Claws of Doom

by Peebles, Chrissy

  “What’s the matter with him,” Lilly asked, pushing back against the cold nose that kept nudging her arm. “Get off of me. That’s disgusting.” Olivia grabbed her arm and pulled her back behind some nearby bushes. Olivia dropped her pack and pulled her sister’s off as well.

  “I don’t know,” Daniel answered, “but it can’t be good. Everyone get ready. Something’s coming.”

  With his group under cover, Aidan transformed once again, this time into a large bat. One powerful beat of his wings and he disappeared into the treetops. The others stood, weapons at the ready, scanning the forest before them.

  They heard them before they saw them. The rustling of leaves and snapping of branches and twigs announced the arrival of a foe using the cover of the trees above.

  Daniel tried to draw his bow and failed. Pain shot in both directions from the still healing wound in his arm, down to his fingertips and up through his shoulder and into his neck. Olivia watched as he winced and dropped the bow to his side. She shook her head as a fresh bright red stain spread on the bandage. Daniel saw that she was studying him and turned away from her.

  “Get ready,” he stated. “Make sure both rifles are loaded.” He turned to Atreyu and Halem. “You too. Halem, just do the best you can. Atreyu, keep him close.”

  Daniel shoved his arrow back in his quiver and picked up a nearby stick. He pounded it on his palm a few times to check its sturdiness. Satisfied with his primitive weapon, he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

  Olivia’s gaze returned to the trees, trying to locate a target. She caught a glimpse of something scampering through the branches toward them. Halem let loose an arrow. Although it didn’t come close, the creature did pause long enough for Olivia to get a look at what it was. It was a tree goblin. It was about half the size of an adult human, with thin, spindly arms and legs. Its skin was a dark hunter green to help the creature blend in with the leaves through which it swung. Its large yellow eyes met hers. It bared its wicked fangs and hissed before leaping up into the higher branches and disappearing.

  “The goblins must be behind the gnome attack,” Olivia called to the others. “Gnomes are too stupid to organize something like this on their own. Keep an eye out for the goblins up top. The gnomes may come back too, now that they have a bit of help and have had a chance to organize, so don’t ignore the ground. Just…keep your eyes open.”

  Atreyu and Halem nodded their understanding, their eyes never stopping the back and forth scanning of the forest in front of them. Halem had an arrow nocked and at the ready. Atreyu had his sling loaded and was occasionally stooping down to pick up more rocks which he shoved into his pockets.

  “There!” cried out Halem, pivoting toward a cluster of bushes on the far side of the clearing. A couple of bearded faces peered out from between the leaves. They growled and charged out of the foliage, battle-axes lifted over their heads. Halem let loose his arrow. Though he didn’t get a clean hit, he did manage to nick the thigh of one of the attacking gnomes. He tripped and fell to the ground, his axe dropping from his hand and bouncing away. Olivia fired at the other just as he leapt behind the large oak. She saw an explosion of bark where the bullet clipped the tree. She’d missed. She grabbed the other rifle from her sister and brought it up to her shoulder, preparing for another shot at the now retreating gnome. He’d grabbed his fallen companion and was dragging him back toward the bushes.

  “Eeeeeyaaaaaaahhh,” came a cry from above. Olivia turned toward the source of the sound and saw a goblin dropping from the limbs overhead, a deadly-looking dagger clutched in both hands as it plummeted toward Halem. The young boy turned, but there was no way he’d be able to defend himself. Olivia knew she wouldn’t have time to aim either. As Halem fell to the ground, his arms outstretched to defend himself, a large black bat swooped down through the trees and snatched the goblin just as its feet touched Halem’s forearms. The creature cried out and slashed downward with the blade before being lifted up and vanishing into the leaves.

  Olivia rushed over to where Halem was now lying with his hand clasped over his left forearm. Olivia could see the blood oozing out from between his fingers. He looked up at her, the fear obvious in his young eyes.

  “He…he stabbed me,” Halem stammered, his eyes welling up with tears.

  “You’ll be okay,” Olivia said in a soft voice. “It’s not too bad.”

