While Renalia played with the dog, Shim went into the kennel. He re-emerged with a makeshift spear made from the branch of an ash tree. But instead of an actual spearhead, the head was a dagger attached with straps of black bogling leather.

“Don’t tell my dad I have this,” Shim said, handing her the spear.

Renalia nodded, understanding his need for a secret weapon if he ran away from home. She held the spear close to her body, blocking the line of sight from the cottage.

“I can’t exactly hide it when I’m walking around, though. Isn’t it safer to use your regular spear? I promise I’ll take good care of it.”

“I don’t have a regular spear,” he answered. “I haven’t earned it yet. Besides, it’s more of a symbol and last line of defense. You’re not meant to spear the boglings with it. It’s difficult to get through their tough hide sometimes.”

“But, then how do you hunt?”

“I simply carry the equipment and any carcasses. My cards have not leveled enough to hunt with yet.”

“Oh,” Renalia said. It came out as more of a whimper, though. Not only have her cards not leveled enough, but they are also singularly unsuitable for hunting.

“Listen,” Shim said as he saw her distress, “Boogie can take down small prey by himself. Just run if they’re bigger than he is. They’re usually not that fast. And keep the boglings distracted so they don’t try to bite him. Take this too, just in case.”

He reached to unbuckle his leather belt, which held a sheathed knife. But he struggled to do it with one hand. Renalia leaned the spear against her body and helped, embarrassed. Of all the things to happen this morning, helping a boy undo his pants still stood out as particularly unexpected.

Once they clumsily removed the belt, Shim quickly turned his attention to Boogie. His attempts to hide his red face behind the dog did not succeed, but Renalia avoided looking at him too, concentrating on putting the belt around her waist.

He slipped a harness of bogling leather over the dog’s head, resting it on the back and hanging down the sides. The dog stood attentively, all sense of playfulness gone, as Shim crouched to tie the straps under the dog’s chest. But he found it difficult to accomplish with only one working hand. Putting the spear down, Renalia knelt to help out.

On the other side of the dog, Shim said, “I’ll sneak some food and put it in the kennel. You can stay there, just in case, you know …” Their hands briefly touched around the straps and he quickly withdrew.

“Why?” Renalia started asking, but paused as Shim stood up and looked down at her. Why are you being so nice to me?

“Why what?”

“Um, why is he called Boogie?”

“Well, when we got him a couple of years ago, he liked to eat everything,” Shim said while picking at his arm splint. “So I wondered if he’d eat boogers too.”

“You named him after boogers?” Renalia rolled her eyes.

“Shut up. I was just a kid. And he liked them just fine.”

“Stupid boys,” Renalia muttered under her breath.

 

Renalia ruminated on the past couple of hectic days as she followed Boogie. The fear and nervousness at hunting having long faded, siphoned away by the lack of attacks. Her cautious approach in passing any bush or puddle, at first, seemed silly now.

Many times she had visited Granny, close to the bog, and had never spotted a bogling. Besides, she had a massive wolfhound to give warning. And she had a spear from Shim for protection.

Shim. What is going on with that boy?

She understood, of course, why they picked on her. Her family was relatively new to the village, refugees from the previous war. They also had fewer belongings than other folks.

And she appreciated what really rankled the villagers. Despite Papa’s physical stature and bearing, he refused to take up arms to defend against any bogling incursions.

Beyond her family, she also stood out, being much smaller than the other children. And she had inherited from Papa, albeit diluted, a slight brownish tinge to her skin.

‘Mud Baby’, the children had called her. When she asked, Papa had said that she was who she was, that nothing they said made her less.

She loved her Papa, but he didn’t understand what it was like to be attacked. So she had fought. Every insult they threw at her, she fired one back. Every prank they tried to pull on her, she destroyed, without letting them recognize it bothered her. Pretty soon after, only Shim and Ullock still bullied her.

It never devolved into physical fights, though. If Shim had tried to choke her, she’d choke him right back. So she had been on edge since last night, waiting for him to retaliate. But it never came. Instead, it almost appeared like he was being nice to her.

It must be the pain medication. Myfanwy had said it may make him ‘disoriented’. When Renalia asked what it meant, she had said ‘confused’. So maybe he forgot they were enemies.

She shook her head, clearing her thoughts of Shim. That’s not important now; instead, she focused on her cards. After they had leveled the first time, small numbers had appeared on the bottom corner of the cards.

After two level-ups, [Disinfect Self Wounds] had a ten on the bottom right corner. Ten activations per rolling hour, or one every six minutes, if she spaced it out. She wasn't sure exactly how it worked, but she noticed her scrapes from the fall yesterday scabbed over and healed faster than expected.

Her only other usage-based card, Granny’s [Find Herb], currently had a zero. It appeared dim, indicating she could not use it right now. She had been using it whenever it became active, heeding Granny’s advice on leveling her cards as quickly as possible.

