Stephen was doing lots of magic, though Michelle had no idea what--until glowing barriers appeared around the animals, expanding to drive the hounds back. Also some grass, dirt, and and stones--the wards were not particularly picky.
She moved closer, dispatching the hounds with quick thrusts or slices. Again she was surprised by how easily they fell to her blade. She'd beheaded a number of goats and other farm animals in her time when it came time to slaughter them, and she'd initially been surprised at how easy it was unless she hit a vertebra. But even so, the sense of cutting through solid flesh was unmistakable.
Not so for these things. They looked half-rotted, and they might well be, for all she knew. She hated to think how noxious their bites might be. Her ankle had healed already, and she was glad infection wasn't an issue for her. Good thing they had magical healing available for everyone, though.
No hounds remained within the fence line. Between her blade, Stephen's glowing facsimile, and portals used as guillotines, they had all perished. Others circled the fence warily, and more were racing to join them.
"I'm good," she said. She pointed at the oncoming hounds. "We could be here for quite a while, though." She wished they could portal the animals into the lighthouse, but there simply wasn't room for them, especially with most of the islanders already sheltering there.