"W-what do we do?" that little brother anxiously asked.
"Just stay behind me," Aphid spoke again, "Do.not.run."
The older brother then suddenly stomped loudly upon the ground and shouted a fearsome yell at the creatures nearly upon them.
His head on challenge worked and gave the four wolves a momentary thinking pause.
But they soon resumed a pacing examination, about to circle the prey.
Aphid quickly brandished a large dagger from his belt and gave a warning swipe of the air, along with another Nord bellow.
It was just enough yet again to make the wolves regroup and pause.
"Why didn't you use that on the bear?" Aphid heard Kor's quiet inquiry.
"Nothing scares a Mama bear, Kor," Aphid replied while keeping his eyes firmly on the wolves, "Besides, by the time I'd been able to land a paper cut on her paw with this thing, she'd have ripped the skin from my ribs and crushed my skull in her teeth. Getting the Oblivion outta dodge was our only option there."
"B-but there's four of them," Kor said.
"Stay calm, baby brother," Aphid began slowly inching them backwards, "Wolves aren't bears."
Aphid had to stomp forward again as one wolf braved making a quick step towards them. It jumped back towards its brethren at Aphid's brazen warning.
"See how they give pause?" the older brother said, "They're opportunistic hunters. If they had us circled, that'd be their opportunity, but that's why I'm trying to keep them corralled in front. Even with their numbers, they typically avoid prey that might challenge them. It's dangerous to expend energy on a hunt that's not successful and they don't want to be wounded any more than we do."
"How do you make them go away?" the little brother nervously asked.
"You don't remember all the other times I've scattered wolves? And more than these?"
"Yeah—but, you had your bow all those times, and I remember the first time you threw a torch in one's face and you threw a pitchfork another time. All you've got is a knife now because I let that big stupid mudcrab snap your booow--"
"Kor Bjergsen," Aphid scolded and gave the arm around him a gentle--but alerting-- pop to focus Kor's attention. "I don't mean to be so stern right now, but I need you to calm down. Don't fret about that stuff, alright? And this isn't a knife, it's a dagger. It's got a little reach."
"But--"
"Just trust me, baby brother," Aphid said as he again inched them a little back again, "and stay behind me. Once one gets just close enough--"
SNAP!
"AH-OW! OOOW!" Kor hollared in pain just after that sudden snap and dropped down on his behind.
"Kor?!" Aphid spun to see his brother dropped by and ensnared in an animal trap, but Aphid quickly had to spin back around to the wolves taking their opportunity.
"NO!" the teen shouted in both fear and resistance as he kicked one wolf on the neck and stabbed another through its ear as it tried to evade his jab.
Aphid quickly tore the blade through its ear to stab a third wolf in its shoulder.
The wounded wolves reeled back, two yelping in blood, one gasping to regain its breath from that kick, and the other….
"AH!-SHIT!" Aphid hollered out as the teeth sank into his calf.
"APHID!!" Kor shrieked and scrambled, hurt leg still ensnared and all, to aid his brother.
Kor, when blinded in moments such as this, has shown incredible strength even for a Nord boy.
But his powerful grab upon the wolf's hips only had it sink its teeth further in Aphid's leg.
"Ah! Kor, wait!" Aphid shouted in pain, but Kor had already begun to try and throw the wolf off and those teeth began ripping upon flesh.
Aphid began to stab the dagger at the wolf's neck, but even through his pain, he noticed his brother in danger.
"Kor! Watch out!" he shouted and leaned far over the wolf upon his leg to divert the stab to the clipped ear wolf lunging at his brother.
He pushed Kor aside just in time to have the wolf impale the roof of its mouth on the blade of the dagger; the sharp point breaking clean through the top of its snout.
That was absolutely enough to send the wolf into a horribly pained and frightened frenzy. It rolled away, trying desperately to dislodge the dagger it had unfortunately yanked out of Aphid's grasp.
The shrieking yelps, however, was also enough to make the pack pause and Kor took the opportunity of the wolf releasing its jaws from Aphid to again seize the creature by its hips and throw it.
A painful crack was heard and Aphid had feared it was Kor's leg, but instead, it was that wolf's spine as it twisted from the toss.
The creature thudded upon the ground in shrieks of pain equal to that of its impaled brother. It attempted to run away, but could only drag its paralyzed hindquarters behind it in a demoralizing display that sent the already shoulder stabbed wolf far away.
That left only the breathless wolf, that had regained its air….and bravery….to stand in a snarling display just behind Kor.
Aphid quickly scurried to the impaled wolf and dislodged that dagger with a powerfully furious tug. The wolf made no attempt to retaliate and ran off yelping splatters of blood as it went, but Aphid had to act fast upon that wolf ready to avenge its pack.
With great aim, he flung his dagger like it was crafted specifically to be a projectile of grace and fury, and it lodged itself into the ribs of that snarling beast.
And finally, this wolf too, painfully rushed off in defeat...though it took with it the dagger lodged in its ribs.
