The man was running, scared. The full moon glowing between the top of the trees was enough to light up his path, but also created frightening shadows all around him. The oppressive heat only intensified the sensation of being hunted, and each gust of hot wind gave him the creeps, feeling like those creatures breath on the back of his neck. A long howl sounded close, and he hid behind a tree, panting.
“Damn wolves…”
He grabbed the sword’s hilt but dared not unsheathing it, fearing that the sound of the blade sliding out of the scabbard would be heard. How much he desired to have his bow back! But what was the point? He had used all of his arrows during the escape, every time one of those animals had come too close to him. If at least he hadn’t lost his mount…
He tried to look around the tree, but came back immediately; one wolf was dangerously close, smelling. The same that had been following him since he got lost of his partners; he recognized it by its left ear, hurt by the first of his arrows. The wound still bled, and the animal seemed thirsty for revenge.
He knew something was off. It wasn’t normal for those creatures to hunt humans like that. It was like they were being led by some sort of evil power, inciting them to claim back the woods, occupied by the bandits since the local lord’s patrols claimed domain over the open fields. More than a story about a demon leading the wolves had spread amongst the mercenaries, and that soldier seemed more and more convinced that it was true.
Suddenly, his mouth was covered by a firm hand, as another held his sword into the sheath. He widened his eyes in despair, but sighed in relief when he recognized the other man.
“Boss! What are you doing here?”, he whispered as low as possible.
The man with hard traits ignored the question and spied on the wolf that approached slowly, starting the find his man’s smell. “Come closer”, he thought. The wind was blowing toward them, and the beast wouldn’t nose him out until it was too late. He prepared an arrow on his bow as the soldier stood behind him, his hand over the sword’s hilt.
But, suddenly, a humanoid shade landed nimbly next to the wolf and ducked, caressing its head as he would do to a domesticated dog.
“What happened to your ear, pal?”, the mysterious figure asked, and the humans heard the animal respond with a yelp. “An arrow? Don’t worry, it’ll heal. What?” The wolf started smelling again. “Did you catch something?
“It’s him, boss! The demon!”
“Shut up!” The bandit leader gritted his teeth, angry. Could the rumors be true? If they were, it would be dangerous to remain in that forest. The men were already scared, and soon they’d become easy prey for those animals and for the patrols that hunted them.
All of a sudden, the wind’s direction changed, and the wolf raised its nose to the air.
“Yeah, I felt it too, partner”, the demon said, loud enough to be heard. “Two of them, right behind that tree.”
Before the leader could do anything, his soldier ran way in despair. The boss came out of the tree’s cover and released the arrow, hitting the ground right in front of the wolf, and retreated too. The animal started a pursuit, but was stopped by the demon.
“Calm down, pal, let them go. Soon, they’ll abandon your territory.”
