Werewolf Hunt

Job details:

Shane stood at the edge of the ominous Lycan Woods. He could hear the howls of wolves every so often, accompanied by the whispering of the wind. He had his eyes closed, using his hearing to take in everything around him. The client, a man called Osprey, was standing beside him, clutching his silver axe with a grip so tight that his knuckles were white. His sense of smell and hearing, enhanced through his Sky Demon Slayer magic, was completely useless here. He opened his eyes again and continued peering straight into gloom of the Lycan Woods.

“It’s really a bad timing that you picked up the job at this timing, Mister Stern,” Osprey said as he looked up at the sky. It was almost eight in the evening now, and yet the skies were already dark, clouds slowly drifting across the night sky. What he really focused on was the moon, the white orb amidst darkness, progressing slowly until it took its place in the centre of the black canvas. And that was when all hell would break loose in the Lycan Woods.

“Can’t say if it’s good or bad. At least we don’t have to spend time looking for them. Their urges will send them right to us,” Shane said calmly. He was flexing his hands and fingers, alternating between opening and closing his hands. Turning to his partner, Shane could only ask, “So, Rinni, are you ready?”

Rinni Faithe stood at the edge of Lycan Woods, next to her was a man she had only just met upon taking this mission. Honestly, she was more afraid of Shane than of anything in these woods. Animals, nature, wildlife, wolves. That didn't scare her. Humans and their judgemental nature, rejection, and prejudice, that's what scared her. What scared her, even more, was that Shane Stern was a complete stranger; not even from her guild. She looked down at the large wolf that stood beside her. He peered up at her with his deep brown eyes. The gentle evening breeze blew through his fur of which the color shades started at bluish-black, fading into bluish-gray, and finally an off white.

The man named Osprey spoke to Shane as if Rinni were invisible. Not that she minded. She preferred to disappear rather than be bullied. This was why as she stood there in the night chill, her body remained concealed beneath a bluish-black cloak, the hood over her head hiding her face and therefore her appearance from the men. As the men conversed, Rinni shared a private conversation with her wolf, Timber.

"What kind of a name is Osprey, anyway? Sounds like a species of bird."

"I believe it is, Rin. Which reminds me, when do we eat?" The wolf looked up at her expectantly and the 14-year-old sighed in annoyance.

"Is food all you think about?" Just then, Rinni's stomach growled loudly.

"I think your stomach is trying to tell you something."

Just then, Shane asked if she was ready to go, to which she responded, "Shut up." After realizing she had spoken the words out loud, Rinni blushed and looked up at Shane. "Oh! N-not you! I mean... I was talking to... Y-yeah, I'm ready."

[word count 333]
[Total Word Count 573/5,000]

Shane merely nodded at the sudden outburst from the girl before she corrected herself. He laid a quick glance on the wolf and then the hooded girl and nodded again to himself. He was guessing that the two shared something of a telepathic bond that allowed a form of communication between the girl and the wolf. It was quite common to see that with mages who utilized Bond-type magic, especially when they had an animal partner that ranked higher on the intelligence scale.

“Alright, so, we just go all the way straight, find the rock formation within the woods. That’s where the werewolves have their lair right?” Shane repeated back the information that Osprey had fed them earlier.

“Yes, yes. Be careful,” the man said before pulling his cloak tighter around his body and quickly walked off. “I will be waiting for you in the village.”

With a sigh, Shane turned his attention to the girl and then to the woods before him.
“Rinni, is your wolf able to sense the werewolves inside? Scent or any wolf-to-wolf perception that could help us find them better?”

Shane thought a bit after that, and then spoke up again when he thought of another idea.
“Instead of letting the werewolves stalk us and take us down like a deer, what do you think if your wolf howls every once in a while. I’m not an expert on wolves or werewolves, but they will be howling back in response right? At least we will be able to pinpoint their location through their howls, instead of just walking through the forest blindly.”

The hooded girl felt so embarrassed by her outburst earlier that she was grateful to him for not getting mad or questioning her about it. Instead, he dropped the subject completely and stayed focused on the mission. By now she wondered what kind of wizard he was, exactly. She hadn't seen in magic yet. She was sure he had her figured out based on how he looked at her and Timber. She listened quietly as he and Osprey discussed the location of the werewolves.

Straight into the woods until you reach a rock formation. It sounded easy enough. Before they started into the Lycan Woods, however, Shane asked Rinni if her wolf could maybe track the werewolves by scent or something. Timber responded to his request by lowering her nose to the ground and proceeding to sniff. He then turned his nose skyward and sniffed the air. Finally, he let out a small whine and looked up at Rinni and Shane.

"It's impossible. There are too many smells. I can't tell the wolves from the werewolves."

Rinni sighed and looked up at Shane. "Timber said he can't smell the werewolves. There are way too many smells in these woods." She informed him. Timber couldn't speak, but he was intelligent. He understood human words. And his telepathic link to Rinni allowed her to translate his responses.

Shane's second suggestion involved howling. It sounded odd but maybe it'd work. She was sure she read somewhere that wolves can't resist the urge to howl once one starts. Maybe the werewolves would respond to Timber if he howled first. "What do you think, Tim? Worth a shot?"

"I could try." With that the wolf inhaled deeply, turned his nose to the moon and howled as loud as he could. His howl echoed through the woods reverberating off every tree and rock. They waited a minute or two. Something howled back. A lot of somethings. It was a mix of normal wolves and werewolves.

