Page 112 of Moonless

“Stop.” It barely comes out.

Keer’s black jaws close on Rauk’s sleeve, and Rauk drives him backward across the path. Axan hits them from the other side and gets his teeth into Rauk’s right arm. Rauk grunts, twisting under both wolves, and the three of them go down behind a low branch.

Get off him!

I can see Rauk’s shoulder and Keer’s hind legs, and the branch shakes with every hit. I get onto my knees, holding my left arm against my stomach. Come on. Get up.

“Keer! Axan, stop!”

Neither of them so much as turns an ear.

Fine.

You’ll hear me.

Rauk heaves himself up with Axan still fastened to his arm. Blood runs from the bite into his palm. He gets his bad hand into the fur at Axan’s neck and tears him loose anyway, then throws him against the bank.

Axan hits shoulder-first and scrabbles to get his feet under him.

Axan, you fucking idiot.

I catch the tree with my right hand and pull myself up it. My ribs hurt all the way around on the next breath, but it goes in, and I use all of it.

“Stop! All of you!”

Rauk’s ear swings toward me, and his head comes around after it. He looks right at me, and he stops.

Keer comes in low while he’s turned. His teeth close high on Rauk’s thigh, and the leg buckles.

Shit.

They’re going to kill him. Two days ago he couldn’t even get off his own hearthstone.

There’s a rock by the root at my feet. I work it out of the dirt with my good hand, and it’s heavy enough to pull at my sore back when I straighten up. This’ll have to do.

Keer’s still locked on when I get to him, with his hind feet dug in and his whole weight dragging at Rauk’s leg. I bring the rock down on his shoulder as hard as I can.

It thumps into the fur, and that’s all it does.

Oh, come on.

His eye rolls back to me, and the ear follows. He sees exactly who’s hit him, and he doesn’t let go.

A month ago I’d have had my teeth in his scruff, and he’d have felt that.

Rauk hits him across the muzzle while he’s still looking at me. Keer lets go, and Rauk grabs the loose skin behind his head and hauls him off the ground. Keer twists and rakes both hind feet down Rauk’s side, and the shirt rips open from his ribs to his belt.

He slams Keer onto the path.

Enough. That’s enough.

Axan’s coming at his back, and Rauk turns with his ears flat before I’ve got the breath to warn him, catching him against his chest. Axan’s teeth snap beside his throat. Rauk braces one leg behind him and drives his shoulder into Axan, taking them both into the bank.

I hear them hit from here. Ugh.

He drags Axan down by the back of the neck. Axan fights to turn, and Rauk’s claws go through the fur along his side and come out red.

Oh boy, that’s bad.