Even though it’s an uncommon grade, she couldn’t imagine the Baron finding it enticing enough to take from her. A year’s worth of taxes refunded seemed a poor trade compared to some herbs. ‘Preposterous,’ as Chief Cian liked to say.

The duration-based [Dull Emotions] and [Restrain Impulse] cards now both had sixty on the bottom left. She had a bank of sixty seconds for those cards, which she’d have to manage actively while in battle. This worried her the most.

When she had lunged at Shim, she had lost herself, her anger swamping conscious thought. Would fear do the same? Would she panic and lose control?

Her [Resist Hunger] cards all had zeros in the bottom left. She couldn’t imagine keeping any of them once she got to four full hands, or twenty cards. But she might as well get some benefit from them in the meantime.

Besides, she liked it when the numbers go up. So she drew upon them diligently, gaining as much experience with them as her more useful cards.

Boogie’s low rumbling growl snapped her attention back to the bog. He snarled at the water line, hackles raised and body tensed.

She approached cautiously, spear pointed at where he barked. A few bubbles broke the surface, but her sight could not pierce through the murkiness of the turbid water.

Suddenly, a dark shadow breached the water, shooting through the air. Boogie leapt after it, then tried to turn in midair as it zipped past faster than anticipated. It headed straight toward her.

She instinctively tried to back away and bring up the spear to block. But [Dull Emotions] drove the panic away and provided her a spark of clarity. She restrained her original impulse to back away and dove forward instead, landing on hands and knees. The black bogling shot past where her head had been a half-second ago.

A brush of wind across her right side indicated that Boogie had landed and rushed past toward the bogling. She pushed with her hands and pivoted on all fours, her legs swinging around while sliding across the top of the shallow water.

The bogling also landed, pausing long enough so she could see it was a reanimated hare. The bog had enhanced its physical attributes, so it stood almost two feet tall, not counting the ears, and was almost twice that in length.

The wolfhound and the bogling ran at each other in a game of chicken. They ran at full speed, paws barely touching the ground, each believing themselves to be the predator.

Renalia jumped forward, but her feet slipped on the mud and she floundered at the edge of the water. Boogie’s jaws snapped at the hare as they closed in on each other. But he caught only air as the hare, with a push from one leg, dodged to the side. And with a push with the other leg, like a spring unleashed, propelled it forward again, with almost no loss in momentum.

Straight towards Renalia.

“Bogling’s butt,” Renalia swore as she scrambled upright. On some level, she grasped that fear coursed through her and she wanted to run. But that felt far away, like it was happening to some other Renalia. This Renalia planted her feet wide, knees slightly bent, and hands wide apart, with her right hand almost at the butt of the spear.

At the village’s Midsummer Festival last year, the spear dance performed by some hunters had mesmerized her. For several days after that, she had played at being one of them using a stick she found. She had a lot of fun until Shim and Ullock saw her one day and laughed. And laughed. And laughed.

Now she fell into the stance naturally and without thought. Her focus narrowed down to just the dead hare and keeping the spearhead on target while it moved. It approached unnaturally fast, with bog-enhanced strength lengthening its hops.

Time seemed to slow, and expecting it, she caught the moment the hare side-stepped to avoid the spear. She shifted her feet slightly and her right hand pivoted the spear, with her left hand acting as a fulcrum.

She was successful, as the spear continued to track the hare as it leapt at her. But, noticing its imminent impalement on the dagger, the bogling contorted unnaturally. It drew its paws in, twisted at the spine, and with a final kick, changed its trajectory in midair. From three feet away, it opened its mouth in anticipation of plunging its abnormal fangs into Renalia’s belly.

Working on instinct, Renalia stepped back and placed the spear across her body to block. Just in time too, as the shaft caught the bogling’s open mouth with a satisfying clunk.

But the force of the impact forced Renalia to take a step back. Again, the slippery footing threatened to make her fall, but her trailing lower leg had sunk deep into the mud, and the resistance it provided helped anchor and stabilize her.

The bogling hung on the shaft with its incisors, turning its forward momentum into a rotation. The movement whipped its hind legs toward her midsection. Unlike regular hares, the bog transformation had given this hare long black claws, sharp enough to break the skin and cut muscles. She quickly pushed the spear and attached bogling away, sending them right into the pursuing Boogie.

Before the bogling could react, Boogie’s jaws snapped shut on its rear leg. The hare opened its mouth in a silent scream, and Renalia lurched forward to snatch her spear back before it could fall into the mud. Well, that worked out better than expected.

She deactivated her cards as Boogie shook the bogling, surprised at seeing the “47” on the lower left. Only thirteen seconds have passed.

Fright, anxiety, excitement, and relief flooded her system, almost causing her knees to buckle. But she was ready for this. She fought through the overwhelming desire to flee and took a step forward with determination, disengaging herself from the muddy shore.

