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Stone and Wolf (Part 2)

The guardsman came into the stable with two pails of water. Lyke raised his head above the stall door.

"In here, sir." He called. The brown furred guard approached the door and Lyke opened it for him.

"Thank you." He said as he set the pails down inside. Crag regarded one of them with interest.

"You can take that one, Crag." Lyke said pointing a claw to the pail closest to him. Crag must have been thirsty after the journey, for he stuck his face into the water and took long gulps from it. His teeth made it hard to drink from such a comparatively small pail. The guard produced a wooden cup which he handed to Lyke. "Thanks." He said, taking it and filling it in the other pail. "So." He started, draining the cup and refilling it. "Ah...Tell me of this Warg clad in stone. Sounds like something out of legend, doesn't it?" The guard agreed.

"Indeed. I've only actually seen it once before... A horrible beast... to think it's a relative of our own species." He gave a shudder. "In any case, you are looking for more practical information I'm sure. The beast itself is fierce. It cares not what pain it endures, and its stone armor protects its throat, head, rear, and underside. Its back, paws, and much of its flank are exposed." Lyke nodded, his sword arm already getting twitchy in anticipation. "If it was just the beast itself, we might have a chance to corner it and over power it by sheer numbers, but it directs a small army of lesser Wargs to do its bidding. We've killed a fair amount of them, but they are almost as fearless as their leader when he's around them. We isolated a few away from the leader during one raid, and they panicked. They lost their ferocity and thought only of escape. Isn't that curious?" Lyke continued to nod, thoughtfully.

"It is... Tell me, have any of you tried to combat the leader? How did the battle go?" The guard winced and flattened his ears.

"I fought the beast... me along with five other warriors of the village..." He paused, his eyes growing distant. "I remember every movement I made, and every move the beast made..." Lyke interjected.

"What weapon did you use?" The wolf looked up from his trance.

"A spear. Wooden with a metal head... We were trying to keep the lesser Wargs away from the livestock, then..." His eyes grew distant again. "Then the leader leapt right over the fences. His stone armor seemed to barley slow him down. It took one of our warriors in its jaws and broke him over his teeth. We spread out, keeping clear of the lesser Wargs who had regrouped for another assault. The leader wasn't interested in the livestock. It wanted us. We couldn't see its face but its teeth were exposed and gnashing. It charged the warrior next to me. He rolled out of the way and stood ready with his sword. Oh... this you will appreciate this, Slayer: the way the stone armor fits, the beast cannot turn easily. To compensate for this, it throws its hind legs out to one side to rotate its front. This is what he did when the warrior rolled away. This gave him time to put his guard back up before the beast came again. The warrior tried to stab the beast in the mouth, but his sword was parried away with a swipe of the beasts' paw... we lost that one too... I took that time to charge with my spear. I lodged it into the exposed fur behind its mask. It didn't even yelp. It just shook me off and I went flying to one side. Good thing two others charged and the last one shot his bow, striking it in the side. That didn't seem to bother it either. It fought the two warriors off, and then called to its fellows to flee. We gave chase until the edge of the forest. The oddest thing was... They stopped a ways into the wood. A bark from the leader, and the other Wargs pulled my spear and the arrow out of their leader. They licked his wounds clean before they left. I think it was a show of strength for him... He was showing us that he was alright and he'd be back for more..." Lyke nodded.

"Hmm... that is probably true..." He drained his third cup and handed it back to the guard. This he took. "You can have the rest of that one if you want, Crag." The cat moved forward and lapped at the new pail slowly. "Well... It sounds like a fierce beast indeed... Still, nothing we can't handle, right Crag? How does this Warg sound to you?" Crag raised his head out of the pail and let out a vigorous roar. The guard jumped back a bit, his ears going down defensively. Both Lyke and Crag laughed. The guard recovered and scratched his head nervously.

"So you're sure about it then?"

"Not sure I suppose... Just a good feeling. We've fought some fierce beasts before. This one is definitely the most mysterious one we've fought, but..." Lyke turned to Crag. "Remember the Minotaur?" Crag growled, and his eyes narrowed. "Yes, you remember. The thing nearly strangled you, but that gave me the opportunity to sever its hamstring." Lyke made a few imaginary cuts in the air. "Ah... good times." He sat back down and Crag followed his lead, nestling behind him. "Do you have anything more to tell me? The beast's whereabouts perhaps?" The guard thought for a moment.

