Chapter 28

Ariel crouched where she stood, though she knew that the other wolves had already seen her. Fear surged through her as the wolves tensed and lowered their heads, now heading toward her slowly. She dropped her tail and pinned her ears, barring her teeth at the wolves as she slowly backed away. She had to show aggression. Her wolf knew that if they were attacked, they had to fight with everything they had. These wolves were far more dangerous than pack wolves, and trying to reason with them was out of the question. Even if she could communicate with them in their wolf forms, there was no way they were letting her off the hook.

As they drew closer, their posture grew more and more tense. It was clear that they were getting ready to attack, and Ariel was getting ready as well. She wanted to run, but she knew she would not get far. They knew this area and she did not. Her wolf let her know that she could handle this, and she back away from the three of them.

All three wolves were shades of brown and grey, each with yellow or amber eyes. They bared their teeth as they neared, lowering their own heads. They paused ten feet away from her, her heart hammering in her chest as her eyes darted between all of them. It felt like forever with them standing there staring at her. She didn't dare move or make a sound, hoping they would decide that she was not worth it. Sadly, she was not that lucky.

At once, all three of them darted in at her. One went for her front paws, another for her side, and the final went for her throat. She dropped her head and jumped back, avoiding being hit by two and was knocked off balance by the third. The one that had slammed into her side attempted to grab onto her, but her thick fur repelled it's teeth. As the other two moved in for another attack, she instead darted forward and dipped down, latching her teeth onto the throat of the wolf that had gone for her legs. There was a yelp and she felt teeth grab her neck as well and she thrashed her head back and forth.

Blood filled her mouth and pain exploded across her back and her shoulders. She didn't relent. Even when the wolf she held broke free, she surged forward and pressed the attack. With gnashing teeth and chest deep growls, she shook off the other two wolves and latched her teeth onto the back of the wolf that was backing away. Once more she thrashed her head, a yelp escaping the other wolf as she felt more pain explode across her back end. The wolf in her teeth was still trying to get away, but she yanked her head to the side and tossed it away. She then whipped around, knocking one of the wolves back, while the other jumped to the side.

The wolf she was now facing was the one that had been leading the others, and they both went at each other, claws and teeth digging into one another as they fought. Their growls and snarls filled the air as they tore into one another, their fur matted with blood as they dragged one another around the clearing. They slammed into threes, crashed through the underbrush and tumbled down inclines, over rocks. When all three of them separated, they were panting and each of them were bleeding. Ariel had no time to ponder over her wounds, no time to think about their next move. All she knew was that they were trying to kill her, and she had to end them first.

She charged in again, both of the wolves diving for her throat. She quickly side stepped and drove her shoulder into one, sinking her teeth into the shoulder of another. Once more blood filled her mouth, but she ignored the taste as she rose up onto her hind legs and pushed forward, driving the wolf up and back. The two of them fell, Ariel landing on top of the other wolf. She only leg go when the other wolf slammed into her again. She was knocked aside and tumbled into the dirt, the wolf on top of her in an instant. She yelped and snarled as the wolf bit her neck, her hind legs kicking out and gouging into the underside of the wolf.

Locked in a struggled for life, the two of them thrashed against one another, Ariel trying desperately to break free as the wolf did it's best to cause as much damage as possible. She thought for sure this was it, but the wolf at her throat slipped as she kicked at it, and she seized the moment to pushed against it with all fours and throw it off her. The wolf landed hard a few feet away, and despite the pain that shot through her body, she dove on it and drove her teeth into it's neck. She did not just bite down, she pushed as well, grinding the head of the wolf into the dirt. She didn't let go until the wolf had stopped moving.

Her breathing was labored and she was bleeding from a multitude of wounds all over her body, but she was alive. Her head whipped around, her eyes searching the area for the movement of the wolves. When she could detect nothing, she turned and began to limp away as quickly as she could. Somehow she had won. She had fought three strange wolves and won, though she had not some out unscathed. Her left hip and right back leg had been ripped open, her right shoulder and the back of her neck had deep puncture wounds, and the side of her throat had deep gashes. Her wolf assured her that the bleeding would stop soon and they would recover, but they had to rest.