4 LEARN,UNLEARN 1

Dioha leapt out of the way as the Saber-wolf lunged at him. He wasn't quick enough cos a sharp claw still ripped at his right leg.

"Move! You fucking piece of shit!" Dioha yelled at his body,frustrated at his clumsiness. The Saber-wolf was going to be tough to defeat even if it was alone. Its dexterity and speed made it a very evasive opponent. Dioha had waited for it to get very close before jumping out of the way believing it would crash into the shrubs behind him and get disoriented. He would have initiated his own attack after that. But the planned had failed. The Saber-wolf had veered away from the shrubs at the last possible moment and turned to face him. Now he was in the open,a very tempting position as the urge to turn and flee kept pounding in his head. But he knew he wouldn't get far before he was hacked down. And to say the least,it was never okay to turn his back from a fight. Dioha decided to let the Saber-wolf attack him again. He needed to understand his opponent's strengths and weaknesses before doing anything.

The wolf sprang at him,jaws open,claws extended. Dioha sidestepped sooner this time and swung the stem he was holding at the back of the wolf's neck. The stem connected with neck of the wolf,making the wolf lose its footing as it landed. The wolf swiftly got back on its feet. That hit did nothing but infuriate it. Dioha was certain if he had a better weapon when he chopped at the wolf,the outcome of this fight would have been decided. The Saber-wolf came at Dioha again,not lunging but staying on its feet.

'Oh shit! It's learning too'.

Dioha made a couple of wild swings as the wolf tried to get close enough for a bite. For some reasons the Saber-wolf seemed to be concerned about being hit by the stick in Dioha's hand. Dioha couldn't understand it cos he was pretty sure the wood in his hand couldn't do much damage to the sturdy wolf even if he swung it with all his might. The dash ins and wild swings continued as the two faced a stalemate. After a while,the Saber-wolf stopped dashing in to try and bite Dioha. Instead it started pacing at a distance while keeping its eyes on Dioha. Dioha wasn't planning on letting his guard down even for a bit. He kept the stick pointed at the Saber-wolf. The hairs on the back of Dioha's neck stood as Dioha heard a low growl from behind him. He swung wildly to look behind.There stood the second Saber-wolf. It just stood there growling. Dioha quickly glanced at the first one and saw that it was sitting on its hind legs. It was no longer growling. It just sat there,watching Dioha.

'Are these wolves taking turns to fight me?'

Dioha thought to himself. He didn't know the answer to that but he sure wouldn't let his guard down. He walked slowly,away from the center,glancing this way and that,making sure the wolves were in his view. When he could see both wolves together,he stopped. This wasn't a straight forward fight after all.

The new Saber-wolf seemed to be waiting for him to get comfortable before making a move. He thought about breaking a bigger stick and was about doing so when the new wolf attacked. The impact of the stick meeting the wolf shredded the stem but that didn't deter the wolf. It lunged at Dioha sinking sharp claws into his chest and abdomen. Its jaws snapped at Dioha's neck but Dioha pulled his head swiftly out of harms way. This move only worsened Dioha's situation as he lost balance and fell with the Saber-wolf on top of him. The wolf went for his neck again but Dioha was fast enough to grab the wolf's jaws with both hands. He tried to tear the wolf's mouth apart but that wasn't easy from his position on the floor. He tried throwing the wolf off him but could not. Dioha cursed inwardly. This body was completely useless. If he could die now and pick another body,he would so gladly let this wolf kill him. Dioha heard a disconcerting snort. He was under a lot of stress so he couldn't look around but he was certain that sound came from a human close by. Multiple thoughts started forming in his head. Could the potion maker be here in person?Why was he setting the wolves on him,twice now?What did he...?

Snap!!!

"Aaahhhhh!"

Dioha yelled in pains as the sharp teeth of the Saber-wolf bit his fingers off. He had become distracted and now he was paying the price. With most of his fingers gone from his right hand that hand became useless. The outcome of the fight was quite decided. Dioha managed to heave the wolf aside for a few precious seconds. He immediately curled up like a ball,crossing his arms around his neck and lay there. The Saber wolf returned and tore into him with savage abandon. Dioha lay there in pains,waiting for death. This body had been a poor choice on his part. Dioha heard the snort again. This confused Dioha thoroughly. Who could be out there watching this gory scene of him getting mauled to death?

He opened his eyes slowly and with much difficulty. His vision was red. That must be as a result of the blood gushing down his face and entering his eyes. From where he lay,he could see no one and he dare not turn to his other side. That would simply give the beast a new portion of his body to inflict pain on. But if he didn't turn to look he would never know who stood there snorting derisively at him. He braced himself and forcibly pushed himself to roll and lie on his mangled side exposing a new part of his body for renewed attacks. From this angle,he could see the other Saber-wolf sitting a few metres away,watching the onslaught. It never joined the fight,not even once,ever since the other wolf showed up. The human sound hadn't come from that far. It had sounded close,really close and personal. It had almost felt like it was coming from him,from deep within.

Dioha tried opening his mouth to say something but only ended up gritting his teeth. The pain he was in was so much. He knew a normal person would have passed out by now from under such intense pain all over the body. If he could pass out right now,he'd welcome that to this. Heck,he would even welcome oblivion at this stage. Dioha knew the only way to end the pain quickly was to surrender completely so the Saber-wolf could go for his vital organs. But Dioha feared waking up next time,if there would be a next time,with a disadvantage. Heck,he was already at a serious disadvantage if he woke up from this. Remembering how his ankle and back had hurt when he woke earlier,Dioha knew if he woke again,several parts of him would hurt. Add that to this already weak and useless body,he'd stand no chance against this wolves. 'That snort again'. Dioha was certain the sound had come from this body,the one he was in. Dioha was fed up.

'Is there something you want to say?'

Dioha projected the thoughts hoping the other person would reply. But no reply came.

'I know you're in there. I order you to speak up!'

Still no response. Dioha could feel his life force draining. He had a few more breaths before he lost total consciousness. He was bleeding to death. He decided to try one last time.

'I am Dioha,the god of thunder. I command you to make yourself known.'

The last thing Dioha heard was that demeaning snort again. Dioha shuddered as the cold embrace of death wrapped him.