Traditional wolf packs hunted cooperatively, persistently chasing their prey to the point of exhaustion before striking a mortal blow, typically going for the throat. Wolves didn’t have the slashing claws or the terrifying fangs of cats, or the venomous bites of the snakes and lizards that lurked on the plains, what they had was numbers and canny intelligence.

  Simone and Mercedes would have to prove themselves so dangerous that the wolves gave up and sought easier prey- though with the size of the wolf that stalked closer to Simone, its golden eyes glimmering fitfully in the shifting light through the trees, that would likely prove impossible.

  If Simone had seen Mercedes’ horse, the small elf would likely have compared the two as being of similar size. The wolf suddenly lunged forward, jaws snapping towards Simone, who thrust with the ancient spear, putting the weight of her small body behind the thrust.

  Mercedes had been talking with the smaller elf, Simone when Simone had turned away from her, lowering her spear into a ready stance, head moving back and forth as though searching for a threat.

  A note of alarm flickered through Mercedes, but she couldn’t hear anything, so... what was Simone doing?

  She stood up from the ancient stone bench, and that’s when a wolf stepped into the ruins, paws gritting in the stone dust, claws scratching at the stone paving.

  She drew her sword, shouting a warning to the smaller elf as a second wolf joined the first. If the last encounter with the wolves was any clue as to the tactics of the wolves, they’d try to exhaust her, or knock her down. She had to steal the initiative. She jumped forward, but the wolves facing her leapt prankishly to either side, snarls escaping their slavering jaws.

  She immediately took several steps back, hoping to bait them into the range of her sword. She wanted to glance over at Simone, but couldn’t afford to take her eyes off the two wolves for even an eyeblink.

  When she glanced to the one on her right, the one on the left jumped forward. Mercedes swept her blade across in an arcing slash, twisting her body to put power behind it as she’d been taught.

  The blade passed between the jaws of the wolf, shattering teeth and cutting into the cheeks. The wolf let out a surprised yelp, even as the one on the right lunged in for its own strike, going for Mercedes’ leg.

  The taller elf pivoted quickly, awkwardly clubbing the beast with the flat of her blade. The wolf snapped at the arm holding her sword; she reflexively dropped it even as the wolf’s jaws closed on her armored gauntlet.

  She could feel the jaws of the wolf, could feel the tense tremor of the musculature as the wolf bore down in a crushing bite with its jaws, but her armor only creaked.

  Mercedes couldn’t tell where it came from, but in a flash of inspiration she opened her hand inside the wolf’s mouth and seized its lower jaw in a brutal metalshod grip. She jerked the wolf’s head towards her with her trapped right hand, awkwardly punching it with her off hand, her left. The wolf tried to dig in its heels and pull away, working its jaw frantically to get the woman’s hand out of its mouth.

  She hazarded a glance at the other wolf; it was cringing back, blood dripping from its ruined mouth. She glanced over at Simone-

  Simone’s thrust caught the wolf through the upper lip. The force of the small elf’s thrust, the razor sharp spearpoint sheared through the flesh easily, but it was the wolf’s momentum that pushed the spear through the shelf of bone between the upper teeth and up into the nasal cavity.

  The giant wolf howled as a great unexpected agony blasted through its head. It tried to shake its head to rid itself of the pain, but Simone hung on for dear life as her feet skated across the stone. The mammoth wolf pawed at its face; Simone jerked back on the spear and pulled it free, releasing a stream of arterial blood from its nostrils and mouth.

  The smaller elf staggered back, but lunged forward again, the spearpoint piercing through wolf’s tough hide, slicing through the thick bunched muscles of the powerful neck. She twisted the spear and jerked back; the giant wolf staggered back, blood spurting in frantic freshets that splashed the small elf with crimson.

  She twisted to check on Mercedes; the taller elf had somehow managed to seize the wolf by the lower jaw, though she’d fallen to her knees for it. She watched as Mercedes savagely stabbed the wolf in the chest with her sword, tearing through the hide, blade cutting into its heart.

  Simone twisted back to the oversized wolf, who had lost interest in the two elves. It staggered away, head hanging, seemingly struggling against its own mortal hurts.

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  It shook its head wearily, sat back on its haunches, opened its mouth, and a river of blood ran down its tongue and splashed gaudily on the paving stones. It then slowly collapsed, let out a gurgling sigh, and died.

