If a stampede is drawing too near,

Don't panic, don't freeze up in fear!

Find shelter or climb,

Get out just in time,

Or you'll end up quite flat, I do fear!

Goldie Honorhide.

Then, there were only stragglers, and I looked around. The human guard was curled up under the wagon with a broken leg. Makara had a pile of carcasses at her feet, and the wagon we were protecting had a broken wheel.

I noted my Shield Skill had gone up all the way to Journeyman Level.

I couldn't see Felix anywhere, but the bond indicated he was well.

I looked down the line, and a lot of them were worse, with several dead or wounded horses. Only the wagons on the edge took the brunt of the stampede and were damaged, a third of the total. The two layers of wagons behind them and their horses had been protected. This was a very smart caravan master.

The human guard, Joe? Jack? Something like that crawled out from under the wagon. "I am glad that is over," he said.

"Crawl back under," I said.

Makara gave a big, toothy grin. "What do you think caused the stampede? I have chased many a school of fish."

"Huh?" Joe/Jack/whoever answered.

Right on cue, a low, rumbling growl struck fear into us. I was now challenged as the apex predator here. Low, sleek grey shapes moved through the landscape approaching us, with several larger shapes—wolves led by several Dire wolf monsters.

"Shit," said Joe/Jack/whoever as he rolled under the wagon again and pulled out his knife.

"It looks like you stockpiled food for them," I said to Makara, indicating the corpses at her feet.

"It is my food!" she declared.

I reached behind me for my spear, but it wasn't there. It had been knocked over, so I picked it up. I put down my battered shield. This would be a fight to kill, not a fight to defend.

There must be well over two hundred wolves in the pack and at least three dire wolves, one of whom was approaching us. Several of the wolves with her were spiritually enhanced.

The dire wolf growled again. It definitely had a fear component. I extended my Cosmic Aura and growled back with Dread.

"What the fuck are you?" Said Joe/Jack/whoever. I may have forgotten to exclude him from the aura.

Makara and I ignored him. We stepped forward together, each with a spear. Water swirled around her like a shield. I vaguely noticed she had removed her clothes, and her Shark Mer form was on full display.

I tested their minds and bodies with my aura. They didn't wait for us and charged us. The dire wolf came straight at us while the others flanked us.

I slammed Frigid Void, and all the water Makara left lying around froze, sending several wolves skidding out of control. Mostly, the thin ice just cracked under the weight of the wolves. I stabbed one with my spear as it tried to regain its feet. I moved forward, leaving it to bleed out.

Makara jabbed her spear at several, and the water circling her snapped out like a whip.

I ripped my spear through the hide of a wolf and drew blood, then collected my aura and tried to combine Dread and Tremor as a mental attack, but the spiritually enhanced were strong mentally. Makara stabbed an ordinary wolf that stumbled dazed.

Then, the dire wolf took that moment to pounce on her. The water she had blunted the attack, but she couldn't get her spear around fast enough. Wolf's claws scraped against her bone scales, and she started bleeding. The bleeding stopped almost as soon as it started. I think blood is mostly water, and she would not want her blood in the water when she was swimming.

I sliced my spear along the dire wolf's hide, but it had a Tough Hide, and I barely penetrated it. Essentially, I did to it what it did to Makara.

Jaws clamped on my leg as I focussed on the Dire wolf, and an enhanced wolf took the opportunity to strike. The teeth went through my armoured leggings. The bone reinforcing stopped the front teeth, but the rear teeth dug into my Tough Hide.

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The wolf tried to yank my foot and shake its head to work its teeth deeper. It partially worked as the teeth drew blood, but I didn't move. I removed one hand from the spear and jabbed down with Quick Claws. It let go with a yelp and backed off with blood running down its face.

I hear another yelp as an arrow from the wagons wounds another wolf.

Makara was trading blows with the dire wolf, and it was hard to see who was winning. I used Spiritual Senses on the dire wolf, as monsters have some affinity. I got a sense of blood. My attempt to freeze its heart was shrugged off, and it charged at me.

"Blood affinity, I think," I said as I tried to spear its heart, and it evaded. It got inside my spear reach, and large paws crashed into my chest as its jaws went for my throat. I dropped my spear, slammed my claws into its fur, and pushed its head up so the jaws snapped above me.

I brought my feet up to rake its underside with my feet claws and shoved my face in its neck as I went for my Crushing Bite. Blood and fur filled my mouth, but I didn't get my teeth in far enough. My claws ripped into me. But the claws raked my chest, mostly stopped by my armour.

Then he darted away, and I saw Makara's spear rip down its side, and a water jet opened the wound.

