branch when vicious snarls emitted from the spot where the evil panther had exited. I froze in place, muscles slowly cramping as I stared at the spot. Whatever had attacked the panther sure as hell was giving it a run for its money. I moved down a few more inches, deciding that if the two things were fighting, it made for a good distraction and a potentially safer getaway.
The fight lasted a few more minutes, time enough for me to manage several more feet. Then the forest went quiet. I stopped again, gauged the distance. Still too far to jump. The brush where the evil panther left rustled. Panic gripped me. I couldn’t climb back up, my arm was bleeding through the gauze, I had new scratches from the tree, and if I jumped I’d survive but probably break something. Just go. Go, go, go. I kept my downward strategy, scraping my bare legs and hands raw, and made it several more feet before the thing behind the bushes emerged.
“Wolf!”
He staggered into the dank clearing, one hand held to his abdomen. He looked up at the tree, a grimace on his face.
“You, my heart, are such a heap of trouble.”
“Wolf, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened—”
“Later. For now you need to come down.”
I nodded and kept moving. Maybe twenty feet to go.
A pair of shrieks tore through the air. I peeked around the tree. The harpies were quickly closing the distance between us.
“Let go, Caroline!” Wolf shouted.
“It’s too far!”
“I’ll catch you.”
I slipped a few inches and squealed. “That is a bad idea!” My muscles shook from the effort of holding onto the tree.
“Do it, woman!”
I shut my eyes and let go of the tree. Miraculously, Wolf caught me. It almost knocked him over, but he managed to keep me from slamming into the ground at least. The harpies went ballistic, their screams filling the air. They raised their talons and dove at us.
“Run,” Wolf yelled. “I’ll be right behind you!”
I darted into the dark forest the way I’d seen him arrive. Behind me, Wolf snarled amidst the wild flapping of wings. The harpies shrieked and cried, and then one of them screamed louder than the other. I kept my eyes at the ground as I ran, trying to see in the dark forest. I spotted a black mass to my left, realizing as I passed that it was the evil panther beast, a pike jutting through its neck.
I ran until all I could do was jog, and I jogged until all I could do was walk as fast as my aching legs allowed. But finally, finally, I saw sunlight ahead. Sunlight on green ferns and yellow wildflowers and trees that actually swayed in the wind. And then I was out. Out in the clean air and clear sky and trees full of life. I shuddered violently for a moment before recovering enough to turn, expecting Wolf to be right behind me.
Nothing but sinister forest.
My heart dropped. “Wolf? Wolf?”
Suddenly he swung around the side of a black tree, gasping for breath, a dark liquid running down the side of his face.
“Go, keep going. They might follow us and sometimes things like to reach out. They don’t last long in the sunlight though.”
We staggered on through the forest until we’d gone a good fifty feet. Looking back, the dark part was like a decayed piece of forest, an infection that had dug deep roots. Its outline was as clear as day. No wonder the harpies hadn’t eaten anyone in twenty years.
Wolf flopped onto his back on the leaves, groaning in pain.
“Oh my God!” I cried, getting my first look at him.
Four long claw marks marred his torso, neatly slicing through his clothing to the soft flesh underneath. His hands were covered with blood, smudges of it on his face. A few dark feathers clung to the wet places. I dropped to my knees beside him, uncertain what to do first.
“Such a heap of trouble,” he grunted.
“Be quiet and take off your shirt, I need to see how bad this is.”
“It shouldn’t be that bad.” I helped him sit up to remove his coat, vest, and shirt. “Kehmet claws just burn, that’s all.”
He fell back again, wincing. I used the back of his torn shirt to dab away at the blood. I let out a shaky breath when I discovered he was right. The gashes were bad, but they weren’t life-threatening. At least, not yet. I folded his shirt and vest