Aphid paid no mind to the loss as he quickly rushed to his little brother, who had collapsed upon his behind again and began sobbing.
"Kor!" Aphid dropped to his knees quickly before him, "Kor, are you alright?"
The big brother pried the snare off Kor's leg, the boy's boot too, and immediately began examining the leg.
The jaw of the trap wasn't saw tooth but flat rimmed, so thankfully it didn't chomp right through with bloody teeth, but Aphid was immensely worried it crushed the bones all the same.
"m-my fault--," Aphid heard the boy choke out between sobs.
"What?" the older brother replied, not sure if he quite understood through those tears.
"It's a-all my faauult!" Kor cried.
"Kor, why are you saying--"
"If I h-ad just stayed on t-the p-path--"
"Kor…," Aphid moved from the boy's leg to take his face in hand, "Kor. Look at me and listen. The path isn't some invisible stone wall that keeps the wildlife to the side…."
"But--"
"Ah-ah," Aphid shook both their heads, "No more of that. You didn't sic the bear or wolves on us and you aren't to blame for whatever else your exhaustion has you blaming yourself for. You feel awful and it's making you feel worse by the second….Now. Your leg. Can you move your ankle?"
Aphid moved back down to examine that bruised and swollen wound.
Kor collected himself a bit, but whined in pain as he moved his foot.
"Y-yeah, but it huurts," he said.
"Baby brother, I'm sorry, but I need to squeeze it a bit," Aphid explained.
Kor whimpered but bravely nodded.
He then hissed and winced as Aphid pressed and squeezed the bruised area and carefully moved the boy's foot about.
The older brother was whispering how sorry he was the whole time and then spoke his conclusion.
"Well," he said with a hint of relief, "thankfully I don't think anything is broken. But you don't need to walk on it for while."
"W-what about your leg?" Kor asked, "Aphid, your leg's hurt pretty bad--"
"We still have some alcohol and bandages in my backpack," Aphid explained and appeared unbothered, "Just let me clean it up real quick and I'll be just fine."
"But Aphid," Kor replied, "What if it had….what is it called? …Rockxia?"
"Rockjoint?" Aphid corrected, "…Ataxia?"
Kor nodded, though the nod had an uncertainty about it.
Aphid grinned as he gently got Kor's boot back on and then he swung his backpack off to acquire his mending needs.
"Well," he said as he popped the cork off the alcohol vial, "Wolves don't transmit ataxia, so no worries there."
"What about the rockjoint?" Kor asked and winced as he watched Aphid clean out his own wound.
"Eh," Aphid shrugged, "I'm sure we'll find some money and a mender by the time anything sets in…..But if not…"
He stood up and did a humorous stiff-as-board walk back and forth.
"You're just gonna have to get used to me looking like this until we do," he said.
Kor chuckled at his brother's silly performance.
"And there we are," Aphid added and resumed finishing up his bandaging, "Your smile is making me feel better already."
Kor's smile lasted only a moment though, as he pondered another worry.
"What if it had rabies?" he said.
Aphid paused. His grin dropped slowly.
"Oh….oh no," he straightened up a bit, "I think you might be right….I feel suddenly…..rabid!"
He playfully lunged at the little brother with a growl.
Kor began laughing again and feebly trying to push the older brother away.
"Aphid! Cut it out, will ya!"
"I will," he muffled through a growl as he had grabbed the shoulder of Kor's shirt in his mouth, "with my teeth."
"Stoop it!"
Aphid released him with a laugh and proceeded to put away the mending supplies. He pulled out his red blanket then handed the backpack to Kor.
"Here, you put this on," Aphid said and then crouched with his back to Kor, "and I'll wear you. Hop up."
"But what about your leg?" Kor asked.
Aphid roughly patted his bandages in response.
"Good to go," he said.
"But--"
"Ah-ah. Heard what I said," Aphid cut him off, "Now no more of your arguing and hop up. Right now, little brother."
"….yes, sir," Kor sighed but put on Aphid's backpack and then hopped onto his back.
The older brother secured the boy with a bit more support by tying that blanket around his own waist and Kor's bottom like a seat. He then checked the placement of the sun to get his bearings and started heading in the general direction they were going previously….playing close mind for anymore snares….
"Aphid….," Kor spoke after a quiet couple minutes.
"Mhm?" Aphid acknowledged.
"You cussed…," the little brother seemed to comment out of nowhere.
Aphid was dumbstruck.
"W-what?" he said. He was absolutely confused and had a flashing thought that maybe Kor was becoming delirious with exhaustion and hunger.
"When the wolf bit you…," Kor then explained.
"Oh!" Aphid remembered, "….Oh, yeah. I guess I did, didn't I?...I'm sorry…..I would've given you a pass had it been you, promise…..But don't you go gettin' bit by any wolves, you hear me?"
"…yes, sir…," that tired little voice replied.
Kor always said it so quietly, but it was especially so this time from the utter exhaustion setting in on the lad.
"Rest up now," Aphid said, "I got you."