Scottish Spirits

[Phoenix]

After the small explosion caused by his surging power, a cheer was heard nearby. The applause was like scratching nails on a chalkboard.

*Knowing Coyote, that damned trickster probably expected this.*

He took a wobbly knee to the soaked ground. A drop of blood fell from one of his nose nostrils. Just as the phoenix speculated, the vessel wasn't prepared to handle the onslaught of energy. The bleeding wouldn't stop seeping from the deep wounds. At the moment, this body couldn't mend a broken arm, let alone confront one of history's most destructive deities.

*I know when to pick my fights, but it can't happen today.*

Thankfully, the black, ashy fog didn't dissipate. It concealed their surroundings. Knowing Fenrir, he was out there, waiting and listening for any sounds made by him before charging again.

The flames from his hands extinguished, and the undeveloped wings became nothing but wisps. He has been in far worse situations, but this one was tricky.

That was when his intuition noticed another new presence close by. It multiplied into three individuals. The legendary creature identified exactly what had joined them. With dumb luck, Fenrir wouldn't have detected the additional entities. He'd have to bet on the odds that his opponent was too irrational to notice.

Tilting his neck while tuning into his senses, they were located in—

*The creek,* the phoenix faintly heard Hyeon's voice in his head, who could see everything from the shadows. Correct.

The phoenix made a plan. Shakily standing up, he hoped Hyeon's body was fast enough. There was only one shot.

His feet dug into the mud as he ran through the fading charcoal fog towards the creek, away from Fenrir. His wheezing breath from the internal wound was louder than the easing rain.

The wolf heard.

Giant paws splashed the soggy ground.

Hyeon broke through the wall of smoke. The field with the creek gliding in between the thin line of trees was within his grasp, but Fenrir's widened pace quickly closed the gap.

*Almost there!*

The wolf was right behind him. Only a few yards behind, Fenrir opened his jaws to tear apart Hyeon's legs. His steamy mouth still had bloody remnants of the previous attack.

Unexpectedly, the creek was no longer a gentle stream that could easily be jumped across. The flooding rain from the storm had turned it into a roaring river that required a bridge to access the other bank.

The phoenix did something that was not part of the plan.

He dove into the river.

_______________

[Hyeon]

Once submerged in the water, the icy shock made Hyeon's awareness return.

Suddenly coming back to the real world stunned Hyeon for a few seconds. The rapid river continued to tumble him around like clothes in a dryer. His fingers clawed through the pebbled gravel at the bottom but couldn't get a grip. Pieces of twigs and small rocks scraped against him.

He flailed until his head finally broke the surface. Hyeon gasped and received a mouthful of water instead. Dread set in when the waves kept washing over him.

Up ahead, a long, low tree branch was stretched out across the water. It would have to act as his safety buoy. If he missed the wooden limb, the river would soon dump him in the lake ahead. Hyeon wasn't confident he could swim to its shore.

Bracing himself, his body's momentum almost broke the branch. Adrenaline was the only thing giving him the ability to hold on to the slick branch with a death grip. Splinters embedded into his hands.

He couldn't do this much longer.

"Help. Anyone," Hyeon weakly cried.

When he looked up, Fenrir was casually walking along the bankside with relentless determination. It seemed the predator had followed him while being carried by the flood.

"Except you..."

Hyeon didn't know what his animal had hoped for. He was currently in a situation where Fenrir could play the Halloween game, bobbing for apples. Hyeon was the apple in the basin.

Fenrir was parallel to Hyeon. His golden eyes focused on its prey. He took his massive paw and cautiously stepped into the water, followed by a second paw. The thundering waves weren't powerful enough to topple him over.

*I have to let go.*

Before releasing his grip, something emerged next to Hyeon. Fenrir had noticed as well and growled in warning.

*Huh?*

Like alligators, Hyeon saw pairs of beady eyes peeking out from the surface.

Were these things here to eat him, too?

Apparently not. In a flurry, three horses sprung at the Norse deity. Two of them were black while the third was white, but they didn't look like normal equines. Their skin looked sickly and their long-haired, clumped manes resembled old seaweed.

When they materialized from the water, Fenrir tried to retreat. He must've known what they were. The horses were faster. When the two black ones touched him, their liquid flanks absorbed Fenrir's paws. Fenrir struggled to release his legs from the creatures, but they stuck like gluey tar. The white horse disintegrated into a jellyfish-like substance. It attached itself to the wolf's underbelly.

The sight made Hyeon confused beyond belief.

As quickly as they had leaped at Fenrir, they soared into the water with him in tow. A snarling Fenrir disappeared under the swelled creek. Bubbles floated to the top, which continued to pop downriver to the lake.

Hyeon's shivering and settling pain from his shoulder made him remember where he was. With the adrenaline wearing off, his numb fingers caused by the freezing water slipped off the branch. His eyes widened.

Right before his head re-submerged for good, there was a yank by his shirt collar. It dragged him and hoisted him up on the grass.

His eyesight was hazy. Was he was floating? It was difficult to comprehend where he was. A big, black blob stood over him and meowed. Two smaller blips approached, but Hyeon couldn't tell who was there.

*Master?*

"So that was your idea to salvage this mess you caused, Sani?! Using KELPIES?"

"Hey, just one has the strength of ten horses, and I trained them myself. Once you've touched a kelpie's skin, it's practically impossible to escape; even for a god. They made it much easier to apprehend Fenrir who should be in the lake's depths somewhere."

"And what about Hyeon? He's going to die in this state; anyone would!"

"He won't. It takes much, MUCH more to slay a phoenix. Unfortunately, his healing process slowed down temporarily. Hyeon has a bumpy ride in the next few days."

The other person sighed. "He's going to dispose of you when he comes to."

"Hyeon, even with phoenix blood, doesn't have the capabilities to kill me."

"No, not him. Master Fenrir. I wouldn't be surprised if he tore you apart and fed your entrails to some skinwalkers."

"Why do you have to mention skinwalkers? You know I'm not fond of—"

The rest of the conversation muffled out. What did they mean? So this all happened on purpose?

*You should concentrate on your condition,* his animal spirit recommended.

Hyeon agreed and welcomed the sleepy darkness. When he wakes up, someone was going to regret what happened today.