"We did scout up that mountain a few times. We found signs of a large creature moving about through the brush. There are several caves up there. It could easily have taken one as its lair. We haven't isolated which one as of yet... I'm sure a skilled hunter such as yourself would be able to tell if you found it." Lyke shrugged.

"Yes... Yes I believe so. It can't be all that stealthy with so much armor on... That is the most curious thing... I am anxious to meet this beast." He wrung his paws together in excitement. "But!" He said suddenly, clapping his paws together. "No good rushing out needlessly, eh? Leave us be for now. I'll strike out in a few hours, and if all goes well, I'll be back with proof of the beasts' demise by the time the sun has peeked over the southern mountain." The guard was awestruck at the courage Lyke displayed.

"Are you certain you don't want to wait until light?" Lyke shook his head.

"That would be wasting precious time. I don't wish to spend longer than I have to here. It is mainly my respect for your people, and the wisdom of your elders that prompts this excursion. I'll have it done with so I may earn your respect as well, and move on to find my mate." The guard nodded slowly.

"I see... Well then, I won't keep you any longer. I have told you all I know of the beast. I'll be one of the night watch tonight so... I'll be ready should the battle spill back into the village." They both gave a chuckle.

"Very well then. Nice to know you have my back. Now be off with you." Lyke said in a sarcastic tone. The guard bowed and left the stables. Now alone, Lyke buried his muzzle into Crags' warm flank. "Get some rest, Crag. You know the routine. It's going to be an exhilarating night." Crag sighed and rested his large head on his paws. They both closed their eyes in the flickering torchlight. Lykes' muscles ached and throbbed from days of travel, and his eyelids where heavy with fatigue. Why do you do this to me Ilisha? We made a perfect team, not to mention I loved you like no other. Now that we're apart... I'm at a loss. Don't you know that? What's so important that you abandon me, our village, your family...? With these thoughts running through his mind, Lyke fell asleep.

As planned, the pressure on his bladder woke him in only a couple hours' time. Lyke was surprised to find Crag still asleep. Usually he was the first to wake. The poor cat was tired. Lyke tried to rise without waking his companion, but as soon as his head left his flank, the big head of the cat raised with sleepy eyes.

"Sorry, Crag. It's time." Crag shook the sleep out of his head and rose up to his paws. After relieving themselves behind the stable, Lyke hitched his violin back onto Crags' side. "I won't be fighting the Warg with this." He then slid one leg over Crags' muscular back and hopped up into position. "Up that mountain, Crag. Let's find a good cave for a stone clad Warg." Crag nodded and took off with enthusiasm across the village. Lyke pulled out one of the three javelins hitched to Crags' other side in case he needed to kill any lesser Wargs on the way up. It didn't take long to clear the village and start up through the fir trees. The night air whipped at Lykes' face as shadowed trunks flew past. Lyke leaned down and spoke into Crags' ear. "Stay clear of the rocks when we find them. Keep to the trees." Crag gave a short growl in reply. The moons' light shone through the trees and cast dappled flecks of silver over the roots of the trees.

Soon, they came upon a large patch of sloped rock leading farther up the mountain. The forest surrounded it on every side. Lyke ordered Crag to come to a stop and crouch down near the edge of the rock. He did and Lyke dismounted, also crouching when he hit the forest floor. He made his way stealthily around Crags' body and approached the rocky patch that stained the side of the mountain. With his right paw, he held the javelin tight, with his left, he unsheathed his straight sword. Lykes' yellow eyes looked dead ahead into a shadowed part of the rocks. There was movement, for sure. He did not dare go out into the open until he knew exactly what it was. For several minutes he watched the shape make little motions in the shadows of the taller rocks. Then, it moved into the light of the moon. It was indeed a Warg of impressive size, but it bore no armor of which the villagers spoke. Its massive jaws opened in preparation for a howl. When the sound did finally utter from its maw, it chilled Lyke to the bone and made the fur on his back prickle. He retreated a few paces and took Crags' ear.

