Ace Of Spades

Forest Phantoms

Ace Fairway strolled through the dense forest using her refined precision to avoid colliding with low hanging branches in the failing light. Forest Phantoms watched her go, peeking out from behind trees like young children. The sky was dark with occasional gaps in black clouds over the moon, sometimes throwing wisps of light over the trees like a blanket of fresh, dew splattered cob webs.
At her side, a lone black wolf paced, its ears twitching as it picked up sounds not detectable to the human ear. His black coat shone in the dashes of bright light, giving the impression of his body being wrapped by moving shadows.
Ace heard the deep throated murmur of a growl. She glanced at her companion. The wolfs sharp ears pricked and before she could even whisper the command, he ran. Head up and alert, he raced through the trees, leaping fallen logs as he went.
Ace chased after him -as fast as she dared in the failing light, which was still extremely fast- and just as she approached a shadowed clearing, drawing her dagger as she went, she heard the death scream. She was slightly surprised it had taken him this long. By the time she was close enough to see, the thing was dead. She didn't know what it was, but it's fine pale neck had been ripped open and black, oily blood spilled to the ground. It was slowly sinking into the earth. Ace watched it, a satisfied hint of a smile across her face.
Ace called the wolf back to her and rewarded it with a slit of her tanned wrist so it could drink her own powerful blood and get rid of the no doubt foul tasting oily muck left from whatever that was. She smiled at the wolf as he drank deeply, quenching his thirst.
He was a rare kind, and most people were lucky to even glimpse one in their life, and here she had one, devoted and completely loyal to her, happily drinking her blood. She felt honoured.
When he seemed content, she re-sheathed her resplendent hunting knife and once again they set off through the night enchanted forest on their way to the falls.