Tangled

<79 Ava: Fighting Back

79 Ava: Fighting Back

Todd’s wolf form prowls closer, his hackles bristling with menace. His eyes burn with a feral hunger that sends tremors through me. Anticipation hums in the

air between us.

The tree trunk is rough against my back as I use it for support, forcing my body to its feet. The cool weight of the pocketknife in my hand keeps me centered.

I will not cower.

The mysterious energy from before, that primal force filling my veins, is gone. It’s a fleeting whisper of the past, eluding my grasp no matter how desperately I

search for it.

All I have is my training and the small knife I’d stolen from home.

I flip open the blade with a flick of my thumb, the soft click lost amidst the snarls and growls of the ongoing battle around us. At least, I hope it’s lost. I know wolf hearing is keen, but I don’t know its limitations.

Todd’s lips peel back in a vicious snarl, revealing

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79 Ava: Fighting Back

yellowed canines. It figures that even his wolf’s teeth

would need some work. His breath had always smelled

like those tuna sandwiches he eats.

He lunges, a blur of ruddy fur and gnashing jaws.

Instinct has me diving to the side, scrabbling for purchase on the uneven ground. He whirls to face me as I roll to my knees, gripping the knife tightly as I swipe at his muzzle. The blade catches a superficial level of skin and fur, drawing a thin line of crimson that only seems to enrage him further.

pounding in frantic rhythm. The rush of blood overcomes all sound

my

churns in

the blade slicing through fur and flesh. A guttural yelp tears

force of a large adult wolf and an entire lifetime

whooshes from my lungs as I hit the ground,

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Fighting

my vision before it fades, just for a

Todd’s paws, pressing down on my shoulders with crushing

muzzle inches

are like miniature daggers digging into my

unyielding.

one arm and lash out

don’t hit my mark, but it

with a snort, giving me

side, scrambling for the knife as he lunges

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as my fingers scrabble for the knife, its silver blade glinting in the moonlight. I’m bleeding. The scent of my blood mingles with the earthy aroma of the forest floor, a

Fighting Back

Faster, damn it.

lying just moments before. His jaws snap shut with a resounding clack. Flecks

ear, his neck. A

other weapons. The other wolves are still involved in their own struggles several feet away. How many have set upon us? Too many to count.

I can’t worry about

have to deal with Todd.

train. I stumble, gasping for air as his claws rake across my abdomen, tearing through fabric

Agony.

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Fighting

against the pain, I stab into anything I can, wild jabs of my hand. I hit something,

me to the ground with a wide movement of his head and upper body somehow and

back with a startled scream,

I have no time

protect my face as I stab low and blind, grunting as his weight slams me into the ground beneath him. My fingers scrabble against the knife as I yank it out and stab again and

crimson. A strangled whine escapes his muzzle before he finally goes

breath. There’s no breath at all. Only blood and