"Well, great." Rinni mumbled. She sighed and proceeded into the woods. She wasn't intending to take the lead, she wasn't a leader type. She was just accustomed to being alone for one and for another she had no fear of woods and forests and the likes. Timber looked up at Shane curiously, then proceeded to follow Rinni into the Lycan woods.

A few feet in, they accidentally disturbed a mother raccoon and her offspring. Timber went into a low growl, but the hooded teen shushed him. The 14-year-old wizard in training slowly approached the wild animal as it growled and chittered at her aggressively. She gently shushed the raccoon, who was only trying to protect her three babies as they hid behind her.

"There, there. No one is going to hurt you." Rinni spoke softly, reaching inside her cloak she pulled out an apple. She slowly offered it to the raccoon. The wild animal approached cautiously, sniffed the fruit, snatched it from her hand, and scurried off into the woods followed closely by her young.

"There goes dinner."

"Not everything has to end in violence, Timber. Besides, she had babies."

"Dessert." The wolf mumbled telepathically. Rinni shushed him with a glare. She then stood up and continued into the woods. Her stomach growled and she quickly regretted giving the raccoon family her only apple.

[word count 600]
[Word Count Total 1,440]

With his first idea shot down due to the abundance of smells in the Lycan Woods for Timber to sense and his second idea also failing due to the same issue but in terms of numerous howls, Shane frowned slightly as he tried to think of a solution for it. He had no interest in being the hunted one. He was supposed to be the hunter on this job. Absentmindedly wracking his brains on how to more efficiently pinpoint the werewolves, Shane merely followed along as Rinni and Timber made their way into the woods.

It didn’t take them long to come up on one of the smaller inhabitants of the woods. A mother raccoon and her babies. Shane watched as the owner and pet interact over the family of raccoons. The silver-haired mage could see very clearly that Timber was just like any other wolf. He might have intelligence beyond his species, but his instincts were still that of a wolf.

Shane continued watching Rinni give the raccoons an apple she procured from her cloak. Once that was over, they were up and moving along again, following Osprey’s instruction on continuing on ahead until they find the lair. However, barely taking ten steps away from where they met the raccoons, Shane heard a loud rustling behind and turned around.

Just in time to watch two large wolves, each standing at three feet tall. The two of them had equally dark shaggy fur. Shane watched expressionlessly as the two just pounced on the raccoons and devoured them within a couple of bites. The raccoons didn’t even have much time to shriek from the speed of the meal.

As they licked their chops, the two wolves turned their attention towards Shane, who was now the closest to them. In his hand, was Breaker in sword form, having unsheathed it when he knew they were going to be next on the menu.

The two werewolves began pacing back and forth, left and right as they slung low, keeping their heads low to the ground while they kept their eyes on Shane. And without rhyme or reason, the two werewolves suddenly pounced in his direction. Shane was barely phased by the turn of events. Extending Breaker into its spear form, Shane stood his ground and attempted a wide sweeping slash with his spear, to which he successfully cut across the wolves’ chest and managed to knock them out of the air at the same time.

The two werewolves were quickly back on their feet, and knowing they couldn’t win, decided to escape.

“Rinni, Timber! Come on, we will follow them to their lair!” Shane shouted with a wave of his hand to Rinni and Timber before running off through the woods, weapon still in hand.

It all happened so quickly. One moment Rinni was smiling as she watched the raccoon family scurry off into the woods. The next minute, Rinni was stunned to witness two young werewolves lunging from the bushes and devouring the entire family of raccoons in a couple of bites. This pissed the teen off, as she had just spared them; and not so the werewolves could eat them!

"Told you. That could have been our meal." Timber complained, as he eyed the werewolves.

"Not the time, Timber." Rinni scolded telepathically as she took her battle stance that her knight friend from years gone by had taught her. She held out her hand and called, "Wolf Blade!" Upon doing so a sword adorned with feathers and two wolf heads on the hilt materialized in her once empty hand.

Timber's fur bristled as he paced, eyes never leaving the werewolves. He emitted low, deep throaty growls as he prepared for a fight. He awaited Rinni's orders or for the werewolves to strike first. To both of their surprise, the large wolves lunged at Shane, for whatever reason ignoring Timber and Rinni. Was it because they were wolves...?

"Shane, watch out!" Rinni shouted as Timber charged in to protect Shane. He slid to an abrupt stop, however, as the male wizard's sword turned into a spear and slammed into both werewolves knocking them backward. Rinni took the opportunity to join the fray as she and Timber each charged a wolf. Timber pounced and Rinni swung, but they both missed as the werewolves leaped to the side and took off retreating into the deeper woods.

Before they could ask Shane about his weapon, the mysterious wizard had dashed past them following the beasts deeper into the woods. Rinni was shocked by how strong and fast this man had proven to be, so much so she barely heard him beckoning her and her wolf to follow him.

"Let's go!" Timber's telepathic message cut into her thoughts and snapped her back to reality. Before she could react, she noticed Timber and Shane had left her behind. Shaking her head to reorient herself Rinni took off running after the man and wolf. "R-right!"

As the trip chased down the werewolves, they appeared to have been led into an ambush. The two they were chasing suddenly released a loud howl prompting Timber to slide to a halt, his ears perking up and twitching. "It's an ambush!"

