Those words did not compute. "Run?" she asked, even as the two of
them began to slink away, "Like cowards?" She was of the opinion that they
stop and fight. After all, how bad could a few of these things be?
As though Caelan had read Kate's mind, she said, "They aren't ordinary animals, Kate. They've the body of a dog, the scales of a snake, sulfurous eyes and teeth that drip venom. One bite and the next face you'll see belongs to the Shadow Lover."
Now Kate understood why Caelan was running instead of putting up a fight. But couldn't they prepare traps? Couldn't they use deadfalls and snares and pikes? She wondered about this, and told Caelan as much. "We can't use magic, but that doesn't mean we can't find other things that will work against them, Caelan. They can't be any worse than a pack of wolves - I mean aside from the venom."
"True," Caelan replied, still heading back the way she came, "But I'd rather not stick around to find out. They're smart, Kate. Bloody smart. What one learns, it can teach to the others. They all share a sort of memory bank, each one of them can tap into it and learn what his brothers and sisters already know. If we try one trap, they'll figure it out in no time at all. We don't stand a chance."
"But - we can't just give up!" Kate would have given anything for a good sword right now; there was nothing she liked more than the feel of cold, balanced metal in her hand. And, if she had a sword, she'd have a much better chance against these creatures. "And besides - SOME of our traps have to work! We can set some that these things haven't seen before. And if we injure a few, maybe the rest of them will think twice about chasing us; they're so smart." She seemed smug.
"Aye, some of them will work, but how long does it take to set a trap? The pack will be on us before we're even half of the way through, Kate."
A howl in the distance . . .. The pack had found their trail, and weren't far behind. "They're close," Caelan whispered, and sped up her pace. But Kate didn't follow. "Kate? What are you doing!?" Caelan stopped herself and turned back to face the woman. "I can't just run, Caelan! All my life I was taught that you don't give up without trying! I'm not going to run from something I've never seen when I know I can at least TRY to stop them!" She was setting snares in the brush, stripping supple branches of their leaves with a dagger, bending and manipulating them until she had created a makeshift snare or two. Caelan ran up to the woman and grabbed her arm. "Those won't DO anything, Kate!"
"The snares will slow them all down! They'll give us a head start!"
Right again - another point for Kate. "All right - so we've slowed them down a wee bit - NOW what!?" She grabbed onto Kate's arm and carted the woman off, nearly dragging her from her feet.
"How high can the Wyrsa jump?"
"What?"
"How high can they jump!?"
"How on EARTH would I know something like that, Kate!?"
"Well, don't look now, Caelan, but the pack is right behind us!"
"Dear gods . . .." Despite Kate's warning, Caelan looked behind herself anyway and saw the yellow glow of a dozen pairs of eyes seeming to float through the underbrush. Her own eyes widened and she gripped tightly to Kate's arm.
Meanwhile, Kate's eyes had been scanning the trees around them frantically, searching for the escape route they so desperately needed. What she wanted was a tree with branches that were low enough to climb, but high enough to keep the Wyrsa from following. What she found, however, happened to be the closest climbable tree. "Up, up!" Kate cried, and shoved Caelan ahead of her. Caelan - white faced and wide eyed - gripped the highest branch she could reach and tried to pull herself up. It was no use! Caelan wasn't the strongest of women, and as she attempted to swing herself up into the safety of the tree, she felt Kate crash into the back of her legs as the momentum of her run met Caelan's stationary body. "Hey!" she cried, her grip loosened from the limb. She toppled to the ground and landed in a heap of rose-hued skirts.
"Dammit, Caelan!" Kate yelled, and hoisted the woman to her feet. "Look, I'll give you a leg up - now HURRY!" Suddenly the woods quieted again, and the sound of a pack of panting Wyrsa filled the air. A chill raced up Kate's back; she knew they'd been surrounded.
Caelan scrambled onto the tree branch and turned to help Kate, only to shriek loudly, "Kate, look out!" A scaled beast shot from the brush with a blood-curdling snarl and headed directly for Kate's leg! The woman yelped and heaved herself into the tree, her arms straining, just as the Wyrsa clamped its jaws around Kate's foot. Kate seemed to growl back at the thing and kicked at it with her free leg, aiming for its eyes and nose - she couldn't let its venom get to her skin! The Wyrsa shook the boot from side to side, the very leather of the black shoe melting away as it came into contact with the acidic venom.
"Forget the boot, Kate! Take it off!" She grabbed onto Kate's arm tightly, "Look - I've got you - now reach down there and unbuckle your boot!"
Kate nodded grimly and let go of the branch with one hand, reached down toward her boot, and released the catch. The Wyrsa nearly fell backward as the boot came off of Kate's foot, then proceeded to tear the thing to shreds. Kate immediately turned and scrambled into the tree, panting.