I rolled away as another wolf pounced on me, and its claws tore into my armour and my hide. I was on the ground in a full-on melee, with wolves everywhere. My claws ripped and shredded, and I jammed my Frigid Void where I could to avoid Makara. I kept moving and rolling and ripping and trying to keep the wolves away from my throat. This was not a safe place to be. I jammed my claws into one wolf's mouth and froze its tongue, then ripped its jaws apart.

I punched a Seismic Smash against a wolf, breaking its leg. Death Strike was my go-to move.

Teeth and claws ripped my legs as I kicked and ripped back, disembowelling one wolf. Still, they came. They were hungry for the kill. I sensed arrows striking wolves on the periphery of our brawl, which was what it was.

Then the arrows stopped, and a mad dwarf came wading in with her axe flying and a huskie at her feet. I took the opportunity to get to my feet, and at least three wolves were attached at various places, and two more fell off. I grabbed one of the attached wolves, ripped its jaw apart, and threw it away from me.

Another latched onto my leg as I reached behind me and grabbed the wolf on my back by the scruff of its neck. I pulled it to the front and sent my Quick Claws into its skull with the power of Death Strike. I tossed the carcass as I stomped on the one attached to my leg, and Felix took the opportunity to savage its throat. He was coated in blood, some of it his own.

I growled, my aura on full, pumping out the Dread. I looked around, and the wolves were in full retreat. Makara had her spear embedded in the dire wolf, which also sprouted a lot of arrows. The retreating wolves had a lot of injuries, but it looks like my roving brawl attracted most of them.

It looked like Markara was the only one to kill a Dire wolf as I surveyed the dead. A number of spiritually enhanced wolves were dead.

I looked around me, and there were wolf bodies everywhere. Goldie was moving through them, killing the wounded. A number had arrows embedded in them. A number were ripped apart or killed with claws.

Then I looked at myself, and my armour was ripped and torn, and I was ripped and torn, covered in blood.

I saw movement, and Yoboc was jogging to us, his bow ready, quiver mostly empty. Then I looked beyond him, and the wagons were lined with drivers and guards just watching us. That got me angry. They were supposed to be helping, not just watching. I growled again, and the Dread was still active.

Then I realised they were in Aura Range as it had levelled, and they felt that. Well, it serves them right. They shouldn't just be standing there watching.

Felix came up, and I crouched down to pat him. He licked some blood off my face in greeting. "Are you alright?" I asked him, knowing through the bond that his wounds were not serious. He was here calming me down. I knew that, and I knew I needed that. The adrenaline was still pumping.

I heard some yelling from the Guard Master and the Caravan Master, and people started collecting carcasses and assessing the damage.

"Are you alright there, lad?" Yoboc's usual calm voice also helped to bring me down. He handed me a health potion.

My wounds were also making their presence felt. I wouldn't be surprised if my Pain Resistance rises from this. I know, without looking, that my Tough Hide has jumped to Journeyman.

I stood up, "Things got a bit out of hand there," I said, and drank the potion.

"Aye," was all he said.

He handed me a skin of water. I drank, then removed my helmet and tipped some over my head to wash off the blood. The helmet was as torn up as the rest, and I think I had that to thank for still being alive from the tooth marks near the neck.

Then Makara was walking over carrying something that dripped. Her mouth was covered in blood, and she had a big grin. "My first Monster Kill," she proclaimed. "I couldn't have done it without you. I got the Monster Hunter Specialisation and the Regeneration Skill! I am rapt. I will be the envy of everyone!" She got out her knife and lifted her hand. "Fresh Monster heart! Wanna share?"

"Why not?"

She grinned again, cut the heart in half, and handed me a piece. It was tough, chewy, and bloody. I could see people looking at us, and I am sure those with Hearing Aids were listening in. I don't know that a fresh heart will ever be my favourite, but it made a statement. I did it mostly to help Makara celebrate. I shared some with Felix.

"If you guys are finished celebrating, do you want to come and help?" Goldie asked. She and Yoboc had started skinning the dead wolves.

I got my knife out.

"We will do these simple ones, then I will show you what parts of a Dire Wolf are valuable," Yoboc said.

We worked our way through the wolves. I could see the caravan people skinning and butchering the caribou. We only skinned the wolves.

A dire wolf has a lot of parts that are harvestable. Unfortunately, we can't keep most of them fresh, so we only took the Fur, teeth and claws. We did butcher the meat. It enhances those who eat it. That is one way a wolf becomes a monster. It takes a lot of meat, eaten regularly, so it will take a long time to turn Felix into a monster. I will work on it.

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