Two more wolves had joined the pack, making them seven in total, not counting the one she had just killed...
The wolves were tall and aggressive creatures, almost matching Ili’s height even on all fours. The fire and the death of one of their own made the wolves wary and hesitant, but with each moment that passed, they were starting to regain their violent bravery. And soon enough, another wolf attacked, jumping from behind, same as the other one, but this time trying to bite her almost frozen feet. Ili jumped over the creature, but before she could kill it from above, another wolf launched at her from the other side, tackling her to the ground. Beneath the beast’s claws, she was barely able to catch it by the fur at its neck, narrowly preventing it from biting her face, and giving Ili a chance to stab the wolf through the front of its throat.
Ili spit some blood on the ground, quickly closing the claw wound on her left arm, barely in time before another wolf attacked from behind. She quickly turned around, cutting him down in a single strike across its chest.
The wind started to blow harder. The fog was getting thicker as well, making it hard to see her surroundings. Moving a few steps backwards, the sound of a falling rock made Ili realize that she stood at the edge of the ravine. But she couldn’t afford to look, needing to keep her eyes on the remaining five wolves, which were slowly making their way towards her.
The snow started to fall much faster, being taken by the strong winds in a diagonal falling pattern. The fog and snow completely covered the pack of wolves, making it almost impossible to see even right in front of her. Soon, there was silence...
The only sound that was heard was the strong whistling of the wind in Ili’s ears, as she was slowly getting frozen in place by the cold. Ice was slowly starting to form on her body, as she was struggling to keep her stance.
The cold was starting to sting Ili’s neck with every breath she took. The sword in her hands was starting to move from side to side, her hands trembling from the cold as she was holding it, quietly waiting for the imminent attack of the wolves. She could feel her grip loosening, her legs almost giving out. But, she couldn’t fall, she couldn’t give up now. Because she wasn’t merely fighting for her life... but to protect another’s. She gripped her sword tighter, clenching her teeth.
A wolf jumped from the hiding of the fog, nearly biting off Ili’s leg. With a quick dodge, the wolf fell directly into the ravine, a short whine being heard echoing from inside before everything fell back into silence.
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“Four more...” Ili said, her tone barely audible, sounding more like a cry of pain rather than a countdown.
From the right side, another wolf attacked by jumping at Ili’s neck, but it soon fell dead on the opposite side of the fog as the girl rolled underneath its attack, striking its heart.
Ili’s left foot gave out, and she fell to one knee. As soon as she did, another wolf jumped from the fog. This time, the girl could do nothing but bend down completely, making her body as small as she could.
Ili clenched her teeth in pain as the wolf cut her deeply on the back with its claws before falling into the ravine. Not giving her time to recover, the last two wolves, smelling the scent of blood, immediately attacked her together. In an immediate, almost desperate move, Ili turned around, striking the air with all her force, not trying to hit a specific target but a specific area. Luckily, one of the wolves was caught in the slash, falling dead after the sword went through its head, managing to also catch the last wolf’s right eye. The last beast let out a whine of pain. The wolf growled, showing its sharp fangs, before moving backward and disappearing into the thick fog.
Watching the last wolf retreat, Ili waited for a few moments, breathing heavily. She was beyond exhausted, and her wounds ached. After a short pause, the realization hit her. She sheathed her sword and ran toward the tree where the person lay. After a few steps, she fell back in the snow, barely able to bear the pain of her wounds. The ice managed to stop the bleeding, but she was far too exhausted to use healing magic on herself. Ili looked forward, but couldn’t see anything. The fog was too dense, and the snow was too fast. Using all her remaining strength, she managed to get back on her feet, slowly moving in the direction of the tree. Was that the right direction? Was that person even still alive? These were two questions that constantly appeared in her mind. She didn’t know... She couldn’t know... All she knew was that she had to keep moving forward...
Was that him? She managed to get to the tree. Although the tree looked like any other, and the snow was making it hard to see whether that was the person or just snow. Ili fell to her knees. She couldn’t move anymore. Tears of frustration started falling from her eyes... She raised her left hand slowly, unable to move it any faster, and touched the silhouette with her hand...
“Skin... It’s skin!” Ili’s heart almost skipped a beat. She quickly started cleaning the snow off the person. It was almost frozen solid, but it was still skin. She placed her hand on its chest. The person was unconscious, but still breathing!
“Thank goodness!” Ili said, as her eyes filled up with tears of relief. “Thank goodness...”
Struggling to remain awake, Ili continued to uncover its body, taking it out of the snow. Then, when it was fully uncovered, she dragged him to the other side of the tree, taking cover from the cold wind. Finally, gathering a few branches from the ground, she made a small fire. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to keep the both of them alive...
It was warm...
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