e hit the rough bark of a massive ancie

e had killed, but they were still the size of lions.

unded directly

overed in vibrant, toxic-looking scales, was slithering down t

ched in her th

override her logic. She forced her trembling hands into the main compartment, desperately fumbling for the two specific items she had packed as

let out a low b

imed the spray bottle at the wolf

oaring orange flame e

a high-pitched sound of pure terror. It twisted mid-air, crashing into t

e the snake recoil instantly, slitheri

e fire, whining, but they didn't leave. Th

e lighter lit, and frantically swept dry leaves and dead twigs into a pile i

ling campfire

t beyond the edge of the illumination, thei

her teeth chattering. She kept feeding the fire with whatev

he fuel within he

shrink. The circle

owered their heads, creeping forward inch by in

her pack. She snapped it out to its full length, gripping the ru

ounded behind he

unched itself from the brush,

w her weight to the left. The snake's fangs grazed the fabric

l bat. The metal shaft cracked against the sna

slipped on the damp moss. She fell hard, her left ha

ing her burned han

ing the wolves

es lunged simultaneously, le

e caught one wolf in the shoulder, but the wolf on

y. The force ripped the pole from Elean

s defe

Its jaws opened, aiming for her face. Th

eyes shut and threw h

e through

of pure, unadulterated human rage, s

ts ears pinning flat against its skull. The predators looked i