Drabble Challenge: Day 12

    Wow, and here I was thinking I wouldn't be able to write 720 words today. Look who broke the bank today. 

    I have no idea if today's drabble is going to be the last I can manage of the Astarot introductory arc. That'll have to be decided tomorrow. But if you guys are dying to know the rest of the story, I can aim to do tomorrow's for this arc as well.

    Also, as a trivia note, I very nearly forgot to add today's prompt into my scrawling. So when you do find it, know that I went back and just threw it in there after the fact.


    Drabble Challenge: Day 12 - knowledge
    Word Count: 852    Minimum Goal: 720

    It took her a moment to realize that she was holding her breath, hardly daring to breathe so close to the wolf. If she looked down at his muzzle, she could see long canines that had no doubt been used to kill more than once.
    A gust of wind brushed past her, blowing her hair into her face. Vena grimaced when the strands obscured her vision. Carefully, she retracted her hand from the wolf’s side to tuck her hair back behind her ear and out of the way. She’d broken her last tie, else she would’ve tied it back. 
    The Wolf shifted, blowing out a puff of air as he did so. 
    “Be patient,” Vena said under her breath, moving her own position so she was angled closer to the arrow wound. 
    Proximity to a Great Wolf, unless it was dead, was never advised, but now that she was close, she was struck by how large they really were. She’d never been good at lengths and distances, but she was pretty sure she’d be able to stretch out on his back and not have the top of her head reach the end of his nose.
    The wooden shaft of the arrow was rough, her skin catching on small splinters as she wrapped her palm around it. Golden eyes flicked to watch the wolf from her peripherals. He was still calm, for the moment.
    It wasn’t likely he would remain that way for much longer.
    Holding tight to the shaft, Vena clenched her teeth, took a breath, and yanked as hard as she could as straight as she could, hoping to the heavens that it would give on the first try. There was a sickening squelch and it sounded like something was tearing before the arrowhead came free, and the wolf snarled, its claws digging deeper into the snow.
    Vena felt her heart hesitate in her chest at savage noise, the sound of an animal in pain. She scrambled backwards, forgetting about her side. The arrowhead, covered in blood and small pieces of flesh, glinted dully in the moonlight and she knew her mistake in holding onto it the moment that the wolf’s blue eyes caught sight of it.
    It straggled to its feet, nearly falling back down, but the Great Wolf tightened its muscles and stood, its head low and gaze now pinned on the mindpath. Panic closed her throat.
    Moon above, save me. The plea was thought before she had any time to think about it. 
    The wavering canine took one step forward. Then another. Vena struggled to compensate, unable to get to her feet without the wolf reaching her and so she scrambled backwards, using her hands to drag herself backwards.
    “I was trying to help,” she tried, her voice shaking almost as badly as she was. “It’s okay. It’s okay. Please, I’m not trying to hurt you.”
    A low growl was the only answer and Vena would’ve closed her eyes if she’d had any control over her body at that moment. Any beyond the basic, fight-or-flight instinct that was. So the mindpath will die hunted down, just as has been promised since the beginning. She’d be glad to know it ended this way for me. She’d just regret losing the chance to expand her knowledge on my kind.
    Even thinking about her left a bitter taste of her tongue and then Vena felt her thoughts seize up as a realization swept through her. 
    “I’m a mindpath. And an idiot, apparently.” A surge of courage swept through her. She hadn’t tried to influence the Great Wolf earlier for fear of setting it off, but it had a consciousness, and that meant she could push her will on the wolf. She just had to be close enough to touch him.
    With a plan in mind, Vena stopped trying to escape the prowling beast, forcing back her fear and holding her ground. Sureness in her ability brought her chin up and defiance into her manner.
    When he got close enough for her to be uncomfortable, the mindpath held out one hand, palm up, and waited. She just hoped that he wouldn’t try to take off her hand.
    When the Great Wolf did make its move, it felt like time slowed down to Vena. He lunged in a blur of dark fur, jaw opened wide. It took every ounce of her willpower to keep from throwing herself out of the way even as she took in a breath to prepare herself for the pain. 
    Sharp teeth tore into the soft flesh of her outstretched hand, sinking into the muscle, impacting the bone. Vena felt the warmth of the wolf’s mouth on her fingers, then burning pain tore through her hand, up her arm, and throughout her body. She choked on a cry, tears welling in her eyes. I can do this.
    Her free hand, clenched in the snow, shook badly enough that she almost couldn’t control it enough to lift it towards the wolf’s head. But she did, reached out to him and placws her palm on the black fur covering his head.


    Aaand, yeah. I suppose you all are ready to murder me now. Me and my veritable Cliffs of Insanity, as lovely follower Hannah commented at one point. I do give my apologies for all those. Perhaps there'll be less cliff hangers as the word count keeps getting expanded. 

    Ad astra per aspera.
    To the stars, through difficulties.