"I want you to circle around to the lower border of the forest. When you get there, if he's still in the open, charge out and snarl. Keep your distance, but retreat as little as possible. I'll attack the flank; you keep him busy with you strength." Crag nodded and moved off back down the slope. Lyke returned to his original hiding place on the border of the stone and watched some more. The Warg seemed very confident. He surely would have been an Alpha had this new terror not interrupted the natural order. They would have to be careful. If this one was around, it was likely a few more are close by. If we kill this one, the others will wonder what happened. They may think the villagers are attacking. That should clear the way to the leader... at least long enough...

_ _ Lykes' head snapped to the right when he heard Crags' battle roar. The split second the Wargs' head turned, Lyke leapt from his hiding spot and sprinted on silent paws toward his target. Normally he would lead the prey a few yards to compensate for their own movement, but he wanted the Warg to get away from him just a little before he struck. He saw the shape of Crag outlined against the lighter colored stone, his massive teeth bared. The Warg let out a fierce growl and charged at Crag. Lyke turned to follow the beast, keeping out of his peripheral vision as much as possible. He was as a grey shadow sweeping over the rock. The Warg reached Crag and pounced. Crag backed out of the way, but held his ground for the next attack, his own paws coming up to make wide scratching arcs in the air in front of him. As the Warg readied its next blow, Lyke threw the javelin into its back leg. With a yelp, it turned to see its new assailant. Lyke was only a few yards away now. He shifted the straight sword into both paws and held it over his head to one side as he closed the distance. Crag grabbed the Warg by the shoulders with his large claws and speared his Sabers into him. The poor beast tried to bite at Crags head, but Lyke sprung into the air and plunged the sword into the back of the Wargs' neck. It didn't even yelp this time. The blow was final for the spine had been completely severed. Lyke jumped off the corpse as it rolled over onto the stone. Crag withdrew his Sabers, leaving two deep punctures in the Wargs' shoulders. Lyke pulled his sword free with a little effort and flicked the blood onto the stone. He retrieved his javelin with his other paw. After sheathing his sword, and pointing his claw for Crag to see, the two retreated back into the relative safety of the trees. Just when Lykes' white tail disappeared into the shadows, three more Wargs came charging down the slope. They quickly found their dead brother and gathered around him. They howled in despair for their fallen kin. This would likely rouse more from their slumber. Lyke mounted Crag once more and whispered in his ear.

"Up. Around the stone. Let's find a cave." Crag started up the slope and quietly as his large paws could take him while still maintaining speed. They passed the stone patch and moved farther up the mountainside.

The trees where getting shorter due to the thinning air. A cave would be nearby given the formations of rock they had seen earlier. Crag stopped in the middle of a small clearing that seemed to extend in either direction. "What is it?" Lyke inquired. Crag looked to one side, then the other, making a low moaning noise in his throat. Lyke scanned his surroundings to find this clearing was the product of a large beast. The trees had been snapped and scraped by the passing of the stone-clad Warg. He smiled. "You've done it! Good eyes. I could barely see when we were moving." He petted Crag on the head. "It leads up farther. Can't be long now. Keep off its trail, but follow it close." They moved in the thick of the trees when they could, avoiding the cleared patches. As they moved up, the trees became sparse and the ground more rocky. There where precious little places to hide now. The setting moon still shone down mercilessly. They darted from one shadow to another, Crag keeping as low as he could, being such a large creature. Then, Lyke spotted the shadowed mouth of a cave entrance boring into the rock and sheltered by a few stands of sickly trees. Crag slinked on his stomach to the next shadowed spot against a large rock roughly twenty yards from the entrance. They were fortunate they had caused a commotion lower down, for there seemed to be no lesser Wargs around.

Lyke dismounted, still holding the bloody javelin. This he threw with great force into one of the trees outside the cave. It hit its mark with a loud thud, shattering the silence. The tree was so weak that its top shook under the force of the blow. The silhouette of the fir branches swayed against the faint light of the soon to be rising sun. If this was the right cave, that would not have gone unnoticed. Sure enough, a deep growl issued from within. Then, Lykes' heart went cold. A low, yet powerful whisper came to his ear on a breeze that seemed to originate within the cave.

