Discovery

Still unaccustomed to his new strength and body, Renat had jumped far too high for the incoming branch. As such, he flew over the low-hanging limb by a wide margin.

The brown wolf watched the branch pass him by as he tried to think quickly. His face turned from fear to determination as he aimed for the next target.

The bark crashed into Renat's stomach, forcing the contents of his stomach out as the collision sent splinters flying. He wrapped his arms firmly around the wood, digging his claws deep into the tree's flesh to find purchase.

When he had finally successfully pulled himself up on the branch, which was no small task with his still healing arm, he looked around to see how the others had fared.

Alaron and Dania were below him and to his left, but still in the same tree. Taking the scientist's hand, the Guardian pulled the woman along the branch until they were below the brown wolf.

Without a word, Alaron tossed a rope up to Renat. The wolf-man took the rope in his good hand. Alternating between his paw-like palm and his maw-like mouth, the lanky canine was able to hoist the two humans quickly up to his level.

And not a moment too soon.

The brown, crackly leaves had just settled after being knocked down from the disturbed branches when the abominations tracking them came into view. The horde was angry after being thwarted in their ambush, and they chased after the horses with all their fury.

The force of their paws and claws against the ground shook the earth such that it could even be felt from the trio pressed up against the tree. The three peeked down, trying not to imagine what would have happened if the creatures had been successful in their search.

Although Renat and Alaron had fought the abominations before, they had had double the man power and an escape in sight. Even then it took a monumental flood to save them in the end.

As they were, a match-up today would likely end very differently. So when the ground finally stopped rumbling, the three heaved a sigh of relief.

They started to move from their perch when Renat held up his hands. His ears and nose were picking up on something new coming near.

Battered and broken, the trampled wolf, which both horses had thoroughly pummeled, limped along far behind the rest of his pack. If not for the creature's wicked intentions, Dania might have felt pity for him.

He stopped two trees short of the one the three were in and held his side heaving. If the wolf had been feral at some point earlier in the chase, he was more or less conscious now.

"Stupid horses and their stupid riders," he spat in between curses. "Blazing Bees, I thought we were supposed to be invincible!"

The wolf punched the tree. A flurry of leaves fluttered down on the abomination as he howled in pain. The wolf pulled back his arm and shook it, adding bloodied knuckles to his list of injuries.

Unconsciously he licked at his wounds and took in his sorry state.

"Invincible my foot. I'm just as breakable as I've ever been. Power, ha!" He fell into a spiral of self-loathing, sniffing and simpering at a party made for one. Falling against a tree for support, the wolf lamented as if the cedar could sympathize. "I should have known it. A weakling before and a weakling now. All I wanted to do was tear things apart and I can't even do that right..."

His nose began to run. He wiped it on his arm as he began to decide what to do next. Then his sniffles turned to sniffing. Something caught in his nose.

"A person?" His left ear perked up. He smelled a human! His stuffed-up nose fought against the snot to get a clearer whiff, but with one real, deep breath, the scent was suddenly gone, replaced by the smell of something as vile as himself. He tried a few more times to pick up the elusive smell, but it was no use. Whatever it was, it was gone.

"Just wishful thinking," he muttered angrily at himself, but at least he was calm now. As much as he wanted to avenge himself against those hateful horses, the wolf had to admit that he needed to see a doctor more.

And with his slow pace, he would never catch up to the other anyway. It was best to call it a day.

With a sound between a grunt and a growl, he pushed off of the tree on which he was currently leaning and lumbered slowly back to camp. With any luck, his wounds would earn him an extra food ration.

When at last the coast was completely clear, the three in the tree relaxed. Alaron removed the folds of the cloak from around Dania and took a step back to give her space.

"Next time you are going to do something crazy, could you at least let me in on it," he teased.

"Would you have agreed?" Dania smiled at him apologetically. When she had realized the wolf was smelling her, she had dove into the man's arms and wrapped the magical cloth around herself.

"I definitely would have!" The Guardian said eagerly. Then, realizing how it sounded, his cheeks began to burn. He quickly added, "because it saved us from being discovered. That was two bouts of quick thinking. What made you think of jumping off the horses?"

Dania also seemed happy for the change of subject. She gladly jumped in to share her reasoning. "Logically when those creatures realize that the horses are riderless, they will look for us on the ground to see where we fell off and ran. So I thought, why not do the opposite? They will have no trail to track if we stay among the trees."

"Then among the trees we will stay," Alaron stated. He smirked when he saw his brother-in-law wince. "What's the matter Renat? Haven't you ever wanted to fly?"

"An elf took me on this kind of 'flight' once. Let's just say it was not an experience I wanted to repeat…"

—————-

In the middle of the afternoon, the three fugitives dropped from the skies to bow before the most ancient of all the trees. In the safety of her roots, they hoped to find rest.

Looking up at what was likely the mother of this entire forest, Alaron hoped he would be able to stop the abominations before she was cut down and used for Taran's selfish purposes. How many trees had been slaughtered to pervert the magical water which nourished this forest? Too many.

Beyond his thoughts, the two scientists both sighed in relief.

"I can't believe we made it," Dania said reverently. Her eyes settled into a deep blue as she allowed a small smile.

"You doubted?" Alaron cut his eyes at the young woman.

Feeling his gaze, Dania bit her lip. "I never doubted that Mairwen would find me. The rest was a little less sure. Now, how do we get inside?"

Alaron let the matter go. There was a point where he wasn't sure that they would make it either, so he really couldn't really blame the woman for being skeptical.

The Guardian pulled back the brush from the hidden entrance and peeked inside. "Ladies, we are home!"

His eyes flashed. He turned back around, his expression dark. Renat could not see his face but he could sense his change in demeanor. "What's wrong?"

Stepping out of the way, Alaron revealed the problem for the other two to see. The hideaway was empty.

"Please tell me she didn't go after us..." Renat scratched his furry chin. He really hoped his wife hadn't broken her promise.

"If she did," Alaron's voice became fierce, "So help me, I'll..." The Guardian stopped his words when he saw Dania's shocked face. The woman clearly looked concerned about threats against her friend. "...I'll give her a piece of my mind after I rescue her..." the man finished half-heartedly.

Renat squinted at the bark of the massive tree. "They didn't follow us. They went east."

Alaron looked down at the almost imperceptible mark on the trunk. It was contrary to the grain of the wood. He knew the army left signs like this for the troops coming behind them, but he had never needed the skill himself. Renat's military background, limited as it was, still came in handy from time to time.

"Hm..." The brown wolf looked troubled. "Eira made this mark in too much of a hurry. She didn't make the final stroke."

He sniffed at the air. When he focused, he could almost pick up a hint of the woman he loved even with the cloak blocking her scent. But another smell mixed in with the sweet aroma.

Dania walked around the tree and froze. "Uh, gentlemen. I think I know why Mairwen and Eira left in a hurry..."

The males rushed to Dania's side. In the wood, deep gash marks riddled the bark, parts of it torn away entirely.

"The abominations!"

The monsters had found the princess.