When the blade disappeared into its home, its glow quenched, the darkness left behind filled her with as much fear as those howls did. She reached up, gripping the trunk and jumped, trying to dig her boots into the bark. They skidded down several inches. Panic rose in her breast, along with the realization that she might not be able to do this, that she hadn’t climbed enough trees as a child.
A high-pitched yowl erupted from the brush not twenty feet away. Sheer adrenaline changed Temi’s mind—she could do this—and propelled her upward. Her shoes skidded again. She cursed, hugged the tree for all she was worth, and kicked them off. She made much better progress in socks. But was it enough? Heavy paws trod on the undergrowth around the trunk. Snarls and slavering sounds filled her ears.
“Look out,” Jakatra yelled from above.
Temi dug in with her feet, left the fingers of one hand wedged between two scales in the bark, and slid the sword out with the other hand. Light splashed the side of the tree and illuminated part of the ground, as well as the black feline-like creature leaping into the air, a paw slashing for her leg.
Temi swatted at it weakly, afraid she would fall from her precarious perch. Luck guided her hand, and she connected with a pointed nose. The creature yowled, and she glimpsed a rack of sharp fangs before it dropped back to the ground. Countless others were swirling around down there.
“Keep climbing, go,” came Jakatra’s muffled voice from the other side of the trunk.
His unexpected proximity
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