"Wings of Winter": Snippet at 123K

Stewart moaned in his sleep. The sharp fingers of a tree root pressed into his back and he turned, trying to find his way back to a dreamless rest. His horse screamed, thrashing in the tangled thicket and Stewart startled to full alert. He scrambled to his feet and grasped his stolen sword, willing his eyes to adjust to the darkness. An enormous wolf stood menacing his horse. It stayed unnaturally still as the horse reared and bucked, trying to free itself from the dead limbs and storm fall that held it captive. Stewart heard his own breath, loud and ragged in the dense silence. He gripped the sword with slippery hands.