Eddie
Josephine's scream awoke Tagus to the harsh reality that he wasn't only fending for himself, surrounded by the callused feet of vicious and evil men. He found the strength to go after his charge and protect her at the nick of time, though the strain over his body was great and bruises and scratches permeated his skin. There were trickles of blood running from the corner of his lip, scratches from nails and, of course, the more serious gashes on his shoulder and front of his torso. It didn't deter him, not when adrenaline was running high in his body and the one thing in his mind was the survival of his friends. Speaking of friends in the plural sense, he also thought of Amaryllis.

However, to get to Amaryllis, he had to go through the tower of a man that stood before him. He turned to face the threat in the same time that he swung his massive blade and cut two other wolfmen. The whimpered and choked on their own blood from the tidal rise of red up their esophagus, falling limp on the ground, either with their bodies half torn or completely butchered. That only turned the alpha of that small band on further as he grinned wide and with ecstasy, drawing his blade eagerly. Tagus grit his teeth, he sneered and attacked with a bull charge followed by a mighty swing, but the alpha warrior blocked it with relative ease and pushed him off, forcing the boy a couple of steps back.

"Outta my way!!" The knight roared.

"Make me, puppy!!"

He was out of time and place, for Amaryllis desperately needed his help. Josephine managed to stand, though her body was shaking from the awful premise of rape that could have happened had her right hand not cut through heir enemies. She crawled to her sword, her trusty rapier, and tried to circumvent the two fighters as they went to exchange powerful blows. Tagus put his life on the line behind that single and massive strike onward, both hands gripping the hilt of his sword as it cut through the atmosphere with a loud and grave sizzling sound.

Years ago, when he first joined the household of the Merovingian family, there he was, a toddler choosing a sword much larger and heavier than he could hold properly. Clovis asked him why he chose that weapon and he answered.

"To fight the big monsters in Josephine's dreams!"

The wicked blade of the alpha snapped in two and a cut of the edge of Tagus' sword appeared on the bridge of his nose. The wolfman growled and first thought of revenge, but then everything changed.

On the rooftop, the barbarians laughed at the pitchfork wielding girl. They wanted to surround the feisty girl and go at her, eager to eat her in more ways than one. However, as they approached, something traveled through the air and, when the girls least expected it, a knife carved itself on the side of one's skull and a hand covered Josephine's mouth on ground level.

"Do not scream, my Lady."

Roderick! Hausel appeared running next to him, armored only on his torso to have great and fluid movement with his limbs. He climbed up the walls of the barn with Rolf following quickly behind him. The other knights joined as they cut a path through the band of raiding wolfmen.
Frankie
Amaryllis was backed into a corner, gripping the pitchfork tightly in her hands. So tightly that her knuckles were white. She was reminded of her encounter with the shifter some months before, when she had squared off with it, pitchfork in hand. Hopefully this ended better than that...

Before the wolfmen could reach her, a knife sank deep into the skull of one of them and it fell, landing with a sickening thud on the earth far below. They turned to look to see where their attacker was, and collectively, the pack let out a venomous growl that made Amaryllis tremble to their core. Yet, the wolfmen knew that they had their prey in hand and it would take a bit for the knights to mount the walls.

They seized the opportunity and converged on Amaryllis en masse. She screamed and fought, lashing out with the pitchfork. It lodged in the chest of one of the wolfmen and he fell to the earth, but as she was wrenching it from his body, one of the wolfmen grabbed the pitchfork from her and clocked her alongside the head with the wooden handle. Instantly, she saw stars and her knees went weak. 

Dazed and disoriented, she couldn't see what was going on. The pack split up into two groups. One to attack the knights that were coming to rescue Amaryllis, while the others snatched her. They groped her and toyed with her for a moment, then proceeded to leap from the barn. One leaped with her in his arms, and Amaryllis screamed as they plummeted towards the earth. They survived the fall, as the wolfmen were light on their feet and incredibly strong. Poor Amaryllis was too out of it to fight any longer, and the wolfmen took advantage of that as they started to take her away, eager to enjoy their prey.
Eddie
Josephine saw with her eyes wide in horror as Amaryllis was taken away. She tried to struggle and spring free from the Knight Commander's grasp, but he kept his grip true and whispered in her ear for her to keep her composure. It felt like she was powerless then and that the knight was making her watch her friend be whisked away by savages, but the truth was far from it. There was more than met the eye. Even though Hausel and Rolf were pinned by the wolfmen that waited for them on the roof of the barn, the barbarians that took Amaryllis didn't have brains to figure what hit them next. No, for one of those brains was splattered and the skull fragmented in such a brutal way that no one else could have done that but the mighty Howitzer. Bearded axe held by two large hands, it cracked the bone and made mush of the vital organ of one of the wolves. From his towering figure appeared Maverick, sword in hand and body hurling fast to tackle the man holding Amaryllis down, followed by a quick thrust to the gut of another.

"No mercy!" Howitzer roared, swinging his axe wildly with fast turns of his center mass to bring more than the strength of his arms, but the weight of his hulking body to smash the flesh and bone of his enemies.

"Surrender!"

