Terror welled up within him and he scrambled to get free, to crawl into the burrow that had kept him safe the day before. He looked back, bracing his free leg on the wall beside the entrance and trying to hold himself still as he saw and felt the creature tugging, spittle flying from its jaws as it snarled and growled, teeth holding firm on the cloth. He cried out, reaching out desperately for some handhold as he was wrenched forward and grabbing handfuls of roots. He pulled back, and he heard the tear of the fabric as it ripped free, the dog falling back with the sudden change in resistance, and Eldred fell back into the burrow, pulling his legs up and back into the hole, panting heavily and staring at the entrance.

The other two dogs were upon it, the dog from yesterday- recognisable from the intensity of its amber eyes- once more trying to squeeze into the hole, desperately pushing itself as deep as it could go as its companions paced outside, whimpering and barking in turns.

This time, Eldred didn’t think he was going to get out. Whatever freak occurrence had triggered the creature’s departure the day before could not happen for a second time, and he felt the hopelessness of the situation wash over him. His eyes were brimming with tears, hounds blurring as they started to fall down his cheeks.

The boy shut his eyes, pressing himself against the cold dirt of the wall behind him as he heard the frantic digging of the hounds and the excited yips and snarls they made as they went to work, trying to tear the roots of the tree to shreds to get at him. This was it, he was certain. There would be no second chance.

A new sound broke through the noise- a steady rhythm drummed out on bare earth, a pattern that sparked some hope within him. It was hoof beats, he was sure of it, and hoof beats meant that there must be someone there.

“Help!” He cried out, his voice shrill and grating, “Please help me!” He hoped desperately that it was loud enough to be heard over the sound of the dogs, that whoever was passing by would stop and rescue him.

He opened his eyes, staring fixedly at the entrance as another dog thrust itself forward, managing to get just a little closer, one foreleg shoved in beside its head. Its snapping jaws caught at Eldred’s coat, and he cried out in fear. The hoof beats were loud, now, and with them came new snarls and barks from the dogs. He heard a thump from outside, followed by a shrill whimper, and he took in a sharp breath as the dog retreated suddenly, teeth bared.

Outside the hollow he couldn’t see the other two dogs, and the third darted out of sight quickly as the sounds of continued violence came to him through the newly created space. He heard the quick footfalls of combat, the clink of moving metal, and the wet sound of flesh being opened. Eldred curled up, staring at the circle of light. He heard whimpers and heavy breathing interspersed between the lunging snarls of the dogs. He covered his ears after only a few moments, unable to bear the sounds for very long. This didn’t prove very effective, and he could hear the dogs fall silent one by one, the impact of their bodies on the ground causing dirt to fall like dust from the ceiling.

Something large and furred flew past the entrance, a spurt of blood trailing behind, and he shut his eyes as well, trying to ignore what was happening, and trying to ignore the new fear that was starting to swell in his throat. What if he hadn’t called in aid? What if he’d instead called in something worse?

It felt like a very long time passed in silence, with no more muffled sounds reaching him through the burrow’s walls and his hands. His breathing was still quick and fast, although this was no longer from exhaustion, and the sound of his blood pounding was getting deafeningly loud in the absence of other sound.

He felt something brush past his ankle, and his eyes flew open as he cried out in terror, trying to kick whatever it was away.

“It’s alright,” came a voice from the other side- a voice he recognised, that matched the armoured forearm that was attached to the gloved hand that had reached into the burrow. “You’re safe now,” she continued, offering the hand to him.

He stared for a moment, still working through the sudden rush of adrenaline that coursed through him. Gingerly, he took the offered hand, and the armoured figure from his house helped pull him from the hole. He tried very hard not to look at the dark shapes he saw around the tree’s trunk, instead locking his eyes on the centre of the figure’s breastplate as he tried to get his breathing under control.

“Are you hurt?” she asked, voice as hesitant as he had felt to take her hand.

Unable to speak just yet, he shook his head. He didn’t think he was hurt- other than the new cuts and bruises he had from the frantic run and the heavy landing in the burrow, his only injuries were the lingering terror.

“Good,” she continued, sounding relieved. There was an awkward pause and the figure stood there. Eldred continued to stare, trying to ignore the vivid red he could see from the corner of his eye, telling himself that it was just leaves, nothing more. “You should head home,” she ventured, turning slightly and pointing back in the direction he had run from. Behind her gloved hand Eldred could see a huge paw lying limp on the ground, the rest of the creature obscured behind the figure before him. He stared at it.

She stood there for a moment, and Eldred could feel some of the confusion as she said again, “It’s alright, you’re safe.”

He managed to tear his eyes from the dog, looking up at the eye slit of the armour. “Are they dead?” he asked in a quiet voice, finally looking at the creature off to his right, taking in the blood-matted fur of its side and the tongue that lolled from open jaws.

“Yes,” she said, and she put a light hand on his back to guide him in the direction she had indicated. “They won’t chase you again, but you shouldn’t come into this forest again either,” she said as they walked forward. He still stared at the unmoving thing, noticing how its eyes stared and feeling a chill run down his spine. Part of him felt some guilt, despite it all. These creatures were dead, now, and he was certain they had not wanted to die. There had been a brutal fight, and it had been- had it been to help him?

