This chapter is really short, but it's because I needed to get the coming ones into nice chunks…
Chapter 22, Battle in the moonlight
Well, at least it wasn't as impossible to walk through the forest as Lise had feared it to be. After her eyes had gotten used to extracting all light there was she could see most things pretty well. Except colors. The strange illumination turned everything into lighter or darker silver and nothing else.
Still, the shifting, the values of the night made the whole forest a dream of nature's beauty. Delicate, pale flowers swayed in the wind, feeding on moons and not sun. The trees and bushes surrounded the two wanderers without creating fear, but protecting.
Kevin's feet hardly made any sound at all as he walked, even his calm, deep breath was easier to hear. Peaceful…
'I wish this could last…' Lise thought, swiftly wondering if it was just a dream since everything seemed almost too crisply wondrous.
But it was truly real…
The peace even lasted for a few minutes longer, which both the princess and prince enjoyed to the fullest.
That in turn made the two werewolves and the drooling wolf in their company twice as hated.
"Careful…!" Kevin grunted in a frustrated voice just a couple of seconds before the foes leaped out of the bushes.
The wind hadn't been on the travelers' side; the little that there was had been a bit stronger for a moment, coming from their left and bringing the monster's scent away from Kevin's sharp nose.
Three sets of eyes hungrily ogled the two wanderers, measuring their strength. The monsters knew the werewolf there wasn't a pure one, even more a reason not to let him have that fine human meat for himself…
'No hurt… touch…!'
With a spine-crushing roar Kevin lunged forward, tackling the left werewolf straight on and almost tearing the other one to the ground within the same move. He stumbled over the fallen one and spun around to meet the two snarling enemies. They hadn't believed that he'd be so fast.
"Hang on Kevin, I'm coming!" Lise called, furiously swinging her spear at the wolf that blocked her path.
The beast growled, seemed to smirk as it wouldn't allow her passage to her friend's aid.
"Out of my way, poodle!" she growled, glaring dangerously.
'Sounded like something Hawk would say…' she grimly thought with the tiniest spark of humor possible.
It leaped straight at her instead of stepping aside -not much of a surprise to Lise-, but she managed to catch and stop its mouth with the stick of her spear just before the attack brought her backwards and down in the chilly grass.
Flurry drool fell down on her neck and face as she violently twisted the spear with both hands, sending the wolf tumbling aside. She rolled away and got up, with a disgusted grimace running a hand over her face to get rid of the stinking, hot slime. Through the thundering blood in her veins she heard the snarls and hard thumps from Kevin's battle, but before she could look around the wolf was leaping at her again. Lise stumbled out of the way, hardly saving her hip from the bypassing, hungry claws.
Just as the wolf landed on the ground Lise swung her spear in an almost desperate move and a raging howl of pain came from the beast as blood ran down over the right back leg. It spun around, its red eyes flaring. Blinded by anger it leaped again, but this time the amazon was ready for the attack. She danced aside, sending out her arm like a whip and hit the wolf's neck with the weapon's trustworthy stick. It was brought completely off balance and crashed on the ground. Before it had time to recover from the dizziness Lise sent her spear downwards in full force, shutting her eyes tightly.
There was a desperate yelp of agony and the stick she held in both hands twisted disgustingly as the wolf tried to wriggle loose from its death. But she had aimed carefully before looking away. The beast died quickly.
As the spear stopped twisting in her hands and the dying groans subsided Lise tore her weapon free and spun at the other battle. Kevin…
Oh, no…
One werewolf was unconscious on the ground, two others were caught in a deadly wrestling match. Since the battle still was on, one of the awake combatants had to be her friend.
But in the silvery dusk Lise couldn't make out either one.
"Kevin?" she called, hesitating.
"Yeah?" one of the werewolves grunted, but she didn't see which one and they were moving so fast…
They spun past a fallen tree trunk, growling and snarling as they both tried to hit and defend at the same time.
Two furry hands got a grip of a hairy head, the holder tore both himself and the enemy upwards and slammed the head into the tree. Maybe not dead, but the one receiving the strike slumped down in the grass with a fading growl.
And the victorious stood up, turned to Lise and slowly took a step forwards. She raised her spear, not knowing if it was a friend or foe that approached her in the night.
"Lise?"
She lowered the weapon with a relieved sigh as the confused voice spoke.
"It's you…" she mumbled and shook her head, "sorry, I couldn't tell in this darkness."
"I see. Problem…"
Kevin (very carefully) scratched his head.
"How tell if meet more werewolves?" he concernedly wondered, "surely will…"
"Hmm."
The princess eyed him for a moment, her gaze stopping by his long ears. By that she faintly smiled.
"I've got an idea," she said, "sit down for a moment."
He obeyed as she walked closer, releasing the green ribbon that kept her hair under control. Carefully she tied the long piece of cloth around his left ear with a simple, secure knot. There she would be able to see it clearly, and it wouldn't be torn off as easily as it might have been if tied around his arm.
"How cute!" she said with a chuckle, kindly teasing.
Kevin let out a short laugh himself, rising to his feet with a grin.
They began walking yet again, continuing into the night. The path they walked wouldn't be a peaceful one, but both the warriors had resigned to that fact long, long ago.