Tagus tried to reason with the alpha, but the latter ignored the command and went for a weapon lying on the ground. The knight did not hesitate. He charged with his two-handed sword and swung from bottom left to top right, breaking through the guard of the wolfman just as the end of his blade's length carved a dreadful gash in the alpha's face, putting an end to his bestial life. Blood was on Tagus' face. It was his own mixed with the splatters of his enemies. There were bodies brutally mangled by his rage. When he glanced at Josephine and Roderick, his angry frown was reduced to a hopeful sigh. He didn't stop though, for his comrades needed help in taking out the remnants of the band that attacked Midde.

Hausel and Rolf might have had a committee waiting for them, but their skills were nothing to be compared to the savages. Rolf used his prowess with blades to carve deep lacerating wounds that brought his enemies to their knees, just like Hausel used his sword to end the fallen and the hesitant cowards that turned their backs on the last second, a failed attempt to flee for the knight showed no mercy.

A barbarian tried to flank Maverick as he dealt with another, but the former lost his footing, consequence of the sword of Tagus being swung at the knees. He screamed of pain, legless and gutless, before the nape of his neck was pierced by the large blade. Maverick nodded at Tagus and the two, alongside Howitzer, destroyed those who tried to take Amaryllis. Their pieces were on the ground, blood forming rivers all around.
Frankie
The wet sound of spattering blood and tearing flesh filled the air around her, and warm blood and brain matter soon spattered Amaryllis' face and body. She was soaked, and the once-white shift that hung by threads to her body was now stained red. She was lucky that none of that blood was her own. The hands, if they could be called that, that were holding her loosened their grip and fell away as her captors were slaughtered. 

Yet, now, Amaryllis found that she didn't know where to run. She felt that she needed to be out of the way, where she wouldn't be captured again. She didn't need these poor men to constantly have to rescue her, and quite frankly, she couldn't count on getting lucky three times in one night. No, she needed to be out of the way and safely behind someone.

Tears of relief filled her eyes as she looked up at Howitzer, Rolf, and Hausel. She could have kissed them! She had hoped and prayed, if it could be called that, that the knights were alive. Never in a million years could she have expected their arrival and their rescue. Once more, she owed them her life.

Quickly, she got out of their way and scurried behind them like a frightened rabbit, deciding that they could protect her. Once more, she was unarmed, but with the huge knot on the side of her head from getting clocked with the pitchfork handle, she was in no shape to fight anyway. She then looked around, desperate to see if Josie was okay. She breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she saw her. She was alive! And so was Tagus! Quickly, Amaryllis went to her friend's side and wormed her way in between the Commander's grasp to hug her friend as she burst into tears. They weren't entirely safe, at least not yet, but the worst of the danger had passed.
Eddie
It never crossed the knights that Amaryllis owed them a debt of gratitude. They were doing their duty and it was far from them to ever think she could repay them. No, all that mattered was to protect Josephine and her friend, and to help Tagus in doing so. In the eyes of the Knight Commander, the boy had excelled in his service, painting his face full of pride with a gleam of approval in his eyes.

Lord Roderick released Josephine and let the noble reunite with her friend in a fit of tears that both drenched each other in. Blood and guts be damned that made the atmosphere smell of rot. Josephine was more than happy to have Amaryllis squeezing her lithe frame and she replied with a strong hug herself. Surrounded by her staunch protector, she let go of her worries and just showed her affection for the shepherdess. If she had been taken, Josephine wouldn't forgive herself. She wouldn't let go.

Meanwhile, her guardians saved who could be saved in the inferno and raid. Tagus among them.
Frankie
Amaryllis clung to her young friend, wrapping her arms around her and holding her tightly against her, as if she would never let go again; as if she could somehow protect Josie from the whole world. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed quietly, shaking from their ordeal and the terribleness of it all. The world around them was forgotten, for the moment, as she welcomed the warm embrace of her young friend and wept. For now, they were safe, with the Knight Commander there and knights defending the city. 

"I'm sorry," She sobbed quietly. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you... I'm sorry... I'm sorry I led us to the stable and got us into this mess..." The poor woman was a wreck, deeply upset at the thought that she had been partially to blame for all of this.
Eddie
Josephine could feel the despair in her friend's voice, the sorrow and the grief of making the wrong turn down life avenue with a hint of bitterness in her mouth. The girl wished she could take all that pain away, both physical and emotional. She wished she could turn back time and be stronger to keep the wolfmen away and the images of their faces full of desire, the touch that pierced deeper than any blade. Josephine felt violated even if their intentions didn't go through. She was so glad her knights had come, like a fairy tale come true to rescue the damsel in distress. It felt just like a story straight from the book of lore from Camira her father showed her years ago.

The girl gripped her friend's shoulders tightly and then cupped her cheeks with soft hands, a bit callused from her wield of the rapier and more domestic affairs, yet hard below the slender fingers. It was a warm touch.

"Don't say that! Don't say that! You did nothing wrong! Don't leave me. Don't ever leave my side, Ryllis! I feared so much for you!!"

