enough to catch it without scaring it off? I certainly didn’t want to harm it – well, not yet anyway. I needed to find out what it knew and if it had targeted John specifically. As a harbinger, maybe it even knew exactly what was going on and who the blue cloaked bitch was. I was very much aware that I might not get another shot so I had to make this count.
Thoughtfully, I ran through a mental checklist of the tools in my backpack. There was definitely a rope in there somewhere. I wondered if I’d be able to lasso the creature from this distance. My line of sight was clear enough to swing it through and hook round the wichtlein’s body but I didn’t dare take another step towards it in case it heard me, and I wasn’t sure the rope I had would reach it from this distance anyway. Could I even unzip my backpack to find the rope quietly enough? Damnit. But then, I remembered that Alex was here too and that I was still gripping his arm tightly. I could perhaps use him somehow. If I could send him round to the other side of the wichtlein, where he’d be upwind of it, then it might smell him and run in my direction. Then I could nab it.
I released my grip on his arm and half-turned towards him, motioning with my hands that he should move back out of the stream the way we’d come, and skirt round to the other side of wichtlein. He looked confused and I felt a spark of exasperation. Hadn’t he ever watched any war films for goodness’ sake? I tried again, making two little feet motions with two fingers and pointing round the surrounding to the back of the little creature. Unfortunately at this point I’d forgotten that he was still stood in the stream. He shifted his weight slightly to see where I was pointing towards and, at that moment, slipped and landed with an almighty splash on his back.
The wichtlein immediately looked up in our direction with a wide-eyed yellow stare and then heaved itself up, discarding the carcass it had been gnawing on and started running in the opposite direction. Fuck fuck fuck. Without pausing further, I sprinted after it, pulling the rope out of my backpack as I did so. At least it didn’t move that fast – thanks to the fatigue and pain I was pretty sure that even with the aid of the bloodfire I wouldn’t be able to keep up with it for long. I sped up slightly, shaking my head to clear the fuzziness and focusing my vision on the small ball of black fur. I began to swing the rope overhead. Up ahead was a clump of close-knit trees. I had to reach it before then as I knew I’d never be able to snag it with the rope with all those other obstacles around. I looped the rope faster in the air and then let it go.
The noose sailed through the air and, for a moment, I was sure that I’d missed. Then it arced downwards just in time to catch the wichtlein. As soon as it curved over the small running body, I yanked hard. The creature was suddenly pulled backwards and let out a high-pitched shriek. I wrenched harder on the rope and dragged it towards me for a few more feet, then walked unsteadily towards it, keeping a tight hold of the end of it. When I reached the wichtlein, I paused at looked down at it squirming uncomfortably. Its little clawed paws were scrabbling at the tight lasso, trying in vain to get it off, and it made little huffing sounds that were becoming more and more panicked. I bent down and scooped it up, then held it in front of me at arm’s length.
Yep, its eyes were a dull opaque so it was a given that its vision was virtually non-existent. Nonetheless, I hardened both my eyes and my voice.
“You set a stone here, two days ago, for a shifter. Why?”
It wriggled in my hands, still trying to escape and squeaking incessantly. I squeezed its body.
“Answer me!”
“Won’t speak. Let Craw go!” The wichtlein spat, shrilly.
Alex appeared at my shoulder, dripping wet. “Craw will speak or wizard will act.” He spun his pinky in the air, generating more blue smoke.
The wichtlein cowered and clawed at my arms. “Let Craw go!”
Alex jerked his pinky forward and