The Chance to Die

The wolf barked. Breaking into a sprint, it thundered along the ground towards Conrad. Seemingly disregarding Nana completely, it launched itself at Conrad, the two tumbling to the ground in a heap. Conrad thankfully had the sense to unsheathe the pauper's dagger and have it at the ready before the wolf set itself upon him.

Nana watched, frowning, as the two of them got back on their feet and squared off. "Come on, boy," she muttered to herself. "I know your body isn't very strong, but you're armed with a weapon. And there's bigger wolves out there than that one. Don't let me down."

The two aggressors began to circle each other slowly, seemingly committed to finding a moment where the other's focus slipped even just for the briefest moment. The feeling of having death on his doorstep was, naturally, an entirely new sensation to young Conrad. His heart felt like it was in his throat. The day-to-day life of a man in his world had distracted him, and almost everyone else, from an important fundamental truth.

Survival of the fittest applied everywhere. And without loud cities and strong walls to keep beasts out, man must be ready to face that truth in ways most were never taught to.

The wolf took the initiative. It rushed in, leaping up and aiming for Conrad's throat, ready to finally partake in a long-awaited dinner. While Conrad's inexperience prevented him from following up as well as possible, he did have the sense to protect his vitals. The wolf's teeth failed to reach his neck, but dug into the arm Conrad raised to protect himself. Conrad cried out in pain, a guttural and wretched noise, tears spilling onto his cheeks.

But in the midst of the pain, Conrad finally had something on his hands that benefited him. A relatively stationary target. With the wolf bitten into his arm, Conrad was free to thrust at the beast, the tip of his dagger aimed at his adversary's neck. The wolf jerked its head harshly, aiming to tear up Conrad's flesh, preventing Conrad from landing a perfect hit. But a glancing blow is still valuable, especially when it is delivered by a blade and aimed at an assailant's throat.

Conrad's dagger tore a moderate cut across the wolf's neck, spraying red across the ground. Yipping, the beast released its hold, looking to protect itself by creating some space. Conrad whimpered, shaking as he glanced down at his arm. The beast was struggling as it bled from its neck, but Conrad was not in good shape either. Mentally shaken, not conditioned to combat, and one arm in poor shape and lacking strength.

The wolf turned and began to retreat, understanding the danger in persevering. Filling its belly would do it no good if it was dead. Its odds at survival were shaky. The cut in its throat could have been much worse, but it still needed to maintain enough strength to somehow recuperate and hunt easier prey. It had make its mark on its human target, and that would have to suffice today.

Until its fate was decided for it a second later.

An arrow suddenly whizzed through the air and lodged itself into the beast's tender throat as well. Falling to the ground, it panted and wheezed. Today was the day. Its struggles were over. It could finally rest.

Conrad looked over warily. An old bearded man stood several feet away, on the edge of a neighboring plot of farmland. The look in his eyes was impatient, and somewhat judgmental. He was dressed in a brown cloak. The man made a quick jerking motion at the wolf with his head before addressing Conrad.

"Finish the job, kid. This was your fight to begin with."

Wincing, Conrad nodded and straightened up. He marched towards the dying wolf on the ground, blade in hand. His left arm bled onto the ground slowly, but Conrad simply tried to be grateful he wasn't losing blood to the degree the wolf was. Seeing the beast twitching and wheezing ahead of him gave him a strange opportunity to try to count his blessings.

Once he arrived next to the wolf, Conrad dropped onto his knees. The wolf's shallow breaths filled his ears. He lifted his dagger into the air, before realizing he was uncertain about how best to do this. It wasn't like he wanted the beast to suffer. It was just a wild animal that was following its instincts.

"No, not with that. With this."

Conrad looked up. So absorbed was he in his responsibility to finish the hunt, that he hadn't even heard the old man approach. The farmer was gripping a shovel in his hand, which he embedded into the dirt next to Conrad. Nodding rapidly, Conrad slipped the dagger into its sheath and took the shovel.

"The flesh where the back of the skull meets the neck. Place the blade there. Push as hard as you can. Do it right now. It's in pain."

Conrad followed through exactly as the old farmer advised. He rested the blade at the advised spot, and pushed in hard with all the strength he had available to him. The wolf went still and silent immediately. The farmer nodded.

"Decapitation, on the inside. Separates the skull from the spine. Good. If you had just stabbed away at it and prolonged its suffering, you would've had hell to pay, kid."

Conrad nodded solemnly. Attempting to gather his thoughts, he glanced around, trying to locate Nana. However, that was the moment his body started calling the shots for him. Blood loss, exhaustion, and the adrenaline slowly leaving his body all took their toll on Conrad. He passed out rather unceremoniously, suddenly falling to the side, his head hitting the dirt before the old man could catch him.

The farmer grunted. He scanned Conrad's body, before focusing on his left arm. That would need treatment. The sooner the better. The kid's fight with this animal had helped deliver some extra sustenance to the farmer's home. He supposed the least he could was repay the favor by tending to the boy's arm.

Lifting Conrad into his arms, the old farmer trudged off towards his house. A ways away, Nana simply observed the interaction, seemingly content. Conrad receiving support from his fellow man was right. This is what humans did, after all. They compensated for their lack of divine, incredible power by working as a collective.

Nana stretched, yawning. It would take a fair amount of time before Conrad was up again, and she certainly wasn't about to help him heal. Perhaps she would go observe the other people of this land for a time. Smiling, she flew off, enjoying the wind in her hair and the sight of the plains stretched out below her as she danced through the sky.