"Shane! It's a tra-" Before Rinni could finish her warning, she was jumped by a wild wolf. The animal pinned her to the ground, her hood falling away as she fell revealing a black nose at the end of a short muzzle, two small fangs when she opened her mouth, and the most noticeable detail being two black wolf ears atop her head. Rinni responded to the attack by striking the wolf with her blade and knocking it away.

Her long black tail flashed into and out of view as she got back to her feet only for a young werewolf to ambushed her from the left. Timber quickly lunged, knocking the monster away from his owner. After realizing the danger they had found themselves in, Rinni became more alert to her surroundings. She soon realized they were surrounded by two regular wolves and four young werewolves.

"Uh, Shane..." Rinni kept a wolf at bay with her sword. "What's the plan here?"

As the wolves and werewolves circled around them, Rinni's eyes began to glow an unnatural shade of orange. "Moonlight Rupture!" Her voice boomed as she slammed her fist into the ground. An aura of light surrounded Timber and herself spreading out into a burst of magic which knocked the beasts backward, but it wasn't strong enough to stop them. Her weak attack only delayed the inevitable.

[Word Count 687]
[Total Word Count 2,589]

Rinni and Timber followed behind him closely, with Timber being the one nearer to him. The moment they reached a small clearing, where the trees created a ring around an empty patch of ground with the odd bush dotting the area here and there, a wolf had suddenly pounced on Rinni from one of the bushes. The wolf had managed to take her down by surprise, using its weight to drop her to the ground but the resourceful girl was quick to respond with a quick hit from her weapon.

And that was when Shane saw the reason why she had been covering her face with a hood the entire time. But he didn’t have the time to continue observing or to ask her about it. Another rustle in the bush and Shane found himself staring down the open maw of another wolf leaping in his direction. Without hesitation, the silver-haired mage thrust both hands forward and grabbed the wolf’s upper and lower jaw, causing the wolf to let out a surprised whimper. He would have liked very much to just use raw strength to tear the wolf’s jaws apart and leave it dead, but he wasn’t that strong.

All he could do was to divert the wolf’s weight and throw it into one of the bushes. The werewolf, differentiated by its size compared to its normal brethren, dropped bodily into the bushes and quickly rolled around, righting himself and then re-entering the fray. At the moment, the three of them were surrounded in a circle by four werewolves and two normal wolves. His mind was racing, trying to think of a way to take down all the wolves in one go, or to at least buy them some time. He was more worried about Rinni. He turned around at the moment when she cast a spell, releasing a circle of light around her and Timber, slightly pushing back the wolves.

“Rinni! You and Timber take care of the wolves! I will do something about the werewolves,” Shane instructed as he contracted Breaker into dagger form. As he spoke, Shane also used Guardian Ward, but not on himself. He had used it on Rinni, causing three spheres of wind to appear around her.

“That’s a defensive spell, Guardian Ward. It can block up to three attacks, so be careful,” Shane explained. When he finished speaking, the male mage instantly took action on his side as well. Six arrows of wind appeared around his left arm as he leapt forward and sent them flying through the air, two Stingers per werewolf. And for the one that didn’t get assigned, Shane had already used Burst to approach the beast, appearing abruptly beside it and without any hesitation, plunged Breaker into the back of its head. He twisted the blade, making sure that the thing was dead before he withdrew his knife.

Two of the other werewolves had managed to evade the Stingers with their own methods or by luck, but the third one wasn’t as fortunate. The two Stingers had blasted it right in its chest, throwing it backwards into a tree. And that was the one that Shane charged at. It had been separated from the others by a sizeable distance, too far from its friends and too near to Shane. Without wasting any time, Shane dived forward and extended Breaker with his arms fully extended, thrusting the fully extended Breaker in spear form straight into the werewolf’s side. A long and agonized howl echoed in the woods.

It was gasping heavily by the time Shane had walked to its side. Without a shred of sympathy, Shane held the spear vertically and slammed it down into its heart.

While Shane was occupied with the two kills, one of the werewolves had decidedly divert its attention towards Rinni while the remaining one slunk low to the ground, circling around Shane. The fur on its neck were bristling as it continuously growled.

[659 words]
[Total WC: 3248 words]

Rinni's ears and hair blew in the breeze as Shane surrounded her with protective wind orbs. So, the wizard used wind magic, kind of like her Guild Mistress. She was curious about his particular magic but didn't have time to ask. And with them currently under attack, her cloak and hood were the least of her worries. On Shane's orders, Rinni squared off with one of the wolves while Timber squared off with the other. They could hear Shane behind them fighting the werewolves. "I hope Shane knows what he's doing..." She thought, concerned about the odds of one man VS 4 werewolves. At least she and Timber were evenly matched.

Timber's back was hunched, his fur bristling as he and the wolf circled each other. His opponent was also bristled and snarling, both wolves waiting for the other to strike first. Rinni tried to block out the combat taking place behind her, resisting the temptation to turn and check on her partner. She had her own fight to deal with as the second wolf paced back and forth, fur bristled, fangs bared. Rinni stood with her legs apart, twirling her sword and taking her battle stance as she dared the wolf to attack.

"Timber, Strike!" Rinni ordered the command, her and Timber's eyes becoming a golden orange. Timber responded to the telepathic order by rushing towards the wolf. He then proceeded to use his Maul attack, savagely biting and clawing the wild wolf until he had succeeded in knocking the animal to the ground. The wolf whimpered and struggled in pain as Timber savagely bit at its throat while holding it down forcefully.

