[Thanatos’ POV]
The atmosphere is quite calm today, compared to yesterday. That is until I open my eyes and see two familiar pieces of clothing attached to several sticks. Curiously, I lift the fur slightly to see a naked cleavage peeking out from a leather breastplate and, looking past it, a pair of bare legs further down. I feel myself getting a bit hard, but now isn't the time to satisfy my sexual needs, so I slowly slip out of the makeshift blanket and head outside, only to be greeted by one of the kobolds.
“Greetings, King. Hunting today?” “How are your individual conditions? Was anyone injured yesterday?” I ask to gather more information. "No injuries. Everyone fine.” “Good. Let's wait for Sammy to wake up and then go to the wolves' lair. In the meantime, get ready and prepare whatever you need for the fight.” I sit down on the log from yesterday and start planning a strategy.
Our group consists of the four kobolds, Sammy and myself, so six people in total. Six against seven sounds doable, but I think it's more realistic to have two kobolds against a single wolf, making it more like four against seven. That leaves the question of who fights the 1 vs 3, Sammy or me? Maybe our pre-emptive strike could take out a wolf before the fight even starts, increasing our chances of victory. I pick up a stick and start scribbling formations and whatnot in a patch of dirt by my feet.
“Planning our attack on the wolves already?” Sammy's voice snaps me out of my thoughts and I jump a little in surprise. I must have been deep in thought because she's already sitting next to me. She comes closer and whispers in my ear, “Thanks for not looking when I was asleep earlier.” “Why should I have looked? I'm not the kind of peeping Tom who gets a hard-on.” I feel a bit ashamed to have to lie to her face. I must be a bad liar, too, because I can see the disappointment on her face. “Really? Have you no self-control in this matter?” Having said that, she whispers in my ear again, “Well, I'm not allowed to complain because I don't have any either”. I'm shocked. “What? When?” Sammy doesn't say a word, she just gives me a smile and a wink.
She gets up and before she leaves, she breaks the silence and my thoughts with, “I will prepare the troops, Milord. We are ready to move out whenever you give the order.” Once again I'm alone, only this time it's much harder to come up with a strategy after receiving such information. I keep wondering when she was peeping at me, and this thought blocks any kind of complex decision making for the battle. I give up trying to come up with alternative strategies a little later, as I can't really concentrate. Well, a single plan is better than no plan at all, so I go over to the others who are already waiting.
“Listen up. The one who knows the way to the wolf's lair and a second kobold will take the lead, Sammy and I will go in the middle and the rest will follow behind us. Whoever takes the lead, let us know when we are close to the cave so that we can sneak up on them and make a pre-emptive strike.” I explain to the others the strategy I came up with earlier. “Sammy, I have planned for you to take on three wolves at once, are you up to the task?” With bright eyes and a “Yes, of course, Milord. I was eager to show you my full potential.” The plan is now set in stone and we head out.
The kobolds seem to be used to such terrain, as they have no trouble navigating. Hopping over or crawling under obstacles such as fallen trees, weaving through areas with lots of loose roots, or dodging thorny bushes desperately trying to grab at anything they can in the hope of gaining nutrients pose no problem for them. Taking the same path as them wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the speed of the two kobolds in front of you. Nevertheless, after two or three hours, our guide slows down. “We close. Now sneak.” After another 15 minutes or so, the entrance to the cave appears, and fortunately it's completely unguarded.
“I ask one last time. Does everyone understand their role?” I whisper to my group and get a nod from all five of them. After confirmation, we quietly make our way to the entrance and I can already make out the first wolf in the dim cave. I concentrate and moments later, three missiles of lightning fly towards the sleeping wolf, all of them hitting at once. Suddenly I hear a noise from inside, so I hurry back a little and get into formation. Less than ten seconds later, six wolves emerge from the cave and the real battle begins.
As the two groups clash, my plan quickly falls apart. Sammy and I are being ignored for the most part, with only a single wolf facing each of us, while the kobolds are being swarmed. Although it's mostly one-on-one, the wolves' greater agility gives them a slight advantage over my summons. I have to act quickly or Sammy and I will be the next to be surrounded. Without much time to concentrate, I hurl a hastily cast lightning bolt at my opponent, but the beast narrowly dodges it and sprints towards me. I draw my weapon and try to deflect its attack, but I'm only partially successful and its teeth sink into one of my forearms.
Making the best of my decision, I cast another bolt at point blank range, hoping not to shock myself. After hitting the wolf, I manage to free myself from its bite, but bleed badly. Out of sheer rage, I smash its skull in with my branch. I look over to Sammy... ah, she has already gone over to help the kobolds. After a second barrage of my lightning missiles, spread out to hit one wolf at a time to take the strain off the others, I make my way over as well. With the help of Sammy and myself, the six of us quickly reduce the wolves' numbers. After a while, we finally emerge victorious, but at a cost. One of the kobolds has to give up its life because of the bites it received, and my arm hurts pretty badly too. At least the bleeding has stopped for the moment. But now is not the time to relax, if the white wolf Sammy told me about is really their leader. If he comes out of the cave, we can kiss our asses goodbye.
