The powerful dram lunged forward but was stopped as Farin dropped down from the tree with his sword blade driving down into the creature’s torso.
Kaz looked out over the campfire and saw another dram charging into the camp. Bendar and Garin took it down with arrows before it was able to cross over to Kaz.
“Can you climb?” Farin asked as he grabbed Kaz under the shoulder and pushed him to standing.
Kaz nodded, and reached up to grab the branch of a tree. The pain from his legs throbbed as he pulled himself up, but he quickly fell back down again. He shook his head. “I can’t do it.”
Garin jumped down from a nearby tree, and ran to his side.
“Lift!” Kaz pulled up while Garin and Farin pushed him from underneath. His leg sent shooting pain all over his body as Farin threw his legs up over the first branch and then continued to push even harder, forcing him up higher into the branches.
“I’m up!” Kaz shouted down to the twins and they began climbing up to join him.
Bendar shot an arrow at another dram that was running through the camp toward Garin, giving him time to get up out of range.
With the arrow still lodged in its side, the dram scratched at the tree, and jumped up in the air, snapping its jaws at the boys who were just out of its range. Farin grabbed his bow and shot an arrow into the dram’s open mouth, sending it falling backward onto the ground.
Garin tore the sleeve off his shirt and wrapped it around Kaz’s leg. The material quickly soaked dark red.
“We need to get down to our supplies,” Garin called out to Bendar.
“We can’t do that with them down there,” Farin said pointing at the dram. “How many arrows do you have left?”
Bendar looked in his quiver quickly before calling back. “I have eight. How many do you have?”
“Three,” Farin called back, his voice filled with frustration. “I dropped the rest when I went down for Kaz. There are at least fifteen more drams in the pack. Even if we took one out with every arrow, we can’t kill them all.”
“And we can’t wait up in the trees all night. Kaz is losing too much blood,” Garin added.
“What if we kill this one, and make a run for more…” Kaz stopped talking as he saw some glowing eyes approaching the camp. More drams were congregating in the campsite, smelling blood and waiting for some meat. “Never mind.” Kaz dropped his head to the side and fell limp on the branch he was sitting on. Farin and Garin reached out and stabilized him.
“Wake up!” Garin encouraged. He pushed Kaz up to a sitting position. “You don’t want to lose this,” Garin joked as he shoved Gran’s necklace into Kaz’s shirt.
Kaz smiled weakly and forced himself up against the tree. He blinked several times, and tried to focus on his breathing.
“I think I’m okay,” he said. “What are we going to do?”
“We need to kill the alpha,” Bendar called out.
“What are you talking about?” Farin asked.
“The pack always follows their leader. We need to kill the leader first, then when we begin attacking the remaining drams they might disperse.”
“They might disperse?” Farin asked, “What if they don’t? Couldn’t we just kill all we can, and let them eat each other?”
“Until their leader is dead, they will not retreat. It’s our only hope,” Bendar replied.
“They’re all circling around randomly, which one is the leader?” Garin shouted.
Kaz watched the drams in the camp. Some were digging through their supplies, others were circling the base of the trees they were hiding in, and some were beginning to eat the dead drams, snapping at any other dram that tried to share in the feast.
“I don’t think the leader is here yet,” Bendar answered “Can either of you hear the sounds of one dram that is larger than the others?”
Garin and Farin looked at each other, then back at Bendar, tilting their heads in confusion.
“What do you think a larger dram sounds like?”
Kaz looked out into
Kaz looked out over the campfire and saw another dram charging into the camp. Bendar and Garin took it down with arrows before it was able to cross over to Kaz.
“Can you climb?” Farin asked as he grabbed Kaz under the shoulder and pushed him to standing.
Kaz nodded, and reached up to grab the branch of a tree. The pain from his legs throbbed as he pulled himself up, but he quickly fell back down again. He shook his head. “I can’t do it.”
Garin jumped down from a nearby tree, and ran to his side.
“Lift!” Kaz pulled up while Garin and Farin pushed him from underneath. His leg sent shooting pain all over his body as Farin threw his legs up over the first branch and then continued to push even harder, forcing him up higher into the branches.
“I’m up!” Kaz shouted down to the twins and they began climbing up to join him.
Bendar shot an arrow at another dram that was running through the camp toward Garin, giving him time to get up out of range.
With the arrow still lodged in its side, the dram scratched at the tree, and jumped up in the air, snapping its jaws at the boys who were just out of its range. Farin grabbed his bow and shot an arrow into the dram’s open mouth, sending it falling backward onto the ground.
Garin tore the sleeve off his shirt and wrapped it around Kaz’s leg. The material quickly soaked dark red.
“We need to get down to our supplies,” Garin called out to Bendar.
“We can’t do that with them down there,” Farin said pointing at the dram. “How many arrows do you have left?”
Bendar looked in his quiver quickly before calling back. “I have eight. How many do you have?”
“Three,” Farin called back, his voice filled with frustration. “I dropped the rest when I went down for Kaz. There are at least fifteen more drams in the pack. Even if we took one out with every arrow, we can’t kill them all.”
“And we can’t wait up in the trees all night. Kaz is losing too much blood,” Garin added.
“What if we kill this one, and make a run for more…” Kaz stopped talking as he saw some glowing eyes approaching the camp. More drams were congregating in the campsite, smelling blood and waiting for some meat. “Never mind.” Kaz dropped his head to the side and fell limp on the branch he was sitting on. Farin and Garin reached out and stabilized him.
“Wake up!” Garin encouraged. He pushed Kaz up to a sitting position. “You don’t want to lose this,” Garin joked as he shoved Gran’s necklace into Kaz’s shirt.
Kaz smiled weakly and forced himself up against the tree. He blinked several times, and tried to focus on his breathing.
“I think I’m okay,” he said. “What are we going to do?”
“We need to kill the alpha,” Bendar called out.
“What are you talking about?” Farin asked.
“The pack always follows their leader. We need to kill the leader first, then when we begin attacking the remaining drams they might disperse.”
“They might disperse?” Farin asked, “What if they don’t? Couldn’t we just kill all we can, and let them eat each other?”
“Until their leader is dead, they will not retreat. It’s our only hope,” Bendar replied.
“They’re all circling around randomly, which one is the leader?” Garin shouted.
Kaz watched the drams in the camp. Some were digging through their supplies, others were circling the base of the trees they were hiding in, and some were beginning to eat the dead drams, snapping at any other dram that tried to share in the feast.
“I don’t think the leader is here yet,” Bendar answered “Can either of you hear the sounds of one dram that is larger than the others?”
Garin and Farin looked at each other, then back at Bendar, tilting their heads in confusion.
“What do you think a larger dram sounds like?”
Kaz looked out into
Similar Books