Meanwhile, the other wolf lunged at Rinni only for her to parry his assault with her Wolf Blade easily knocking the animal away. This would be easy, so long as she played this carefully. It was only one wolf, Timber had the other one preoccupied. The wolf snarled in Rinni's direction and lunged once more. Rinni charged toward the wolf in return aiming her sword to stab or decapitate the wolf if she can get the correct angle.

The wolf leaped higher than expected and Rinni found herself following him through the air with her eyes. As he came down on her, she stabbed him in the stomach with her blade and tossed the wolf over her head where he hit the ground with a loud yelp of pain. She turned toward the bloody wolf and approached, prepared to finish it off. The fur on her tail bristled when she heard a snarl behind her.

"What the...?" Before she could finish her sentence, much less react, the werewolf lunged at Rinni knocking her to the ground with little difficulty. He swiped at her, but one of the wind spheres intercepted the strike blocking her from harm. However, she was still in danger. The werewolf was too strong for her to knock back.

Timber ripped out the throat of the wolf he was fighting and turned toward Rinni and the werewolf that had ambushed her. He wasted no time lunging at the werewolf and biting into its forearm attempting to release Rinni from its grasp. The werewolf let out a howl of pain and swung its arm to and fro to free itself of the wolf's jaws.

Timber snarled and didn't let go until he drew blood, and Rinni took the distraction as an opportunity to strike. She thrust her Wolf Blade forward into the werewolves chest and twisted the blade. The werewolf howled in agony and fell to the ground dead. Rinni lay on her back breathing heavily.

[Word Count 624]
[Total Word Count 3,872]

Shane was distracted by Rinni’s exclamation of surprise, turning his head in her direction to watch the wolf pounce on her. But fortunately the initial strike was blocked by one of the spheres from the Guardian Ward spell. However, turning away was a mistake for Shane. The moment his attention was diverted, the werewolf backed up on to its hind legs and sprung forward with incredible momentum, jaw open with its sharp teeth going for the mage’s neck.

Surprised, with the werewolf almost bearing down on him, Shane did the next best thing he could and dropped to the ground on his back. The werewolf was on him in an instant, his jaws snapping and snapping as Shane wrestled him with his hands on the beast’s neck, leaving just a few inches gap between the sharp teeth and his face.

Despite that, Shane was also taking some minor damage as the werewolf used its claws as well, leaving scratches along the mage’s forearms. Wincing in pain but ultimately ignoring it, Shane gathered the strength in his arms and pushed outwards powerfully. The werewolf’s entire upper body was lifted up into the air for a second before he fell back down on Shane. But that second was enough for the mage.

Wind accumulated around his right hand in a great gust and the moment the werewolf was back on him, Shane thrust his hand upwards into the werewolf’s chest, releasing point blank the six wind arrows, shooting outwards from around his palm. With a whine, the werewolf was instantly thrown back into the air with more force this time and landed in a heap a few feet away from Shane. The two of them got back up at the same time, a very obvious wobble in the werewolf’s posture as it did so. Its body convulsed aggressively, as blood continued pouring out of the wound from its chest, the six wind arrows having torn into its flesh due to the proximity of the spell.

Shane was already gripping Breaker tightly in his hand, preparing to jump the werewolf, when the werewolf did the unthinkable. It stumbled back on its hind legs, and with its final breath, let out the longest and loudest howl that it had ever made in its life. The response came immediately, return howls that was as long as its own, before the dying werewolf gave Shane one final glance and collapsed to the ground.

The return howls, no doubt from the others in its pack, was sounding out more and more frequently, and nearer each time. It continued for a few more seconds, until a particularly loud howl echoed through the entire forest. It was more of a mix between a howl and a roar, and the moment it sounded out, the entire forest went still. Shane could feel his blood run cold at the howl. Looking to Rinni and Timber, Shane could only say, “Run! They’re coming in full force and we will be torn to pieces if we fight here! We need to find a better fighting ground… Their lair! Osprey said their lair’s in a rocky formation. We need to get there while they come here!”

It felt like it was over. She had survived an attack from a werewolf. It was then that she heard it. The howls. They sent chills down her spine, her ears perking up as her eyes widened in realization. Timber rushed to her side, nudging her arm and licking the back of her hand. Rinni rolled over and pushed herself into an upright position. Timber continued to nudge her, and she heard Shane warn her to run for it.

They were coming. The entire pack. If they weren't at their lair, they must have been out hunting or something. Oh, this was bad. They barely survived 4 young werewolves. Could they really take down an entire pack of werewolves? Wolf Blade vanished in a shimmer of orange light, and Rinni scrambled to her feet, pulling her hood over her head once more. She wasn't sure if Shane saw her... secret. But she didn't have much time to dwell on that as she saw a blur of fur heading their way coming through the trees.

"There must be at least 30 of them!" Rinni stated as she backed away before turning and breaking into a run behind Shane.

Timber broke into a run at the same time and stayed close to his owner's side as they retreated. Behind them were 30 young werewolves, and mixed in with the pack ran two humongous humanoid werewolves that towered above the rest. They had to be close to 6'0 tall or more. They appeared to be male and female. Timber glanced back to see how close to them the pack was.

"Look, Rin! The alphas!"

Rinni took a quick glance over her shoulder and gasped. "The alphas! They're huge!"

