Grrrr...
The growl didn't come from ahead, but from just a few meters behind him. A shiver ran down his spine and, slowly, he turned his head.
Between the bushes, a pair of yellow eyes watched him fixedly, as the figure revealed itself. It was obviously a wolf, from the same pack that was attacking the goblins.
There was no time to think. The wolf seemed to be in attack position, so, by pure instinct, he threw himself to the side just as the wolf lunged at him.
He barely landed when the leaves, branches, and general flora crunched under his weight. The sound, unexpectedly loud, silenced the noises of the distant wolves, who turned their gazes toward the source of the sound warily.
Seeing this, he clicked his tongue. Things were going to get more complicated.
The wolf quickly recomposed itself and pivoted on its heels to have him in sight again, baring its fangs threateningly.
He raised his staff and pointed it at the wolf. Even if he wanted to retreat, with this wolf at such close range it would be impossible, so to escape he first had to get rid of it. Then he could retreat more easily.
"Magic Missile," he incanted, and from the tip of the staff, a bluish light swirled into a pellet that launched at full speed toward the wolf, which took the hit head-on.
The projectile struck the wolf's body. Although he had aimed for the head, because it moved at the last moment, it only struck the animal's torso.
A deep wound appeared on its body from the blow.
As soon as he finished casting, he turned on his heel and began to run. He hadn't seen the damage he'd done, but trusting what he'd observed during practice, he knew it wouldn't be a simple wound.
The wolf that received the impact of the spell fell to the ground in pain and began to howl, indicating it was in danger.
Its companions immediately went to support it, ignoring the goblins.
He heard the howls from afar and knew things were going to get more complicated, but now he didn't have to worry about it. The important thing for now was to gain as much distance as possible and hide.
To avoid being found.
Even if the possibility was low, it was the best he had.
If he could, he had to hide to recover his mana points, and thus have another card at his disposal.
The wolves reached their companion immediately and looked at the deep wound on its flank. One of them approached and began to inspect the wound, while two others sniffed the ground, searching for where the threat had fled.
As soon as they caught the scent, they went straight after him. But a short while later, one of the pair split off.
Meanwhile, he was thinking about what to do. When an idea came to his head—something he'd seen a long time ago that had worked with dogs—he thought it might also work with wolves.
Immediately, he pivoted on his heels and went back the same way he had come. He backtracked a good distance, stopped, and hid to one side, covering himself with dirt and underbrush to hide his scent as much as possible.
He held his breath and didn't move at all. As he expected, the wolves' footsteps arrived quickly. He stopped breathing and waited for it to work.
Luckily, the wolves passed by as if they hadn't perceived him and followed his trail.
Seeing the wolf move away, he immediately got up and took another direction to get as far away as possible before it discovered his trick and returned.
"Stupid wolf," he muttered to himself as he moved away.
Awooo!
The cries of a wolf sounded from a short distance away. Surprised, he turned and saw there was a second wolf, one he had never seen before.
"Shit," he muttered, and raised his staff trying to look threatening.
But, as if it didn't care in the slightest, the wolf began to growl at him without approaching, keeping its distance. It was obvious it was waiting for its companion before initiating the attack.
"If you're not going to attack, then I will," he shouted, lunging toward the beast.
The wolf, showing no surprise whatsoever, sidestepped, continuously moving away and preventing him from getting close enough to land a blow.
Understanding he couldn't easily reach it, he weighed the option of using magic again, but his magical points were depleted. It was impossible.
Another idea was to climb a tree. Wolves couldn't climb, so it wasn't a bad plan.
"But I don't know how," he murmured.
He'd never had the need to learn, so he never did. Understanding the logic in your head wasn't the same as being able to execute it with your body.
"Continuing to run is impossible..." he thought, as the reality of his situation closed in around him. The second wolf would arrive soon and he had no idea what the hell to do.
Grrr!
The wolf, after a final growl that sounded like a warning, suddenly lunged.
He was surprised by the sudden attack.
Instinctively, he lowered the arm holding the staff to block the wolf's attack.
The wolf opened its jaws to bite his leg, but by blocking with his arm, it had no choice but to change targets. Its jaws closed on his forearm, sinking its teeth deep. The sleeve of his tunic tore instantly and the flesh was easily pierced, allowing the fangs to sink in.
"Bastard!" he shouted, the pain transforming into pure rage. He raised his free arm to strike the animal in its side, trying to break its ribs to make it let go.
Grrr-uff! A second set of fangs sank into his other arm before he could react. There was no prior warning; the second wolf had taken advantage of the exact moment when all his attention was fixed on its companion to attack.
"Aaggg!" A gasp of sharp pain escaped him as he tried to stay on his feet. The wolves kept pulling and shaking, tearing at his arms and seeking by all means to make him lose his balance.
"Let go!" he roared, kicking at the air until a kick finally connected with one of their ribs.
The animal released its grip and backed away a few steps, keeping its distance. A deep pain shot through his arm, and he could barely move it. The wound was so intense that even with a weak movement, the pain became unbearable.
It was while checking his wound that the first wolf charged again. This time, instead of biting, it used all its weight like a furry battering ram against the man's off-balance torso.
Its companion released its grip to avoid being dragged down with him. Unable to stay upright and dazed by the pain, the wizard was easily knocked to the ground.
The air left his lungs with a dry sound. Before he could even try to roll, a crushing weight settled on his chest. It was the wolf that had released his arm moments before.
Its breath, hot and smelling of meat and blood, hit his face as the animal opened its jaws at an unnatural angle, seeking to fully encompass his neck.
"No, wait!" It was an instinctive cry, as he forced the movement of his arms. Extremely painful, they managed to block the wolf's advance.
He pushed with all the strength he could muster, keeping those jaws that opened and closed inches from his face at bay. The lower fangs tore the air in front of his nose as if trying to rip it off without success.
This is bad. This is terribly bad.
He thought as he held the wolf at bay. If he lost even a bit of strength in his grip, he would die instantly under its fangs. But this resistance couldn't last forever. His strength was draining with every beat of his racing heart.