The Vengeful Howler grasped Zerin by the collar of his heavy jacket. The world around him morphed into a chaotic blur of snowflakes as the Howler sprinted, carrying him along with it. The Howler carried him as if he were a feather.

In a jarring motion, the Howler hurled Zerin into a deep clump of snow. The snow surrounded him, and the frigid cold drew the breath out of his lungs immediately.

The snow surrounded him.

Is this how you repay me?

Zerin fought against the snow, his limbs failing to move effectively as he struggled to escape the pile. Just how much blood had to be drawn for him to be rendered completely useless like this?

He finally managed to surface, gasping for the crisp air. He was astonished by the behavior of the creature he had created. How could a creature he had created have the audacity to treat him so carelessly?

It was a thought that left a bitter taste in his mouth. The Howler acted like a wild beast. Zerin had created it for protection, but here it was, treating him as nothing but an inconvenience. The closest reference to creatures like this were echoes, but echoes behaved completely differently from what he had read. They were said to be obedient creatures that had no will of their own in almost every instance, despite a few. But even the ones that had somewhat of a will always obeyed, while this creature did not.

Zerin took a moment to reflect and realized his analysis wasn't exactly truthful. The creature had, in its own chaotic way, obeyed his command. It acted on his command to be carried to safety, even if that meant being tossed aside like a discarded ragdoll. The Howler did exactly what it was told to do—just not in the manner he had envisioned.

Leaving his analysis behind, he weakly sat up in the pile of snow and saw the remnant of a previous clash just a distance away from him.

The Blizzard Beast stood strong as always, its massive body marred with deep scratches and gashes. Zerin knew from experience that cuts alone wouldn't fell such a creature, as it was a brute of resilience. It was the kind of monster that was heard of in stories, the kind that could only be killed with the severing of its head.

Contrasting the pale abomination, the Veinborne stood defiant in the face of an old foe. Its lean, powerful form hunched as it set its red eyes on its target. Not a single new wound graced its already bloodied, darkened pelt; it was as if the violence was not a cause of two parties, but it was birthed from this creature. Its claws dripped with blue blood, each icy cold droplet falling into the snow. The creature's demeanor was one of revelry in the carnage; it was savoring every moment.

"Get it over with!" Zerin shouted; his voice cracked pathetically under his current state of exhaustion. He was tired—unbelievably so.

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The Veinborne turned its red gaze towards him, its glowing eyes locking onto Zerin. In a moment of stillness, with a huff full of disdain, it released a plume of white smoke into the cold air. Its action was a message to Zerin that the creature was stating it would do as it pleased, and the act of defiance stung more than Zerin would care to admit.

"Damn dog!" he cursed under his breath.

If Zerin had possessed even a fraction of his strength now, he would have summoned the Veinborne back into his soul sea. Maybe then the damned beast would see who the boss was. But this again was nothing more than a dream as the fatigue still weighed on him. He couldn't do anything but allow the Veinborne to get its fill.

The Blizzard Beast erupted into a mindless fury once more. Its actions were the defining characteristics of the Monster class. It didn't care what it was; it was easily distracted and only existed to spark violence and devastation. And now, the shout of Zerin's voice seemed to make him its new target.

Disregarding its current threat in front of it without reason, it roared and began its charge towards Zerin, its massive form seeming almost unstoppable.

Zerin's heart raced as he saw the brute barreling towards him once again. Its eyes were hollow as it charged nonsensically towards him. Zerin stabbed his sword into the earth and stood to his feet. Time seemed to slow, and with that, so did his heartbeat. Now, managing the strength to stand, he couldn't move.

Curse this body!

Just as the abomination was seconds from flattening him, the Veinborne intervened. It lunged onto the brute's back, its claws sinking deep into the creature's thick, pale skin. The additive force of the Howler sent the Blizzard Beast careening off its desired course.

Zerin turned his head as they stampeded by; he watched as the mindless abomination thrashed and bucked under the Howler. Its desperation to shake the Howler off was for naught, as the Veinborne clung tenaciously to its back, its claws like daggers.

In a new desperate attempt that displaced a faint semblance of intelligence, the abomination resorted to brute force. It slammed itself against the nearby pines, the trees shuddering with each collision, splintering under the impact. The sound of shattering wood and falling branches accompanied its rampage. One tree after another fell, showering the forest floor along with the heavy flurries of snow.

The Howler had reached its breaking point.

With a primal growl, the Veinborne twisted around, its claws carving a devastating arc across the pale abomination's throat. A violent spray of cobalt blood erupted. The Veinborne dug its powerful claws into the neck of the Blizzard Beast as it secured itself on its back. Zerin watched, breathless, as the jugular veins of the abomination attempted to resist, until one of the cable-like veins exploded, spraying the already tainted snowy forest further. The vein writhed like its own living entity as if it were separated from its lifeline—the corpse it inhabited—but yet the brute still stood.

The Howler snapped its jaws forward with lethal precision. Zerin's heart raced as he witnessed the Howler securing its jaws around the proportionally small-sized head of the abomination.

The final attempts of the Blizzard Beast were pitiful. But what truly haunted Zerin was the horrifying sound of teeth scraping against the bone of the creature's skull. And even with that horrifying sound, he couldn't look away.

The brute's massive limbs flailed as it tried to get a hold of the wolf creature. But the Veinborne was vengeful, relentless, and channeled its strength to a singular focus: the kill.

A sickening crunch of bone echoed. Blood erupted forth in a torrent of deep blue, cascading down like a waterfall. Chunks of fragmented skull shattered and fell away, mingling with what Zerin could only assume were the remnants of the abomination's brain.

With a powerful kick back off the dead Blizzard Beast, the Vengeful Howler was victorious. Its jaws dripped with the creature's blood. Bits of pale flesh and shards of bone clung to its fur around its snout.

The Veinborne turned away from the felled foe, shifting its gaze to Zerin. Shock and awe filled his features as he looked back at the creature. Was this creature really something he created?

With a heavy exhalation, the Veinborne began to stride towards Zerin. He felt the urge to step back. Its red, piercing eyes stared at him intensely, leaving him with uncertainty even after it defended him. It held a sentience that he couldn't possibly expect; it was honestly terrifying.

Just as Zerin began to process the sight before him, the Howler faltered. With a sudden abruptness, it collapsed to its knees, its muscles immediately giving way. The Veinborne's eyes, once a piercing crimson, now dimmed.