The young wolves were pretty fast, and despite running as fast as she could a few had caught up to the young girl. One young werewolf lunged at her, and Timber pounced knocking it to the ground. Another young werewolf lunged at Rinni from the other side, and one of the wind spheres that were encircling her deflected its assault. Rinni was grateful for this spell Shane had cast on her, whatever type of magic it was.

Timber nudged Rinni's legs encouraging her to pick up the pace. Girl and wolf ran as fast as they could, trying not to fall too far behind Shane. She hoped the wind wizard knew where he was going. She, even more, prayed that they'd survive once they got there. They were severely outnumbered here, even if Shane, Timber, and Rinni each took on 10 younglings, they still had 2 very powerful, very angry alphas to deal with.

Rinni and Timber conversed telepathically as they retreated toward (presumably) the werewolf lair. Rinni nodded and called out to Shane their plan. Hopefully, the werewolves didn't speak English. "Shane, once we get to the lair we need to split up the young werewolves. Timber suggests we each take on 10 at a time. The alphas will probably try to protect their young, so we'll need to work together to take them out. You seem to be stronger than me, so you could probably do the most damage to the alphas. If it comes down to it, you fight the alphas and Timber and I will do our best to keep the younger werewolves off your back!"

It might not have been the best plan or even a good plan, but it was a plan. And that was something they direly needed if they intended to survive this job. Rinni thought it'd be easy dealing with werewolves, for obvious reasons. She owned a wolf, she was part wolf, and she was a Silver Wolf. But these beasts were not like any wolf she ever met. Then again, the only wolves she ever met personally was Timber and Leila's adorable wolf pup Melon.

In the distance, Timber could barely make out what looked like a rock formation. He howled to get Shane's attention, in case the mage hadn't noticed it yet himself. Rinni and her wolf made a beeline toward the lair, hoping that once they got there their bones wouldn't become a landmark.

[Word Count 720]
[Total Word Count 5,124 Complete]

Shane had never realized his heightened senses from the Demon Slayer magic had been working the moment he had stepped foot into Lycan Woods. It was during this chase that he noticed it, abruptly hearing the incoming foot fall of the pack of wolves, a pack of wolves so large that Shane had even turned his head around to confirm it with own eyes, fearing that his hearing might have been compromised. And when he turned around, Shane’s eyes almost popped out of its socket. Indeed, his ears had been correct. There were truly thirty wolves rushing at them, full speed, a pack bigger than any he had ever heard of. A charging army of blurred grey, white and black among the trees.

And what made him fear the most were the two large, humanoid wolves. Instead of the fluid four-legged sprint of the younger werewolves, the fully grown werewolves, the alphas as Rinni had called them, were charging on their two hind legs, slashing at whatever was in their way as they moved amongst the pack. Tactically, they positioned themselves in the middle of the huge pack, the entire group moving as one, each and every one keeping pace.
Rinni shouted out a battle plan, dividing the younger werewolves among the three of them. Shane would also be taking care of the alphas, with Rinni and Timber backing him up if needed. Shane knew that at their speed, it was impossible for them to reach the rock formation in front of them. He had to do something to impede them.

Stopping dead in his tracks, allowing Rinni and Timber to run past him, Shane cast one of his Demon Slayer spells, Rising Wind. Shane magically created an upward blast of wind in the area between himself and the werewolves, and the moment they stepped into range, the ones in the front were instantly sent up into the air by the wind, throwing off those behind them as they tried to stop. With the diversion, Shane turned around and continued pulling ahead of the werewolves.

“Rinni! Get up the rock formation now!” Shane shouted as they neared the werewolves’ lair, the rock formation. What was originally the werewolves’ very own lair, a rock formation that set their hiding place at an elevated level and provided great defensive properties was now being turned against them. Being the last of the three to ascend the rock formation, Shane was wielding his Breaker in its spear form, swiping left and right as he climbed, pushing back the werewolves clambering up after him. There were a few times when he had lucky enough to pull off fatal blows, sometimes slashing across their thick fur-lined necks or managing to pierce through their eyes and then brains.

Shane managed to take out at least five werewolves that way, luck more than skill. The alphas, understanding the futility of purely climbing up after them while Shane acted as the rear guard, issued a combination of short barks and long howls. With military precision, the younger werewolves instantly ignored Shane as they rushed past him, beating him to the top, while one of the alphas, with a few bounds, caught up to Shane. A single swipe from the alpha, parried by Shane, carried enough momentum to drag him from his perch down to the ground below. As of now, the alphas were going to take on Shane while the remaining twenty-five young werewolves would be going after Rinni and Timber.

“Rinni! Timber! Watch out!” was all the silver-haired mage could do for them as he corrected himself in the air and landed on the ground lightly, spinning Breaker as the weapon contracted from its spear form into dagger form. The spin ended with Shane holding Breaker in a backward grip, the spear tip still dripping blood. “Let’s do it then.”

Rinni was terrified, though she tried to hide it. She never faced a battle this big before. Her and Timber ran in sync ahead of Shane who was attempting to hold off the massive pack with his wind magic. Rin was genuinely impressed; perhaps after they survived this she could get the chance to discuss his magic. It intrigued her, for some reason. Then again, most magic did as she was new to the wizarding world only discovering her own magic a few months ago.

