Dragoncrest Cliffs Deep End

The name was like icemelt in Njord’s veins. Suddenly the man wondered if, by telling Quennell that tale, he had created a self-fulfilling prophecy.

No, he thought. Or maybe just didn’t want to believe it.

Maybe it was the only thing that had saved the boys. Enough fear had been sowed in Quennell’s heart to rev his ‘flight’ response into fifth gear. If they had hesitated a second longer, both would have been turned to hamburger by the beast’s talons.

And it sounded like the bear had pursued them. The fear in Njord’s chest made his heart shrivel in response. Wolfkiller. It was still out there, somewhere…

A shadow casts itself across his face. The look of a father deep in thought.

“Ah ken it son,” he agreed. Njord knew that nothing, in Swordfish’ short life, could hold a candle to the monstrosity he had witnessed..

“T’was a tale I told Quennell. Shardik was tha name of a bear who attacked Sapphique before ye were born. Before I met yer mother, even.” The words came out slowly. Maybe it was an instinct to protect his brood from all things terrible. Even stories.

“He’s tha reason for tha graves on our cliffs. He took many lives that day. Tha pack managed tae fell ‘im an’ we never thought tha day would come when we’d see tha likes of that evil again.” Swordfish knew how close he had come to death and Njord knew it too.

He put a gentle paw on his son’s shoulder, but his grip was firm. A father who would never let go.