He looked up again at the figure. He wasn’t sure where she was looking- was it at him? At the forest beyond them? Or was she looking at the carnage around them? The helmet showed nothing of the face beneath. “Why are you here?” He asked after a moment’s pause. They had moved out of view of the dogs now, and she was leading him back toward the clearing with their fort.

“Because I made a promise to your father that I would keep you safe, and I have realised that the time has come for me to fulfil that promise.”

He frowned. It wasn’t an answer he had expected, even if it did confirm some of what he’d suspected. He opened his mouth, intending to ask further, but the figure stopped.

“You should keep going and find your friends,” she said, again pointing in the direction they had been walking. “I have some business to attend to, but I will call on your mother later.” She paused, as though unsure if she should say more, and then added “Tell her what has happened, she deserves to know.”

With that, she turned and started walking back to the tree and her horse and the bodies, and Eldred was left staring back at her until she disappeared behind the overlapping trunks.

It took him a while to start walking again, his limbs suddenly feeling stiff and weak, and his mind too clouded to think with any speed.

He followed the trail once more, following the freshly broken branches and the clear imprints of the pack’s paws, feeling as though he were moving back through time itself as he retraced the chase. He passed the fallen tree, staring up at the tangle of roots and continued on.

Cal and May were where he had last seen them, huddled together at the base of the tree, too stunned to move. The pair were arguing in hushed voices, too quiet for Eldred to catch more before they saw him. They perked up at the sight, relief flooding their faces, and they both struggled to their feet to greet him.

“El! Are you okay?” May asked incredulously, limping over to him and staring at the torn front to his coat.

He nodded slowly, and Cal hurried up to join them, concern written plainly over his face. “How did you get away? Where are the dogs? Are they going to come back?” The smaller boy seemed unable to stop the flow of questions, only stopping to breathe after his third.

Eldred shook his head, a little overwhelmed. “They’re not coming back.” He didn’t know how to even start explaining the appearance of the armoured figure- it was something he had forgotten to tell them about as they had spent the day together, the topic gone and forgotten on his way to Cal’s house.

“Oh.” Cal’s voice was quiet as he noticed Eldred’s expression. Both he and May had noticed a few streaks of red on their friend’s shoes, a shade that they both recognised.

He didn’t say much, and their torrent of questions slowed to a stream, and then a trickle, and eventually the three stood in silence.

“Home.” Eldred said after a while, shaking free from his friends’ concerned grip and starting to walk in the direction they knew to be home. Neither of the others seemed to disagree, and they started trailing behind. May was walking on her own again, although she limped a little on her ankle. She shooed Cal away mid-way through their walk, muttering that she was fine.

The silence was only broken when they neared the forest edge, Cal voicing what they were all thinking. “I don’t think we should come to the forest anymore.” None disagreed.

They stumbled down the hill together, May reluctantly accepting the help of both Eldred and Cal with the steeper parts, wincing as she nearly twisted her ankle for the second time.

When they reached the bottom of the hill they stopped and stood together, looking up the road to Eldred’s house.

“We’ll go with you,” May said after a moment, her tone suggesting the matter was settled.

Eldred, too tired to protest, accepted her assertion. Cal uncoiled the rope holding the gate shut, opening it to admit his two friends before stepping through himself, none of them possessing the will to climb over the gate this time. Then, they started up the road, the three walking in a line, all deep in their thoughts.

The mood was sombre by the time they reached Eldred’s house, and he turned toward the garden path, thoughts thinking ahead to how exactly he was going to explain himself to his mother.

“We’ll see you tomorrow,” May said from behind, and he turned to look at them, making an attempt to smile.

“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

Cal and May turned, starting the walk back down the lane, and Eldred was left standing alone at his garden gate.

He lifted a sleeve and tried to wipe some of the mud that he was sure was on his face, trying to tidy himself up a little. He straightened his coat, although the ragged edge of the front ruined any illusion of tidiness, and re-tucked his shirt, which had, as usually, worked its way loose over the day. He looked down in dismay at his shoes, which were muddy with dirt and what he assumed was dried blood. He attempted to wipe these off in the grass, succeeding only in spreading some of the dirt around more evenly. He gave up after only a short while, deciding there was no point, and stepped through the gate into the garden.

This time his anxiety about the coming confrontation kept him on edge and wary, and he watched the door in anticipation after he’d knocked. His mother kept it locked and bolted, even when she was inside, and it was cold enough today that she’d close the top half against the wind. A splattering of rain fell as he waited, the dark clouds finally giving in to the autumn weather.

He heard footsteps from inside, and then the sliding of the bolt and the lift of the latch, and the door swung open. His mother was smiling warmly, hair pulled up for her work. The smile fell when she saw him, replaced with a look of concern.

They stood in silence as his mother took in his sorry state, and he couldn’t bear to continue looking her in the eyes, instead dropping his gaze to the flagstones she stood on.

After a moment, she dropped down into a crouch, skirts flattening out on the floor, and she opened her arms. “Come here,” she said, reaching toward him and pulling him into the hug.

Eldred couldn’t help the tears and sobbed.