Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #15 June 2015 | Page 94

He laughed in defiance while blood pooled into his mouth. In a final move of anger she punched him in the face, feeling his nose crunch beneath her fist. Ray lay limp beneath her, and she stood up after a moment, kicking him in the side, and picked up the wolf pup beside him. “Thank you,” she said softly to the wolf pup. The pup licked her hand gently. Angwenth sighed and walked over to the mother wolf. She dropped into the dirt by the mother’s head. The wolf raised her nose and looked up at Angwenth, whimpering softly. She placed the pup before the mom, “He’s okay,” she said softly, her voice a bare whisper against the air. “He saved me.” The mother wolf licked her pup, before putting her nose against his rear and pushing him slightly towards Angwenth. With a nod Angwenth picked up the pup and gave a soft weak smile. “I’ll keep him safe.” She wasn’t sure the wolf understood her, but a look of relief seemed to cross over its eyes. The mother wolf rested her head on Angwenth’s knee. Angwenth ran her fingers through her thick coat. The wolf closed her eyes. Angwenth felt her breathing slow and grow jagged. She stayed there with her until the end. The sun was high in the sky when the black wolf let out her last breath. Angwenth sighed. “Rest now. I’ll protect the little one.” The wolf pup was sleeping in her lap, and Angwenth knew that now was not the time to keep hunting for the fights. She would need help locating their games, 94