Malanon spun into the alley, pressed her back against the wall and felt her knees buckle. She ground her feet into the ground, sliding down a little. Another wave of dizziness pounded her temples and she raised a hand up to brush across her forhead. Blood began to pool around her feet, some running off her sword, some dripping from her mangled arm. The dark purple stone hanging from a leather band around her neck was shaking violently and making that much more noise clattering across her mail.
It probably didn't matter. If the stone was still, they could follow the blood trail and once they got close enough they'd be able to hear her gasping breaths. But before, they didn't have anything to go by. Wolves didn't enter the village normally, not even at the dead of night. All of the other druge were created from creatures that were around her. This was a hunt. This time they were sent to find her, and they did. Somehow...
Crossing her eyes, she grabbed the stone and pulled it over her head. It stopped at her chin and sent a crackling sensation down her neck. A few bits of what looked like purple lightning danced around the cord. "Shit," she hissed, rubbing her hand back across her forhead and letting the stone fall. There went that theory.
And to make things that much peachier, her child began thrashing. She was half expecting it; the baby was spirited, never seeming to run out of energy. Though, expecting it or not, it was still annoying. Moreso now that she didn't have time to be annoyed at it.
Mal pushed herself away from the wall when she heard a howl, closely followed by another deeper one. No more time to rest. She trotted down the alley and out into a wide market street just in time to see a shadowy figure walk into a building. The windows were closed with curtains, not a bar. A bar would have loudly advertised that it was open, if this wasn't that type of bar she didn't want to chance going in it. The stone shook harder, now almost spinning around her mail. She pulled the spear off her back, looked around.
Two wolves padded towards her, the golden spiral mark prominent against their dark grey fur. Their upper lips and hackles were raised and they began running, their path forking soon after. Mal watched them a moment, tightening her grip on her weapons, steadying her breathing, trying to ignore the kicking - then raced toward them.
She twirled, thrusting the spear towards the wolf on the right and felt its teeth grabbing the shaft. The wolf on the left leapt and Mal slashed at its chest. It yelped and twisted sideways, rolling with her sword, scampering around to her other side once it landed.
The wolf menacing her spear tugged back on it and let go. Mal hopped back a couple steps and turned to face both wolves. One leapt. She swung at its neck and batted the wolf aside, blood pouring from the side of its neck. The other kept circling towards her spear arm, a bit of blood dripping onto its chest.
Mal jabbed her spear into the circling wolf's side and ran to the one she batted away. It howled, thin and high pitched, before she finished it, slicing its neck again. While that wolf died, its companion sank its teeth in Mal's neck and began thrashing its head side to side, partially loosening its jaws. She shoved it aside and kicked it, weaving on her feet afterward and bringing a hand up to her neck.
She could feel trails of liquid through her gloves. The wolf, still strong even with a spear piercing its ribs, charged at her again. The deep howl called again, closer than before and the wolf stopped. Its ears pricked and eyes flitting behind her. Mal yanked her spear out of it and backed up, glancing over her shoulder.
And stopped.
Something big was loping down the street towards her. Big and wolf shaped. Blade? Her bit her lip and turned all the way around, her heart skipping a beat. It'd been a while since she saw him, but hells knew she could use his help now.
No. The creature was too shaggy and its gait was different. Blade, if he hadn't undone the curse, would still be humanoid. Mal took a deep breath.
Golden eyes flashed from the wolf-creature's shadowy form and the stone stopping shaking, resting with a final clink against her chest.