But now wasn't the time to daydream nor to get distracted. Up ahead was the werewolves lair, and the pack was closing in fast. Shane ordered Rinni and Timber to the top of the rock formation. The wolf girl's fear of heights kicked in, but she wasn't known to disobey direct orders from superiors and leaders. And although she was afraid of heights, she was afraid of the pack even more so. In a rush of adrenaline for survival, she climbed the rock formation with Timber skillfully leading the climb.

Shane followed behind her with ease, the pack of wolves attempting to reach them. Shane had skillfully managed to defeat 5 of the 30 young wolves with his amazing shape changing weapon. However, their plan to separate the younglings failed as the alpha male barked and howled orders, keeping the unit together. The alpha and his mate were now focused on Shane, having no interest in the girl and her wolf.

Rinni spun around as she heard Shane shout a warning, and to her shock, she spotted 25 werewolves charging at her and Timber savagely. The 3 closest to her lunged and Rinni quickly reacted by calling for her Wolf Blade which materialized and was sliced through the air decapitating one wolf and wounding another. The third knocked Rin backward causing her to stagger at the edge of the rock formation. It snarled as it savagely ripped at her cloak. The injured werewolf growled and circled around Timber who returned the growls before lunging and ripping its throat out.

Blood in his fur, the bluish-gray wolf used his Lunar Blast ability. He let out a loud howl, his eyes glowing bright and eerie orange as fireballs rained down from the heavens scorching any werewolf in their path. Meanwhile, Rin swung her blade at the werewolf that had a grip on her cloak. The beast jumped to the side, yanking so hard that the girl lost her balance. She fell off the rock formation, her ripped cloak still dangling in the werewolf's jaws as it was ripped from her body.

With a thud and a squeal Rin hit the ground hard. Her ears were pinned to her head, her bushy tail, now visible for the first time, moved slowly across the ground as the teen struggled to her feet, only barely managing to maintain a sitting position. Her leg was injured, it hurt to put weight on it. She cursed under her breath, looking up as Timber bound down the formation and to his owner's side.

The wolf whined softly, nudging Rinni and gently licking her cheek. "Are you alright?"

"I think I broke my leg..." Before either of them could react, 10 young werewolves surrounded them. The beasts circled and growled as the adult werewolves focused their attacks against Shane. The alpha male appeared capable of Fire Magic while his mate, the Alpha Female used Nature Magic. Fortunately, the young werewolves didn't appear capable of magic... yet.

Rin knew Shane was busy, and she was determined to hold her own and watch his back as promised. Without warning, 2 werewolves lunged at Rinni. Timber tackled one and began to savagely maul it to death while Rin recalled her previously dropped blade into her hands and used it to stab her attacker in the chest. As it fell over dead, the other werewolves moved in, taking turns lunging, biting, retreating. The threat increased when the other werewolves joined in. Despite their efforts, Rin and Timber couldn't hold off 21 werewolves by themselves.

Tim fought valiantly, but in her current condition, Rin wasn't going to last much longer. She barely managed to slay 3 more werewolves, Timber taking out 5 by himself. Despite culling the numbers, it was still too much. Timber growled as 3 werewolves circled him, his fur standing up. The fur on Rin's tail bristled, her ears erect, eyes wide in terror as a werewolf pinned her to the ground, snapping at her throat as she attempted to fend it off.

"Shane! Shane, help me!"

[Word Count 782]
[Total Word Count 6,518]

Shane squared off against the lead alpha of the pack, a male adult werewolf who stood two heads taller than him. It’s body was huge, almost as thickly built as a full-grown grizzly bear with two large muscular arms by the side. The alpha’s lips were pulled back, revealing long canines, gray with specks of red among it. No doubt those were blood. Shane and the alpha were circling each other, the alpha walking on its hind legs while its arms were wide open, prepared for a lunge or to defend. The other adult werewolf, slightly smaller in size but still standing taller than Shane was circling them in a larger ring.

It staying out of the battle was a sign of respect for the larger werewolf, only to jump in things take a turn for the worse. That actually helped Shane a great deal, having only to deal with one at a time. If the two of them attacked at the same time, the silver-haired mage wasn’t entirely sure if he would be able to survive the scuffle. While his eyes were on the larger werewolf before him, he was also watching the other one from the side of his eyes.

And as quick as lightning, the silver-haired mage acted. As natural as breathing, Shane wrapped his arms with a swirling current of wind and charged forward. His body was bent low as he dashed forward, the swirling wind around his arm suddenly moving all over in a chaotic fashion. The silver-haired mage entered within striking range of his spell and swung his outstretched arms across his chest, and then dashed pass the werewolf, stopping a few steps behind him before quickly turning around and preparing another spell.

The moment Shane had swung his arms earlier, the alpha werewolf had been caught in a sudden onslaught of slashes caused by the chaotic discharge of slicing wind blades. The werewolf had let out of yelp of surprise and pain, pink lines drawn across its body from the spell. And that was it. Shane’s eyes almost bulged out of its sockets when he saw the amount of damage that the werewolf had taken. The werewolf turned around with astounding speed, using the inertia of its spin to launch itself forward. Flames burst through every part of its body as it bounded forward, swiping forward with its large flaming claws at Shane.

Without wasting any time, Shane cast his protective spell, the same one he had used on Rinni earlier.

