Three or four more wolfish voices howled nearby, and here and there great swift shadows flickered among the rocks and bushes. Daev neighed loudly and menacingly next to Ahani, apparently trying to scare off predators and showing that he was ready to fight with them.
Ahani groped in the grass for his fallen bow. He still couldn't see well. Frequent blinking only partially restored his vision — the world around him still resembled a blurred picture.
Finally he found the smooth, curved shaft of his beloved bow and breathed a sigh of relief. He stood up quickly, holding on to Daev's long mane, sheathed his dagger, and drew the arrow.
So they proceeded to the river Bank. Ahani swung his bow at every sound he heard, his hands trembling as the howls and yelps of the surrounding predators continued.
The wolves were almost gone. They followed close behind the retreating pair, climbing the rocks and darting behind the bushes. Ahani counted a dozen of them. But apparently the predators have now stopped the fate of fallen comrades and attack they did not hurry, but tried rather to intimidate and confuse the enemy.
But here is one of wolf, apparently the most young and reckless, with howl tried to to attack akhani, jumping on him with boulder. The young man immediately responded to the sound of a wolf cleaved the air and shot towards danger.
The sound of the bowstring released pleased Ahani's ears and heart. The arrow whistled and plunged straight into the wolf's throat, passing between the jaws, wide open in a vicious howl and gleaming in the moonlight.
The wild growl ended abruptly and became a gurgling wheeze. The wolf's body spun in the air. His flight was interrupted and the predator fell to the ground, not reaching Ahani.
The young man immediately familiar gesture put a new arrow, pulled the string and she and the horse continued on his way, weaving between boulders.
Ahani hissed softly in pain. His wounded right hand, bitten by the wolf, continued to bleed and ache, but there was no time to examine the wound.
From the sky, bright Soma and his twenty-seven wives watched with interest the blood hunt down in the valley.
The river was very near when the hungry pack made another attempt to overtake their prey. The big wolf lunged at Daev, trying to reach the stallion's throat, but The stallion reared and the sharp jaws snapped at only a tuft of black mane.
At the same time, two more wolves from different directions rushed at Ahani. One of them he stopped with a shot from a bow, the arrow landed directly in the eye of the predator. The second, with a growl and a fury, charged the youth.
This predator was older and larger than the previous one and so he turned to scratch fangs the guy's shoulder and tilting it backwards, leaning over his lean body.
In the meantime, three more wolves had leapt up to Daev, and the horse was prancing as best He could between their snapping jaws, rearing and kicking with all his might. The wolves were very lively and whirled around the horse at a furious pace, growling and yelping, each striving to cling to some part of the body of the steed.
Once Daev managed to get back on his hind hooves and bring down the front hooves on the back of the sluggish wolf, which did not have time to jump aside. There was a crunch and a short, plaintive whine. The horse's front hooves glistened in the moonlight. The other wolves, seeing the death of their comrade, began to behave more carefully and not so fast threw themselves under the deadly hooves.
Ahani, meanwhile, lay beneath the snarling wolf, trying to draw his dagger from its scabbard with a rapidly numbing hand. With his right hand he squeezed the wolf's throat through the thick, long hair. He squeezed with his fingers, at the same time trying to strangle him and keep him from moving, so that the predator did not shake the jaws that clung to his left shoulder.
Almost unconscious of his left hand, Ahani groped for the wet hilt of his dagger and pulled it up. Every movement was painful, for the wolf pinned him to the ground with his sinewy body, holding him fast with his paws so that he would not move.
Pulling the last of his strength from his shoulder muscles, Ahani pulled the dagger upward until it was free. At this time four more large wolves came running up to the place of the fight and began to circle around, watching.
The blade slipped from his numb fingers. The young man frantically rummaged through the grass as far as the strong predator would allow, bumping into branches, then stones and plunging his fingers into the pitted claws of the mixture of sand and pebbles.
In the eyes of guy the beginning of darken. There is not enough air. The evil wolf had long and hard pressed his chest and part of his neck, so that before his eyes everything began to swim and turn red. The stars began to fade in the high reaches of space, and the fingers of Ahani's right hand trembled and loosened their grip on the predator's throat.
The wolf's snarl turned contented, and the other beasts came cautiously closer. Ahani's fingers found the dagger and closed on the hilt. The young man raised his weapon and, as far as the tenacious wolf would allow, plunged the blade into his side.
But let a strong wolf quite a bit and the blade had entered his body only to a depth of a couple fingers. The predator screamed furiously and dug its fangs into the man's shoulder. Ahani screamed and tears came to his eyes. The stars and moon danced and swirled before my eyes.
Gathering the rest of his strength, breathing short and trembling, the young man tried to plunge the blade of the dagger even further and, hissing with pain, as he could overcome the resistance of powerful paws. The wolf also screamed and growled, but still the blade sank very slowly farther and deeper into his body.
