A young man  with light brown hair and an athletic build, walked down a dirt road. He had just left his home deep within the forest were his father had raised him in isolation to be a skilled, cunning hunter. Finn yearned to explore the world beyond his corner of forest. Listening to his father's stories of daring battles against man and beast, and reading fantastical stories of brave knights and wizards slaying evil, Finn could not wait to begin his own adventure. His father supplied a full library of books on all topics of the world, from common flora and fauna, to bestiaries and tomes on topics too fantastic to be real. While Finn was a student of the world, he had not been a part of it, as his father forbid him from leaving the forest. Until now.  

 Finn was armed with his bow, quiver of arrows, a sharp dagger, a grappling hook, and a backpack of basic supplies. In addition to being quick and agile, Finn was a skilled marksman with his bow. He could shoot the smallest and quickest bird from the sky. Finn was unafraid of facing monsters or evil-doers as long as he had his bow and a quiver of arrows. Finn was quite skilled at making special arrows as well. He could make arrows that exploded into flame upon contact and even arrows that sprung nets to ensnare his prey. 

 Walking down the long, country road, Finn eventually came upon an elderly man holding a long, hooked staff. As Finn got nearer, he could see that the old man was a shepherd. The shepherd was crying and distraught as he stood next to his field. Finn, curious, approached the old man.

 "Excuse me sir, what is the matter?" Finn asked.

 "My sheep," the old man cried. "They are all gone."

 "What happened to them?" asked Finn.

 "A wolf. A wolf came and slaughtered the entire herd in the night. I have nothing, they're all gone." the man continued to weep.

 Finn looked out across the field. Dozens of sheep lay dead. They were ravaged and torn apart. The wolf that caused this destruction, must have been mad with rage. The sheep were not eaten, but seemingly killed for sport. Feeling sorrow for the helpless Shepherd, Finn felt this was an opportunity for him to prove himself. He had hunted and killed plenty of coyotes in the forest. What was a wolf other than a large coyote?

 "I can help," Finn offered.

 The old shepherd looked over Finn, eyes resting on his bow. "Are you a hunter?" the man asked.

 "I sure am. I am a skilled tracker and an expert marksman," Finn boasted. "I can track down and slay this savage beast. For a fee of course," he added.

 The man looked hopeless. "I am but a poor shepherd. I have no wealth, but a few silver coins. They are yours if you can find and slay the beast this night. The coins are in my hut over there," he pointed to a small dwelling. "I have no desire to carry them on me. The thought makes me sick."

 "Very well," Finn answered, unsure if silver coins were worth a lot or a little. He had no need for money in his forest home, but he knew money was important and he had none. "I will begin at once. I will return with the head of the wolf and claim my reward."

 Finn walked to the field and examined the sheep. The poor creatures were ripped to shreds. Soon, Finn found tracks in the soft soil. Wolf tracks. Very, very large wolf tracks. Many times larger than any coyote tracks he had seen. The tracks were far in between. It must be a very fast wolf, Finn thought. Finn, confident in his hunting abilities, continued tracking the beast into the nearby woods toward a mountain.

Darkness came as the sun set behind the mountains. Eager to prove himself, Finn decided he must carry on. He had to find and defeat the wolf. Although the moon was full, the trees blocked most of the moonlight, making the forest very dark. Reaching into his pack, Finn pulled a torch from his backpack and a flint to light it. He bent down low on the ground to ignite his torch. 

 Suddenly, a huge crashing noise came from behind. Something large was moving very fast towards him, cracking branches and smashing logs as it moved. Finn was hunkered down, frozen in panic, unable to reach for his bow. Finn was unable to see what was coming his way. Through the noise of bending branches and snapping sticks, Finn heard bestial snarling and hurried huffs. The wolf he thought. Its coming for me.

 As soon as it began, it was over. The unseen beast had ran past Finn, continuing up the mountain. Finn waited a moment until the running animal could no longer be heard. Once he felt it was safe, he struck the flint with a piece of iron, causing sparks to set his torch ablaze. With this source of light, Finn was once again able to find the large tracks leading up the mountain. He held the torch in his right hand, and his bow with and arrow ready in his left. Finn tracked the animal up and up the mountain, careful to stay quiet. 

 Finn continued up the mountain for some time, until he came to a rocky clearing, high up on the mountainside. The clearing was illuminated by the white moonlight. Finn saw the tracks lead straight into a rocky cave. 

 "The wolf's lair! I've got it now," Finn whispered to himself.

 Finn crept into the opening of the cave, prepared to drop the torch and loose an arrow. He passed a rocky outcropping, and came came to a cavernous den. Bones littered ground before him. Finn recognized many of the bones from animals he had harvested. Deer, elk, and bear bones were identifiable to the experienced hunter. Immediately more identifiable were the human skulls that lay atop the pile. 

What kind of wolf is capable of taking bears and men? Finn thought. Finn became less confident in his ability to stop the beast. Luckily, the animal was not in the cave and he alone.

