He was bearing down with everything he had, focused only on the grip. Even as pain continued to radiate from his shoulder, he didn’t waver, didn’t care even if this would be the end of him, as long as he took the Cove wolf with him.

And once again, his perseverance rewarded him! The larger opponent let go first, pulling away spinelessly, but Vasco held firm. Even as his enemy pulled against his grip, he only tightened it, feeling an almost euphoric thrill as the leg gave way under his strength – first the shoulder and then the bone – though the blood loss might also have something to do with his increasing wooziness. In fact, he soon found himself unable to hold on anymore, weakness spreading quickly through his body.

The other wolf pulled free at last, and Vasco’s head dropped to the ground, eyes swimming. The ground appeared to sway rapidly back and forth before his eyes, his fleeing victim quickly drifting out of focus. Vasco snarled, but it was a faint, breathy sound, and as he fought to get back to his legs, he couldn’t get his body to comply. Pulse beating loudly in his ears, he made a last, desperate attempt to chase after the boy, but only made it halfway to his feet before collapsing.

Darkness enveloped him, a shiver running through him as he grew suddenly cold. He could no longer hear his pulse, even his injured shoulder seeming to freeze as the blood stilled. His teeth chattered, eyes blinking as he fought for one more moment against unconsciousness; I need to get home… But there was no more energy left to do so, all he could do was sleep.

Thoughts ”Speech”