At last he stamped his long-clawed paws convulsively on the ground, throwing up small stones, sand, and bits of grass, and stood still.
In the meantime, Daev's hind hoof had finally struck and sent one of the wolves crashing into the hard surface of a high boulder. The horse ran to Ahani, lying on the ground under the sprawling body of the big wolf, and neighed invitingly.
He opened his eyes. He wanted to sleep. There was no strength at all. But his friend Daev was calling him somewhere and he needed help.
Ahani stirred beneath his shaggy bulk. Pushing with his right hand and kicking with his feet, he crawled out from under the wolf and stood up, staggering and clutching his dagger.
The remaining wolves, still growling, circled the man with the horse. The young man in the answer brandished a dagger and, too, viciously and incoherently shouted on predators.
Ahani's vision was failing. Fortunately the moon shone bright young man quickly found the bow on the ground between the stones. He picked it up and threw it over his back. Then, limping and holding on to Daev's thick mane with one hand, He strode toward the riverbank.
Wolves, not lagging behind, crept after hard-to-reach prey. Often Ahani had to wave his right hand wearily with the dagger clenched and shout loudly, his left hand somehow holding on to the horse's mane and almost did not feel it.
Finally we reached the water. The river greeted them with a cool wind and fresh spray of icy spray against smooth boulders. The water bubbled with great speed and gurgled merrily, rushing in the direction of the valley.
Relieved, Ahani stepped onto the smooth shingle of the beach and began to move toward the water, skirting the boulders. The cool wind freshened his open wounds and he hissed softly, his teeth clenched. The light of the Catfish was reflected on the frisky waves of the river. It was not wide and with gentle banks.
Realizing that the prey was almost lost, the wolves began to bustle with renewed vigor. They began to run much closer and tried to grab Daev's legs. He neighed threateningly, Ahani shouted and waved away, and even slashed one of the predators quite deeply.
But all was in vain. There were seven more wolves, and they were all hungry and furious. Forces have young men almost not remained and this forced friends to retreat to water.
Often the lad stroked his horse's velvet black flank with his hand, trying to soothe him or soothe himself. The horse seemed to understand everything his friend did not say.
Soon Ahani's boots stepped into the swift river. His body immediately ran a shiver from the cold water that flowed from the snow-capped peaks. The wolves shrieked furiously and snapped their sharp jaws, forcing their friends to retreat.
Ahani was ankle-deep in water when he reached a large boulder and climbed it. Daev walked around the other side of the stone. The wolves rushed frantically upward, clawing and striking sparks from the hard, smooth surface.
The downward thrust of the dagger found its mark, and one of the strongest beasts howled and sent up a cloud of spray, toppling over on his back, the blade piercing his throat. The edges of the dagger turned black, but then the steel gleamed again, washed away by the river spray. Ahani moistened his hand with water so cold that it was numb, and hastily rubbed his eyes.
He could see better now. Wolves still more infuriated the death of one of the pack and the smell of his blood. Ahani looked back and decided to jump to a nearby boulder, where the water seemed to be deeper.
The young man drove the dagger back in its sheath and gripping it with his hands, jumped. When he reached the edge of the boulder, he suddenly slid across the wet surface. Ahani collapsed on his stomach and began to slide down. He was trying to catch his right hand and was almost tearing off his fingernails, but there was nothing to hold on to.
So ridiculous the guy toppled into the water and felt the bottom beneath them. Strong cold jets immediately filled his wolf cloak and, weighing it heavily, dragged him along.
Ahani began to choke. His wet hair clung to his face. Water splashed mercilessly into his eyes and filled his nose. But opening his mouth to breathe, he swallowed water with it and began to cough.
Daev whinnied piteously, and the wolves watched from the side, not daring to go further into the water. The horse hurried as fast as he could toward Ahani, first kicking up clouds of spray with his feet, and then parting the rushing stream with his chest as the depth deepened. Then the steed swam, but could not catch up with his friend.
The horse neighed loudly, tried to swim closer to him, but the merciless river dragged the young man with it.
Ahani swayed in waves from side to side. More recently, former such dangerous wolves disappeared behind a bend in the river and now the boy had to fight the new plague. As much as he could he kept his face above the surface of the water and he was very cold. The heavy wolf cloak pulled hard at the bottom, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not unbutton it with his right hand, but his left almost did not obey.
His heart was grieved by Daev's frightened neighing. He didn't want his friend to be so upset. So sometimes he tried to shout something in response to the horse, but the strong noise of the stream blocked his weakened voice.
A few times of running the jet was too Ahani throwing boulders. He immediately sought with his right hand on the smooth stone for some ledge or recess to cling to, but each time he could not hold on, and the surging waves again tore him away and dragged him on.
Until the river tossed him onto another rock, and Ahani hit the back of his head painfully and his consciousness faded.
