Adventure of Belron Valerion 1

The wendigo staggers beneath the battlement, Belron’s dagger buried in its stomach and its ribs exposed as it raises its claws for one desperate struggle.

Belron’s roar rolls across the waystation. His body swells and reshapes into a werewolf, fur spreading over powerful limbs as yellow eyes blaze above the gate.

The werewolf launches over the wall. Below, Alena watches from beside Traver’s stretcher while the patrol healer presses fresh cloth to his wound.

Belron crashes into the wendigo before its claws can descend. He slashes across the exposed ribs, then clamps his jaws onto its shoulder and drives it backward.

The wendigo howls and buckles beneath him, its raised claws scraping harmlessly across the stones. Belron holds it away from the gate as the riders stare, waiting for the next opening.

Belron’s claws drive beneath the wendigo’s ribs as he reaches for its heart. The creature convulses, locking its limbs around him and wrenching his grip aside.

His claws tear free without the heart. The wendigo rolls hard across the stones, breaking his hold and forcing Belron to land on one knee beside it.

The wendigo scrambles backward, guarding its chest with one elongated arm. Its wounded ribs no longer offer an easy opening, and its gaze fixes on the waystation.

Belron rises between the creature and the wall, fur bristling as the wendigo circles. The failed grasp has driven it from the battlement, but left neither combatant defeated.

The werewolf roars and charges, crossing the stones in a blur of fur and muscle. He leaps onto the wendigo’s back before it can turn.

Belron’s claws lock into its shoulders as the creature bucks violently. He bends over its neck and clamps his jaws down with savage force.

The wendigo’s howl breaks into a strangled cry. Its limbs falter, and Belron’s bite drives it away from the gate and toward the outer stones.

The wendigo collapses beneath him, its resistance fading as it lies stunned and unable to reach the waystation. Belron remains astride its back, guarding the gate.

Behind the bars, the patrol healer continues tending Traver while Alena watches Belron with frightened relief. The surviving soldiers keep their weapons lowered, facing the werewolf in uneasy silence.