Storm Over Warlock · Chapter
VI: The Hound explained
Shann regains consciousness after a Throg attack, finding himself and Thorvald trapped in a mountain crevice.
What happens
Shann regains consciousness after a Throg attack, finding himself and Thorvald trapped in a mountain crevice. With the wolverines Taggi and Togi, they discover a tunnel and attempt to escape. They later set a trap for a Throg hound using vines and poles, successfully capturing it as the wolverines join the fray.
Themes in this chapter
Survival Against Overwhelming Odds
Shann and Thorvald, blinded and injured, must navigate a hostile environment and evade Throg hunters, relying on ingenuity and teamwork.
Human-Animal Bond
The wolverines Taggi and Togi assist Shann and Thorvald, responding to commands and attacking the Throg hound, highlighting their loyalty and partnership.
Characters to notice
- Shann Lantee
Regains consciousness after being blinded by a Throg energy blast, takes charge of the escape, and helps set a trap for the Throg hound.
- Ragnar Thorvald
Also blinded temporarily, follows Shann's lead, constructs the trap for the Throg hound, and shows a rare moment of camaraderie.
- Taggi
The overexcited wolverine responds to Shann's call, explores the tunnel, and attacks the trapped Throg hound.
- Togi
Nudges Shann for attention, follows Taggi into the tunnel, and joins in the attack on the Throg hound.
- Throgs
Their ship attacks the Terrans with an energy bolt, disabling rather than killing, and they are implied to be hunting the fugitives.
Key passages
“against him was almost enough to pin him once more to the wall, a painful crush on his aching ribs, as the wolverine responded to his name.”
Taggi's push nearly pinned Shann against the wall, aggravating his injured ribs.
Shann's physical state and the wolverine's presence are emphasized.
“A Throg ship! Then that fiery lash which had cut after them could only have resulted from one of those energy bolts such as had wiped out the others of his kind at the camp.”
Shann realizes the Throg ship fired an energy bolt similar to the one that killed his campmates.
Connects the current attack to the earlier massacre.
“We can’t knock it out, any more than we can knock out a Throg. But a beam from a stunner ought to slow it up long enough for this to work.”
Thorvald explains that the stunner will temporarily incapacitate the Throg hound, allowing their trap to succeed.
Strategy for dealing with the alien creature.