Staring in the direction of the now darkened cottage, Lily chewed her lip and tried to decide what to do. If Wick had done away with the assailant, then she had no reason to continue running away. On the other hand, if Wick hadn’t, Lily might walk into a terrible situation and only make things worse. But she maybe could help Wick if she went back. Or if she kept going, she’d be out of Wick’s hair and stop being a burden to her.

Then the decision was made for her.

Lily had grown accustomed to the sounds of the horrible little monsters that scurried about the forest floor. She rarely saw them, but she knew their grumbles and chirps and padded footsteps. When she heard the sound of heavy ragged breathing, she knew immediately that it was something else entirely.

The enclosure of the trees made it hard to tell how far away they were, or even how many, but it sounded like a lot to Lily. Even their breathing was angry, and it was often interrupted by growling or the sounds of teeth of gnashing. The air smelled faintly of burning, like the scent after a flame had been extinguished.

She soon realized that they weren’t breathing heavy; they were sniffing, searching for something. Her heart pounded in her chest and her hair stood up on the back her neck. If she could smell them that meant that they could probably smell her.

One of the beasts howled, a deep, resonating sound mixed with a strange cackle. The sky was filled with the sound of charuns flapping their wings, dispersing into the night. Even they were frightened of the beasts. In the shadows, Lily couldn’t see much of anything, but she knew they were there – she sensed the shift of movement, the heavy sound of their feet pounding the ground, and their excited breathing as they approached.

Lily turned and ran for her life. 

Her legs moved as quickly as they could, churning underneath her, but she knew it wasn’t fast enough. They howled again, and it sounded much closer than it had before. She heard their feet pounding, a rabid pack of movement, and she darted around trees, trying to make her path as confusing as possible.

She rounded a tree, and there the beast was, right in front of her. Her feet skidded on the muddy ground, and she nearly flew right into it, stopping mere inches from its growling muzzle. The clouds parted enough for the moon to shine down on them, the light glinting off the massive incisors in its jaws.

It vaguely resembled a dog, but it was much too large, standing almost as tall as Lily when it was on all fours. The beast was hairless, and its skin appeared to be charred leather. The paws were as large as her head, with opposable toes and claws, like a cat’s, so it could hold or tear things apart. Its long tail moved like a monkey’s and had a forked end. The eyes were pure black, without any white rimming the pupil.

Lily stepped back, and she felt hot breath blowing on her cloak. Another one of the dogs was behind her, and when she turned around, she realized that four of them had surrounded her. She had nowhere to run, not that she could outrun them.

“Easy.” She held up her hands palm out to them, moving in a slow circle so she could keep her eyes on all of them. “Please, let’s all just stay calm.” One of the beasts growled and stepped toward her. “Stop!”

She wrapped the cloak more tightly around her, hoping that some of its magic would ward them off. They hadn’t torn her to bits yet, but other than eating her, she didn’t know what else they could possibly want with her.

The beast kept walking forward, and Lily had no choice but to step back. The one behind her moved to the side so she could get by. They moved together, walking as a pack in front of her, so she’d keep walking backwards. They were herding her along, and she stumbled over branches and tree roots, refusing to take her eyes off them. Unlike the charun, they acted like they knew what they were doing, like they wanted her to do something or go somewhere. 

Her heart raced in her chest, and she knew she didn’t want to be a part of whatever they had planned. They snarled and growled as saliva dripped from their teeth. They looked ravenous, and her instincts told her they wanted nothing more than to eat her alive. But for some reason, they didn’t. Their muscles trembled with restraint as they sniffed and huffed at her.

Lily decided that her only chance of survival was trying to make a break for it. She wasn’t as fast as they were, but she was much smaller. If she darted and weaved enough, going through small crevices in the trees, she might be able to lose them. As she walked backward, grabbing onto trees to keep her balance, she noticed a hollow log on its side. Maybe she could hide in there, or at least get a head start crawling through it.

As soon as she thought she was close enough, she turned and bolted toward the log. She’d barely made it four steps when a giant paw slammed into her back, knocking her to the ground. Its claws tore the cloak and ripped into her soft flesh, not enough to maul her but enough to send pain shooting through her body. She would’ve screamed, but the weight of the beast pushed her face into the mud. She breathed dirt, and she couldn’t even cough it up.

Just before she became certain she’d suffocate in the ground, the weight lessened on her body so she could lift her head up. She could still feel the paw, holding her in place should she try to run, but she could breathe again. Lily coughed hard, causing her body to spasm painfully. Her back screamed at her, but she tried to push herself up anyway. The dog growled and dug his claws in deeper, reminding her that he had control.

The scratches on her back burned, like her skin had been set on fire, and she screamed. Not for help or mercy, but simply because she couldn’t help herself. Her veins started burning, sending a searing sensation through her entire body. The beast had venom in its claws, and it was sending poison through her.

Her mind started feeling hazy, so she couldn’t be sure of what was happening at first. A gust of wind blew over her, and she craned her neck back, surprised to find the beast missing from her back. The pain blotted out most of her other senses, but her fear gave her some amount of clarity. She struggled to sit up and saw one of the beasts fly into a tree, as if it had been thrown.

Then she saw him clearly. Lux stood in front of the dogs, and he didn’t look the slightest bit ruffled. He held a giant stick in his hand, so long and thick it looked almost too heavy for Lily too hold. Three of the beasts growled and crouched in front of him, looking as if they wanted to rip his head off. The fourth one had been thrown into the tree, and he hurried to get back on his feet.

The dog charged and hurled itself at Lux, but he raised the stick and impaled the dog in the side. It yelped, and then fell to the ground. It lay a few feet away from Lily, twitching and whimpering on the ground, and even through her fiery pain, she felt sorry for the beast.