The forest was draped in an inky blackness, the only sound of the gentle rustling of leaves and the occasional hoot of an owl. Aiden snapped awake. He'd been sound asleep in his tent, enveloped by the cool night air inside of his bedroll.

Fully awake, he listened to the night sounds. Something had woken him. The forest sounds were subdued, and the area around the camp was missing a few of the smaller night animal noises. A feeling of dread and danger hung over Aiden as he held perfectly still, listening.

There was some bird noise, little peeps, chirps, and trills. Then the bird stopped, and a guttural sound came, reminding Aiden of some of the town dogs under the tables at the inn during dinner. The more he listened, the more he was sure it was some kind of dog trying to be quiet but insistently wanting to get a scrap or to investigate something.

The bird noises and dog noises continued back and forth. The bird sounded more and more annoyed when Aiden sat up with a shocked realization that the bird was the red bird they'd caught. And that meant the dog noises were from a wolf or coyote. Except that Aiden was sure there was only one, which didn't make sense, as those night hunters worked in packs and would never come into a campsite with fire and people in it unless they were extremely hungry.

The dog made a snuffling sneeze that was far too loud and came from just outside. Aiden hand found his hunting knife and he started slowly untangling himself from his blankets.

The bird made a surprised chirp and that was followed by the metallic clang of the birdcage hitting the ground that echoed through the night. Aiden tried to move faster struggling to get free of his blankets.

The bird's annoyed chirp filled the air loud and clear. A deep bark sent Aiden's mind racing and heightened his sense of dread. He kicked free of the cocoon of fabric, panic rising as he realized the canine source of the disturbance was attacking the bird.

Aiden burst out of his tent, knife held ready, only to stop and suck in a deep gasp at the scene.

In the dim light, a massive black wolf stood by the working table, one large paw resting on the place where the bird cage had sat. The wolf's head was looking over the top of the table to the far side where the bird cage lay on its side the red bird standing in the middle flapping its wings and chirping madly.

Aiden could almost laugh as the bird looked exactly like his father did when he had just made a massive mistake. It jumped back and forth, squawking out a series of notes that hinted at a loud tirade of cursing.

The wolf growled something and stepped back from the table. Its inky black fur absorbed the moonlight, and its glowing blue eyes were fixed on the squawking bird inside. It leaned back, getting ready to pounce.

Aiden let out a loud challenge and rushed at the wolf to stop it from attacking the caged bird. Adrenaline propelled him forward, and he closed the distance, thrusting his knife out at the beast as he collided with the creature. The knife twisted in his grasp feeling like he'd just stabbed a steel shield rather than a natural animal. The next instance, he was bouncing back from his body, colliding with the immense weight and power.

The wolf was unmoved, but its head turned to look at Aiden as he fell backward, arms flailing in the air.

A wicked, snarling grin with a deep growl that froze Aiden's mind in fear. A louder squawk from the bird filled the air as the wolf casually stepped towards Aiden, its jaws opening wide, revealing wickedly sharp rows of teeth that were as large as hunters' utility knives. It could bite Aiden's arm or leg off with one crushing bite.

Aiden rolled to the side as the beast's jaws snapped shut where Aiden's arm had been a moment before. Aiden tried to stab it again with the knife as he scrambled away getting his feet under him.

Aiden tried to think of what to do as he shot to his feet. Neither attack had done more than scratch the wolf's pelt. The beast's fur felt cold and slick, and in the flickering light from the low fire, it looked like shadows given form.

Another loud squawk came from the bird and the wolf again turned towards the cage.

Aiden leaped into the wolf again, getting his strong, long arms around its neck as he squeezed with all his might. With a hard push of his legs he rolled the wolf off its feet as he grappled with it, trying to avoid its snapping jaws and powerful claws. His knife was useless against the creature’s tough hide. The wolf’s snarls filled his ears, its hot breath on his face as they struggled.

Aiden’s mind raced on how to chase off or kill this beast. But he was too caught up in simply surviving to think of a plan. The wolf rolled and got its feet under itself. Aiden struggled to keep it in place. But, the thing considerably outweighed him. He realized that if he let go, the wolf would have him, and he struggled to hang for all his life.

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"Bram! Help!" He cried.

Bram stumbled out of his tent, eyes wide with shock. Bram moved faster than Aiden thought possible waving his hands in the air.

"Aiden jump clear!" Bram commanded.

Aiden released his hold and scrambled back dodging the wolf's snapping jaw. His foot caught on something, and he fell to the ground, rolling.

Looking up he saw Bram release a spell that sent a burst of white energy towards the wolf. The attack hit the wolf with so much force it was knocked back.

Aiden let out a breath of relief seeing the power of Bram's spell. But, the wolf finished its roll and stood up looking uninjured. It turned its attention to Bram and this time the growl it released sounded far more ominous than the one it had leveled at Aiden.

Bram quickly cast another bolt of light at the beast, but it dodged out of the way and again crouched, gathering its strength to launch itself at Bram.

