When she turned around, she saw that one of the carts had gotten stuck; the ground beneath its wheels had turned soft and muddy, making it impossible to move forward. She realized with a pang of frustration that she’d been so lost in thought after finally relaxing a little that she hadn’t even noticed the change in terrain.
Luckily, there were no monsters nearby. Still, Mary almost wanted to slap herself for letting her guard down at a ti like this. There was no ti to dwell on it, though.
The people were already struggling to push the cart free, but the more they tried, the deeper the wheels sank into the mud. Gritting her teeth, Mary rushed over to help, determined to get the caravan moving again before anything, or anyone, could take advantage of their delay.
"Wait, don’t just push blindly! The wheel’s only sinking deeper into the mud!" Mary shouted through the mindlink, her voice sharp and commanding. The young warriors froze mid-action, panting as they struggled against the weight of the cart.
The horses were snorting and straining, their hooves slipping on the wet ground, unable to pull forward.
Mary quickly scanned their surroundings. "You two, gather so thick branches or logs! Planks would be better, but if we don’t have any, then we’ll make do with what we can find. We’ll place them under the wheels to create a bridge so the caravan can get through!"
"Yes, ma’am!" the young warriors chorused before splitting into two groups. One group fanned out to gather what Mary had asked for, while the other stayed behind to guard the caravan. It didn’t take long before the search group returned, their arms full of thick branches and logs.
Working quickly, they laid the materials across the muddy ground, creating a makeshift bridge sturdy enough for the wheels to cross. Once everything was in place, Mary gave a firm nod to the coachn.
"Move forward!"
The coachn urged the horses on, and this ti the caravan rolled across the muddy stretch without trouble. It took nearly half an hour, but at last, they managed to get everyone past the obstacle safely.
"Once everyone’s across, clear the logs and hide them by the roadside," Mary ordered firmly. She wanted to leave just enough traces for Addison and Zion to follow later, but not so obvious that anyone else, especially an enemy, could easily use the sa path.
Better to make things difficult for pursuers than risk leading them straight to the caravan.
"Understood, ma’am." The young warriors nodded and kept watch as one wagon after another crossed safely. The animals were carefully led to step over the branches and logs laid out as makeshift support.
But then, one wagon veered off course, missing the path they had reinforced. The warriors on standby imdiately rushed to assist while the others worked to keep the rest of the animals from following in the sa direction.
A few of the young warriors pushed from behind, struggling to steady the tilted wagon, but the ground there was far softer than expected. One of them ran forward to help, only to sink into the mud up to his knees with a startled cry.
"Ugh." The young warrior groaned, glancing down at his mud-caked trousers before looking up at the wagon that was starting to tilt. He didn’t have ti to worry about the muck clinging to him; instead, he pressed his shoulder against the side of the wagon and pushed with all his strength, while the others on the opposite side pulled to steady it.
"Here, let help!" another young man shouted as he jumped into the mud beside him. "You guys on the other side, keep pulling! And Mr. Coachman, on my signal, have the horse pull harder!" He then glanced toward the warriors managing the livestock, making sure they kept the animals from straying into the soft ground.
"One, two, three—push!!!"
"Ughhh!" A chorus of strained grunts followed as the wagon groaned under the combined effort, mud splattering with every heave.
Seeing the young warriors struggling, Mary shifted into her wolf form, intending to help pull the cart. However, every ti she drew near, the horses grew restless, snorting and neighing nervously, their eyes wide with fear.
Realizing she was only making things worse, Mary stepped back and took a defensive stance at the side, keeping watch instead.
Fortunately, the young warriors knew what they were doing. They followed her earlier instructions precisely and worked together to steady the wagon. Since Mary spent most of her ti in wolf form to guard the rest of the caravan more efficiently, everyone already understood her role, and under her watchful eyes, they managed just fine on their own.
After working together, they finally managed to get all the wagons across the mud and even freed the animals that had gotten stuck. But instead of stopping to rest, they pressed on without pause, eager to put more distance behind them.
None of them noticed that, far behind, sothing was following their trail, keeping its distance, careful not to alert Mary.
Mary, still in her wolf form, had slightly lowered her guard. She hadn’t sensed any danger for a while, and the uneventful journey lulled her vigilance. By the ti she finally detected the presence trailing them, it was already too late; they had been surrounded.
"Awoooh!!!" Mary’s howl split through the air, a sharp warning to everyone that danger was closing in. She could feel the hostile presence surrounding them from all sides.
"Run! Move forward as fast as you can! Warriors, protect the old and the young!" she commanded through the mindlink, her tone urgent and commanding.
Skidding to a halt, Mary turned back, planting herself between the caravan and the threat approaching from behind. As the wagons lurched forward and the others hurriedly dragged the animals along, Mary stood her ground, ready to face whatever was coming.
Then suddenly...
"Ugh!" a young warrior groaned in pain. Mary’s sharp ears caught it imdiately, and she sprinted toward him.
The young man was limping, his breath ragged, and as Mary drew closer, he yanked a three-inch dart needle from his thigh. He looked up at her, eyes wide, as if to say sothing, but before a word could leave his lips, his body suddenly stiffened.
Mary saw it, the way his muscles locked and his movents faltered. In the next instant, he collapsed mid-run, his legs giving out beneath him. The stampede of animals behind him would have crushed him if not for Mary’s swift action.
With a powerful leap, she caught his collar in her jaws, dragging him out of harm’s way. Then, charging toward the mule cart, she flung him gently onto it, where the elderly huddled, before turning back toward the danger.
The elderly man’s eyes widened in alarm as he saw the young warrior convulsing, his body rigid and trembling.
"Young Alpha! This is a poison dart, from a blowdart!" he shouted, quickly kneeling beside the fallen youth.
His hands moved with practiced urgency as he searched the young man’s body for the wound. When he spotted the blood seeping through the warrior’s thigh, he imdiately tore the fabric around it to inspect the injury.
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