Lori cautiously raised her head. The wolf was stood with its fangs still bared, but it didn't make a move.
“What the...?” She scowled.
Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Lori got to her feet again. This time she turned about tail and ran back to where she'd come from. She had passed an old abandoned farm house a few hours back. Maybe if she could get there...
Who was she kidding – outrun a wolf?!
Lori pumped her arms again, desperately trying to put ground between herself and the beast. The snow crunched and creaked under foot as she ran headlong into the blinding snow. She couldn't see, couldn't breathe, but the desire to keep her guts inside her body pushed her on.
The wolf had given chase. Lori could hear it crashing behind her, even over her own thundering heart.
She attempted to dodge away into the undergrowth but the wolf headed her off. She skidded and ran hastily in the opposite direction. She was headed off again.
Lori paused, panting hard. The fine sheen of sweat on her forehead chilled painfully against the bitter winds.
Still the wolf did not advance, just circled around her with its head low.
“What do you want?!” Lori screeched. “Just kill me already!”
The wolf looked at her curiously and its pointed ears pricked. Lori swore she'd seen a flicker of understanding in the creature's expression.
Without warning, the wolf lunged at her. Lori screamed and darted away. Again, the wolf thundered just behind her, its heavy panting driving her onward like a frightened lamb.
Every time Lori tried to change her tack, the wolf blocked her and drove her back.
She was beingherded... But towards what?
Lori halted, heaving for breath. She flopped forwards at the waist to lean her hands against her knees. The wolf circled incessantly.
“Enough of this,” Lori huffed. “I'm not taking another step, you brute. You finish this! I'm not playing your games any more. Kill me and be done with it!”
The wolf slowed and tilted its head at Lori's words. She swiped sweat from her brow, eyes wide with surprise. The animaldidunderstand her.
Before she had a chance to contemplate her unusual companion's motive, the wolf threw its head back and let out a long, harrowing howl. The sound pierced the frozen air, eerie echoes howling back in response.
When the wolf brought its muzzle down, it pinned her with its dark intelligent eyes. Lori stared back, still fighting for breath.
“Who are you?” she whispered.
The wolf just snarled in response, causing Lori to startle. She began to run again.
To her surprise, the creature leapt forwards and grasped her thick fur jacket with its huge jaws. She was pulled to the ground.
The princess screamed, eyes squeezed shut, as she hit the ground with a heavy thud. A sharp pain radiated through her skull and her mouth filled with snow. She coughed and spluttered, thrashing out against the wolf's heavy body.
The world seemed to go dark, everything in slow motion. She scrambled to escape and fought the tight grip the creature still had on her.
“Get off me!Help! Someone, help!” she screeched desperately.
“Karn! To me!” a deep voice called out through the chaos. Instantly, the wolf released her and bounded away.
Lori's arms shook as she weakly attempted to right herself. Her vision swam and dark spots danced across the snow before her eyes. She had barely got to her knees when she was roughly tugged to her feet. Her heavy, sodden hood fell over her face.
“On your feet,” a second voice, raspier than the first, spoke.
Lori hurriedly tried to swipe the snow out of her eyes. She couldn't see.
“Unhand me!” she growled, weakly fighting against the hold her assailant had on her.
