A scream brought him awake with a start, he bolted upright drawing his blade on instinct alone, looking around to identify what was wrong. He seen it immediately the scream had come from his horse – but it was too late to do anything he watched the giant sabercat’s jaws close around the throat of his horse and bite down. The sabercat quickly shook its head to the side and Kadin hear a wet slurping sound as it ripped out a massive chunk of his horses throat. Blood sprayed over the cat, over the ground as the horses eyes rolled into the back of its head. Then his horse slowly fell to the side where it began to violently thrash the ground as it blood was being pumped out of its body onto the barren surface of these plains.

Kadin leapt out from his tarp and as he was doing so he charged magical energy into his hands mainly air and a little earth, he threw out his hand and a bright blue bolt of lightning left his hands little arcs going between his fingers and up is wrist as five arcs, one from the point of each finger met in the middle of his hands and was blasted away from his body. The blue bolt hit the cat on its hind quarter, where it yelped and growled as its fur and the skin beneath blackened and scortched from the impact. The beast spun around quicker than Kadin would have expected and had crouched low to the ground growling and ready to pounce.

Kadin spread out his magical senses to feel around as he slowly began to circle the big cat, bit as he did so he felt two more closing in from the sides, but that was all as the cat pounced towards him its maw opening wide enough that it could crush his skull. Kadin dived to the, rolled and came back on one and one knee on the ground. He toughed the and wove a flow of air and water is a small circle around him, as the lines and symbols of his magical trap started to glow blue he pushed himself away in another roll as he felt another beast leap at his back. He had just gotten out of the blast range of his trap when it triggered a low blue flash and he felt a blast of cold whip at him as he landed and turned.

He saw the creature in his trap one of its front paws chilled and blue frost working its way up its leg, it gave off a low growl as it took a step back it as it tried to come to terms with its frozen leg – the trap had done a lot less damage than Kadin thought as it seemed to still have full use of its legs.

But he didn’t have time to dwell on it as to its left and right he saw two pairs of glowing yellow eyes approaching. Kadin scanned his environment to look for a more defensible position but it was rocky and barren in all directions.

‘Well if ice didn’t work we’ll try fire.’ Kadin thought to himself as he pulled out a small glass orb that had a reddish yellow liquid in it, he poured a little magic into it and then threw it at the feet of the 3 beasts in front of him, A blast of hot air whipped past Kadin this time as an explosion of yellow flame twisted and whirled. Two of the cats were out of its range having began to move around Kadin to attack from all sides, that one that did get hit was still growling its fur charred and blackened but again not much damage seemed to have been caused.

The two beasts that were flanking him charged in quickly so Kadin did something new he charged at the injured animal in front of him, the beast swiped at him with its first frozen now burnt paw with enough force that it would have cracked his ribs if he got hit. But timing his leap perfectly, the paw flew under him and as he moved forwards he pushed as much fire magic as he could into his demon sword in his right hand, his left arm landed on the cats neck and he used the momentum to twist himself around and as he did he used that momentum in a reverse grip thrust right at the beasts face. He was aiming to pierce its eye and stab into its brain but he was a little off, his blade hit the cat on the underside of its jaw where the bone deflected his thrust down, but as it moved down and still forwards he caught the side of its neck – where is blade easily tore through the soft tissue and his flare attach also blasted out and tore most of the creatures neck away doing to it, what it had done to his horse. The flame had charred the flash so there was no blood pumping from its wound.

Kadin kicked off it and landed on his feet a few steps behind it with the other two still further back. He watched in shock as the beast in front of him twisted round towards him again.

But this was just a reflex action as after it turned it slowly slumped to its side and fell dead.

‘One down two to go’ Kadin thought to himself again as another idea struck him he pulled one of his larger throwing knifes from his belt and charged it again with fire, as he was doing this he tried to circle the two remaining predators always trying to keep one in between him and the other, but the creatures caught on and started to move around him in opposite directions. once his knife was charged he threw it at the sabercat that was furthest away from him while charging again at the other. The one in front of him let out a primal roar and pounced forwards, unfortunately Kadin stumbled over some loose rocks on the ground but by the time he gained his balance it was too close and he knew he wouldn’t be able to get out the way in time, so he brought up his cloaked covered arm in front of him. He saw as if in slow motion as the cat lowered its paws going under his arm as its jaws widened and clamped down on his arm. A shocked blinding pain shot up his arm as he felt the bone in his arm brake,as the paws hit Kadins chest and knocked him down to the ground with the beast standing on him, the large front fangs of the sabercat had just missed piercing his arm and amazingly cloak held he could see where its jaws were clamping down see thousands to tiny rainbow waves came from there as the enchantments in his cloak were working at first there were little white waves but they changed to darker and darker rainbow colours as his cloaks defences failed.. All this happened in less than an instant and knowing he was about to lose an arm as the cat shook its head to the side, Kadin thrust his sword forwards again aiming for the beasts eye.

This time he felt only the slightest bit of resistance as the tip of his sword entered the cats right eye, the eye popped and the blade made its way forwards into the beasts brain until Kadin felt it scrap across the back of its skull. He could feel the beast tense up as his sword thrust into its brain and after the initial shock the animal crashed down against him pinning him to the ground.

The animal was huge and heavy, and with one of Kadin’s arms broken he was struggling to push the best off of him, he also heard a loud roar coming from close by the last cat coming for him. He channelled all the strength he could into his good arm and pushed… but the ting barely moved, as he tried again this time getting an idea and as he pushed with his hand he pushed himself with his legs to get out from under it he could only move a few inches at a time but as he pushed then kicked slowly making his way out he also franticly looked around as the remaining one was almost on him, his top half was almost out he pushed himself up to look and seen the last one near by ready to pounce. Kadin pushed then kicked. The beast pounced. Push then kick. Not enough time. His top half was out but the beast was there. Kadin made a desperate play – praying luck was on his side he drew then thrust out with his good hand.