The Lupine Saga 108

“Link!” Va’il yelled as the mob approached. In total, there were eight people. Six human men and the two bearans. They stopped thirty meters from Va’il, and then carried on their conversation in yells.

“Va’il, are you giving up?” Link asked, and then smiled. “Or do you think that by delaying us, Ruby will get away? It won’t matter, she won’t get too far if we play for a bit. I’m even letting you keep your head start.”

“I’m not giving you anything. I want to ask you something. How much of it was a lie?”

“The truth in what I said? Only that Greta and I get along. That’s it! But then again, all of us children will get along when we’re all promised rewards by Grip! There’s no longer any inheritance issue! It’s now just a reward for all of us, if Ruby is the one that Grip is looking for!”

“You won’t be forgiven,” Va’il said through clenched teeth. He was too far away to be heard by the mob, but his expression clearly conveyed from a distance what he said.

“All you Rising folk are too trusting! You haven’t been betrayed enough, have you?” Greta asked.

“I look forward to the days when I can trust those at my side!” Va’il said. Link and Greta laughed in response.

“Ha! Rich, idealistic nonsense. The world is cruel. Those with ideals fall, those with ambitions grow. I’m more ambitious than you, so I’ll succeed,” Link said.

“Tell me, Link! Who is the one Grip is looking for, and why do you think Ruby might be it? You already know she’s noble, but that shouldn’t really matter to Grip itself, right?” Va’il asked.

“I don’t know anything more than what Lord Gardos told father. And a golden-haired noble girl around Ruby’s age seems to fit her well. That’s about all I know. It doesn’t matter if she is or not, I’ll find out once we get her. There is a reward either way! It just gets better. Enough with the banter! You’re not really worth anything compared to her. Just die!” Link said. He kicked his horse and rode towards Va’il, the rest of the mob behind him.

“So what should I do?” Va’il asked. His eyes narrowed and his claws extended. “Shall I fight?”

Va’il turned his horse and galloped away. He went in the same direction Ruby had gone, but made his path lean towards the south as he rode. He checked behind him to make sure the entire mob followed him, which they did faithfully. He could tell that Ruby’s scent leaned north, but had accurately judged that the mob would only follow him if they thought he was going in the same direction as Ruby.

The horse was tiring, and all hope of getting away seemed to fade. Va’il was stuck, not knowing what to do. He thought about turning and fighting, but he laughed at his own consideration. In the end, he couldn’t win. Even if he stopped a few of them himself, there were more than enough to continue after Ruby.

“Are there?” Va’il thought, and then realized something he hadn’t thought of before. He turned around to check, and smiled at his own confirmation. The human men were slightly behind the Laloo children, and their horses slowed down at times to accommodate for the rough path. Link and Greta looked fierce and every so often shouted commands at the group.

“Humans cannot track Ruby by scent. And those men aren’t trackers,” Va’il thought. “I don’t know how good Link and Greta’s noses are, but the longer they pursue me, the harder it is to find Ruby. Those men also aren’t local, I didn’t think about that before. They are foreign. They don’t know this area well, and aren’t used to riding in a forest. Not that I’m better, but it’s easier for me. They are relying solely on the Laloo children. So if Link and Greta stop, I bet we could get away. How, then?”

Va’il racked his mind, but the best thoughts he had involved harming either the riders or the horses. He didn’t want to invoke violence if he didn’t have to, but his options were few. And his horse was showing its weariness. It would be soon that the horse would stop or collapse, but for the moment it galloped.

Va’il struck upon an idea, and hoped for the best. He made sure the bags he needed were tied to him and secure. After that, he looked around his surroundings to find the right group of trees, as the forest was becoming more diverse. Most were tall, but spaced far apart. The perfect group did exist, it just took another few minutes to find it. He directed his horse to the group he saw, feeling the tired beast giving its last strength to assist Va’il.

He jumped just as the horse passed under the lowest branch of the tree. Va’il pulled himself up, and then climbed higher into the tree. He had gone up four branches before the mob approached and circled the tree.

“It won’t help,” Link said. “You’re outnumbered and stuck now.”

“Tree is too thick to cut down with your swords,” Va’il said as he climbed another branch.

“Well, climb the tree,” Link said to the men.

“How?” one of the men asked.

“Humans,” Link said, and then sighed. “Like this.”

The massive bearan claws made their appearance as Link placed his hands on the tree, and kicked off his shoes. He climbed with ease, soon reaching the lowest branch.

“Don’t forget who’s master, here,” one of the men said.

“We’re good for things like this,” Greta said, speaking quickly in appeasement.

“That’s right, those are Grip’s people, aren’t they? Don’t insult them now,” Va’il said, taunting Link. He sat on a high branch.

