or flight taking control of every last hunter. Some dropped their weapons and ran off in any direction that was ‘away’ while others shot at Liam ineffectually, the bullets weren’t even able to penetrate his thick fur.
A fading scream from above caught my attention and I looked quickly, unsure what I would find. What I found was nothing, the space Troy had been in was now empty. From the sound of it he had gone over the edge.
“Holy shit...” Kristen’s eyes were moving frantically, trying to take everything in at once. I wasn’t sure if her comment was about Troy’s fall or Liam’s presence.
I felt energy returning to me as Liam stopped drawing upon it; no longer needing the extra boost. He turned an enormous eye towards me, verifying I was still alright. Seeing that I was, he looked to Kris who simply stared back open mouthed.
“Go,” I spoke, drawing his attention back to me. “Go get them love, we’ll be fine.”
The low rumble of his growl shook the earth around us, vibrating through the rocks, flesh, and bone. It was a sound so powerful it was a physical force. Lips peeled back in a snarl he turned back to the hunters still in the immediate area.
More of them decided that flight was the better option, though it was far too late for any of them. Liam sprang into motion, leaping the distance to them in one easy pounce. Several screams cut off abruptly as he landed among, or on, the largest grouping of hunters.
None returned to their feet.
Throwing back his head Liam let out a long howl that reverberated back from the mine in echoes. The few remaining hunters turned and, abandoning any shred of dignity, fled ahead of the crashing wall of sound. It did none of them the slightest bit of good.
Liam was a force of nature as he began his pursuit, his massive legs covering ground rapidly. What took the hunters several dozen steps to cover was crossed in a few quick strides. In less than a minute all of the hunters within sight were down and unmoving.
Liam’s ears swiveled as he listened for the few that had fled earlier, his muzzle lifted as he tested the air for their scents. A second monstrous howl sounded from him a moment before he charged off into the forest after his prey.
Left alone with Kris at the crest of the mine overlook the sudden silence felt out of place. Looking to her I saw her staring in disbelief at where Liam had been originally standing, at the huge impressions of his paw prints. She seemed to be in a state of shock, her wounds forgotten.
“Kris?” I stood slowly, wincing at the flare of pain from my shoulder. “Are you alright? Kris?”
She seemed to come out of her shock, blinking and shaking her head to clear it. A sharp intake of breath said she was aware of her injuries again as I made my way over to her.
“Are you going to be ok?” I sat beside her on the slope, not caring about the cold snow beneath me.
I helped her slowly remove her clothes to see her wounds more clearly. Her hands tested the injuries tenderly while she looked them over with a critical eye. Seemingly satisfied with the results she nodded. “I’ll be fine, I was lucky the bullets didn’t hit anything important.”
“That looks awful,” I said. There was a gash along her right side several inches long.
“Yeah, hurts like hell obviously. The bullet caught a rib and rode it around.” She grimaced as she applied some pressure to the wound and managed to remove the offending bit of metal. “Could have been much worse though.” She held the bullet up before her eyes a moment before dropping it.
We both looked up as a scream and crash sounded in the distance, Liam must have caught up with more of them. Kris took in a slow, steadying breath before turning back to me. She opened her mouth to speak, but her eyes fell on my shoulder and widened.
“Oh shit! You were hit!” She leaned towards me and began taking off my jacket. “Let me have a look at it.”
I hissed in pain as she began prodding
A fading scream from above caught my attention and I looked quickly, unsure what I would find. What I found was nothing, the space Troy had been in was now empty. From the sound of it he had gone over the edge.
“Holy shit...” Kristen’s eyes were moving frantically, trying to take everything in at once. I wasn’t sure if her comment was about Troy’s fall or Liam’s presence.
I felt energy returning to me as Liam stopped drawing upon it; no longer needing the extra boost. He turned an enormous eye towards me, verifying I was still alright. Seeing that I was, he looked to Kris who simply stared back open mouthed.
“Go,” I spoke, drawing his attention back to me. “Go get them love, we’ll be fine.”
The low rumble of his growl shook the earth around us, vibrating through the rocks, flesh, and bone. It was a sound so powerful it was a physical force. Lips peeled back in a snarl he turned back to the hunters still in the immediate area.
More of them decided that flight was the better option, though it was far too late for any of them. Liam sprang into motion, leaping the distance to them in one easy pounce. Several screams cut off abruptly as he landed among, or on, the largest grouping of hunters.
None returned to their feet.
Throwing back his head Liam let out a long howl that reverberated back from the mine in echoes. The few remaining hunters turned and, abandoning any shred of dignity, fled ahead of the crashing wall of sound. It did none of them the slightest bit of good.
Liam was a force of nature as he began his pursuit, his massive legs covering ground rapidly. What took the hunters several dozen steps to cover was crossed in a few quick strides. In less than a minute all of the hunters within sight were down and unmoving.
Liam’s ears swiveled as he listened for the few that had fled earlier, his muzzle lifted as he tested the air for their scents. A second monstrous howl sounded from him a moment before he charged off into the forest after his prey.
Left alone with Kris at the crest of the mine overlook the sudden silence felt out of place. Looking to her I saw her staring in disbelief at where Liam had been originally standing, at the huge impressions of his paw prints. She seemed to be in a state of shock, her wounds forgotten.
“Kris?” I stood slowly, wincing at the flare of pain from my shoulder. “Are you alright? Kris?”
She seemed to come out of her shock, blinking and shaking her head to clear it. A sharp intake of breath said she was aware of her injuries again as I made my way over to her.
“Are you going to be ok?” I sat beside her on the slope, not caring about the cold snow beneath me.
I helped her slowly remove her clothes to see her wounds more clearly. Her hands tested the injuries tenderly while she looked them over with a critical eye. Seemingly satisfied with the results she nodded. “I’ll be fine, I was lucky the bullets didn’t hit anything important.”
“That looks awful,” I said. There was a gash along her right side several inches long.
“Yeah, hurts like hell obviously. The bullet caught a rib and rode it around.” She grimaced as she applied some pressure to the wound and managed to remove the offending bit of metal. “Could have been much worse though.” She held the bullet up before her eyes a moment before dropping it.
We both looked up as a scream and crash sounded in the distance, Liam must have caught up with more of them. Kris took in a slow, steadying breath before turning back to me. She opened her mouth to speak, but her eyes fell on my shoulder and widened.
“Oh shit! You were hit!” She leaned towards me and began taking off my jacket. “Let me have a look at it.”
I hissed in pain as she began prodding
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