Read Online Snow: The White Crow by Erik Schubach - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Erik Schubach
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that they were highly intelligent, using the river and the valley itself to funnel whatever it was to a bottleneck.
Something about the impressions of the wolf gave me pause. Not just the size. It was bigger than any natural wolf. It was something the eagle didn't understand about the way it looked, something it couldn't convey to me. Was it hunchbacked?
I reached my senses out again to try to touch it. There was something there, but nothing at the same time. It was familiar, but I couldn't place why. Whatever it was, it wasn't natural, which meant I probably needed to stop it. I thanked the eagle, there was nothing I could give it so I let a little of my life force soak into him. “Thank you.”
With a mighty stroke of his wings, he was airborne again. I smiled at his screeching call back to me. Then I started down at a dead run toward the bottleneck the beasts were pushing their prey toward. The forest aiding me and clearing a path.
I had almost reached my destination when I realized that I couldn't hear any wildlife around me. The forest was still like it was holding its breath. I quested and they were there, hiding, fear was all around. It was a familiar fear but again, I couldn't put my finger on it. I caught movement through the underbrush and I looked through to a clearing where the biggest grey wolf I had ever seen, outside of a werewolf, stepped into.
It paused and its ears were twitching around and it was pulling air through it's flaring nostrils and across its tongue. Tasting and scenting the air. I was downwind so didn't worry about being spotted. I looked at the wolf's back. It had some sort of pack strapped to it. That would account for the eagle's confusion.
I reached out to try to feel the wolf, to speak with it. Predators like wolves, bears, and big cats generally tolerate me but are not as helpful as other animals. They were driven more by instinct than other animals. Usually, only three things on their minds, hunt, kill, mate. I caught the vestiges of the wolf but couldn't make a connection. I could always connect with the wildlife, something was off.
Its eyes narrowed like it knew I had tried to connect with it. It looked carefully around stepping slowly and sampling the air again. It stepped onto a rock outcropping to get a better view of the bottleneck ahead. It's claws clicked on the rock and I just stared at its platter sized claws then it all came to me in a rush. They weren't normal wolf claws, they were re-curved, retractable claws.
I knew why I couldn't connect with it using my magic and I understood the fear of the animals in the area. This wasn't a wolf. Werewolf! But in the daylight? How? I pulled my Sig silently and unclipped the lash on my silver knife so I could draw it quickly. I looked at the bottom of my magazine to verify it had the red dot of my silver rounds, took off the safety, and raised my Sig and took careful aim.
A smoky female voice from behind me said, “I wouldn't do that if I were you.” And something was pressed against my neck. I was shocked, I had neither heard nor felt her coming up behind me.
I heard a low growl that was vibrating the ground up through my feet and I saw the werewolf staring straight at me with its fangs bared. Good lord, they were almost three inches long!
I lowered my pistol and someone behind me grabbed it from my hand and the knife from my sheath. Then the pressure against my neck was released. I carefully looked at the wolf and turned to the person behind me. I blinked. It was a woman in a heavy red cloak, who was holding a crossbow pointed at the ground. The Red Hood!
I think it was the amused look on her face, that was obviously because I recognized her, which caused me to smile and ask, “A crossbow? Really? That thing is a werewolf, we need to...” I was slammed to the ground by a huge weight. Even with my enhanced reflexes and strength
Something about the impressions of the wolf gave me pause. Not just the size. It was bigger than any natural wolf. It was something the eagle didn't understand about the way it looked, something it couldn't convey to me. Was it hunchbacked?
I reached my senses out again to try to touch it. There was something there, but nothing at the same time. It was familiar, but I couldn't place why. Whatever it was, it wasn't natural, which meant I probably needed to stop it. I thanked the eagle, there was nothing I could give it so I let a little of my life force soak into him. “Thank you.”
With a mighty stroke of his wings, he was airborne again. I smiled at his screeching call back to me. Then I started down at a dead run toward the bottleneck the beasts were pushing their prey toward. The forest aiding me and clearing a path.
I had almost reached my destination when I realized that I couldn't hear any wildlife around me. The forest was still like it was holding its breath. I quested and they were there, hiding, fear was all around. It was a familiar fear but again, I couldn't put my finger on it. I caught movement through the underbrush and I looked through to a clearing where the biggest grey wolf I had ever seen, outside of a werewolf, stepped into.
It paused and its ears were twitching around and it was pulling air through it's flaring nostrils and across its tongue. Tasting and scenting the air. I was downwind so didn't worry about being spotted. I looked at the wolf's back. It had some sort of pack strapped to it. That would account for the eagle's confusion.
I reached out to try to feel the wolf, to speak with it. Predators like wolves, bears, and big cats generally tolerate me but are not as helpful as other animals. They were driven more by instinct than other animals. Usually, only three things on their minds, hunt, kill, mate. I caught the vestiges of the wolf but couldn't make a connection. I could always connect with the wildlife, something was off.
Its eyes narrowed like it knew I had tried to connect with it. It looked carefully around stepping slowly and sampling the air again. It stepped onto a rock outcropping to get a better view of the bottleneck ahead. It's claws clicked on the rock and I just stared at its platter sized claws then it all came to me in a rush. They weren't normal wolf claws, they were re-curved, retractable claws.
I knew why I couldn't connect with it using my magic and I understood the fear of the animals in the area. This wasn't a wolf. Werewolf! But in the daylight? How? I pulled my Sig silently and unclipped the lash on my silver knife so I could draw it quickly. I looked at the bottom of my magazine to verify it had the red dot of my silver rounds, took off the safety, and raised my Sig and took careful aim.
A smoky female voice from behind me said, “I wouldn't do that if I were you.” And something was pressed against my neck. I was shocked, I had neither heard nor felt her coming up behind me.
I heard a low growl that was vibrating the ground up through my feet and I saw the werewolf staring straight at me with its fangs bared. Good lord, they were almost three inches long!
I lowered my pistol and someone behind me grabbed it from my hand and the knife from my sheath. Then the pressure against my neck was released. I carefully looked at the wolf and turned to the person behind me. I blinked. It was a woman in a heavy red cloak, who was holding a crossbow pointed at the ground. The Red Hood!
I think it was the amused look on her face, that was obviously because I recognized her, which caused me to smile and ask, “A crossbow? Really? That thing is a werewolf, we need to...” I was slammed to the ground by a huge weight. Even with my enhanced reflexes and strength
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