Dawn came with a glint of hope in the air. The barbarians were slaughtered to the last man, their fear for something far greater than them making them fight to the last of their numbers. It was in no way a horde, perhaps a forward warband. And Roderick knew of this. He was delayed because he and his men saw something far worse. He approached the lady after a series of commands issued to the knights and the few militia that survived.

"My lady, we must leave as soon as possible." He said with a grave tone. "There is something far worse coming. We must reach the Witherlands before it catches up with us." The pronoun game was to keep her worries limited.
Frankie
Amaryllis stayed close to Josie after that, finding solace in the company of her friend. It still amazed her that a night that had been so wonderful could turn so terrible in mere hours. She wanted to comfort Josie as much as she could too, for she felt that Josie likely needed companionship right now, just as much as she herself did. Indeed, both of them had been through a bad ordeal. It could have been far worse, but they had been so close to... The very thought shook her to her core, and she did her best to push such thoughts away. She hoped nothing like it ever happened again. It would haunt her for some time though. The events that had happened, her decisions... Would they have been better off if they hadn't gone towards the stable? Should she have run like she did? Did it even help to lure the wolfmen away? She didn't know, and that haunted her more than any ghost.

When the Commander came to Josephine with his news, Amaryllis was at her side still, and the tone in his voice sent shivers down the shepherdess' spine. Something worse was coming... That could only mean that more barbarians were on their way, and the few survivors here in Middle would be slaughtered later... They had been given only a brief stay of execution. He didn't have to say that it was the wolfmen, but somehow, she knew. This had been just a small hunting party. But Amaryllis didn't ask any questions about what would happen to the city of Middle, nor did she say anything about her suspicions. Right now, Josephine and her party needed to leave.
Eddie
Tagus, Josephine and Amaryllis
Town of Midde, Northwind

It was good enough that they were all given a moment's respite to think about what ifs, but why dawdle? Hausel was having fun pushing the dead off the barn with his feet. He climbed down to jump near the ground and land on his feet, walking to the corpses and fixing them from litter to pile. Rolf made another. Howitzer saw very few wolfmen who managed to escape back to the hills. Some towards the east, others south. The latter, cubs for the slaughter by their wicked chieftain, a scion of the Skorn.

Some of the knights who journeyed with Roderick to Midde knew, just like their Knight Commander, that if some scouts were fearless then, the main horde could very well be unbreakable from the fear of Skorn's presence, their leader. A sword was held as high as a shield toward the man in front, just in case he wanted to run back to the lines. A true wolfman chopped the limbs off cowards.

Tagus appeared worse than wear by their side soon enough. Things were changing fast just like they had started. The people wouldn't stay in a broken home, not the majority at least. The die hards stood behind with nothings in their hands. The others had not a one thing to spare. Except for the knights. They sent their farewells to brave men and women, where others might call them stupid. But who's to know the life of a being that always lived there? How could they abandon their home? Some elders stayed behind. They wouldn't wait for the wolfmen to come. Others scattered with different caravans thrown into the wild, lawless world of Northwind. The majority hoped to journey to Ibethiel or Taemar. Those that wanted to go south were warned of the danger. The knights were reliable in their word, such was the tale, and Roderick lived up to high expectations. He also broke Tagus from a word with Josephine.

"Tagus, follow me to the doctor."

Roderick guided Tagus to a middle aged man tending the wounded in one of the buildings. The sun helped save what little there was with a light to shine on their heads.

Josephine sulked in the end of her cry. Ever since crossing the wolfmen, everything became a ride to the worst. Josephine knew it wouldn't be a pleasant cruise, but in the back of her head was the bug of hope itching.

"Ryllis, I'm sorry to ask you now, my friend. But do you know of any stable to the north of Midde?"

She was not thinking about moving out, she already wanted to be faster. To finish this journey, to go to her supposed coming of age and become whatever it means to society. She didn't care about the end, but the middle was so frightening. The story that was unfolding had a grim taste in her throat. Gulping didn't handle it.
Frankie
Tagus, Josephine and Amaryllis
Town of Midde, Northwind

Amaryllis watched for a few moments as the survivors of Middle made their decisions. Some would leave; some would stay. The decision had been left up to them either way, but she hoped that those that intended to stay would change their minds. There was nothing left for them here...

It seemed that Josie and her knights would spend one more night here before moving on. This was probably for the better, as Tagus was certainly in need of medical attention. With that thought in mind, Amaryllis turned to look at her young friend and gave her a gentle smile as she said, "Let's see if we can clean up a bit and get some rest. It's going to be a long journey... And I need to find something else to wear." She was still in the tattered cotton shift, the rest of her clothing having been lost and burned in the tavern fire. Granted, most of the buildings in Middle had been burnt to the ground, so the odds of her finding another dress were rather slim. Still, she needed something else to wear, as the shift was stained with blood and nearly exposed her chest with as little of it was left, due to the ravenous attack of the wolfmen.

Truth was, she didn't want to let Josie out of her sight. Not right now. She needed the comfort of her friend now more than ever, and she would never forgive herself if something happened to Josie because she wasn't present... Or because she was present. Basically, she simply wouldn't forgive herself if Josie was hurt at all.