Nero jumped, the growl turning into a squeal on a new high note, cold and wet breath hitting Mariannes face. The claws ripped open the school jacket, but only tore off the button and scratched the air. Mariannes reaction was faster than Neros. He jumped instinctively, dodging the huge mass of the enemy, and the werewolf slipped under him. For another split second, Marianne grabbed Nero by the back, but he walked past, slipped by inertia through the snow. Marianne rolled in mid-air, clawing at Neros back, and fell into the snow.
The youth hurried to his feet. Just in time: Nero had already turned around and was heading for him again. Nearby is the thick trunk of a huge tree. Marianne waited until the last moment before jumping up and grabbing the trunk. The roar from below ceased. Nero crashed into a tree. Marianne jumped down, trying to land on the enemy with as much force as possible. Nero was just rearing up, opening his mouth when he was kicked in the head and back. Marianne slid over the Wolfs body. White camouflage cushioned the fall. Marianne grabbed Neros neck with all his might, both rolled in the snow. Marianne quickly worked with his hands, scratching the neck and head of the enemy, and he tried to throw off Marianne, turn to face him and tear him to pieces with his teeth. But Marianne wrapped his legs around Neros waist and tried to keep his grip.
A sharp pain gripped my right leg. Marianne screamed, then felt a strong blow from his back against something solid, his head spinning.
Claws and palms seemed to burn. Blood appeared on them.
Marianne felt Nero free himself. A moments clouding from pain and Marianne loosened his grip. Now you need to get to your feet as quickly as possible. The young man raised his head. The forest floated before my eyes, dark spots doubled and multiplied between the trees. Marianne crawled to the nearest tree, stood up, grabbing the trunk. A black wolfs face appeared. The white hood is not visible. The same red eyes with thick fur above them. Teeth covered in blood. The fangs are huge. This black head was heading straight for Marianne.
The limbs themselves grabbed the trunk of the tree and quickly started working. Pain throbbed in my right leg.
Another blow to the leg almost threw Marianne down. He screamed, but held on and pulled himself up even higher.
Under the tree, Nero ran on all fours and threw himself over and over again up the trunk, but he could no longer reach the young man. And the barking full of hatred turned into human abuse.
Madness fueled rage. The helplessness pissed off Nero. But a minute later, with an incredible effort of will, he curbed his wolf instincts, sat down under a tree, took a breath and shouted:
Ill get you anyway!
Marianne watched closely the werewolf below. Now he looked at the snowmobile and the bound Juniya. The girl was lying in the snow and, it seems, was trying to free herself from her bonds.
Youre finished, kid! Shouted Nero. Ill skin you alive!
And a quiet, menacing roar came to Mariannes ears. We had to act quickly. He decided that Neros hot temper could be beneficial. You can try starving Nero out. Probably, he cannot think logically at all in a fit of anger. We must not give him time to move away from the blinding anger!
Marianne dangled his left leg down and said, trying to hide the fear in his voice:
You cant even get my leg! And youll never get me! Where can you strip off your skin? Only yours!
Before Marianne could finish, Nero shot up into the air, clutching his leg. His teeth clicked loudly. Marianne managed to pull himself up and immediately hung with one hand on a branch, bending it down. Snow fell from the branch onto Neros head. He closed his teeth, but caught only the snow. Then he closed his eyes and began shaking his head, shaking off the snow flakes. Marianne smiled deliberately, reached out to a nearby branch and brushed the snowball off it. Nero was ready, deftly dodged. Not a single snowflake hit the Werewolf. Marianne dangled his leg again. Nero immediately jumped after her. A roar, a cry of anger echoed in the air.
Marianne did not remove his leg. He threw out the second and collapsed onto the Werewolf.
Both of Mariannes boots hit her grinning mouth. Hit. A short screech escaped the fallen Nero. Marianne landed heavily on him, and there was a crunching sound. Probably the neck of a werewolf.
Marianne bounced off the lying Wolf, still fearing him. But the body in white camouflage did not move, the head was turned on its side and hidden in the snow.
A faint groan escaped the limp enemy. Better not to waste time. Of course, Nero suffered, but not enough to give up the spirit here.
Have I won? Marianne hoped to gain the upper hand over Nero, although he himself did not have a clear plan. But when he appeared in the formidable guise of a wolf, there was almost no hope of a positive outcome. And here is such a gift of fate! Or a lucky coincidence. The branch broke off, and there was nothing to do but fall into the werewolfs mouth.
Marianne walked away from the Wolf. Limping, he walked over to Junia and leaned over to her. She did not move, she just looked at the defeated Nero, then at Marianne. She recoiled a little, as if she were afraid of Marianne. If you think about it, he really looked distrustful. Although in the guise of the Werewolf Cat, he still looked like the guy from the parallel class with whom the girl crossed paths at school. Marianne threw off her bonds and helped her up.
How are you? In order?
Junia nodded.
Marianne, she whispered, barely audibly, and staggered. He rushed to her and supported her. Junia hugged him. Is that really you?!
Marianne responded to the hug. He looked back over the girls shoulder, still wary of the appearance of the Werewolf.
The girls breath was hot and ragged.
Im glad I found you, Marianne said, and looked into Junias face.
Her wide-open eyes seemed to glow green from within. The shape of the eyebrows, the nose it was the old Junia. Only now there was a change in her face. It was neither fear nor surprise. Junia looked tired. Even exhausted. But the eyes are just as beautiful. Junia seemed to be smiling at him through them. The same Junia that Marianne remembered from school.
He is dead? The girl asked in a trembling voice.
I dont think so. It looks like unconscious.
A new fright gripped Juniya.
Oh my God! Oh my God! She murmured softly and sobbed.
Lets get out of here!
Marianne ran, pulling Junia by the arm, then letting her go ahead of him. He constantly turned around, afraid that Nero would catch up with them, but he was not behind. They ran along the snowmobile trail back to the tent camp. It was easier to run along the trail and, most importantly, faster, but Marianne did not want to return to camp. Five minutes later he held on to Juniya, and when she turned around, frightened and agitated, he croaked briefly, choking on the cold air:
This way!
He was the first to step into a deep snowdrift.
Now they were running in a different direction. Marianne wanted to get as far as possible from Nero, his two friends, and in general from this place. Perhaps Nero has already contacted them by radio, and now the danger lies in wait in front and is catching up from behind. Turning aside, Marianne and Junia bought time and walked away from two chases at once.
At least thats what Marianne thought. And in a critical situation there was no time to guess. You need to make decisions quickly. The leg at the site of the bite ached and ached. The jeans were soaked in blood. But Marianne tried to ignore it. The blood stopped flowing. This is good news. He will not leave a trail of blood and will not die from blood loss.