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Morning fog sweeps through the forest like an army at war. It's almost peaceful as twilight sets in before the break of dawn. The forest was almost freed from the snow that had covered it nearly a month ago, bringing forth the lush green and the animals that thrive off of it. Moving through the fog is a small rabbit, staying alert for any sign of danger. It's almost invisible in the fog, staying low to the grass that it munches on as it makes its way along. Unknown to the rabbit is the predator that stalks it from a bunch of bushes just out of its sight. It was a wolf, white as the snow that was melting with every passing hour.
It too lays low to the ground only not eating grass but planning out how it was going to get the rabbit that had been eluding it all day. Its striking amber eyes watched the rabbit as it geared up for the pounce. The rabbit makes one pop up, checking the surroundings before ducking down and continuing to eat. At that moment, when it starts to eat is when the wolf attacks, almost silent as it works around before pouncing on the small animal, baring its teeth. The rabbit cries out as it's finally bested by the beast that now holds it in its jaws. With one crack the body hangs like a ragdoll in the jaws of its predator. The wolf straightens up, intent on bringing the rabbit home to its own in the hopes of holding them over for the rest of the morning.
A scream breaks through the fog, causing the large animal to perk up, eyes darting around. A man, two times the wolf's size darts through the forest, making the animal run in the other direction. The man pants, nearly tripping over a log that sits on the forest floor. "Fuck." He mumbles, hurrying to get on his feet and to keep running. A cry rips through the air behind him, unhuman, monsterlike. His heart beats loud in his chest at the sound of the monster that was now back on his trail. He really had hoped that the meal was enough for the beast so he could getaway.
As much as he hated to, he had to leave his friend behind for his getaway. But it doesn't seem like it left the monster satisfied in the slightest. The man stumbles once more, making a vee line towards an opening in the forest. Another cry rips through the air, this time much closer to him. The man turns around in the field, trying to get eyes on the beast, only to find nothing but the fog that reaches his knees.
With shaking hands, he reaches to his side, drawing out a knife that would barely pass in a fight. There's a chip in the side and rust where the blade meets the handle. He holds it out all the way in front of him with both hands, clearly shaking. Movement out of the corner of his eye has him turning in fear. A loud snap has him spinning all the way around only to see nothing. The fog wasn't happening as the sun now breaks over the horizon line, prompting the fog to appear to be higher than it just was.
A growl makes the man jump, seeing the fog puff up with the beast's breath. His eyes widen, taking a step back. His hands shake more, the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as he hears the creature draw in closer. "Please." He breathes out, taking another step backward. "I'm sorry." He goes on, "By the Gods I'm sorry." He cries, yelling when the beast rises, breaking the fog and standing tall in front of him.
It was a werewolf, leaning forward, red eyes staring the man down where he stands. The only fur on it surrounds its face, the rest is short that almost leaves just the skin. The wolf snarls, bearing its teeth and leaning forward. The tip of the knife touches the beast's chest, pressing against a rib that pokes through the skin. The werewolf lets out a roar that knocks the man down, the knife falling to his side. The wolf leans forward, sniffing the man before it jerks up, eyes on the treeline.
The man holds his breath, slowly backing up while the beast is distracted. A lone twig snaps under his hand, making the monster snap back to looking at him. It rears back, ready to eat the man like it had eaten his friend in the forest. The man yells out, closing his eyes as he awaits the wolf's bite but instead the beast cries out. The man opens his eyes to find that the werewolf had its attention held on a figure that held a large sword in their hand and stood with no sign of fear.
They were clothed in black and what appeared to be dark red. The werewolf roars at the mysterious person as they hold a defensive stance. The wolf launches forward and the man winces at the thought of the beast launching at him like that. The person makes a side step, naturally avoiding the beast and striking it with the sword. A few more moves like that and the beast collapses into the slowly disappearing fog.
The man looks at the person as they wipe the blood off of their sword. "Th-thank you." He stutters, feeling around for his knife with one hand. The figure's covered by a cloak but he can just make out the black paint of some kind that decorates their face, making him gasp as he starts to take in the sight of the person. The person tilts their head up slightly and from a distance, he catches their eye, white as snow. "I-I-I have to go. To town. Could-could you point me in the direction?"
The person sleuths their sword on their back before lifting their arm and pointing in a direction before the turn back to the body of the wolf. The man scrambles to his feet and quickly runs off in the direction that was pointed to them. The person crouches down beside the werewolf, pulling the head back by the hair and getting a good look at the teeth on the beast.
They roughly drop the head before flipping the body around. "Should have stayed in your neck of the woods mate." They say, pulling out a knife and working on cutting out the large canines from the mouth of the beast. "Would have waited for the witcher to come and get you." They go on, shaking their head before pulling their hood back to feel the chill of the wind. Long black hair falling from behind the cloak hood and getting pushed back when a gust of wind rolls through.
Pocketing the teeth, they stand up and give the beast one last look before turning fully away and taking in a deep breath. Without another glance, they walk off and into the forest, disappearing into the cover of the trees and off to only Gods know where.
