Richter was led around the tall, golden grass surrounding the Hearth Tree. It was made perfectly clear that he was not allowed any closer to the sprites’ home. Before she had left, Hisako had told him that the wolves have been attacking other animals with abandon. They were even not eating much of the animals except for perhaps a few bites. It meant the wolves were killing for sport. They had also been ranging downriver, closer to the Hearth Tree than they normally did. Although none of the sprites had been killed yet, apparently there had been some close calls. Looking to his right, he spied the taciturn wood sprite that had led him to the Hearth Tree. He found out his name was Sion. Even though the surly sprite no longer aimed an arrow at him, Richter could feel the animosity radiating in the small man’s gaze. The Hearth Mother had sent Sion to accompany him on his quest. Sion had not been pleased with the order.

After walking for half an hour, he attempted to engage the sprite in conversation.

“So what can you tell me about the forest?”

“That it’s much more likely we will be eaten if you make a bunch of irritating noise asking idle questions,” Sion answered. His gaze never even wandered in Richter’s direction as he continued to scan the trees.

Having had just about enough of this green clad munchkin, Richter replied, “I didn’t mean to invade your territory. I was just hunting in the woods. If you don’t want to be here, why don’t you just go back and tell Hisako that you don’t want to accompany me?”

“We do not bicker and argue like humans. We do not question the wisdom of our leaders. By knowing our place, we serve the spirit of the forest. For instance, I would not bring dishonor upon myself by saying that it is absolutely ridiculous that we need a smelly stomper like yourself to help us, especially when I can’t reliably determine the difference between when you have spoken and when you have broken wind.” Sion paused for a moment, “I would never utter such words.”

This speech, which comprised probably 75% of all the words Sion had spoken since meeting him, was delivered in the same disinterested tone as those Geek Squad douches who recommended a customer plug the laptop in to fix the fact that it wouldn’t turn on anymore. (Speaking as former Genius Bar employee… those guys are the worst! Who needs to wear a damn uniform to install Windows anyway?)

Richter simply ground his teeth as he stomped forward before saying under his breath, “No one told me those blueberries made you toot.”

Continuing to move forward, it was about another hour before Sion raised his hand silently. Making eye contact, he motioned to a tree up in front of them to the left. Nocking an arrow, Richter slowly stepped forward, walking through the trees as silently as he could. As he passed a lichen-covered boulder, he saw the wolf. Its head was down as it greedily tore into what looked to be a rabbit. It was a mangy thing, brown and dusky gray in patches. On its side was an area bare of hair, giving the appearance of having been gnawed away. It would reach almost to waist height if it was standing straight up. He could see its ribs silhouetted against its skin.

Slowing his breathing, Richter smoothly drew back his bow and released the arrow with his exhale. The sprite arrow struck the wolf on its haunch. The animal immediately dropped the rabbit with a yelp and turned its eyes towards him, teeth bared. Richter saw its bloodshot eyes and foaming mouth and knew he had discovered the reason for the wolves leaving their normal hunting grounds. They were rabid! All such deductive thoughts fled his mind however, as it launched itself at him, seeming to cover the twenty yards in a blink. Reacting instinctively, he dove to the left, barely missing the wolf’s lunge. He fell sprawling, arrows falling out of his quiver and over his shoulder. Knowing he had bare moments before feeling the wolf’s teeth sink into him, he drew his dagger and rolled over. He had barely turned when the wolf was upon him, lunging for his throat. Shoving his forearm against the wolf’s neck, he attempted to stab it with the knife in his other hand, but the blade stopped on the wolf’s ribs, barely penetrating. The wolf strained again, its fangs now mere inches from his face. Flecks of the wolf’s slobber fell upon his face, mixed with gobbets of bloody flesh from the animal it had been eating. It strained against his forearm to get close enough to sink its teeth into Richter’s throat and end his life.

Screaming in horror and anger, Richter adjusted the angle of the knife in his hands and stabbed it into the wolf on top of him. The blade now easily slid between the ribs of the wolf as he stabbed it again and again. Hot blood spilled over first his blade, then his hand and then his arm, but he still didn’t stop exsanguinating his enemy, and the wolf’s struggle didn’t slow. Changing his angle of attack, he stabbed farther up towards the wolf’s head. Richter felt the knife pierce the wolf’s heart with the barest resistance followed by a small pop. The wolf seemed unaware of its own death for the briefest of moments before it collapsed on top of Richter.

