There were no real winners and losers in life. You could make a decision where there was no right answer - and sometimes, it was all about just making the best of a bad situation. You might think you could escape and rise above with enough power and riches, but there would have been plenty in my old life who would have seen right through the facade and known me as an empty shell. Once emptied, you might try to find new things to fill yourself with - better things. But there was no guarantee you'd be the only one with a pitcher full of intent eagerly starting at the space you had free.

Slowly, we followed the trail further into the woods. Jakob and I led the party to check the floor and surrounding broken foliage, keeping my eye and sword ready for anything untoward we might come across. There was some apprehension in the party as we headed far from the road. It bore a brief resemblance to the darkened woods where we fought the monstrous plants. When we reached the point where when we turned around, we could no longer see the wagon, there was a flicker of doubt between us that this was still a valuable task.

Florence was the first to vocalize her thoughts, "How far in do you think it could be? I don't want to leave Petal on her own for too long."

Jakob rubbed his chin and stood up to stretch out his back, "It's hard to say. Something has covered the tracks, but there's still blood that has soaked into the mud - a thin trail that has continued."

"Something was wounded, prey perhaps, or the beast itself?"

He shrugged in return but said nothing.

There was no real way of telling. We hadn't come across any fur, broken branches, or anything else that may have been able to determine who this creature may be. Indeed, other than the first tree we passed, it seemed to have traveled a path that avoided any further obstacles."

Then, something caught my attention, and I stopped, holding my hand up for everybody else to pause. Silence filled the air as a smell filtered through into my senses. It was blood and fur, damp and labored with the promise of injury. "We are getting close," I murmured. Jacob pulled an arrow ready, and Florence flexed her hand into a bold fist and back.

It was only another thirty feet or so before we saw the end of the trail of smooth mud. It ended, and ahead of us, through the thick tree cover, lay a beast. From this distance, I could see its rhythmic movements, the expanding and contracting of what seemed to be heavy breaths. A dark mound of fur hunkered down on the floor. I wondered if the beast might have been sleeping. Slowly, I turned to the others and raised my eyebrows to see if they were ready.

Stern expressions across their faces, they nodded. On the approach, I tried to be as quiet as possible so that we could get closer before having to make our presence known and truly engage in battle. Of course, between us, we weren't the most subtle of groups. We only made it another fifteen feet before the beast noticed us. Turning from his prone position, he sat up straight.

The monster was of large proportion, almost eight feet tall. His upper torso was covered in coarse brown fur, and his eyes glowed yellow. Blood marred his pale skin, from his chest down across his right leg. Long arms ended in large clawed fingers, and his sharp wolf-like face opened into a wide-tooth maw.

"Why do you approach me?" he growled, his voice deep and rough.

I had not truly anticipated that the creature we were tracking down would turn around and speak to us, but since the smell had struck my nose, there was a hint of familiarity or - at least - a shadow of things past that were brought to my mind.

"A werewolf," I muttered. None in the back of my mind had ever been this tall. "We saw your trail and wondered what manner of beast could cause such destruction." I stepped forward into the small clearing the werewolf had been huddled in, and my eyes were greeted by the sight of a second figure, another werewolf female lying on the floor, injured heavily, or possibly dead.

"Well, now you know," he bared his fangs at me, the hair on the back of his neck prickling up, "now you must leave. I'm going to kill you."

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I narrowed my eyes at him but shot a glance back at the party, before looking back at the other werewolf. "You seem like a reasonable fellow. This doesn't have to resort to violence."

"It does," he pulled his fists up and looked between his slain female and me, "I am enraged, and I am not in full control of myself."

I knew that feeling well, a glimmer - a premonition of what may become of me once I gave in to the first bite.

"Can you tell us what happened? Maybe we can help," I asked.

"No!" he shouted sharply. "My mate has been slain. I am overcome with grief, and I am overcome with hunger." As if to further his point, he licked his lips, dipping saliva down to the muddied ground.

Florence stepped forward to stand beside me, "What would you have us do then, just leave you here?"