  Simone turned back to Mercedes; the taller elf struggled to her feet and eyed the remaining wolf. It cringed back from them, seemingly on the edge of retreat, yet unwilling to commit to running away. Blood flowed from its ruined mouth in thin streams.

  Mercedes considered the distance between herself and the predator; whether or not she could close with it and deliver a telling strike, when something flashed through the air over her shoulder and slammed into the wolf.

  It was a spear, the ornately carved spear that Simone carried. The spear flew true, but the wolf shifted, and instead of the spear burying itself in the ribs, it lodged in the hindquarters of the wolf, which let out a startled yelp and struggled to run, dragging the spear with it.

  Simone dashed past Mercedes, reaching to the long knife at her waist. There was a paving stone; half of it had sunk into the earth while the other end had lifted up; Simone kicked off of it and launched herself into the air at the wolf.

  The wolf let out a howl of fear, but Simone caught the fleeing wolf in a flying tackle. Her blade slipped between the wolf’s ribs; the hunter convulsed, then went limp.

  The smaller elf stood up and turned to Mercedes- the crusader recoiled slightly, the smaller elf was covered in blood, giving her a wild, berserker aspect. The knife she clutched in her fist was wickedly curved and dripping with gore, and Simone's thin shoulders heaved as she struggled to breathe.

  “You're all bloody.” Mercedes observed, and Simone unselfconsciously wiped her cheek with her arm- this didn't do much except smear the blood around. The smaller elf was liberally splashed with it.

  Simone's gaze flicked to the larger wolf.

  “Is that what you were talking about?” Simone asked between panted breaths, and pointed with her knife.

  Mercedes eyed the giant wolf's corpse, and then her sword, which was still lodged in the smaller wolf's chest. She pulled it out, and eyed the blood-smeared blade. She glanced at Simone, and looked to the other wolves.

  “I thought... all of the wolves were monsters.” she admitted, but glanced to the giant corpse. “That, however...” she trailed off. “Are they supposed to get that big?”

  Simone shook her head. “I've never seen a wolf that big.”

  Mercedes nodded and went to her pack. She rummaged around and came up with a piece of cloth she typically used for cleaning her weapon. She began wiping off the blood from her blade, frowning in concentration.

  Simone eyed her, but duplicated the taller elf, wiping down the long blade that Ash had left for her.

  “I fought a bear that was much, much bigger.” Mercedes reported. “It seemed...” she shook her head. “...monstrous.” she finished, unable to find any other word.

  Simone walked over to the giant body, and frowned. “There's something wrong with this.” she muttered, frowning in thought.

  “Wrong how?” Mercedes asked, moving over to the wolf, and glancing at the smaller elf.

  Simone shook her head. “It... has a ...” she trailed off. “...strange vitality.”

  Mercedes couldn't understand what Simone was talking about, but the wolf did radiate a magical power that was similar to what she felt with the bear.

  She wondered- did this wolf have a similar magical stone in its chest? She glanced at Simone, and unsheathed her belt knife.

  She explained her reasoning as she began cutting into the oversized predator. Simone gave her a thoughtful look, but said nothing as she watched Mercedes dissect the enormous wolf.

  As the taller elf cut into the ribcage, her blade clinked as it struck something; she reached in and her hand closed around a small stone that she pulled out of the body.

  Like the first stone, it pulsed with magical power. Simone eyed it warily.

  “How can you touch such a thing?” She wondered.

  “I'm wearing armor.” Mercedes replied, a half-smile on her face. “And you should wipe your face. You've got blood all over it.”

  She wiped the stone off with the cloth she'd used to clean her sword, and stuck it in her belt pouch.

  Folding the cloth to present a clean side, she wet it down with a canteen and dabbed Simone's cheek with it.

  The smaller elf pulled away, but Mercedes wouldn't be deterred. She stepped closer and wiped at Simone's face, cleaning away some of the blood.

  “Hold still.” She urged, but Simone frowned.

  “I can do it myself!” Simone complained irritably, but let the taller woman continue. after a few moments of diligent cleaning, she stepped back and admired her handiwork. Most of the blood was gone from Simone's face and neck.

  The smaller elf had a delicate sort of beauty that contrasted sharply against the aggressive, tomboyish-like behavior Simone exhibited.

  “You really should look after yourself more.” Mercedes murmured. “You're a really lovely girl.”

  Simone gave Mercedes a sour look at that.