"Keep the lines around us," said Sonja, casting a sidelong glance at the wolves surrounding their arena, and Savanak snarled in agreement. She charged straight toward Savanak but swerved to the right at the last second, giving the winter wolf tempting access to her undefended flank. The wolf took the bait, snapping at her as she passed. Sonja was faster and evaded his jaws and used the opportunity to make her own attack. She jumped against Savanak's white flank and slashed her claws into his flesh. Her teeth cut into the wolf's back. But the larger wolf whirled, shaking her off before her fangs could cause real damage. Sonja swiftly withdrew to the sidelines. Dark, red blood trickled down Savanak's white fur. He twisted back his head in frustration. The wound was placed just so that Savanak couldn't lick it.
Sonja had drawn first blood, and she could hear Lidda's excited cry, but Sonja was disappointed. She'd hoped to bite the wolf's spine, paralyzing it and ending the match quickly. Savanak was now wounded, angry and twice as dangerous. Saliva dripped from his pointed teeth. Sonja snarled at him from the sidelines, luring him forward, praying Savanak would commit a reckless act.
She hadn't lied when she said she'd killed winter wolves. Her parents waged guerilla wars against them on the stark tundra, separating them from their packs and slaying them without mercy. The young Sonja occasionally participated in these campaigns, and once or twice she was even allowed to make the death blow. But to tackle a winter wolf in battle alone? Her parents were stronger druids than Sonja was now, and a winter wolf was a difficult kill to make even for them.
Savanak thrust forward toward Sonja, tearing up the snowy ground as he went. He anticipated Sonja's dodge and met her with all his weight. But he hit an icy patch and his speed was so great that even the sure-footed beast of the tundra could not stop himself. Sonja lowered herself to the ground to snap at the tall wolf's legs as he skidded past, hoping to sever a tendon or cripple a joint. Instead, Savanak's massive paw caught her hard in the face. Sonja tumbled away, and the winter wolf plowed through the pack members lining the sides.
"Keep the lines," Sonja barked to the surrounding wolves.
The winter wolf bounded back into the arena and the ring closed again.
All the while, Sonja planned. If she couldn't best the wolf in strength, she thought, she must find another way. She knew winter wolves were hotheaded. Perhaps she could drive him to a reckless rage. A blow made in anger might be a careless blow. Sonja and Savanak kept to opposite ends of the arena, staring at each other across the snow, waiting for the other to charge.
She taunted Savanak in his own language: "What troubles you, Savanak? Can the mighty wolf not defeat the runt human? You are not a fit ruler for this wolf pack. The winter wolves of the Endless Glacier were mighty, noble foes. You are a short-furred lapdog next to them!"
"Human bitch!" Savanak roared. "I could shatter your skull with my jaws."
"Step forward and prove it!"
Sonja raced toward the middle of the arena, and Savanak sprang forward to meet her. The winter wolf swatted at her with its huge paw and caught the side of her neck. She landed on all fours and sprang again, but Savanak was ready for her. He caught the ruff of her neck in his teeth and bit into the loose flesh. The powerful creature swung his head, throwing Sonja, who seemed no heavier now than a child's doll, through the air. She landed hard in a splatter of blood.
Lidda shrieked from behind the ring of wolves, but Sonja barely heard it.
The wolf approached her slowly, not cautiously but brazenly, lording its power over her. Sonja turned her head to face it, and from her supine position she gave a defiant snarl. Savanak took a slow, deliberate step forward, jaws positioned to snap her neck. He closed in and Sonja could feel his frigid breath.
At the last second, Sonja pulled away and sprang into air, sailing clear over Savanak. Drawing on her last reserves of strength, she became a whirlwind of fur and teeth. She kicked up large amounts of snow until one entire side of the cleared space was lost in a white cloud.
Savanak reared and scanned for her through the haze. Even the enhanced senses of a winter wolf could not find her now.
"Do you think you can hide from me?" he asked with a soft growl before plunging headfirst into the snow. But he could not gauge the other side properly, and once again he disturbed the lines of the arena. Crouching in the settling snow, Sonja was reassured by the growls of warning that drove Savanak back into the arena. The pack would enforce the terms of the challenge. Alone, perhaps she could not defeat this winter wolf, but with help…
The cloud of snow she had kicked up was nearly gone. Sonja leaped out at Savanak, catching his flank with her claws and tearing a red line down his ribs. When Savanak turned to snap at her, she was gone again, taunting him from the far side of the arena. When he rushed toward her, she used her speed and maneuverability to hop away to the opposite side.
Both wolves were wounded and trailing blood across the snow when they leaped at each other. Both were tired and weakened. Anger rose in Savanak. Sonja could see the change in his eyes when she stared at him from across the arena. Again they traded sides, but the druid refused to get close enough to attack or be attacked. She was no longer trying to end the challenge at all but to drag it out.
"Craven human!" Savanak growled. "Fight me! Fight or yield." Sonja didn't return the taunts or respond in any way. She stared at him from across the arena.
Savanak's blood boiled. The winter wolf howled shrilly to the heavens. Summoning his energy, he sprang forward at Sonja with all the speed he could muster, teeth snapping, blue eyes flaming. Sonja pushed off the ground and only barely sailed clear of Savanak's mighty jaws before the juggernaut stumbled through the wolves forming the arena's outer lines.
One bold wolf, offended by Savanak's repeated violation of the confines of the challenge, offered a warning by nipping the winter wolf on his rump. This proved a bad idea. Savanak reared back instantly and crushed the wolf's skull with a clamp of his mighty jaws. Outraged at the needless slaying, another wolf jumped in for Savanak's throat, hut the winter wolf struck it in the chin with a paw. The force of that blow snapped the wolf's neck and flung the body backward into the pack. Other wolves stood their ground, jaws open, backs raised in anger, but Savanak ignored them. He turned his attention back to Sonja, who stood at the center of the arena, a lupine approximation of a smile crossing her snout.
"The lines must not be disturbed, Savanak," she reminded him.
Rage blinded the winter wolf and all reason left him. He reared back, mouth opened wide. A high-pitched sound emanated from Savanak's mouth, and a few cold, blue streamers began issuing forth. Instantly, the wolves on the sidelines broke ranks and rushed forward at their leader. The winter wolf's attack was cut short by a dozen wolves' slashing jaws tearing at his flesh. Savanak howled as they bore him down, tearing chunks of meat from his flanks and snapping at his neck to make the kill.
Sonja issued a single, sharp bark and all of the wolves stopped where they stood. Limp and bloodied herself, she struggled to her feet, then slowly transformed back to her human form.
Hennet, Regdar, and Lidda rushed to her side. She was bruised and cut, and she limped, but the glow of victory shone from her.
"You won, Sonja!" Lidda shouted. "You're the pack leader now!"
Hennet closed his arms around Sonja. She stiffened slightly as he touched a delicate spot.
"Thank all the gods you survived," he said. "I thought I'd never see you again."
"How did it work?" asked Regdar. "Just because the winter wolf was about to use its breath?"
"That was a clear violation of our conditions," Sonja explained. "It didn't hurt that Savanak kept breaking the enclosing lines, too. I won by default. Not the most glorious way to win a challenge, but it did work."