Page 33 of Blacktail

“Yes, I have, haven’t I?” Slipper said, wiping off spit with his forepaw. “Never do that again.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine. But don’t do it again. Ever.” Slipper looked around, cautious, sniffing the air. “Do you see anything? My eyes aren’t—Well. Never mind. Do you?”

Blacktail had been scanning as well. “No. Not that I can see. Nothing.”

“Excellent! It seems we’re clear. As much as I’d like a cozy afternoon nap, we probably shouldn’t waste this. We’ve a bit of daylight left before—”

Blacktail saw something kick up the snow beside him. A moment later, he heard the crack of a gunshot.

“Ah, crap,” Slipper said. “Come on!” He set off at a hard run, moving toward the ridgeline.

“What was it?” Blacktail asked.

“I don’t know! Perhaps a straggler, perhaps one that lay in wait! Does it really matter?”

Blacktail shut up and ran.

They outdistanced the first two-legs quickly. No sooner was that done than they nearly ran into another one who stepped out from behind a tree.

Slipper skidded to a stop. “Oh, fuck.”

The man raised the thing that made gunshots.

Blacktail leapt over Slipper and crashed into the man, snapped his jaws closed around his face as he knocked him to the earth. The man screamed and beat at him with its forepaws. Blacktail’s blood rose at the feel of it.

The red moon rose again. Bone crunched under his jaws.

“Come on, you idiot!” Slipper screamed.

Blacktail spat out a chunk of flesh into the man’s bleeding, terrified eyes, then ran on. You’re lucky, monster, he thought. I’ve no more time for killing this day.

Slipper had a bit of a lead now. Blacktail’s heart strained as he sprinted up the steep ridge. Another gunshot cracked off to the right.

“Tell me,” Slipper gasped as they moved. “How you feel…about heights?”

Blacktail, lungs burning, answered in kind. “Hate…them.”

“What…a…pity,” Slipper said. “There’s a surprise up ahead. Follow me and don’t stop.”

A few breaths later they crested the ridge. Blacktail skidded to a stop. At its highest point, the south side of the ridge was a sheer cliff. At the bottom, many paces down below, the valley stretched out. It looked quiet, no men that he saw, no dogs—but the drop was sheer, and the fall seemed twice or three times the distance that would kill him.

Slipper, however, launched himself off the cliff with a smooth, fluid leap. The sound of his laughter trailed off as he fell away.

Blacktail’s eyes widened. He peeked over the edge and saw Slipper, far below, rolling out of a deep snowdrift, still laughing, apparently unhurt. He called back up. “Come on! Get a running start.”

Blacktail drew back a few steps. His stomach churned. He heard himself whine a little, hating the sound of it. I can’t do this, he thought. It’s too—

Another gunshot dug a hole in the snow in just beside him, heart-stoppingly close.

Still he hesitated. He turned to look behind him, thinking maybe I can—

But no. The two-legs had set loose their hounds, a dozen or more. He thought he might be able to kill them. Possibly. But the man stood still, carefully pointing the gunshot stick at him. For a bare instant he stared into its single, unblinking eye…. Then he jumped.

He fell for what seemed like forever, heart rising sick in his chest, snowy earth spinning by on all sides. He curled into a ball when he landed, and it was well that he did. The drift was deep indeed. Slipper had likely not even come close to plumbing its depths. But Blacktail was many times Slipper’s size. He hit the bottom hard, knocking the breath out of his chest, and rolled over quite a few rocks before poking his head above the snow.

Slipper stood a few paces away, grinning at him. “Hah! Surprised you, didn’t I? My mum showed me that trick. Haven’t tried it in quite a while, though. Oof,” he grunted. Blacktail saw that he was now favoring his right rear paw a bit. “It was easier when I was young.”