I rolled and pushed myself up. The wolf let out a growl that rumbled in my ears, followed by whimpering as it yelped.

My eyes snapped to the slowly retreating wolf. Its coat stood up with its teeth bared. Across its snout, large red lines stained its fur.

Fat red droplets splashed against the forest floor.

My shadow wolf circled the bigger beast, its fur a near imitation, with its hackles raised.

"Grrrrrgh…"

Devon watched passively as the two wolves circled each other. He cocked his head and turned to me. "I suggest you finish it. There will be more."

I glared daggers.

That thing could have killed me! Don't just stand there looking bored!

I let out a growl and picked up my axe. The wolf made a passing swipe, but my summon partially sunk into the ground. Claws passed through shadows. A streak of black blurred through the air, and a splatter of crimson coated the nearby tree.

Ok. Focus. Step in. You can heal now. Just help; your wolf can handle this.

I gritted my teeth and froze. My legs felt like granite. My mental screams did nothing as my limbs betrayed me.

The wolf lunged again, and my summon tried to dodge, but it must have learned its lesson and snapped its teeth at the same time as it swiped its claws.

A sharp command pulled my attention.

"I hear more beasts. Move, Cain,"

Iron weighed my arms, but I pushed through. The wolf had backed off, and my shadow wolf regarded it warily. I stepped in as my wolf jumped to the side.

My arm swung forward, meeting fur and claw, the blade pushing into its skin. I felt my arm rock with the impact but swung again in a frantic attempt to inflict a lethal blow.

The swing missed, and the wolf sunk its fangs into the space between my pointer finger and thumb.

"Aaagh!"

It dashed to my right, and I turned to track it. Its claws flashed again, and I launched my boot into its paw. I chopped at its leg, biting into its fur, but I slipped. Dull yellow canines overtook my vision, and I screamed.

Before the jaws could rip off my face, something crashed into the wolf's side, and a loud yelp bounced between my ears. I tracked the blur of the two wolves rolling on the ground. Each snarl and growl came with a sharp pinch.

My summon howled in pain and brought red to my eyes.

I rushed forward, my legs tensing with each step. I waited until the wolf kicked my summon away, its legs launching the magical beast against a tree. My feet pushed off the ground, and I raised my axe.

The wolf turned and scrambled to get to its feet, but my weapon came down first and sank into its chest. A sickening crunch of bone met my momentum, and then I felt the blade sink deeper into the softer meat behind it.

"Aw-ooh"

The wolf's cry made me freeze. A heavy paw slammed into my thigh, knocking me backwards. I fell but kept my eyes glued to the gushing blood pouring out of the wolf's chest. It struggled, writhing on the ground.

"Finish it! Don't let the beast suffer!"

I snapped to Devon. His eyes were furious, and he pointed to the wolf. "Finish it. We do not torture our prey."

"I-I… do-"

My jaw slammed shut as we both looked to where the struggling body of the wolf twitched and then dropped dead. Two pools of swirling darkness looked up with crimson dripping down its maw. Shadow teeth tore away from the wolf's broken neck, bits of fur and blood trailing the motion.

"I…"

Devon sighed. "Stop. Reflect on this later. Are you injured?"

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

I frowned and patted myself. I tried to use my thumb only to realize it struggled to respond. Blood continued to drip onto a fallen leaf, the red melding into the dark purple as the shadows blanketed the area.

"Do I need to burn this?" I asked blankly. "I don't know if I can without bleeding more blood."

"Don't worry about it. Focus on the surroundings for now. Grab your axe. Don't let go unless you have to."

"Alright."

I approached the fresh corpse. Despite watching it die, I waited, hesitant.

It can't breathe. It's dead.

I wiped the blood against my shirt, ignoring the flaring pain from my palm.

My summon cocked its head and rubbed against my leg. It looked back, and I struggled to smile as the final strands of fur stuck between its teeth floated to the ground.

"Thank you. I'm sorry you got hurt."

"Wulf!"

I smirked and stepped next to the corpse. My boots sunk into the pool of bloody mud, but I ignored it. My hand hurt too much to use it, so I could only use one arm. Devon did something to the side, and I shook my head.

Using my foot, I gripped the handle of my axe and pulled upward, leveraging the axehead out of the wolf's chest. It came away with a wet schthlick, and I stumbled forward, pushing my foot deeper into the wolf's belly. Blood gushed out, and I nearly threw up.

