Gerald dodged a shadow wolf's attack and the creature's claws whistled past his face close enough that he felt the displaced air. Before he could recover another wolf slammed into his back and pain exploded across his shoulders as claws ripped through leather and skin.
He snarled and twisted his body, feeling warm blood running down his spine, but one of his warriors slid a spear into the wolf's heart through its back. The creature roared and dissolved into black smoke while Gerald jumped on the back of the one that had attacked him first.
He drove his sword down with both hands and the blade punched through fur and muscle until it found the heart. The wolf bucked once, twice, then collapsed beneath him and turned into a black puddle that soaked into the ground.
Gerald stood up and his
