Thin ice

"You ready?" Hazel asks, she has her chest plate back on. With her bow in hand, she is ready for the fight.

"Yea I'm ready." I tighten my sword belt and grab my shield. We stand back to back with each other. The sun is down so the area is only lit by the full moon. The tree cover makes it hard to see anything.

"I bless thee with clarity." I say casting spell to enhance our senses. At least for me I can see farther into the forest now. 

"I bless thee with strength." Hazel says with her red aura dancing over us. Now our hits will land harder.

We turn our heads to the sound of a howl. We stay quiet and listen to any sound of movement. Leaves are kicked up not far from us. Hazel releases an arrow at the ground and the air explodes with snow.

A loud yip rings out through the trees. The oversized black wolf steps into our view. Hazel's attack slightly froze him and that made him angry. He crouches snarling at us. 

Hazel fires an arrow at him but he is faster. He lunges at us and I block his attack with my shield. He retreats back to the shadows.

"What's wrong? Are you scared of us?" I yell out to the wolf. If I don't taunt him and keep him here, there is no telling when we will find him again.

"I only enjoy killing men! I hope that girl is alright watching you die!" A man's voice rings out. So he switched to human form to taunt back.

"We can take him if he is human form." Hazel whispers. "Can you keep him talking?"

"I'm done talking!" He yells. "Say your goodbyes." Leaf fodder is being kicked up all around us.

Hazel releases arrow after arrow hoping to freeze the wolf. He attacks and I barely block him with my shield. He is slowed by the frost but is off again.

He comes from above this time. His paws collide with my shield. I strain under his weight and try to push him off. Hazel fires another ice mana charged arrow at him. She hits his back leg but he is gone before I can strike.

"Cover me while I charge my mana." Hazel says gulping down a potion. The wolf runs past her knocking the potion from her hand spilling it onto the forest floor. She swears at us both. 

The wolf keeps attacking me and only me. Keeping up with him is getting difficult. Hazel fires another arrow but it misses him.

This is not looking good. The wolf stalks us just where I can see him. I move keeping myself between him and Hazel. She downs her last potion but it's going to be at least a half a minute for it to take effect.

He lunges and knocks my sword from my hand. He snarls almost happily as he presses his paws against my shield. Hazel fires regular arrows at him but they don't peirce his thick hide. 

Suddenly the side of him is lit up with electricity and he falls off of me. With a spear sticking from the side of him, he laid spasming on the forest floor shifting back into a human.

We look to where the spear came. Samantha is standing off aways shaking and choking back tears.

"Get her out of here." I tell Hazel. Without a word Hazel runs to Samantha.

"P-please." The wolf whispered. 

I turn my attention back to him. If he dies Samantha will have that hanging over her head for the rest of her life. I kneel beside him putting pressure on his wound. Samantha kneels beside him pouring a healing potion on him. Looks like Samantha couldn't walk away.

"Hang in there. Help's coming. You're going to be alright." Samantha's soft almost childlike voice is comforting. The guy takes his last few breaths. She chokes back sobs.

"I'm sorry." Samantha whimpers. "I'm so sorry. He was going to... I had to..." Hazel kneels beside her with a sad look in her eyes.

"I know. I know." Hazel holds onto the girl and rubs her arm while she grieves. "You did it to protect us. I'm sorry you had to make that decision."

We sit in silence outside of Samantha's cries. Not long before she stops completely with an almost angry look.

"Now what?" She asks flatly.

"We report this, the morgue does their thing and we have to hold a press conference to inform the public of the edited version of what happened here." I'm a little hesitant. Her face has a cold look to it.

"Okay." Samantha sadly replies. "What do I do?"

"I think Hazel and I can handle things." I look to Hazel for approval. She nods and I look back to Samantha. "You are good to rest, we won't be long."

"Kay." She says. 

Samantha doesn't sit long before she is following Hazel around watching what she does. The morgue person comes and some guys I went to school with that are in the investigative side of things. They all do their thing, taking statements, bagging things and pictures. 

"Hey, is it just me? I notice Samantha looking off in the distance or over her shoulder often." Hazel whispers pulling me to the side. We watch the girl for a few. Is she talking to herself? 

"After what she just went through, she won't be acting her normal self for a long time. If she ever makes it back there." I say my two cents. 

Hazel mulls it over but clicks her tongue. "I'm going to have her spend the night at my place."

"That would be smart. Tonight will be rough on her." I add.

Everything starts to wrap up. I get a paper from the investigator on what to say at the press conference before they open a way for us to get back to town. We are spinning the story as the culprit is apprehended but injured. Along with I was the one that did most of the work since Samantha isn't an adult yet. It will be hard on her if people are whispering behind her back about taking a life. Especially since she is well known for dealing with werewolves peacefully. 

We get to town and it's fairly packed. The three of us are standing on the stage. Samantha has a down casted look while Hazel stands in a relaxed attention pose. The investigators drone on about safety and how the person was "apprehended".

"... now for a few words from the person who caught the culprit. On his day off mind you! Our shining hero James!" The speaker has a big smile and starts the crowds clapping.

Show time. Even though none of us want to be here right now. I step forward and give them my trademark smile. The journalists are all yelling questions at me and there are so many girls screaming.

"I'm sorry folks it's been a long day and I'm tired. So everyone out there stay safe or I'll be there." I smile before leaving the stage with Hazel and Samantha.

"James! James!" Fiona calls out running up to us. "I'm your biggest fan! Thank you for saving my father! It has to be fate!" The pretty red head was definitely trying to work the flirt. I know from my years of undercover. I see Hazel roll her eyes.

"Well if you're a fan." I scribble my autograph on a paper from my bag. "Here you go. Right now I have more work to do with my girl here. I'm glad your dad got home safe. Bye now." I grab Hazel's hand.

Fiona has a confused look. "Girl?" 

It's not public knowledge that Hazel and I are dating.

"Come on my kitten." I joke with Hazel.

"We will talk when we make it home." She mostly hisses while nearly breaking the bones in my hand. I should have taken her warnings about calling her kitten in public.

We make it to Hazel's place. Her and Samantha take a bath while I try to get comfortable on the couch. They come out, Hazel sits on the couch so I can use her leg as a pillow and Samantha curls up in the arm chair. Hazel motions for me to be quiet. We sit in silence til no one can take it and Samantha starts talking.

"I should have tried talking to him." She says looking at the top of the chair.

"There was no talking to him." Hazel says quietly. Samantha keeps staring at the top of the chair.

".... yea I guess your right." She rolls into a tighter ball before falling asleep.

"So my distressed popular knight. You telling everyone your taken?" Hazel asks.

"It's going against the chain of commands orders but why not? I hate hiding you." I give her my smoldering look. Hazel slaps my face. "Yeeoow!"