Wanting to escape the corpse, I turned and moved to Devon's side. He glanced my way but returned to watching something in the distance. I didn't dare ask another question. I doubted I could keep my voice from shaking.

"To our left, past the tree with the double trunks. It's hiding behind the bush; watch for it. If it comes closer, tell me."

I nodded and turned. The tree with two trunks stood out amongst the others, and as he described, a large bush blocked the view to its right. I squinted but couldn't make out the eyes or body of any beast or critter.

My summon padded over and licked my arm. It sunk into my shadows, and I felt a strange relief settle in my chest.

No, you know why. It protected you, its protection. You feel safer.

I did feel safer. I wouldn't have a face if it hadn't knocked the wolf away. That thought chilled me to my core, and I grabbed my cloak.

For the first time in a while, I felt the cloak shift, and the fabric tightened around my shoulders. The tattered ends brushed again, my pantleg stained with blood, but whatever magic it held within its strings forced the blood to slide off.

Another thing that protects me.

I looked to Devon's shoulders, his body relaxed despite the creepy surroundings.

You're safe. Calm down.

Movement near the bush brought my attention back into focus, and I stared at the foliage. Not a single leaf moved, the forest lacking the winds that flowed outside the tree line. I kept scanning. I knew I saw movement.

It took a second, but I spotted it again, creeping in from behind a trunk five feet closer.

"It moved. Three trees closer," I said.

"Good. Keep watching."

I didn't know what Devon was waiting for, but I did as ordered. We remained motionless for what felt like an eternity, watching the creature leap agilely from one tree to the next. Not once did I manage to get a clear view of the thing's form. All I could make out besides the quick blur of movement was the size.

The creature, monster, or whatever it was, looked small, smaller than the wolf. It barely reached higher than two feet, but it kept to the shadows, using the trunks as a shield. When it moved, I informed Devon. He would nod, and then I resumed my tracking.

Rinse and repeat. I began to sweat. If the thing came at me, the odds of me reacting in time were next to nothing. I'd be relying on my shadow wolf, my physical capabilities too slow to keep up.

"It's behind that tree. Ten feet to the left. Devon, what are we waiting for?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he reached behind his back and unfastened the strap, releasing his spear from its holster. I hadn't noticed before, as the leather holster concealed the shaft, but what I had thought was smooth white wood turned out to be bone. The pores had been sanded down, giving it a polished appearance, but the butt of the spear had two bumps resembling the head of a femur.

What kind of creature has a femur this long?

I didn't know if I truly wanted an answer to that question.

Devon slammed the butt of his spear into the ground. The shaft sank into the loam by several inches. When he let go, the spear remained upright, the bladed end pointing to the sky. "You can come out. Hiding will only delay the inevitable."

I looked to the spot where the creature last moved. Silence met Devon's words, and I rolled my wrist, feeling the weight of the axehead as it moved.

Devon turned in place and crossed his arms. "If you don't, I'll sniff you out. And when I find you, I won't be willing to talk."

He stared and waited. More silence followed. He cracked his neck and reached for his spear, but a low hiss stopped him.

"Hunter…"

The voice crawled down my spine with its low, guttural warble. It was as if a little girl was speaking through a cheap microphone.

"What need? You murder. Thrall," came the voice.

Each syllable crawled up my skin and nestled into my ear. Despite my discomfort, Devon remained stoic, his body a statue in the night.

"You attacked us unprovoked. We were within our rights to slay the beast," he answered.

"ENTERED MY FOREST! TRESPASSER! TRESPASSER!"

I covered my ears, the sound reaching a shrill pitch. Something clawed at the trunk in front of us, creating a sound of splintering wood. Beyond the scratching, a thump, thump, thump beat a steady staccato.

"These are not your woods."

"Lies! Mine! Mine! My woods!" the creature shrieked.

"You are but one of many." Devon reached for his spear. "A child cannot claim the seat of an ancient."

"Stop! No!"

Devon stopped and pointed to the tree the creature hid behind. "Enough games. Reveal yourself."

"No! Trespassers. Killers. Murderers."

Devon waited, his fingers nearly touching his spear. Then, the thumping stopped. The scratching sounds faded away, leaving only a low hiss.

"Fine. I reveal. Talk, then go away!"

"I make no promises."

The thing growled, an angry, low sound. Another thump. Silence.

There was movement, and I heard a final long, slow scratch.

"Hunters!"