“Ahhh, Arghh,” Richter grunted, attempting to push the wolf’s body off of himself. Instead, he settled for rolling it to the side. Then he just let his head fall back to the forest floor. He took several deep frantic breaths as he willed his heart to stop beating so wildly.

Rabid Forest Wolf (Lvl 4) has died. You receive 40 (base 32) experience points.

Laying on his back, he stared up at the green canopy above him. Small splotches of blue could be seen through the leaves. He was elated! “Woooo,” he shouted, punching his first into the air. Turning his head to the right, he saw Sion looking at him quizzically.

“What are you doing?” the sprite asked.

“I’m celebrating! Where were you during the fight?”

“This is your quest, not mine. And it is clear that you are celebrating. I meant, why are you celebrating when those other wolves are right over there?” Sion asked, pointing to Richter’s left.

Slowing turning his head to the left, he saw two rabid wolves with their teeth bared, not fifteen feet away. Before he could move, the wolves were on him and his world narrowed to consist only of fangs, blood, and, above all, pain.

All color faded from his vision as his remaining eye stared up at a wolf’s mouth closing around his face, and then all was black.

You have died.

A blur of colors and the sensation of great speed, complicated by a lack of all emotion, until he felt as if he was falling from a great height with a heart clenching stop…

A horrid scream ripped itself from Richter’s throat, “Noooo, please stop, pleassseee!” His arms flailing around, his head whipped back and forth, wildly searching for the wolves. After a few frantic seconds, he realized he was back in the hidden glen. His conscious mind began to reconcile the subconscious knowledge he already possessed. He had died. The wolves had killed him! Closing his eyes, he curled up onto his side and cried. There was nothing graceful or dignified about it. His body was immobilized by great, racking sobs.

They had been tearing at him! They had torn off a piece of his chest before he died. He had… he had seen… that damn wolf had been chewing on a piece of him! The horror of it washed over Richter. He relived the cold feeling he had experienced at the moment of his death. He drowned in the memory of helplessness as the wolves’ teeth had torn and ripped at his tender flesh. The horrors hammered at his psyche! His mental torture physically manifested in his inability to leave the fetal position. As soon as he came to the end of his nightmarish remembrance, the sequence started again from the beginning. He relived the experience over and over, not able to break free of the hellish loop.

As his mind continued to torture him, however, another emotion rose. As he thought about the experience and the pain, he began to feel something else besides horror. It started as the kernel of a feeling, barely noticeable, inconsequential even. But it grew. After a while he recognized the emotion. He felt anger! No, that wasn’t the right word. He felt… RAGE!

He raged at the wolves for hurting him! He raged at Sion for not helping him! More though, he raged at himself for being helpless and afraid! Not just in the past moments, or the past day, but instead at feeling just a bit afraid his entire life! Of not having any true control over his life’s direction and instead bowing time and again to the demands of society, the demands of his family, or the ridiculous demands he made of himself fueled by reality TV and pop culture. He felt the need to take control of his own life. To face any issue head on and no longer escape! He felt, the need, for POWER!

Richter broke the loop of pain he had been reliving and stood, a fierce determination in his eyes. This was not about denying that something horrible had happened. That would have been just another form of escape. This was about accepting the realities of his life and, despite the numerous blows of fate, standing tall!

You have proven yourself to be: Resolute! The choices in your life led you to a critical point. A nexus of opportunities were laid before you, many leading to disaster! You have chosen a finer path! The experiences of your entire life have culminated in this one moment. You have decided not to kneel, but to stand; not to beg, but to take; not to wait, but to forge ahead! Be true to yourself to find your specific power. Bonus to mental resistance 5%. Bonus to spiritual resistance 5%.

Staring at the message across his field of view, he blinked in surprise. He had not expected the Universe to reward him for his own personal journey, but he would take it. After a fashion, it made sense. While he could increase his speed, strength, and skills, he would ultimately be the same person, unless he decided to change within. With a firm twist to his lips, Richter smiled. It was time to get back to work.

The phantom pains of the wolf attack still plagued him somewhat, but they had lost much of their power. They were only illusions. They would not deter him. What was real was the air in his lungs, the power in his limbs and the strength of his will. Backlit by the sun shining down into the glade, Richter took a step forward to go and finish what he had started. It was in that moment of true purpose that he looked down and realized he was completely naked.

“Universe, you’re a dick.”