"Deeeeeath..." The voice was unnaturally deep. Lyke crouched down and drew his sword. No sooner was it in his paw then a gigantic shadow emerged from the cave. It shot forward and tore down three of the eight some trees that once stood outside the entrance. "Gone?" the voice said. The shadow was shaped irregularly. Its head held spines and lumps that biology could not explain. This head turned this way and that, smelling the air. "Noooo...not gone yet." Lykes' paws went numb as the head turned its hollow gaze to where he crouched. The beasts eyes where covered by stone. The mask it wore held the visage of a crudely carved Wargs' face with spikes and cube shaped protrusions growing out of it like a mane. It stood three times as tall as a Wolf, and four times as wide as a Sabre Tooth. "I smell Warg blood... I smell... Wolf fear." Lyke could scarcely believe his senses... The Warg was laughing. As it threw back its head to howl in delight, it exposed a glittering piece of metal around its neck. That must be the runic amulet of which the elder spoke.

"Crag! Go for the flank!" Lyke barked as he rose from his hiding place, drawing a javelin from behind his back. Crag roared and circled around Lyke to make a wide charge at the creature in stone.

"Death!" The Stone Warg screamed. It flung itself not at Crag but at Lyke. The wolf threw his javelin, aiming high so as not to waste it hitting the mask. It struck the beasts' back, but this did not slow it down. Lyke saw this and jumped up onto the rock beside him at the last moment before the monsters jaws came down on him. Lykes' paws where only touching the stone for a second before jumping again onto the back of the creature. His sword held in both paws, he drove it into the beasts' spine, much the same as he had done to the lesser Warg. The beast jerked under him and shook violently. The force sent Lyke flying off. He hit the ground and rolled rather ungracefully across five yards of stone before stopping. Not only had he lost his sword, but now Crag was biting the beasts' leg, and he would not be able to come to his aid in time. Lyke picked himself off the stone and took out his last javelin. He couldn't throw this one, or he would be left with only his hunting knife. The short blade would not pierce deep enough to harm a beast of this size. The Warg dragged Crags' body back and forth on the rocks, trying to unhook his Sabers from its leg. Lyke looked about the scene for a good place to strike, but everywhere he thought to approach, the beasts' fangs could potentially reach him.

"Keep your grip, Crag! Just a little longer." Lykes' gaze finally shifted to the cave entrance. A small bunch of rocks rested atop the entrance. One fairly large one looked like it was able to be pried out of place. Excellent! "In eight seconds, Crag, let go and retreat into the cave! Stay far back!" Lyke sprinted up the side of the cave entrance. He noticed as his paws worked to clear the first few stones that he had received a minor sprain in his left ankle from being flung onto the rock, and his right knee had been scraped. Clambering over a large bolder, he made it to the top just as Crag broke his grip on the Wargs' back leg. He ran under Lyke into the cave, and the Warg spun around to give chance.

"Where the Wolf?!" Lyke ducked down behind the rock and plunged his javelin under it. Testing the pressure, he found it would be hard to pry it out. Damn it! Push! He forced the javelin down with both paws as hard as he dared. He didn't want this to fall for no reason. The rock moved an inch, but it would take more to slide it off. He put his right footpaw on the rock and leaned down into a deep crouch to put all his weight into the shaft of the javelin. "Wolfs' gone? Run away. Left his cat to die!" Lyke almost had the stone free. Just one more tug should do the trick. He risked a glace around the rock to see that the Warg was making for the entrance. Now! Lyke put all his weight into the javelin. Every muscle in his body was straining against the heavy stone. Then with a crumbling sound and a satisfying pull, the rock fell off the ledge. Lyke fell backwards on his rump as the javelin snapped in his paws. Instead of the meaty sound of rock upon flesh however, he heard rock upon rock. His heart sank for a brief moment before he heard the Warg roar in anger. "Ahrgh! Cruses, Wolf! Stupid Wolf!" Lyke got to his paws and scrambled to look over the edge. The stone had fallen on the Wargs' head. Lyke almost laughed when he saw most of the Wargs' mask had been destroyed. It shook its head violently to clear it from the pain. It continued to spit curses at him, but made no effort to move into the cave, or around to the top. This was his chance. Lyke took a few steps backward, and then made a running jump for the Wargs' back. He landed hard on its fur and quickly worked to find a good paw-hold lest he be flung off again. The only thing worth hanging onto was the hilt of his sword which still protruded out of the Wargs' back. "Off me, Wolf! Off!" The Warg jumped back and shook himself like ridding his fur of water. Lyke held onto the sword with both paws, clinging desperately against the forces trying to throw him off. As he worked to get his footing, he twisted the sword this way and that, widening the wound so it would be easier to remove the blade. The Warg roared in pain. That was a good sign. The guard said he had a high tolerance. This must be getting to him. Crag worked his way out of the cave after struggling over the rock partially blocking the entrance. He roared back at the Warg, getting dangerously close to his now exposed face.