The wolfhound continued to shake his capture enthusiastically, trying to snap its spine. But the bog magic’s enhancements had reinforced both the hare’s skin and bone. And unlike a prey’s desire to scramble free and escape, the bogling’s killing instinct drove it to claw and bite.

None of the attacks hit the dog yet, for it was a seasoned pro, wrenching the hare’s body to and fro in constant motion. But Renalia approached with worry, having witnessed the bogling’s ability to force its body into difficult positions.

She could not see how to help, though. From what she knew, bogling leather was much tougher than normal leather. So she doubted that a quick thrust of the spear would pierce the thick hide of the hare. And a more powerful thrust with a long windup held too much risk of hitting Boogie instead.

Taking Shim’s advice, she let the dog do the fighting, while standing ready to provide a distraction. To her relief, the wolfhound’s muscular mouth powered through the bogling’s tough hide, and she heard a satisfying snap as the hare’s spine broke.

Relief turned to horror, as unrestrained by a spine, the front half of the bogling extended. With the longer reach, it scored a scratch on the dog’s snout with its claw, precariously close to the eye.

“Boogie, let go!” Renalia shouted. The wolfhound, either not hearing her or deeming it bad advice, continued his aggression. She activated her cards, stretching the moment out. Her vision clarified, and the pounding of her heartbeat in her ears lessened.

The bogling craned its neck, seeking a weak spot. She perceived with cold certainty that it would succeed this time. She must get it away from Boogie. So she dropped the spear to free her hands and lunged forward.

The hare hurled its fanged mouth at Boogie’s unprotected neck, now within its reach. “Let go!” Her left hand slipped on the bogling’s wet back, but her right hand found purchase on the scruff of its neck. She yanked right as Boogie released, causing the bogling’s bite to miss narrowly.

The hare turned and pummeled her with its legs. Even though the broken spine no longer provided it with the leverage for powerful kicks, the claws were still sharp enough to cut through cloth and skin, raking along her ribs.

She had to stop it and she knew exactly how to do it. Turning, she leapt and slammed the bogling down into the mud. It wouldn’t drown, but the thick sludge slowed down its struggles. While pushing it deeper down with her right hand, she reached for Shim’s knife with her left.

Boogie growled next to her, uncertain how to help. But she didn’t need the assistance, since the earth held on to the hare in a tenacious grip, as if it knew the hare belonged underground. She had the bogling pinned with her right hand and splayed out with her knees.

She raised the knife high above her and stabbed down with all her might. Again and again. Enough of her strikes punctured through, causing the horrible magic of the bog to leak out.

The doubly dead hare ceased its struggles, and she deactivated her cards. Only seven seconds left on the cards. Exhilaration inundated her, and she stayed kneeling on all fours, enjoying the relief.

But as the adrenaline left her system, the wounds on her chest and stomach started throbbing. And more worryingly, she felt a sharp pang on her right wrist. She crawled towards a deeper patch of water, heedless of tracking through the muck.

The dirty water did well enough in washing away the thick mud. Even through the muddied waters, she could spot a tinge of red. As she lifted her wrist, dark red blood flowed freely from a gash that the bogling must have opened with its fangs.

Without thinking, she slapped her left hand around the wound and winced at the sudden pain. The red seeped between her fingers and oozed around her hand, as if eager for freedom from the confines of her body, unstoppable like a cracked egg.

There was so much blood.

No, it can’t end this way, she screamed in her mind. My life just started!

She activated both of her important cards, along with a burst of disinfection. It lessened the pain and panic, but did not help otherwise.

She quickly took off her dirty shirt, her cards letting her ignore the pain, in order to wrap it around her wrist. She hung about Granny enough to understand that wounds should be kept clean. But keeping the blood from flowing seemed like a higher priority.

She struggled to tie her shirt around her wrist, the flimsy cloth unwieldy with one hand. Worse, the cool wind on her wet skin, compounded by blood loss and panic, caused her hands to shiver. By the time she tied it around her wrist, the thin makeshift bandage had already become saturated with blood.

She deactivated her cards and slumped.

I’m sorry Mama. I’m sorry Papa. I’m sorry for being such a disappointment.

The wolfhound whined beside her. “It’s okay Boogie. You’re okay. You did good. You’re a good boy.” She reached back around, grabbed the dead bogling by its ears, and dragged it into the water, submerging it.

“Here,” she said, biting back a sob. She lifted the less muddy ears out toward the dog, who stood on a bank overlooking the waterline. “Take this back to Shim. Let them know that I at least tried to pay my debts.”

Boogie dragged the carcass from her, but after successfully getting it over the gentle bank, stood there and whined. “Go on.” She shooed with her good hand. The dog took a step away but turned back to look at her. “Go back to Shim and Malchim.” The dog dropped the body and whined even louder. “Leave me …”

Renalia trailed off, for from the corner of her eye, she had caught a faint glittering. She climbed over the bank and found its source. Through an open wound at the hare’s navel, a faint light shone.

A white light, like she first saw two days ago.