Drool starts to slither down my fangs. These hunters came at the wrong time. It seems as though one of them has a gun, and the other three have swords. I am guessing the gunner will support the other three. I will need to kill him first. The three swordsmen begin their assault, charging towards me with their swords drawn. My claws dig into the ice. I have a plan.
The three hunters are attacking me in a group. I snarl with disappointment. If they were to be any challenge they would have split and attacked me from all sides. My claws dig deeper. The hunters are getting closer. I can smell their fear. They are not ready to face me yet. My gaze slips to the gunner, who is reloading; ready for an attack. They plan to attack me all at once, in one big group. I hiss through my teeth. Amateurs. As the first hunter approaches, their longsword aims to crash down upon my head. The grip from my claws allows me to leap to the side, dodging his attack. I charge towards the gunner, who seems to still be reloading. I leap into the air, claws outstretched, jaws open wide, ready to devour him. To my demise, the hunter raises his gun with lightning speed and fires a bullet, hitting me full in the chest. The impact sends me hurtling backwards; my body slides along the ice until the wall brings me to an abrupt stop. I open my eyes and scramble to my feet, my bruised back telling me of its pain. The hunters are just standing there, as if paused in time. Suddenly my chest burns with agony as the bullet explodes. I collapse to ice, the cold soothing the burn. Scum. They were waiting for that to happen. Again I am on my feet. Now I am outraged. I jump backwards, and grip onto the wall with my claws. The hunters look puzzled and not sure what to do. My leg muscles spring my body off the wall, and I plunge into the crowd of the three swordsmen, sending them flying. I take off the ground and hover in the air. I turn towards the gunner, who is loading another bullet into his gun. I snarl and raise my head as he aims at me. I shoot an iceball as he fires his bullet. It hits me in my right wing and I fall to the ground. As I crane my neck round, I can see that my iceball hit the gunner, and in its place has emerged a snowy tornado, sending the hunter flying into a snow dune. I breathe a sigh of relief, but forget about the exploding bullet as the fire burns through my skin again. I cry out as the burn on my delicate wing membrane is severe. I need to…deal with the other three…My sight starts to blur as I get to my feet. I am in no condition to fly; I guess if things get worse I'll have to limp away, or use whatever strength I have left to leap through the mountains. The terrain is too rough there for even a hunter to follow. My legs tremble as I push my body weight off the ground. The burns inflicted by the exploding bullets sting with every movement; even with every breath I take. My breath smokes in the freezing cold of the Tundra. The three swordsmen are up ahead, slowly closing in. I look up to the sky; pure white. Perfect. The hunters draw their swords, the blades dull silver in the blizzard. The blizzard is exactly what I have been waiting for. I focus my gaze on the ice pillar that I was perched on, waiting for the Gigginox earlier. If I can fly for just a second…
The hunters close in for the attack. The blizzard is fierce. The hunters sprint towards me. Now is my chance. I lift off into the air and dive for the pillar. I only just make it, having to scramble into a perching position with my sharp claws. With the blizzard being this thick, there is no way the hunters can tell which way I went. My right wing membrane screams with pain. I curl my lips and bare my teeth to deal with it. Now I need to aim my next and final attack carefully. My squinted eyes eliminate the glare from the snow and, when I concentrate for a few minutes, I can make out the hunters faintly. I ready myself on the edge of the pillar. My back leg muscles push me from the ice, and I leap through the air towards the hunters, claws ready to kill. As I approach them, I catch a glimpse of one of the swords, aimed straight at me. I land on all three of the hunters, my claws piercing two of them, while my fangs stab through the shoulder of the third, in the centre. Their blood seeps out of the wounds I've created. However, I soon realise that I am also injured. The hunter who now has my fangs embedded in his shoulder has actually managed to pierce my left shoulder with his sword. My white fur is soon dyed red as the blood runs down my left arm. My arm buckles and I fall onto my side, relieving the wound of the hunter's sword. It hurts…I feel cold…I need to get into the cave…
As I drag my bulk towards the cave, my sight becomes so blurry that I nearly lose my way. I'm not sure now whether I will live to see tomorrow…I fall before the cave, a trail of my own blood staining the snow. Predators will soon be attracted by the smell. I don't have the strength to move anymore. I am now aware of my fate.
As I look up to the cave, a pair of glowing eyes stare back.