Edited by: tommyjl7

A lone shade wolf was moving across the forest. It was lured by the smell of fresh blood. The creature starved for past few days, so the smell of carnage was like an invitation for a dinner. It was moving carefully for it knew that it was too weak to fight back in case of encountering another predator.

And then he saw it. A half of deer, it looked as if some powerful jaws snapped it in half. Where was the owner of the jaws? Nowhere around. Maybe it chased after another prey, thinking that this one wouldn’t run? How careless! Yet wolf was grateful to the powerful beast for dropping such a wonderful gift on which he could feast.

He got closer to the corpse and lowered its head to taste still fresh blood. And then it noticed, although it was already too late.

Predator didn't leave, no, it used the meat as a bait while he dug a hole in the ground next to it, waiting for some foolish creature to be lured with the idea of an easy meal.

Beast jumped from its pit with monstrous jaws opened wide, the creature’s body was grotesque, unbalanced, unfit to hunt like bear or wolf, yet after it ate dozens of insects and spiders, it learned their ways of setting traps. It was still greatly imperfect, but it was more than enough to allow it to hunt bigger animals.

Razor-sharp teeth sank in the belly of the wolf, the animal had no way of defending itself as teeth were gutting it alive. They struggled in a deadly embrace for half of a minute before the wolf fell dead, missing half of its body.

The beast got up, devoured rest of the deer, consumed half of the wolf, dropped remaining half in the place of the previous lure before it once again started hiding in the mud, covering the entrance of the pit with leaves and moss. Before it vanished completely one could notice, that the body of the creature was slowly gaining on balance as its mismatched rear legs slowly started resembling that of a deer.

Johann was running through the forest whimpering in pain. His left arm was dislocated, two of his ribs were broken and he was lacking two fangs. If he hadn’t called for the aid of stray wolves, he would be dead. Defeated. It was not what spirit promised him! He was supposed to be the strongest! Invincible! And he was defeated in hand-to-hand brawl by a woman! WOMAN!

He ran into one of many caves in the forest where he collapsed on the moss. Here, in darkness, his senses were at ease. It was a natural environment for him, here he could almost sense his wounds getting better.

An overwhelming presence filled the cave as wolf made of smoke entered the cave after Johann. Its huge red eyes and jaw were glowing in the dark. Yet, the monster appeared to be smaller, weaker, wounded just like the werewolf.

- “You lied to me…!” Johann groaned still lying.

- “I NEVER lie!”

- “You told me that I would be stronger, that I…”

- “You ARE stronger. Stronger than before. But, if I would say that I would double your strength, and your strength would be on level of 1, you will end as 2. You will never be able to defeat someone who is on level 3 or higher. You can blame only you, for you are pathetic, not worthy of my blessing! I armed you with claws, I gave you strength and speed… and look at you. Defeated. Broken. Crying for help like a stray pup.”

- “I see that you were not victorious either.”

A roar of anger echoed in the cave, forcing Johann to bow his head in terror.

- “I grow weaker to fuel YOUR powers! Every night you are touched by the moon, every day you run across the forest you are draining MY powers! You are like a leech to me! A bloodsucker feasting on my essence! I am feeding you like a mother feeds a child, and that makes ME defenseless… and what do I have in return? Gratitude? No. I am being rewarded with you blaming ME for YOUR failures! Guess what, maybe I will take away your powers if they are such a burden to you?”

- “No! Please… no.”

- “Your woman asked me for that too.”

- “M-Marie? No! She couldn’t!”

- “I told you, I never lie. But why did she do that? Maybe she thinks that you are unworthy? That she and me are wasting our time on you?”

- “No! I beg you! Give me one more chance!”

The monster smiled wide.

- “One more chance you say?...” it made a long pause as if wondering what it should answer “… very well. One last chance. Stay here for the night. Embrace the darkness, become one with a night, and when the sun would die on the horizon, leave the cave and become one with a moon. Then, you shall receive my last blessing and become one with my essence… Then your powers shall be complete and you will reach the peak of might you could ever dream of!”

… and then I shall devour your from within.

But these were the words that monster never said aloud.

An hour after our “conversation” with the spirit, we decided to team up with Gisele’s team. Well, in theory, it was supposed to be lead by Jasper, but knowing my love and the way she acted around others, I am pretty sure that she managed to subordinate rest of the hunters.

They stepped out from the forest entering the clearing on which we set up a little camp.

- “Guessing by your faces, you didn’t have more luck than we did.” She said sitting on the ground next to me and unstrapping the equipment

- “So you failed too…” I stated more than asked

- “Yeah, I got the fucker. I totally owned him! He wasn’t even a challenge in hand-to-hand combat, a disappointment, I tell you! Yet, fucker played dirty and ran away…”

I looked at Jasper with one of my brows raised in question. I knew Gisele, and I knew how much she loved to color up her stories. I wanted to just make myself sure if everything ended the way she described it.

Yet Jasper only nodded with a sad face.

So she was telling a truth. That’s a bummer.

- “How about you?” she asked.

- “We pretty much got our asses handed back to us, but he was the one running away, so…”

Yet she snorted

- “Weakling!” She teased me. I knew she didn’t mean anything bad and merely wanted to improve her mood after not fulfilling her role in the hunt.