  “It burns,” Halem cried. “My whole arm burns.”

  Olivia could see red lines forming around the wound, slowly moving outward from the gash. Poison, she thought to herself. The nasty little buggers poisoned their blades.

  “Lilly!” Olivia screamed. As her little sister stumbled forward, arms outstretched, Olivia barked out orders. “We need to get Halem against one of those trees. Clean and bandage up his arm, and then have him watch the tree above you. Atreyu and I will take opposite sides of the tree and help defend you. You get that?” Olivia called over to Atreyu as she and Lilly leaned Halem against the trunk.

  “I heard,” he yelled back, moving to his right and into position while staying focused on the trees ahead.

  “I think the goblins put something on the blades of their knives,” Olivia whispered in her sister’s ear. “Try to keep him calm. We don’t want it spreading any faster than it is already. We’ll try to figure out what it is after the fight.” Lilly nodded her understanding.

  There was movement in the brush to his right and Atreyu let loose a stone. A hollow thump was heard before a stumpy gnome fell face first from the bush and into the dirt. A pair of dirty hands reached out from the brush, grabbed the creature by his long grungy beard, and pulled him back into the foliage. Atreyu slung another rock into the bushes and was awarded with a curse in a language that he couldn’t understand. He looked back to Olivia, and she saw a quick smile play across his lips before he pivoted around to keep watch.

  Olivia listened and waited, trying to find another target. It was difficult as Halem was groaning in pain. She chanced a quick look over at him and was horrified to see the dark red lines had spread and now disappeared under the sleeve of his shirt. She could even see the beginnings of the lines appearing just above his collar, evidence that the poison was spreading far faster than she’d anticipated. She cringed, hoping they’d be done soon enough to save the young boy.

  A rustle of leaves in the trees to her left gave away the position of their next attacker. Bringing her rifle around and aiming at the spot, she waited. A glimmer of light off of a piece of metal gave her the only target she needed. She aimed and fired quickly before dropping to her knee to reload. A goblin fell from the tree and landed with a grunt in the bushes. She scrambled to reload as the thing stood and unsheathed its knife. It hobbled toward her, favoring its right leg. Blood ran down the creature’s thigh, so dark green it was almost black. It dripped on the fallen leaves that crackled underfoot as it approached. Olivia ripped open the cartridge, primed the pan, dumped the powder and ball into the barrel, shoved in the paper and rammed it home. She brought the butt of the rifle to her shoulder and got the goblin in her sights.

  It suddenly spun in a circle, its lanky arms twirling out from its sides, and fell over. It didn’t move. Olivia frowned and stood up, staying hunched over as she moved forward toward the goblin. She kept the rifle at the ready in case it was some sort of ploy, but standing over it, she saw the reason for its collapse. A large knot behind its ear rose up so fast she could see it growing. Daniel, Olivia thought to herself as she backed up, sweeping her rifle from side to side, he must have clubbed it and kept going. There was another loud howl from overhead. As she raised the gun to the source of the sound, she realized it was getting softer instead of louder. And now Aidan’s turn. Olivia smiled.

  Olivia started back to join Lilly, Halem, and Atreyu when the sound of a twig breaking overhead caught her attention. She caught only a glimpse of the cold yellow eyes before they disappeared. The falling of a single leaf above her sister’s head revealed their course, if not their destin
ation.

  “Look out!” Olivia yelled at the others. She brought the rifle up, shifting it back and forth, searching for a target but finding none. She moved forward slowly, certain the goblins lurked in the nearby trees, hidden and waiting for their chance.

  “Look out for what?” Lilly called back. She dropped to the ground when Olivia had screamed, but now started to stand back up at the sound of her sister’s approaching footsteps. “Is everything okay?”

  “I saw some goblins. They scrambled right over me. Did you hear anything?”

  “I heard a couple of twigs snapping. I heard Halem moaning and I heard Atreyu—”

  Her words were cut off with a scream when a goblin dropped out of the trees and grabbed her. Olivia brought her gun up just as the creature pulled her younger sister behind the trunk and began clambering up into the canopy.

