inner peace

Aryn shifted below him to look at something, and Eligos turned to, just as the fog swirled and a form coalesced into something like a ghostly canine. It advanced, slowly at first, and then, it charged forward into a sudden leap towards them. Knowing he couldn't leap aside without exposing Aryn, Eligos braced himself to take the impact... but just before it would have hit him it suddenly vanished. He felt only the cool caress of mist-laden wind. He nearly reeled at the sudden shock of no impact at all, but he gave a convulsive shudder to shake it off. Where did it go? He doubted it was just gone - more likely toying with them until he was off guard. Well, they didn't need to stick around with a target on their backs. The trails out of the clearing were too narrow for them to travel side by side and they would be exposed, strung in a line. "That is our cue to retreat, Miss Valentine," he said politely, stepping off of her before whirling nose to nose with her and, far more rudely than his words, scooped his head under her chest between her forelegs and half-heaved, half-slid her onto his back facing his hips. "Keep watch for any trouble coming up behind us," he told her grimly. "And hold on tight." With that he sprang forward onto the likeliest path, trusting that the smaller woman could hold on despute the tug of brush and moss as the dire sized wolf pushed his way through them.