Growth

My mind was racing and as the wolves drew closer Poke, Saga and I backed away until we had our backs against the wagon.

My mind started filling with the most insane and not to mention outright silly ideas.

"Since this is a magical world would it be strange to belive that everone have an skill tree like in the games? And the majority of my points are distributed mainly in the music branch, would that make me a bard? Why didn´t I finish watching the Zap Apple episode?!Wait is this fear real or are they puting somekind of fear spell on us? Didn´t I read about something about how to challenge the packleader? Were they really this big before?"

As I looked to one of the monstrosytis it had clearly grown since they had jump out of the bushes. Yeah clearly some magic was in effect here. Then I noticed the small details that didn´t make sense a sudden calm washed over me and I could finally think somewhat clearly again, a plan started to form in my head.

"What if..."

"Hey Poke..." I whispered and slightly turned my head towards the unicorn. Only to see that he was playing dead again. So I poked him lightly with my foot.

"I don´t think they wouldn´t eat a dead pony Poke, listen I think I have a plan!" As he got up I told him the plan.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?! Are telling me to leave behind a friend to save my own fur? Then you don´t know me bud!" He shouted at me, making our audiance jump back a little.

"Then as your friend I ask of you to take Saga out of here" I said calmly.

He stared at me and then sighed in defeat.

"Fine! But you better catch up! I would hate to be the one explain to her why "daddy" isn´t coming back"

I closed my eyes to focus, for the first time I was actually going to use my magic actively using my magic redirected it from my muscles to my vocal chords, I could feel its flow. I counted to three before shouting the signal for Poke to make their escape as I locked eyes with hopefully the leader of the pack.

"COUNTERSONG" as I started to sing at the top of my lungs to drown out the wolves growl I drew Dragonheart out of its sheath.

At the same time Pokeblox grabbed Saga in a green field of his magic and levitating her as he ran past two wolves. All the while I heard Saga crying and screaming at Pokeblox to let her go. The last thing I heard her scream as she got out of earshot was:

"DADDY"

__ __ __ __ __

The wolves(now normal sized still big enough to rip me to pieces though!) had me surrounded in a half circle as I still had the wagon at my back. With me and the alpha in the middle of it.

It kept on growling trying to drown out my song(yeah I´m still singing!) no doubt while the others kept an eeiry silent and just watched as we circled one another.

My trick had for what its worth actually worked! My fear had subsided enough for my body to stop trembling. My mind was filled with determination, fuelled by Sagas word.

The alpha suddenly pounced bringing, down its right paw towards my head. I´m no fighter put even I know that the safest place in a fight is closer to the opponent.

I charged in under its arm barelly making passed with only a light scratch. I rotated my entire body as brought in Dragonheart in a two-handed baseball swing upwards scoring a likewise light wound on its shoulder.

Then it charged at me, this time I wasn´t ready for it and we became a tangle of claws and blade. When we broke free both were covered in wounds. I was the one who came out worst, I was bleeding heavely from gashes on my arms, chest and shoulders where the alphas claws had stuck.

While I had hit my opponent at least as many times in return, none of the hits proved fatal to the wolf.

I chought blood

I quickly looked at a gash on my left forearm I noticed that it was not healing as fast as usually! And I was begining to tire. My entire body hurt as if I had been hit by a train. I had to stuggle hard to not give in to unconsciousness.

I tried to relocate my magic back to my muscles but to no avail.

This would proably end badly for me. I feelt tears roll down on my face.

"I regret not being able to be there when you grow up...Saga" I whispered to myself as I closed my eyes only to open them again in suprise as Dragonheart began to feel hot.

As I looked to the sword, strange runes began to cover its blade, down to the hilt. As they reached my hand they continued on to my skin.

I screamed, each of the runes felt like a white-hot brandening iron to the skin forcing me down on my knees as my opponent took to the offensive and pounced aiming to tear out my throat.

And then the time froze as everything took on a gray hue.

Two figures shifted into view behind the wolf, like ghosts. The distorted shapes approached me stoping only an arms lenght from were I was kneeling. As they did its shape became clear, it was the previous owner of the sword -who had black and red feathers and the same tiger patern on its feline part as Saga- and its mate who had teal feather but instead of a tiger patern it had lepard dots.

Before me stood the ghosts of Sagas parents. And all I could do was to stare.

They looked to the pouncing wolf with a look of distain clearly on their faces. Then as they looked to me again their faces shifted to a look of dissapointment.

"Why do you give your life so freely to a foe so unworthy?" the black one said, its voice was gruff but clearly feminine if with a tint of ghostly.

"Why do you so easily give up..." the other one started to said, his voice hard as stone as it echoed inside my head.
"...When you still haven given your all?" as he finished they both brought up one of their talons Sagas father rested his onto the center my forehead while her mother rested hers on my chest in the region just above my heart.

Then there a blinding light as the secrets of the claymore was layed bare to me.

"How is this possible, your dead?!" I asked when I recovered enough from the "knowlege infusion".

"When a the dead is not burried correctly the soult binds itself to an object that held a certain value to it. When you burried us in that grave you did not perform the rites and our souls binded to this sword which in turn is bound to your magic thus we are bound to you as well." Sagas father explained giving the expression of a schoolar.

"And you know this because?"

"I´m dead" He said flatly.

"Aaha, not to sound ungratefull or anything but why are you helping me?" I asked as they started to dissapear.

"Isn´t it what family´s for?" They said in unison while smiling warmly at me.

"Family huh?" It´s unfair how many things of late has plucked at my heartstrings.

__ __ __ __ __

"Alright, lets try this"I said as time catched up, I shifted slightly to the right switching Dragonheart over to my left hand as my opponents fangs dove into my left shoulder.

"Why don´t you chew on this!" I said through clenched teeth as I brought the tip of the sword so it was pointing towards the wolfs throat.

"GROW!" as I shouted the comand word the swords runes reapeared on the blade making it grow though the throat and piercing the neck of the alpha wolf, a dark bronze sticky liquid trickled down the blade.

I saw its eyes dim as its lifeless body fell over me, traping me under it.

The duel was finally over! Unfortunaly the rest of the pack didn´t take my victory very well. I tried to struggle through a distorted vision the darkness of unconsciousness creeping in from the corners of my eyes.

The last thing I remembered was the sound of the wolves growling... and the sound of pans being clanging together? And a familiar voice bellowing.

"SPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON-AH!"