He carefully walked along the path, cautiously turning the corner to the divergence in the road. He could go one of three ways at this point. He had come from the west, and he could turn toward the north or the south or continue on east. He decided to hurry on to the east, still vigilant of the threat of fairy dogs. Large hounds, which enjoy nothing more than tearing the flesh from reckless travelers. They’re found specifically on crossroads at night. So Frenris had a reason for worry. No regular hound would stand a chance against him. But his mother had been superstitious, as was he. And soon the wispy hairs on the back of his neck were rigid, only the air wasn’t cold enough for that. Brisk perhaps, but not cold enough to cause the severe gooseflesh that was crawling on his arms like a legion of bugs. A shuffle of leaves alerted him to something padding along behind him. His head jerked around. And he saw nothing but forest. Dark forest. A shiver scurried up his spine.
What were the odds of a dark green hound sprinting out of the night’s underbrush? Pretty good he learned as he turned around to see a mangy dog with upturned ears sitting in the middle of the road. It snarled viciously at him, baring teeth white and sharp. It barked once loudly at him. Frenris knew it was all about timing, he would have to pull out his sword at the exact right moment for his plan to work.
A second bark resounded through the forest. And then a third. The dog ran toward him, as fast as the wind. With nothing more than the sound of the pads of his feet hitting the ground to warn of his imminent attack.
A second before it reached him, Frenris unsheathed his sword. It was a short sword, the kind you could strap onto your thigh and keep hidden. Perhaps a little longer than thirty centimeters. But it did quick work of the dog. It was dead before its teeth could graze the skin on Frenris’ cheek. But it still left a scratch. Frenris shoved the dead weight of the large stiff dog off himself.
He looked at his short sword, covered in blood, which he wiped off on his trousers. It didn’t matter if those got dirty, in the dogs attack it had ripped them and torn some flesh from Frenris’ leg. He ripped the torn part off and tied it to the laceration on his leg.
“Ouch.” He sighed to himself and continued on his journey.