The beast took another few heavy breaths before he answered. "In truth, even if you leave, I will follow your scent and kill you."

"So," I shook my head and sighed. "It's either us or you if that is your intent. We may as well settle it now."

"The wilderness is cruel." The werewolf said, lowering his head, "Bloodshed begets bloodshed."

I worked my jaw, trying to find a solution where we didn't have to come to blows with the grieving creature. Not necessarily a beast of evil, yet werewolves often preyed on the weak and whatever humans they could - much as I had done back in the day. Although we had no proof of these transgressions, he was giving us all the permission we needed to end his life. Unfortunately we weren't in the position to offer assistance to avenge his mate.

"Very well," I sighed, "may destiny guide us to our chosen path."

Immediately, he leaped at us, his claws flashing through the cool air of the forest. I pushed Florence aside, only able to block the claws partially. One of them rent at my flesh, pain flaring across my chest as I was gouged. Green, blazing energy passed from the side of the trees as Jakob fired silver arrows into the creature. He stumbled back and held his chest.

With a howl that vibrated through my bones, his eyes turned towards the forest. Arrows with silver heads had embedded into his chest and collarbone, burning away at his skin where they had landed. I [Enraged] and circled around to block his approach to the Ranger, slashing my greatsword around the blazing Crimson blade sliced into his leg, causing Crimson to burst out. Before he could react, I could see the damage slowly regenerating already.

He aimed a lazy sideswipe at me, which I blocked with the flat of the blade, stumbling back a few feet. A grey energy passed through the air and then swelled up my weapon, imbuing it with the Guardian's power. The werewolf hunched down, ready to pounce towards the tree line, as a [Fire Wall] burst up in front of him. He staggered back and covered his eyes with his forearm so as not to be blinded by the bright amber flame.

I used the brief distraction to plunge my sword into his thigh, the blade tip now imbued with magical energy, slicing into the muscle and not allowing him to heal. I rolled out of the way as he slammed down towards me, dirt and crushed foliage flinging in the air as his claws rent thick pathways into the ground. Another silver arrow howled from behind the flame wall, the arrow itself catching alight briefly as it struck into the flank of the beast.

He stumbled back, frustrated and clutching at the protruding projectile. Anger flared in his eyes that the Ranger would not be able to dislodge easily. With age at the young man causing him much pain, he swung out again at me instead, but his attack was sloppy - his movement off-center as he stumbled on his injured leg. I blocked it and diverted his swing to the side of me, spinning round and then coming face to face as he launched his jaw forward to take a bite out of me.

My free hands came up and grabbed hold of his lower jaw, pulling it away so he couldn't complete his bite, my hands becoming slick with his drool. I struck him in the side of the face with the pommel, and he relented, again on the back foot, as a [Fireball] struck him inside the head, where I just had made contact. His body tensed up - it was something I recognized. The monster intended to escape; he was weighing up the odds now that he was seen to be overpowered and outnumbered. It was more important for him to retreat and save his own life.

As he crouched read, the Guardian shouted out. "Hey, arseface, over here!"

The werewolf turned his head with a growl, briefly hissing out at the Guardian before making his escape. A trail of green energy crossed through the clearing as a pair of silver arrows, imbued by [Dual Shot], struck him in both eyes. He staggered back briefly in shock, arms raising as if to clear his obstructed vision before they hung limply to his side, and he dropped to his knees as smoke hissed and billowed out from his eye sockets. He slumped down next to his fallen mate as the Mage's fire skills burnt out and smoldered.

We all stood in silence, the brief adrenaline wearing off as we breathed heavily. My wounds stung, but they were superficial. They would heal with no issue, with enough time; it wasn't worth wasting any Healing Potions.

"Well, I guess we will sleep easier tonight then," Angelos shrugged, the energy draining from his face for a brief moment.

I felt that too, and spent a moment observing the two dead creatures, unsure of how I would reflect on this encounter. With a sigh, I relented to return to the wagon with the party.

Somehow, I doubted sleep would come too easily to us tonight.