“Guardian Ward!” Shane growled in the nick of time, the first sphere to appear intercepting the werewolf’s swipe and pushing him off balance to one side. Shane took the opening as it presented itself, leaping up into the air with a flip and dropping back down with an axe kick, his feet covered in a sheath of wind to increase the blunt force of the simple kick. The moment his kick connected, crushing into the larger werewolf’s back, Shane was simultaneously snatched out of the air as well. He was thrown backwards into a large tree, slamming into it before sliding to the ground.

It had been the other adult werewolf. It had leaped at him the moment the larger one had fallen, slow enough for Shane to pull off the Mountain Breaker but fast enough to prevent Shane from following up with another attack. However, the attack had used up the second sphere from the Guardian Ward spell. The spell had activated autonomously, expanding itself into a thin shield of wind the moment the second werewolf had attacked with magic. Nature magic. Three tree branches had been extended from the surrounding trees, thick branches from old trees, and had been magically controlled to whip in Shane’s direction, crashing into the Guardian Ward’s wind shield and throwing Shane away.

“This just gets better,” Shane murmured beneath his breath. Shane took in a deep breath and calmed himself down as he looked at the larger werewolf, who was still lying on the ground. There was a large dent in its back, from the Mountain Breaker spell, and Shane was quite sure that the spell had carried out its namesake. The werewolf’s spine was completely broken where the silver-haired mage’s kick had landed. The younger adult werewolf was furious, eyes bloodshot as it approached the larger one. The larger one could only whimper and bark, unable to move any further.

Shane stood back up and was about to launch his attack on the second werewolf anew when a scream from the top of the rock formation. The silver-haired mage’s head instantly looked upwards, and with his enhanced sight, saw Rinni’s precarious predicament.

“Rinni!” Shane said with a gasp. Without hesitation, Shane immediately ran in the direction of the rock formation, the younger adult werewolf standing between him and his destination. With his red eye glowing in the dark forest, the figure of Shane rushing towards the werewolf was enough to unnerve the beast for a few seconds, as the mage kicked off the ground and vaulted at the werewolf, his right knee brought forward and poised for one of his favourite spells.

“Lotus Flight!” the silver-haired mage called out as he collided with the werewolf, his entire body cloaked in wind, adding more force to his flying knee strike than he could muster. Shane’s right knee pushed fiercely into the werewolf’s right chest, multiple cracking sounds audible only to the two of them amidst the cacophony of wolf howls and barks from the one-sided fight on the top of the rock formation.

The werewolf dropped to the ground from the blow, with Shane barely even breaking his stride, stepping on the werewolf with his right foot and climbing up the rock formation with abandon. With the assistance of a sudden burst of wind behind him, Shane shot up the rock formation, six spiralling arrows of wind curling around his left arm. The moment he cleared the edge of the cliff where Rinni was pinned down by the werewolf, Shane swung his left hand forward and released the six arrows point blank at the werewolf, six consecutive blasts of wind pummelling into the werewolf’s head, chest and shoulders and throwing it back a good twenty feet away.

“Rinni! Are you okay?!” Shane called out as he kneeled beside the girl, helping her up. Without waiting for a response, the silver-haired mage carried her up in his arms and brought her to rest by a large rock. He then took Breaker from behind him and placed it in her grip.

“Timber’s in trouble, so I need to get to him. You’ve seen me use Breaker. Just pour your magic into it and it will respond to your will,” Shane explained as he rushed off towards Timber. He passed by the werewolf that he had blasted away on the way towards Timber and without remorse, stamped his right foot down on the fallen werewolf’s head, crushing its skull with a dreadful crack before continuing on his way.

[1169 words]
[Total WC: 7687]

Everything happened so fast, her mind barely had time to register what was going on. This was her first battle, and it nearly killed her. Her first big mission could have easily been her last. Everything was a blur, but at the same time, things appeared to be happening in slow motion. Shane appeared by her side. He spoke to her, but she wasn't sure what he had said. His voice sounded so distant. The older male scooped the young mage into his arms; she responded by wrapping her arms around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder as tears threatened her vision. Her entire body trembled violently against Shane's chest as he carried her to safety. This experience had shaken Rinni to her very soul.

As Shane placed her under a tree to rest, she clutched onto him for dear life as if letting go would mean her death. Before she could rationalize a sentence or reason she felt Shane place something in her hands. She looked down at the foreign object, attempting to comprehend what was going on. As her senses returned to her, she heard Shane explain Breaker to her. Scared, confused, and feeling like she messed things up pretty badly, the teen could only watch as Shane rushed off to save Timber leaving her alone to her thoughts.

She sat there shaking, sobbing, her tail draped across her lap, her ears drawn flat in a submissive fashion. She wasn't ready for something this big. She had begun to doubt herself, to regret choosing this mission. She overestimated her own strength and nearly gotten herself, her wolf, and a stranger killed due to her own ignorance.

'I'm so sorry...' She thought bitterly, wiping tears from her cheek.

'Rinni, are you hurt!? Stay there! I'll get to you as soon as I...' Timber's telepathic message was cut off as an adult werewolf lunged at him, knocking the giant wolf to the ground. He snarled, snapping viciously at the large werewolves legs and throat. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up. He was getting tired, and it showed in his breathing.

Knocking the larger werewolf aside, he lunged at its throat only for another adult werewolf to grab him around the waist, hurling him to the ground. He let out a yelp of surprise as he landed with a thud. Timber rolled to his feet, pushing himself up from his downed position and growling threateningly at the three werewolves that were moving in on him, backing him into a rock, trapping him.

