Chapter 38 Wild Encounters


    “Well that is the last of it.” Sadko gasped and sweated, placing the trunk back inside the fixed cart. Rose did not look much better; she had neglected to take off her hooded cloak and was dirty from laying on the ground holding tools for Sadko under the cart. He had fumbled much with anything tiny.


    “Good, it is beginning to get quite cold out here. The sun is going down.” Nina stood and shook Hilda awake. Hilda gave a great big yawn followed by a snort.


    “I think it grows colder because we are close to the snow.” Rose wiped her brow only succeeding on smudging it with more dirt.


    “We are nearly out of the woods; I doubt if snow has not reached this part that there is much this year.” Sadko hiccupped.


    “Have you not stopped drinking? You smell.” Hilda plugged her nose while Sadko helped her into the cart.


    “It keeps me in high spirits.” Sadko tipped his hat once she and Nina sat down.


    “Rose you may ride up front so you don’t get dirt on us. There is no need to disappoint our husbands with bad clothing.” Nina wrapped the blanket around her.


    “I think they will be disappointed enough...” Rose said under her breath. As Sadko lifted her up to her place he smiled until seeing a shadow dart through the trees.


    He looked at the bottle in his seat.


    “Did you hear that?” Rose turned to the direction he had seen the shadow and he cursed inwardly.


    “I did think, I thought I saw something.” He stumbled around as the horses grew very nervous. They danced a little in place snorting, making little noises.  He stopped to calm one of them, its eyes growing wide as it shook its head.


    “Can’t we just go?” Hilda whined. As Nina buried her head a little more in the blanket, this time Rose agreed fully.


    Sadko began to climb warily back into the driver''s side when it leapt out of the bushes and grabbed his legs. The horses reared and took off as Rose was about to hand him the reins. She saw the strange beast covered in green plants behind him. That had made it blend in almost completely with the forest. Instead Sadko grabbed hold of the seat. He slid through the grasp of great bronze colored paws. His pants tore and his boot came off. His legs nearly swung into the wheels and were smashed. The drinking had made him limber and he managed to swing himself the other way. When he was up on the seat Sadko chanced to look back. The creature had disappeared. That is until the whole cart swayed as Hilda and Nina screamed.


    Rose saw it on her side. It had just grabbed Nina’s blanket and had slowed down to tear it in two while it ran on two feet like a man. Its muzzle was wrinkled from the huge grin it held filled with sharp teeth framing a lolling tongue. It panted as the horses panted while they ran only he gained speed with every stride switching to all fours.


    “We are too heavy! Drop everything, everything out of the cart!” Rose shouted handing the reins back to Sadko she climbed back throwing things at the creature


    She expected an argument but the girls were luckily too scared. When it came down to life or possessions there was nothing worth keeping. Hilda even helped her pitch over her trunk which the Wolf man easily dodged and avoided, slowing only little. He seemed to be enjoying the game, daring them to hit him. Once he knocked a vase back at them with the flat of his palm and they all ducked as it smashed. When they got up he was right next to the cart. Rose was not deterred; had a good shot at his head and a heavy little box in hand. As she threw it, it spiraled, but he had only to turn and open wide, catching it quickly in his teeth. The box of jewelry broke into pieces chains and gems tinkling their dyeing songs flying hither about. And it laughed a deep and guttural laugh from its very belly.


    Afterwards it gave its own heaving howl and leapt onto the side of the cart. Rose and the other girls moved to one side and the cart leaned rolling only on two wheels. It did not pitch. Amazingly it continued on and the girls cowered low, holding to the side. The monster pushed itself upward and in with its arms and the whole cart slammed down again.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Rose saw her basket still strapped in the front seat. She remembered she had put one of her Father’s hunting knives inside of it. Taking her chances while the beast swung one leg over she dove to grab it. The Wolf was in and he made to hit her, something strange happened, every time he went in to strike his swings missed. His claws hit the wood to the right of her and then to the left and when she turned around the silver about her neck glinted and he understood.