A shrill scream pierced the night from the bird, causing the wolf to pause, its attention drawn back to the bird cage. Bram's spell had tossed the wolf closer to the birdcage.

Aiden's heart thumped, and he couldn't let the bird be injured. He dove to the cage, muttering the unlocking spell and wrenching it open. "Fly, get out of here!" he screamed.

The entire scene froze for a moment as Bram, the bird, and the wolf stopped to stare at Aiden.

Then the wolf let out a bark and the bird made a series of loud chirps as it burst out of the cage and into the night sky, its vibrant plumage a stark contrast to the darkness surrounding them.

The wolf's head turned to track the bird.

Bram hit the beast with another spell that sent a series of six sharp arrow-like bolts of energy into the wolf.

For the first time, the wolf yelped in pain. Its eyes looked back at Bram for a second before it spun face the direction the bird had flown. With a final snarl it retreated into the forest, blending into the shadows. The sudden silence was deafening, the only sound the ragged breathing of Aiden and Bram.

"Over here!" Bram shouted, casting another spell.

Aiden rushed to Bram's side as a glowing bubble of energy appeared covering most of the camp.

Panting and exhausted, Aiden looked at the shield.

"Will that keep it out?"

"I don't think its coming back tonight. Are you hurt?"

Aiden checked himself over he had a few minor scratches and bruises, but nothing too serious. "No. You?"

"I didn't try and wrestle a giant wolf to the ground. What were you thinking?"

Aiden felt his cheeks burning, "I didn't really think much."

"Well, it was clearly hunting that bird. Letting it go probably saved us."

"It was defenseless in that cage. I couldn't let it be hurt. I didn't think the wolf would follow it."

"Everything has something else hunting it. And I mean everything." Bram said, staring intently at Aiden.

Aiden nodded acknowledgement as they collapsed onto the ground. He put more wood on the fire building it back up. The adrenaline slowly wore off, leaving them with the dull ache of their injuries and the chaotic mess of their camp. Aiden’s knife, useless against the wolf’s hide, lay discarded on the ground. He stepped over and picked it up.

"This didn't even scratch that thing. What was it?"

Bram shook his head. "I don’t know; I didn't think there were predators that large in these woods. And that was no ordinary wolf. It's my fault, really; I should have set some defensive wards." He looked up at the stars. "It is still a few hours before dawn, we can move the tents under this protective shell. It will last six more hours. Tomorrow I'll set up better wards."

Aiden got up and they gathered their tents and supplies into the protective shell. Aiden was surprised they could move through it. It felt like a slight tingle or maybe like a feather brushing lightly over his skin when he moved through it.

Bram assured him that only the two of them and the things they carried could pass through the protection. It didn't take more than a quarter of an hour to get everything safely stacked inside the protection and with their tents neatly side by side under the dome, they both went back to get comfortable.

Aiden didn't think he'd sleep. But, was shocked to wake up with light filtering into his tent. Getting up he felt the bruises and sore muscles from the fight.

As he prepared breakfast, he stopped after pulling his knife out to cut some fruit. The blade was dulled, and the tip had been chipped off. It would take an hour with a sharpening stone to fix the blade, but it was a testament to the futile struggle against the wolf. He sheathed it with a sigh, knowing it wouldn't be much use in a fight like that again.

"We need to make a plan," Bram said, breaking the silence as they ate. "If that thing comes back, we need to be ready."

Aiden nodded, his mind racing with possibilities. "Do you think it was just after the bird? It was focused on it."

"Maybe," Bram said thoughtfully. "But, a beast like that definitely had some magic in it. It could have been drawn by the magic we are using and the bird was just the greatest level of magic at the time. Either way, we can't take any chances."

They spent some more time reorganizing their camp, setting up wards and protective spells around the perimeter. Bram's spells provided a sense of security, but Aiden couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched.

As they worked, Aiden couldn't help but think about the loss of the bird. Although it was gone, its presence still lingered in his mind. He felt sure it had found a safe place to rest, away from the dangers of the night. The wolf might have been strong, fast, and magical, but the bird was magical, fast, and could fly.

With everything in the camp secured and warded, they returned to the work of examining the ancient chamber. The cool, dry air greeted them as they descended into the depths. The chamber was just as they had left it, the polished deep blue walls reflecting the light from their lanterns.

Bram began setting up the magical detectors and tools with meticulous care. They had more tests to run and more data to collect. Aiden watched as Bram adjusted the devices, his mind still buzzing with questions.

"Let's start with the gravitational magic," Bram said.

"Again? We did that yesterday."

"You need to work on gravitational magic. You were not very precise yesterday." Bram said.

A loud mocking trill agreed with Bram and then echoed in the chamber.

Aiden and Bram turned toward the sound and stared. Sitting on one of their bags on the first step of the entrance, the red bird looked back at them.

When they kept staring, the bird shifted a little, then looked behind itself and then back at the two frozen men. It chirped questioningly at them clearly asking them what the problem was.