Back where Rinni rested weary and shaken, another adult werewolf crept out of the woods. As soon as it spotted the prone girl, it saw easy prey. Rinni's ears perked as she heard a familiar growl nearby. Her eyes widened as she saw fangs, drool and red eyes closing in on her. She looked at Breaker and tried to remember what Shane had said.

"C'mon, C'mon. Work... work. Damn it!" She hissed as she tried to do what Shane did so effortlessly. It wasn't working, and she was low on time. The werewolf lunged hungrily at the weakened girl who screamed and held Breaker straight in front of her defensively. The next thing Rin heard was a yelp of pain followed by several whimpers.

Rinni slowly opened her eyes and saw that Breaker had transformed into a long spear and the werewolf was shish kabobbed on the end of it. Her eyes widened and she sighed in relief as she tossed the dead creature to the side, laying Breaker beside her as she closed her eyes to rest.

[WC: Complete]

When Rinni’s continued sobbing reached Shane’s ears as he rushed off to save her wolf companion, the silver-haired Rune Knight knew that this job was going to leave a long-lasting impact on the wolf-girl and her companion. It could even damage her confidence. But that was all swept to one side as he refocused on the immediate situation. From where he was, Shane could see Timber being knocked around as he slowly succumbed to exhaustion from the endless combat. He was now being surrounded on all sides, his back pushed to a wall.

The wolf let out a yelp as he was knocked to the ground. Without hesitation, Shane propelled himself forward with a burst of wind from behind him, leaping high into the air above the four wolves. Two spells were cast instantly before he even started his descent, and when he finally dropped down, a small whirlwind had been whipped up around them, throwing sand into the eyes of the three werewolves.

Timber was spared from it, being in the center of the whirlwind with Shane as the latter shielded the wolf with his body from the other three. The other spell that he had prepped, his favorite spell, fired off six arrows of wind from his right arm, shooting towards the werewolf in the center as it was blasted off the ground and straight down the cliff. A long howl preceded the final thud. The other two were luckier, but only by a slight margin. With cutting wind gathering around both arms, Shane swung each arm in the direction of a werewolf, sending three blades of cutting wind at each of them. The cutting wind slashed through their thick hide and fur, drawing blood as it drove into their bodies.

Twin yelps followed before they crumbled to the ground, bleeding out. Shane spun around in place and checked on Timber.

“You okay, Timber?” Shane called out, before realizing how weird it was. However, one thing was clear. They were not to be the werewolves’ prey today. The remaining werewolves, unnerved by the decrease of their forces finally decided to retreat, leaving the fallen members of their pack to their own devices while they disappeared silently into the forest, as ghostly as when they first appeared. Shane let out a sigh of relief as he carried the large wolf in his left arm, looped around the wolf’s waist as he slowly walked towards Rinni.

Once he had placed the wolf on the ground, Shane sat down heavily on the ground, looking at Rinni. He had seen the skewered werewolf by the side, but paid it no heed.

“I dare say, this job’s a success,” Shane said with a reassuring smile.

[452 words]
[Total WC: 8745 / 7000]

Shane was right about one thing. Rinni and Timber would never forget today. As the pair watched Shane fight with ease, they both realized just how weak and unprepared and nieve they both were. They thought they could handle a pack of werewolves, that she could prove herself to be a powerful wizard instead of a freak. Her ears fell flat as the last werewolf fell, her eyes watching mesmerized by Shane's magic and skill. She could never compare to someone like him. Not yet, anyway.

Timber was grateful to Shane for saving his life, even if he couldn't tell him so himself. The wolf was severely exhausted and had suffered some minor injuries; nothing life-threatening. Their physical wounds would heal. The mental wounds well... that remains to be seen. Once the last werewolves were dealt with, Shane asked how Timber was doing. To this, the wolf responded with a whine as he licked an open wound on his front left paw.

The man known as Shane was impressively strong as he picked up the massive animal in his arms. Timber wasn't used to this. In all his life no human had carried him like a baby. It felt nice, actually. The wolf turned his head toward Shane and licked him once on the cheek, as a way to say thank you. The then felt the wizard placing him gently on the ground. He wasted no time nuzzling Rin in an attempt to console the young girl.

Shane ever so confidently and gracefully announced a job well done, as if this could of work was just another day in the park for him. Rinni had never done anything like this before. It was her first battle, the first time she really got to test the waters and push the limits of her skills. She soon found herself regretting every minute. The tip of her tail twitched and she slowly peered up at Shane, tears soaking her cheeks.

"I wasn't ready." Rinni stated stiffly. She returned Breaker to its rightful owner. "I nearly died. I nearly got you and Timber both killed. You both fought so hard to protect me. All I did was get in the way..."

Rinni stood up and exhaustedly made her way toward her semi-tattered cloak. She donned it once more, pulling up the hood to hide her ears. Timber limped to her side, looking up at her with concern in his eyes. She smiled slightly, offering the wolf reassurance as she patted him on the head. She then looked toward the sky and sighed.

"Next time, I'll be stronger. Thank you, Shane... for... taking care of me. Now it's time I learn to take care of myself. Next time we meet, I won't be a helpless child." She vowed as she and Timber headed off through the woods, following their tracks back toward the entrance. Once she was back on the road, she intended to return to Silver Wolf, recover from her injuries, and then begin her training.

Hopefully, one day she'd run into Shane again, only in better circumstances.

[WC Complete]