Snippet #2495540

"Over there!" pointed Tamuz. Zayed turned fast enough to see a grey tail swish through the foliage to his left. They were certainly heading away from them. He relaxed his grip on the knife.

"Let's hit the road, Tamuz," he said, beginning to turn.

"Listen, boy!" hissed Tamuz. Zayed stopped and cocked his ear. There were snarls and thunks. Sound of something hard hitting their bodies. They were attacking someone or something and it was fighting back.

"Stag?" Zayed asked.

"No stag ever grunted like a human," his uncle replied, moving towards the source of the sounds.

"All the more reason for us to be off," Zayed said in a loud whisper. "We are not here to socialize, Tamuz!"

"Burn you, boy! Someone's out there trying hard to fend off the wolves. There aren't that many. We can make a difference here."

Zayed hesitated. He wondered if he could live with walking away. Well, he could. But Tamuz wouldn't.

"Fine. But if you get us killed, I am going to be very angry."

They advanced through the forest and emerged into a clearing. Zayed saw a man cornered by a big grey wolf. No. Not cornered. He was using his sword like someone who knew what he was doing. Suddenly, two wolves leaped from the foliage, their teeth bared, snarling. Zayed saw a gleam of silver to his side and one of the wolves fell down with a whimper, Tamuz's knife sticking out of its breast. Zayed quickly let loose another knife and caught the other animal in its shoulder. But the big grey was getting ready to pounce on the man.