"Carful, Crag!" Lyke said, bouncing up again as he was given another toss into the air.

"Stupid cat! Go away!" As the Warg stopped shaking to bat Crag away with a forepaw, Lyke saw where he needed to strike. The back of the mask had covered the spot where his spine met his skull. That vital connection must be severed. The now widened wound was ready. Lyke lifted the sword out and took a step forward to the back of the beasts' head. There was only a split second left before it would realize what was about to be done. Crag did his best to keep the beasts' attention, trying to scratch at its eyes.

"No!" The Warg screamed and it turned its whole body to one side just how the guard told him, thus off balancing Lyke, and getting its face away from Crag in one movement. As Lyke stumbled, clinging to the Wargs' fur in his footpaws, he made an effort to fall forward instead of back. With no paw-hold, he would surely fall off, but if he could fall at least so the point of the sword hit its mark he would be able to climb back up by it. The force sent him careening diagonally forward. Shifting the sword down to catch himself with, he let his body fall off. The sword hit the beast in the back and sunk in several inches. From here, he was able to circle himself back up to climb onto its head using the original momentum of the fall. "No! Off off off!" It shook its head, but Lyke grabbed one of its ears and bit the fur on its forehead, still holding onto his sword. Using these holds, he managed to stay on. The beast snapped its teeth in rage, and then let out a yelp of surprise as Crag re-inserted his Sabers into its leg. Here we go! Lyke ripped out the sword, used the beasts' eye sockets as footpaw-holds and flung his weight into a two handed stab down onto the back of its head.

"Ahhi... Ya!" The beast roared one last time, and then the roar turned into a whimper. It swayed on its legs, its head lolling from side to side. Lyke pulled backward on the sword with a sickening crunch. The beasts' whole body twitched the collapsed to the stone. Lyke pulled the sword free as he fell and jumped backward, landing smoothly on his toes.

The light of the rising sun was becoming stronger. Soon it would peek over the southern mountain. Now Lyke could see his quarry clearly. Its stone armor was ornately carved, but its brown, shaggy fur was matted and unkempt. Its eye sockets were hollow. It had no eyes... I thought it felt odd under paw... Lyke approached the corpse with a disgusted look at his footpaws as Crag made his way around it to stop at Lykes' side. Now that the mask was gone, they could see the amulet hanging by a leather string. It was fashioned of a more greenish stone than the armor. It held many runic symbols. Lyke had never seen symbols like these before, even in Ilishas' drawings. Lyke used his sword to cut the leather string and tied it around his belt. Then, just to be safe, he went to the cave entrance and retrieved a stone horn that had fallen off the mask. "That should be proof enough..." Lyke mused to Crag, turning back to the cat. Crag nodded. "Let get back. We don't want to be late." Lyke mounted and put the stone horn in his empty javelin strap. Crag started back down the mountain at a slower pace than before. Thank the moon that's over. That was far more difficult than I expected... Still, it will be a good story to tell the villagers. Just then, the cries of several Warg's shattered the calm, early morning air. From the left side, a pack of them approached at a full run. "Faster Crag! Lead them into the village. We can fight them there!" Crag sped up, his legs working to propel his great body down the tree-littered slope. Lyke took out the second to last javelin on Crag's strap and turned his body using his knees to grip Crags' sides. "You there!" Lyke called to the closest Warg. "Catch!" He flung the javelin into the creature. It caught it with the inside of its throat. It gave a gargle of a bloody whimper and fell mid-run. He would have to save the last one for the battle ahead. Hopefully he could warn the villagers in time...If they hadn't already been attacked during the night.