As though Caelan had read Kate's mind, she said, "They aren't ordinary animals, Kate. They've the body of a dog, the scales of a snake, sulfurous eyes and teeth that drip venom. One bite and the next face you'll see belongs to the Shadow Lover."
Now Kate understood why Caelan was running instead of putting up a fight. But couldn't they prepare traps? Couldn't they use deadfalls and snares and pikes? She wondered about this, and told Caelan as much. "We can't use magic, but that doesn't mean we can't find other things that will work against them, Caelan. They can't be any worse than a pack of wolves - I mean aside from the venom."
"True," Caelan replied, still heading back the way she came, "But I'd rather not stick around to find out. They're smart, Kate. Bloody smart. What one learns, it can teach to the others. They all share a sort of memory bank, each one of them can tap into it and learn what his brothers and sisters already know. If we try one trap, they'll figure it out in no time at all. We don't stand a chance."
"But - we can't just give up!" Kate would have given anything for a good sword right now; there was nothing she liked more than the feel of cold, balanced metal in her hand. And, if she had a sword, she'd have a much better chance against these creatures. "And besides - SOME of our traps have to work! We can set some that these things haven't seen before. And if we injure a few, maybe the rest of them will think twice about chasing us; they're so smart." She seemed smug.
"Aye, some of them will work, but how long does it take to set a trap? The pack will be on us before we're even half of the way through, Kate."
A howl in the distance . . .. The pack had found their trail, and weren't far behind. "They're close," Caelan whispered, and sped up her pace. But Kate didn't follow. "Kate? What are you doing!?" Caelan stopped herself and turned back to face the woman. "I can't just run, Caelan! All my life I was taught that you don't give up without trying! I'm not going to run from something I've never seen when I know I can at least TRY to stop them!" She was setting snares in the brush, stripping supple branches of their leaves with a dagger, bending and manipulating them until she had created a makeshift snare or two. Caelan ran up to the woman and grabbed her arm. "Those won't DO anything, Kate!"
"The snares will slow them all down! They'll give us a head start!"
Right again - another point for Kate. "All right - so we've slowed them down a wee bit - NOW what!?" She grabbed onto Kate's arm and carted the woman off, nearly dragging her from her feet.
"How high can the Wyrsa jump?"
"What?"
"How high can they jump!?"
"How on EARTH would I know something like that, Kate!?"
"Well, don't look now, Caelan, but the pack is right behind us!"
"Dear gods . . .." Despite Kate's warning, Caelan looked behind herself anyway and saw the yellow glow of a dozen pairs of eyes seeming to float through the underbrush. Her own eyes widened and she gripped tightly to Kate's arm.
Meanwhile, Kate's eyes had been scanning the trees around them frantically, searching for the escape route they so desperately needed. What she wanted was a tree with branches that were low enough to climb, but high enough to keep the Wyrsa from following. What she found, however, happened to be the closest climbable tree. "Up, up!" Kate cried, and shoved Caelan ahead of her. Caelan - white faced and wide eyed - gripped the highest branch she could reach and tried to pull herself up. It was no use! Caelan wasn't the strongest of women, and as she attempted to swing herself up into the safety of the tree, she felt Kate crash into the back of her legs as the momentum of her run met Caelan's stationary body. "Hey!" she cried, her grip loosened from the limb. She toppled to the ground and landed in a heap of rose-hued skirts.
"Dammit, Caelan!" Kate yelled, and hoisted the woman to her feet. "Look, I'll give you a leg up - now HURRY!" Suddenly the woods quieted again, and the sound of a pack of panting Wyrsa filled the air. A chill raced up Kate's back; she knew they'd been surrounded.
Caelan scrambled onto the tree branch and turned to help Kate, only to shriek loudly, "Kate, look out!" A scaled beast shot from the brush with a blood-curdling snarl and headed directly for Kate's leg! The woman yelped and heaved herself into the tree, her arms straining, just as the Wyrsa clamped its jaws around Kate's foot. Kate seemed to growl back at the thing and kicked at it with her free leg, aiming for its eyes and nose - she couldn't let its venom get to her skin! The Wyrsa shook the boot from side to side, the very leather of the black shoe melting away as it came into contact with the acidic venom.
"Forget the boot, Kate! Take it off!" She grabbed onto Kate's arm tightly, "Look - I've got you - now reach down there and unbuckle your boot!"
Kate nodded grimly and let go of the branch with one hand, reached down toward her boot, and released the catch. The Wyrsa nearly fell backward as the boot came off of Kate's foot, then proceeded to tear the thing to shreds. Kate immediately turned and scrambled into the tree, panting.