Yet in the next moment she yawned stretching her arms in the air, and while letting them down one of these landed on my shoulder as she pulled me closer in a hug as she snuggled in.

- “Worry not, mate, we will get them next time.”

I wasn’t so sure. The power of the curse was getting stronger with time. We needed to quickly resupply and head into the forest. Otherwise, there may be no other solution as to simply end Johann’s life.

Yet for now, I needed to regenerate my mana. I quickly bottom up the mana potion I made over the fireplace by mixing herbs with boiled water.

It was a disgrace in the world of potions. Water as a base instead of alcohol, herbs were cut instead of shattered. If one of my girls would give me something like that in the company, I would kick her out.

Yet I was lacking tools. Instead of glass vessels, I had only a pot. I was working with what I had instead on what I should. Drastic times require drastic measures.

Then I got myself comfy hugging Gisele back as I wandered into the land of Morpheus. After being an adventurer for more or less two years I have received the ability to fall asleep no matter the time of day.

I let rest of the hunters to guard use during our slumber.

- “Ha. What a bunch of monsters. They are inside of a forest with a werewolf running free and they decided to take a nap. Are their nerves made of steel?”

Rupert chuckled quietly seeing the breaths of the two adventurers stabilizing.

- “Well, I can guess they already were in worse situations.” Lanele said in breaks between sipping herbal infusion. She asked Zariel if he can boil it for her, though he didn’t like the idea of wasting his time like that, out of pure courtesy he cleaned the pot and did as she asked.

Weird, but these infusions, though they required only boiling herbs, tasted differently depending on the skills of the person that prepared it. When normal people prepared it, it tasted like water mixed with grass. She liked that taste, it was refreshing, bringing ease to her senses. Once she was at the meeting when her mother was a guest at the house of a local herbalist, back in the country, her mother took her along. Then she tasted exactly same infusion.

The taste was deeper, stronger, overwhelming her senses. It was best thing she drank in her life.

But now… she learned the existence of tastes that she would never guess they could exist. It was like a ragweed – drink of gods, the way the tastes mixed in celestial balance, the way one was changing into yet another so naturally… she could fall in love with it. In her plans she was already imagining forcing Zari into preparing dozens, if not hundreds, drinks more. Now, as she knew the taste, there was no way she could live without it!

- “That woman is a beast.” Jasper said smiling seeing the war-machine hugging white haired boy like a teddy bear. “…have you ever heard about someone brawling with a werewolf? She is either crazy or… no, she is most likely just crazy.”

- “So there are two of them. Truly worthy of one another.”

- “What, the almighty Oracle was punching that Devil too?” Jasper snickered

- “No, but repeatedly using Holy and Dark magic in turns was hell of an experience.”

Jasper opened his mouth and closed it few times, lacking words to respond.

- “Monsters.” He just shook his head to the sides

- “Oh, we better hope they are not. I would rather never hunt this duo.”

Hunter leader once again made a joke regarding their profession.

Right now, the cuddling couple looked so innocent. The boy's head buried in the gap between her head and chest, almost plastered to the woman’s delicate skin on her neck; the girl with her nose buried in boy’s hair, as if she couldn’t fell asleep without the smell of her love. They looked so pure, like a first human couple chosen by Luxia – Adam and Eve.

Well, in the Gospel, Eve wasn’t a giantess brawling with werewolf.

In holy rites Adam did not bring the white flames to purge the unholy creatures in righteous anger.

But, if you would forget about these details, the two would fit in description.

Or not. After a second thought they were nothing alike. Only the passion they share among themselves would fit.

Yet it was enough. It was beautiful. As long as there are more people sharing love like these two, Rupert would fight. In order to protect their smiles, their lives.

Because there was nobody to protect his wife when he was younger.

He had to be the one.

These thoughts kept swarming the old man’s head as they were recovering strength before next encounter.

Four hours later they rose, geared up and entered the forest. Jasper was moving ahead scouting the ground ahead. He found Johann’s track and kept following them.

They were marching for the next few hours, yet they did not find Johann, before the sun settled down.

It was the time.

The Sun has died.

The moon was rising on horizon.

His wounds were healed.

His mind was cleared.

And it was calling on the night.

He left the cave, and stepped on the dark.

Embracing all the shadows.

His senses would scream.

His heart would race.

Awaiting inevitable.

The beast has come.

Off the moons.

Kissing him as a son.

The sins has fled.

Into the night.

Letting him die.

Untouched.

For it was the night.

When he would rise.

Reborn to the bone.

In purity.

His soul would let.

A sweetest cry.

Kissing the father in welcome.

He was lying down.

Embracing the end.

Untouched, his life was yielding.

The spirit above.

Showed teeth in smile.

Preparing to feast on the essence.

He opened his mouth.

Tasting the night.

Letting in all of the shadows.

They danced in his heart.

Clouded his mind.

Making him sleep in the darkness.

He closed his eyes.

With a smile.

Letting in his father.

His soul would wander.

Into the land.

None yet returned unchanged.

When the night has all.

And embraced him like.

A lover, he was always missing.

He would open his eyes.

Yet the human behind.

Was already gone is the shadows.

The eyes were so full.

Of darkest sin.

When creature raised up in the moonlight.

Now woe and cry, you little fool.

The fool, that let the night in.