  “Lilly!” Olivia shrieked. She ran to the tree and looked up at where her sister had disappeared. Nothing.

  “Over here,” Atreyu hollered. He stood off to the north and pointed up into the treetops. “There were three of them. They just passed by. They’re still headed north.”

  “You come take care of Halem, I’m going after my sister!” Olivia took off at a sprint, catching occasional glimpses of her sister or hearing a muffled cry. “I’m coming for you!!! Daniel! Aidan! Where are you? They took Lilly!”

  Olivia ducked and dodged through the trees and bushes, panicking as she fell farther and farther behind. She came across a single gnome standing in her path and dispatched him with a swift kick to the chin. Must have thought he’d scare me off, Olivia thought to herself. Not with my sister in trouble.

  “Daniel!”

  Olivia stopped in a small open area, uncertain of which way to go. She’d lost track of her sister.

  “Oh, no. No, no, no. Lilly!”

  Olivia spun in a circle, desperate for any sign of her little sister.

  “Which way were they headed?” Daniel asked.

  She screamed and jumped away from him. Realizing it was Daniel, she grabbed his arm. “You’ve got to help her. The goblins grabbed her and pulled her up into the trees. They’ve been headed that way,” Olivia said, pointing north. “We’ve got to get her back.”

  “We will,” Daniel answered, holding on to her shoulders. He gave her a soft shake. “Look at me.” She stopped jerking her head around and met his gaze. “We will. I need you to calm down and do something for me.”

  “Anything,” Olivia sobbed.

  “About a hundred yards east of here is a clearing. Go stand in it and flag down Aidan. He’s circling overhead, looking for goblins to pick up. Let him know what happened. He’s our best hope for getting to her in the trees. Got it?” She nodded. “Then go!” He gave her a little push and disappeared.

  Aidan saw her as soon as she emerged from the woods. He’d just returned from dropping off a goblin and her timing couldn’t have been better. Another few seconds and he’d have been over her head and searching the woods. He dropped down quickly as she flailed her arms and screamed at him to land. He pulled up just in front of her and hovered, waiting for her message.

  “They took Lilly. Some tree goblins. They grabbed her and pulled her up into the trees. They headed that way,” she yelled, pointing off to her left. “Please find her. You’ve got to save her.”

  Aidan launched himself into the air and took off, skimming the treetops as he went. He stayed as low as possible, both to see better and to get an even stronger connection with the animals in the area. He hadn’t been searching long when he felt Lilly’s presence through a nearby squirrel. Aidan dove down into the trees, pulling up just before hitting the soft forest floor. He transformed himself into a bear and let out a deafening roar, mostly to get Daniel’s attention, but also to try and scare the goblins carrying Lilly. Reaching out with his mind, Aidan found Custos and sent him ahead to try and slow down the goblins. He also sent the few other squirrels and birds he could find in the area to keep an eye on things until he and Daniel could get to her.

  Daniel appeared next to him, so he shifted back to his human form.

  “They’re up there a ways,” Aidan panted. “They’re still up in the trees. I’ve sent Custos up there. We need to hurry. From what I’ve been able to get from the animals that have seen her, she’s not moving.”

  “You find them and bring them to the ground. When you do, I’ll be there. Get going.”

  Aidan shifted quickly to a small bat and sped off through the trees, dodging this way and that to avoid the branches and limbs speeding by. He caught a glimpse of Lilly’s clothes through the leaves just up ahead. He pushed himself harder to catch up.

  Two goblins were pulling her along, each with one filthy green claw hooked under her arm, the third following just behind. Her legs dangled under her, slapping against the branches and leaves as they dragged her toward some unknown destination. Her head wobbled loosely as they bounced her to and fro.

