Chapter Ten

Unbeknownst to the couple, the flickering flames drew unwanted eyes. Several goblins had infiltrated the woods, much different from the ones that had attacked Wynne with the hunt. They varied in size, but they appeared relatively similar other wise. Muddy colored skin, scales rough enough to seem like armor. Tusks approximately 11 inches long, sharpened to vicious points. Eyes a dark enough brown to be black. The largest one had a horn in the middle of his forehead, with progressively smaller ones forming a ridge all the way to the back of this head.
They seemed to follow the largest one in it's exploits, but otherwise they weren't very bright. Deadly, but not bright. They had weapons strapped to their backs. Mostly primitive things, made from wood and stone. There were bits of actual weapons, but they seemed to be scrounged off of discarded bodies. All of them were clothed in what was essentially a loincloth.
There were 15 of the creatures total. Their skin was covered in drying blood, some of them still holding dripping weapons. The creatures had crawled out of their caves to hunt, and caught quite their fill already. But their bloodthirst overrode any intelligent thought the goblins might have had. They had decided, being so many of them and so few of the humanoid beings, they would overpower the couple and flay their skin.
In their own language, an assemblage of clicks of the tongue as well as various grunts and moans, they chatted casually about carving up Arandir and frying up his parts. Wynne would've puked if she could hear why they planned to do to her. Some wanted to tie her up and use her before they discarded and killed her, while others had... Much more menacing thoughts. Fortunately for Wynne and Arandir, they couldn't understand the dialect of these goblins. And unfortunately for them, they couldn't hear their noise at all over the noise of nature and the warm fire.
This gave an advantage to their attackers. Who crept through the foilage, getting as close as they could while staying hidden among the shadows. The light of the fire flickered, the flames dancing, and the shadows with them.
Wynne couldn't shake an uneasy feeling in her gut. It was tightening and she felt as if she'd be sick. The hairs on the back of her neck and along her arms were raised,something that only happened when she felt she was being stared at. Grasping Arandir's arm tightly, her face pale, she tugged at him. Her moss hues stared up at him urgently.
"Arandir, something is wrong. I just know it. Please, can you check around the camp? I think there's something watching us, I can feel it." She pleaded, rushing her words as she looked around nervously.
The man stood at her words, hands frantically searching for the knife he kept at his belt as he heeded her warning. His little bear had told him when they'd met she'd had some sort of prophetic dreams in her life. He did not doubt that her warning would ring true, and he trusted her instincts. His eyes scanned the area thoroughly, and then he rechecked it. He could pick out about 7 sets of beady eyes. The light of the fire flickering in them gave them away. He was sure if there was this many of the creatures already then there would likely be more.
He ushered for Wynne to get her own dagger, pushing the woman just barely behind him. She was trembling, grasping onto the cold metal of the weapon feebly. Wynne watched in horror as the goblins emerged from the trees, revealing all fifteen of the vile creatures. The woman could barely hold onto her dagger, with pain flairing through the damaged nerves in her hands.
Wynne looked on in a terrified daze as goblins pounced at Arandir. The goblins lashed out with tusks, claws and weapons, aiming to shred whatever they came into contact with. A few had latched onto Arandir's calves, sinking their fangs into his leg, and piercing it with their tusks. The sight was gruesome. Blood gushed from the wound, chunks of skin peeling away and revealing the deep muscle and tissue underneath.
He struggled to fight the creatures off of him, hacking at limbs with his knife. Wynne continued to watch on, frozen in a panic. It wasn't until claws came reaching out, ripping at the fabric covering Wynne's legs, that her flight or fight response kicked in. She kicked out, brutally snapping her foot into the out reaching arm, grimacing as she felt the crack of bone when the kick connected.
Her arm came down, battling her grip on her dagger, as she jammed the point directly into the eye of the goblin that'd reached for her. With a squelch, she retrieved the weapon from it's eye socket, gagging as blood sprayed at her. She'd stabbed it hard enough it dropped at her feet. Stepping over it's corpse, she continued to stab wildly at their attackers.
Collapsing in exhaustion, Wynne felt Arandir grasp her shoulder, his other hand prying the dagger from her hand. He had fought off the majority of the goblins. In her wild daze, Wynne had felled 4 of the creatures, and injured at least two others. They were crushed under the weight of their companions, and if left where they lie, they would succumb to death soon as well. The remaining 9 goblins were dead, having been killed by Arandir.
Her survival instinct had entirely taken over, and adrenaline made it so she didn't feel the injuries to her sides. She didn't even recognize the chunks of flesh missing from Arandir's legs. The whole ordeal was a shock, and Wynne found herself sobbing into her blood covered hands.
Arandir pulled his mate from the blood stained, limb strewn and body littered battlefield. He lifted her into his arms, clutching her to his chest as he hushed her cries. He was positive that this had been the first time Wynne had ever needed to kill. And it likely wouldn't be the last.