Lephas fought a grin but held his hand out to her dutifully. Once she had a tight hold, he pulled hard against her. The faerie flew free from the snow with ease, sending them both sprawling backwards across the snow.
Lori tugged the fur snood down from her face for a moment, laughing and gasping for air. Lephas winced as pain from his rib shoot up his back and he fought to keep from laughing too hard.
They both struggled to right themselves, floundering in the deep snow.
Naturally, Lephas was first back to his feet. He held ahand out for Lori and helped her backup.
“This weather is ridiculous!” she shouted and huddled closer to him. The demon tried to use his big body to shield the worst of it from her.
“I know, but we need to keep going.” He pulled his scarf down and leant in to press a brief kiss against Lori's exposed mouth. The tip of her nose was like an ice against his cheek. He grasped the material of the snood and pulled it up, covering her face before replacing his own.
Hand in hand, they continued to trudge slowly forward. The snow storm swirled angrily around them, blustering snow into their eyes.
They had only been walking for maybe an hour or two, but Lephas was already beginning to tire. As he had predicted, the lack of food and proper sleep was beginning to take its toll. He didn't doubt that his tiny companion was feeling the effects tenfold. He squeezed her hand reassuringly.
The wind howled around them, so loudly it was almost a deep, growling noise. Wait...
Suddenly his arm met with resistance and Lephas glanced questioningly at the faerie. She was frozen still, her azure eyes wide with fear and fixed on something in the distance.
The demon turned, following her eye line. His heart stopped.
A large, dark shape loomed through the thick, blustering snow fall. It growled, so low and deep Lephas swore the ground shook.
A sable bear.
It was too late to hide. The creature had already seen them. Its dark eyes regarded them curiously and it snarled, lips curling back from large, yellowed incisors.
“Lephas,” Lori whispered, her voice shook.
“Stay still,” he commanded, slowly side-stepping to bring himself in front of her. “Don't move until I tell you to.”
The bear took a few heavy steps forward and sniffed the frozen air.
Lephas lowered his hand to the sword at his side. His heart pounded as adrenaline burnt like fire through his veins.
“No. Let's just run.” Lori cried softly, clearly seeing his readiness to fight.
The bear stepped forward a few more paces and stood its huge body up on two legs, roaring aggressively.
“Shit,” Lephas hissed, not taking his eyes off the bear. He threw a hand back and shoved the faerie firmly. “Run...Run!”
The girl obediently turned and began sprinting as fast as she could manage through the snow.
The bear dropped down to all fours once more. Its vast, hulking frame burst into a charge. The commander freed his sword.
“Lephas!” Lori screamed from behind him as she realised he hadn't run with her.
The demon stood his ground, breathing deeply and his vision tunnelling as he watched the monstrous creature barrelling towards him through the undergrowth.
As it reached him, Lephas dived to the side, narrowly missing the bear as it lurched forward with its sharp teeth. Turning mid-movement, he drove his sword into the animal and buried the blade into its thick, meaty shoulder muscle.
The bear roared in pain, losing its footing and crashing to a halt. Snow, dirtied with earth and blood sprayed over him.
With a brutal tug, Lephas freed his sword from the bear's flesh. He brought the weapon up just in time to parry a brutal blow from a giant paw.
The demon clenched his teeth as his bones jarred under the enormous strength of the animal. With all his might, he pushed back against it. It was just enoughto dart away before the bear slammed its sharp claws down into the snow.
The strong coppery tang of blood hung heavily in the air, enraging the beast further. Quicker than Lephas had thought possible, the huge bear was on its feet and launching itself at him once more.