  Aidan’s blood turned to ice. Weaving his way through the trees around them, he tried to come up with some plan to force the group to the ground. None of the larger animals he could transform into would be able to move as quickly through the trees as the goblins. The smaller ones wouldn’t be able to stop them. Only one choice, Aidan thought to himself. He pulled up and over his prey before shifting back to his large bat form. He followed from above and awaited his opportunity. There! There was the break in the trees he was waiting for. Just as the goblins passed through it, Aidan dove. He streaked toward the group, his claws stretched out in front of him. He heard the shriek of one of the goblins as his claws closed around Lilly’s shoulder. He pulled her to his body and wrapped his wings protectively around her as they plummeted toward the ground. Aidan turned as they fell, putting himself between her and the ground. They hit hard and the air exploded from Aidan’s lungs. He ignored the pain the best he could and changed back to his human self.

  “Daniel! Over here! I’ve got her,” Aidan screamed, gasping for breath, and shifted into a bobcat. He could have taken a larger shape, but he wanted to draw the nasty creatures down to the forest floor. Custos showed up nearby, but Aidan held him back, having his friend instead circle around behind his foes.

  The three evil creatures dropped to the forest floor just as he’d hoped. Each pulled a wicked dagger from its sheath and grinned, their lips pulling back from their rotting pointed teeth. The middle one hissed something to the others, and they started to separate, one to his left and the other to his right. Aidan backed up a step closer to where Lilly’s body lay behind him. He felt his back paw touch her foot and bared his own teeth at their attackers. He let out a low growl. Their grimaces only grew larger as they closed in on his position. The one to Aidan’s left raised its blade and screamed its battle cry. It didn’t even have the chance to take a step when the twang of a bow announce Daniel’s presence nearby. The creature slumped to the earth without a sound. The goblin that had been in the middle, presumably the leader of the three, paused and made some other gurgling sound that brought its companion to a halt. The lead goblin glanced at the arrow embedded in a nearby tree, covered in dark green liquid. Its eyes closed slightly as it frowned. It turned back to face Aidan when another arrow appeared seemingly out of nowhere, also stuck in the tree and also covered in the same green fluid. The beast's eyes widened in surprise, and it, too, crumbled to the ground. Aidan turned to the sole surviving member of the goblin party only to find that it was scrambling as fast as it could move into the surrounding forest.

  Maybe some other time, Aidan thought, or maybe Daniel will get him too. He transformed back to his human form and knelt next to his fallen friend. He rolled the young girl onto her back, brushing her long brown hair from her face. Placing his ear to her chest, he heard the soft, steady beating of her heart. He let out a huge sigh of relief and felt her chest rise as she took another breath. She was alive. At least for now. He did a quick check of her body, searching for wounds or broken bones. Her legs looked pretty battere
d from the trip through the treetops, but other than that she looked okay. Daniel appeared next to him.

  “She okay?” Daniel asked, leaning down on her other side.

  “She’s alive, just unconscious. I’m not sure what happened.”

  “Let’s get her back to the others. We’ll make sure the area’s safe and then figure out what we can do. I’ll carry her. Meet us there?”

  Aidan nodded and took off into the sky, again taking his bat form. Once he cleared the trees, he turned south. He arrived just after Daniel, having been delayed by stopping to put on his pants. Daniel had Lilly leaned up against the tree next to Halem who, Aidan noticed, looked horrible. Thick black lines covered his face and arms. Aidan could imagine what the rest of him looked like. Halem convulsed briefly and then collapsed back against the trunk of the tree. His breathing was shallow and fast. Not good. Olivia was already at her sister’s side, checking her over.

  “We think she’s okay,” Daniel was telling her. “Aidan didn’t find anything. Maybe she fainted. But I’m worried about Halem. Did you see the attack?”

  “Yes, it was a tree goblin.” Lowering her voice and turning her back on Halem, she whispered to Daniel, “I think the knife blades were laced with poison. I’m not sure he’ll survive.”

  Custos came charging through the clearing, bellowing at the top of his lungs before disappearing into the bushes at the far side.

  “Looks like we’ve got company,” Daniel announced. “Get ready.”

  Atreyu peeled his eyes away from his dying brother and started spinning his sling, ready for any target that showed itself. Olivia moved a short distance from her sister, shouldering her rifle while Daniel and Aidan moved a bit farther out. They heard another loud roar and a gnome yell that cut off a bit too quickly for there to be any doubt as to what just happened. Custos came trotting casually back to where Aidan stood.