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 "I should go. This was a bad idea," Finn said, as the to pieces of the puzzle began to align. Remembering the entry from his father's bestiary, Finn realized what the creature was that made its den here. A werewolf.  He turned to exit the cave.

  "Owooooo!" A deafening howl echoed off the cave walls.

 The howl came from outside the cave. Finn quickly stuck the torch into a small pool of water on the cave floor. Extinguishing the flame in an instant. He bolted for the cave exit. In the moonlight through the opening of the cave, Finn saw a hulking beast. Standing eight feet tall on two legs, the monster howled towards the sky. In its long, clawed hand, the werewolf held a dead deer. It started to walk toward the cave.

 Finn knew he could not make it to out of the cave without being seen by the creature. Thinking quickly, Finn ducked into the shadows in the rocky outcropping. Finn held his breath and willed himself not to make a noise. The snarling, wolf-like creature thumped into the cave, dragging its meal next to it. From the shadows, Finn saw the long, sharp teeth of the werewolf as it strode by. With an arrow nocked, he decided this was his chance to escape the cave. A wolf he could handle. A Werewolf was a different story. Finn peaked out. The werewolf wasn't looking in his direction. He stepped out from the shadows, towards the cave exit. Towards safety. 

 Snap!

 A bone snapped under Finn's foot. Alerted by the noise, the werewolf dropped his prey and turned its head towards Finn. Reflexively, Finn released an arrow which struck the werewolf in its shoulder. The werewolf yelped and snapped the arrow shaft with its claw. Finn sprinted out of the cave, moving as fast as his feet could carry him. Exiting the mouth of the cave, Finn turned his body towards the cave, pulling another arrow against the bow string. He saw the massive creature coming towards him. Finn released the arrow which struck the werewolf in the center of its chest. The beast was unfazed as it continued bounding towards him. Finn snatched another arrow from his quiver. 

 Before Finn could nock the arrow, the werewolf leaped into the air, with its toothy mouth opened wide. Finn instinctively raised his hand to stop the creatures from biting his head. The wolf-like jaws crunched into the bow in Finn's hand as Finn was slammed onto his back. With its mouth, the werewolf tossed the bow away. Seeing an opening, Finn thrust the arrow he held, deep under the creature's ribs. The werewolf howled in pain, long enough for Finn to get his feet under him. Knowing he had no chance in outrunning the werewolf, Finn drew his sharp dagger ready to fight. 

 The towering werewolf attacked again, this time with two quick swipes of it sharp-clawed paws. Finn ducked and dodged, evading the blows. Angrily, the beast lunged at Finn's throat with its snarling mouth. Finn was unable to evade the attack, but instead of his throat, Finn found his left forearm in the beast's mouth. The werewolf's teeth sunk into Finn's arm. The pain was horrible.

 I have to fight. I have to survive! Finn told himself. 

 Mustering his courage, with his arm still held in the werewolf's bite, Finn thrust his dagger into the werewolf, over and over until his arm was free.  Then he plunged the blade into the monster’s eye. The werewolf let out a short whimper and fell onto the ground. It was defeated. Finn was breathing heavily and slowly oozing blood from the punctures in his arm. After ensuring the werewolf was indeed defeated, Finn searched the area until he found his bow, laying upon a rock. Surprisingly, his bow was undamaged. His father had given him this bow and did not want to lose it. 

 "I wasn't expecting a werewolf. I wouldn't have offered to hunt this down if I knew it was a werewolf," Finn said to himself. 

 Maybe there will be a bigger reward for a werewolf. I should bring back proof. He thought.

 Finn walked over to where the werewolf lay defeated. 

 Perhaps I should bring back its head? Finn shuttered at the thought. No, its claw will do. 

 Finn produced his curved dagger, the tool he had used to skin hundreds of game animals, from rabbits to elk. But never a werewolf. Before he could begin his work of producing a trophy, Finn saw the creature was moving. No not moving. More like shifting and morphing. The long snout pushed inwards. The long boney claws retracted and shrunk. The back straightened and hair recessed until pinkish flesh was visible. What was once a werewolf, was now a man. An old man.

 Finn was certain of the man's identity. I was the shepherd, overcome with sadness that hired Finn to hunt the wolf responsible for the loss of his sheep. 

 Poor man. Finn thought. He hadn't known he was responsible for the loss of his sheep.

 Finn knew from his studies that some forms of werewolves are caused by being bitten by a werewolf. He assumed that is what happened to the old shepherd. The old man had transformed at the full moon and killed his entire flock of sheep. When he reverted to man, he had no knowledge of his transformation the night before. The thought filled Finn with sorrow.

 Throbbing pain drew Finn's attention. He forgot he had been bitten in the arm. A simple wound that Finn could easily treat. Finn produced a bandage from his pack and wrapped it around his forearm. He could clean it and wrap it better in the morning. It was only a bite.

 "Oh no." Finn muttered. "I've been bitten by a werewolf."

 Finn looked to the moon hovering in the sky. 

 "Oh no."