“Can’t worry about that now. Come on, little boy,” Link said.

“Have you forgotten?” Va’il asked, and stood up. He held his tail in his hand. “Do you know what this is?”

“A tail, what of it?” Link asked, annoyed.

“You’re dealing with a lupus.” Va’il took a few careful steps, and then dashed. He leapt from the branch to the next tree over, one just barely within jumping distance.

“Greta! Follow him!” Link yelled while climbing higher.

“You!” Greta said.

“I can’t jump that far. Climb up and corner him there.”

“And if he jumps again?”

“He won’t. Even if he does, we can eventually cut one down. There aren’t enough in close distance for him to continue indefinitely! We’re better climbers, and the men will get him if he drops to the ground. Now hurry!”

Greta sighed and then kicked off her shoes. She began climbing the tree that Va’il had ascended. As she did, Va’il jumped to another tree. The men below followed him to that one. Va’il jumped to yet another, and the men followed. At this point Link and Greta had ascended as high as they could go on the trees they had climbed, but neither dared to jump off.

“Hey, you can’t catch me from over there,” Va’il said. He pointed and taunted the two Laloo children.

“We don’t need to. We just need to corner you,” Link said.

“Shouldn’t someone go find the girl?” Greta asked.

“None of them are trackers,” Link said.

“Just have a few start heading west. I’m sure you can catch up,” Va’il said while nodding. “Yep, I’m just sure you can. If she went that way, that is.”

“You be quiet. Just wait. I’ll wring your neck myself!” Link said. He climbed down the first tree, and started up the one Va’il was on. Va’il jumped to another, the last that was within jumping distance. Link stopped climbing and had Greta climb it instead. Once she reached the top, Link went to the one Va’il was on.

“This is the end. There is nowhere left for you to go. Even if you can jump far, there is nowhere else,” Link said, and then dug his claws into the bark of the final tree.

“I guess so,” Va’il said. He then sat on a branch and opened a bag. Link climbed one branch after another while Va’il removed his shoes.

“Not going to run?” Link asked as he looked up. He had seven branches and ten meters between him and Va’il.

“Hey Link, you stink,” Va’il said while tightening a lace.

“Ha. Is that all?” Link asked, and then growled lowly.

“What, can’t you smell it?” Va’il asked. “It’s just terrible.”

“Cut the nonsense. But I suppose that’s your sensitive nose at work, lupus boy. Can’t say I envy you,” Link said. Five branches separated them.

“Oh, shouldn’t you have a good nose as well? Isn’t that how you track people?” Va’il asked while fiddling with more laces.

“Track people? Why would I bother training something like that? A good nose isn’t worth a barrel of money. I can hire all the trackers I need. I’ve never seen the use of it before, and don’t see it now,” Link said.

“Oh, so then you’ve only been tracking me by sight? I would have thought smell would be more reliable,” Va’il said.

“It’s not necessary. Once the rest come, someone will track Ruby down just fine. Just you watch. Well, don’t. Die first,” Link said. Two branches were left. Va’il finished lacing the slipskates and patted his feet.

“Well, just remember to look out for that below,” Va’il said, and then pointed down.

“What are you going on about?” Link asked. He looked down, and only saw the circle of men on the ground below him. They had dismounted and circled the trees. “There’s nothing coming up.”

“Going down,” Va’il said. Link looked up to see a knee.

Va’il’s knees hit Link on the head and knocked him off the branch. Va’il fell to the branch below, standing on it briefly with the toes of the skates, and then dropped further. He used his hands to hang from the second branch above the ground, dropped to the first, and then used it as a spring to jump to the ground behind the men.

Link had hit the ground hard, and Va’il had bruised his head. However, Va’il didn’t underestimate the strength of the bearan body. Not a bone was broken, nor did Link suffer any real damage. He was shocked at the impact, but was on his feet in a minute.

“Get away!” Link said as the men around tried to help him. “Where’s Va’il?”

The men parted and ran to their horses. Link got on his and scanned the area. To the east, he saw the small image of Va’il in the distance, gliding away on skates that moved him faster than any horse. Link spurred his horse onwards, using the claws on his foot to urge the horse faster. He lost sight of Va’il after a moment, and followed the lines that appeared in the ground instead. He rushed and urged the rest of his men to follow, but never again did he catch up to Va’il. After thirty minutes of following lines, they ended up at the base of a tall tree. There, the lines ended. Link looked up, and cursed the large network of branches connecting most of the trees in a two hundred meter radius.

About James Ashman

I write books of the fantasy, heroic, and adventure types. So far. I'm an author who loves fantastic stories.
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