their mouths just barely exposed. They listened to the sounds of horses, Krulg, and Durhunds as they crashed from the woods and stopped at the stream.
“The fools try to lose their scent. Tragrik ubrunik alke varnik vuergrak!” Taviak ordered the Krulgs.
Dean saw a Durhund crash out of the brush. The size of a huge dog, it had coarse hair and four twisted tusks. Dean pressed his face against the stream’s bank. The sound of Krulgs and Durhunds running down the stream and others crossing it made his heart race. After several minutes, Dean was about to raise himself up from the stream but stopped when he heard footsteps. They both held their breath and sank beneath the surface of the water again. Dean felt Han shake as something jabbed into the water near them. Again and again something stabbed the water, coming closer and closer. Dean’s lungs burned, and his mind raced.
A spearhead flashed as it passed next to Dean’s face. He sat bolt upright and thrust his sword at the figure, blurred by the water in his eyes. Dean’s blade sank deep into a Krulg’s chest. He yanked his sword back and the Krulg fell onto the bank.
“Look out!” Han screamed as a second Krulg ran up and thrust at Dean with his barbed spear.
Dean spun to the side and grabbed the shaft of the spear. In one motion, he pulled it and the Krulg forward. Dean drove his sword into its belly. Screaming, the beast fell into the water, which swallowed its cries but not the echo that rang through the woods.
Han looked at him, wide-eyed. “You’re the bravest warrior I’ve ever seen. Actually, I haven’t seen too many in battle, but if I had, I bet you’d be the best. I’ve never really seen a battle—” Han was cut off as Dean dragged him onto dry ground.
“I’m running on luck right now, and I’m pushing it too. That Krulg’s screaming is going to bring them all back, and I don’t want to be here to meet the black tin can again. Let’s go.”
The two ran in the opposite direction of Taviak and the Krulgs. As they jogged, Han fell behind; his waterlogged sack weighed him down. Dean stopped to take the sack, and they continued on. They went in silence, both tired from the run. The pale moon peeked out from the clouds overhead.
“Great. Like they really needed more light to hunt us,” Dean grumbled.
“Dean,” Han panted, “I hear the Durhunds.”
Dean stopped. “We’ll never lose those stupid things. I thought the water would cover our scent. I have to think. The Durhunds will be running in front of those guys. If they are, we can try to kill the Durhunds and then run. That’s what they’d do in the movies.”
“Movies?” Han asked, puzzled.
“Motion pictures? Oh, skip it. How many do you think there are?”
“Three or four. It’s hard to tell with them all barking, but that’s what I would guess.”
“Do you think you can kill them with your bow?”
“Four? I don’t know if I can if they’re all trying to get at me at once,” Han answered nervously.
“Get up in the tree. I think I can get one or two on the ground while you get the others.”
Han scurried up the tree, and Dean set his legs as the barking of the Durhunds drew closer.
Suddenly, a growling Krulg charged from behind the tree. It swung its mace in a huge arc. Dean blocked.
Dean’s sword pivoted around the mace, and the mace fell to the ground. The Krulg grabbed Dean’s sword arm and punched him in the face. As Dean staggered to the side, the Krulg grabbed Dean from behind, its large arms wrapping around his chest. It pinned his sword arm and knocked the weapon to the ground. Dean planted his feet and pushed backward, slamming the Krulg into the trunk of the tree.
The Krulg tightened its grip and grasped Dean’s throat with a clawed hand. Dean could smell the creature’s foul odor, and its rancid breath was hot on his face. With a growl, it whipped Dean around and smashed him into the tree.
As Dean fell to his knees, the Krulg stepped back and
“The fools try to lose their scent. Tragrik ubrunik alke varnik vuergrak!” Taviak ordered the Krulgs.
Dean saw a Durhund crash out of the brush. The size of a huge dog, it had coarse hair and four twisted tusks. Dean pressed his face against the stream’s bank. The sound of Krulgs and Durhunds running down the stream and others crossing it made his heart race. After several minutes, Dean was about to raise himself up from the stream but stopped when he heard footsteps. They both held their breath and sank beneath the surface of the water again. Dean felt Han shake as something jabbed into the water near them. Again and again something stabbed the water, coming closer and closer. Dean’s lungs burned, and his mind raced.
A spearhead flashed as it passed next to Dean’s face. He sat bolt upright and thrust his sword at the figure, blurred by the water in his eyes. Dean’s blade sank deep into a Krulg’s chest. He yanked his sword back and the Krulg fell onto the bank.
“Look out!” Han screamed as a second Krulg ran up and thrust at Dean with his barbed spear.
Dean spun to the side and grabbed the shaft of the spear. In one motion, he pulled it and the Krulg forward. Dean drove his sword into its belly. Screaming, the beast fell into the water, which swallowed its cries but not the echo that rang through the woods.
Han looked at him, wide-eyed. “You’re the bravest warrior I’ve ever seen. Actually, I haven’t seen too many in battle, but if I had, I bet you’d be the best. I’ve never really seen a battle—” Han was cut off as Dean dragged him onto dry ground.
“I’m running on luck right now, and I’m pushing it too. That Krulg’s screaming is going to bring them all back, and I don’t want to be here to meet the black tin can again. Let’s go.”
The two ran in the opposite direction of Taviak and the Krulgs. As they jogged, Han fell behind; his waterlogged sack weighed him down. Dean stopped to take the sack, and they continued on. They went in silence, both tired from the run. The pale moon peeked out from the clouds overhead.
“Great. Like they really needed more light to hunt us,” Dean grumbled.
“Dean,” Han panted, “I hear the Durhunds.”
Dean stopped. “We’ll never lose those stupid things. I thought the water would cover our scent. I have to think. The Durhunds will be running in front of those guys. If they are, we can try to kill the Durhunds and then run. That’s what they’d do in the movies.”
“Movies?” Han asked, puzzled.
“Motion pictures? Oh, skip it. How many do you think there are?”
“Three or four. It’s hard to tell with them all barking, but that’s what I would guess.”
“Do you think you can kill them with your bow?”
“Four? I don’t know if I can if they’re all trying to get at me at once,” Han answered nervously.
“Get up in the tree. I think I can get one or two on the ground while you get the others.”
Han scurried up the tree, and Dean set his legs as the barking of the Durhunds drew closer.
Suddenly, a growling Krulg charged from behind the tree. It swung its mace in a huge arc. Dean blocked.
Dean’s sword pivoted around the mace, and the mace fell to the ground. The Krulg grabbed Dean’s sword arm and punched him in the face. As Dean staggered to the side, the Krulg grabbed Dean from behind, its large arms wrapping around his chest. It pinned his sword arm and knocked the weapon to the ground. Dean planted his feet and pushed backward, slamming the Krulg into the trunk of the tree.
The Krulg tightened its grip and grasped Dean’s throat with a clawed hand. Dean could smell the creature’s foul odor, and its rancid breath was hot on his face. With a growl, it whipped Dean around and smashed him into the tree.
As Dean fell to his knees, the Krulg stepped back and
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