    She thought his backing away was the fear of the knife. A simple thing made of iron. It did not matter; she was not his target. It was the other girls he was after and the man. Sadko had not brought his silver arrows, this time.


    “Hilda, you must take the reins!” Sadko shouted and Hilda did so, the horses feeling immediately the change. The cart bounced in every direction hitting every large root on the way. Sadko fell clumsily to the back on his way to protect Rose. The Wolf reached down and grabbed him by the shirt. Rose stabbed her foe in the arm; the creature only looked down and snorted. She had no fear she continued to stab again and again quickly however Rose soon saw that once the knife was removed the wound was sealed.


    Again the deep chuckle at her helplessness, Rose tucked in the knife and backed away. He looked back down to his prey; this ridiculously clumsy man who had eluded him for so long. That was when a bottle struck the side of his face. Rose swung with all her might once again not relenting.  The Wolf made a move to take it from her but Sadko did it first, he smashed the bottle in half and gave a roar driving and twisting the broken clay into the monster''s stomach. Together they went over the back. Rose cried out seeing them roll over twice on the ground as Nina held her back. They watched the beast pull free the serrated bottle top from his gut as Sadko struggled to stand. He smashed it over the merchant’s head and he collapsed. “No, we have to stop!” Rose cried, if anything Hilda urged the horses faster. “He sacrifices himself so we can live!” Nina shouted, “Rose we must escape!”


    Rose elbowed Nina off of her. Sadko was out of sight. She shivered, wanting to dive over the side herself. Suddenly she was being pelted by cold wetness that made her look up. Flakes began to fall around them. This quickly turned into a heavy flurry and then the cart hit a large unexpected drift and slightly pitched. Hilda let go of the reins and this was good for the horses tore completely free of the little carriage dragging chunks of wood with them.


    The Wolf’s own healing wounds pushed out the glass from his stomach.  He kicked the unconscious man over for his trouble. Soon he was on the road again. Knowing the direction they would go he changed his course for a different approach, of course it wasn’t long before he came upon them only a short distance ahead. They had made it to the other side of the white wall.


    Through a haze of blurred snow he saw them. They had yet to see him as if through a glass he watched them beginning to move on their little wreck looking around bewildered. The littlest one grabbed her basket. The Wolf’s foot stepped down on some snow making a slight crunch and she looked over in his direction. That gave him pause, he was not that close. Her senses seemed keener than the others, bordering on the magical. In fact, now that he thought about it her mind did as well. Still her abilities were obviously green. Her lashes were heavy with flakes and she could not see anything. Eventually she dismissed the noise. “We must keep moving before it comes.” He heard her say. This amused him; a moment ago she had wanted them to stop for their guide.


    A twisting sensation came into his heart. He was not allowed very much further. However, how much further was something he had always wished to test, this was an opportunity. His prey was not far and here of all times the rules might be allowed to bend slightly. They began to scramble away, slipping around terribly and making an obvious path through the drifts. He attempted his approach through the downpour of ice. When a heavy thud of snow was heard and before him, mirroring his image was The Frost. The Wolf stood up on his hind legs growling low The Frost also stood only continuing to mirror right down to the tilt of his head. This head gave a shivered ripple in response to the growling. As the Wolf paced un-certain; so too mimicked thin birch limbs, there was no hint of following this was done at the exact same time. Finally he decided not to risk it. In the woods there might be competition, outside in his own element and time the Frost had already won.


    “Fine they are yours for now, eventually they will be driven back here by your precious cold and then I will have them.” He licked his teeth after speaking.


    A twisting of the needle, over time he had learned to recognize the differences. This one was a summoning. His mistress called him. In his pain the Wolf had reflexively gripped his heart. The Frost put its cyclical fingers up to the same area of chest, doubtfully there was a heart there. It lifted its big dew drop head as its body trembled giving off a soft tinkling noise. The Wolf realized this was the equivalent of laughing at him. As he glared at this mocking spectacle Frost began waving its icicled hands as if shoeing away a pest. Beaten and barking in disgust at this obnoxious behavior the Wolf went down on all fours and ran off. His nemesis rival did likewise in the opposite direction.