FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

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CHAPTER 13

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Everyone jumped in surprise at the sudden appearance of the beast. Backing away in terror at the sight of the abomination. My nen blades had struck it but had had no effect on it whatsoever. They hadn't so much as scratched its hide. My Uncle who had been the closest to it backed away cautiously, his sword raised defensively, his eyes never leaving the creature for a second. The wolven warriors cried out in confusion, anger and fear. Some of the braver wolves moved to their Alphas defence. But the creature didn't care about them, its attention was solely fixated on me.

I matched its gaze. Our eyes meeting, and not for the first time. Its eyes, which glowed like hot coals within the recesses of his head, burned brightly in the darkness of the night. It's form silhouetted by the fire in the center of the square behind it. A low guttural growl reverberated from its throat. Its long tail lashed behind it like a whip, it flexed its claws in anticipation of sinking them into me.

"Malakye... is that..." Malnark asked nervously.

"No. This is something else." I replied. "Back away slowly. Its here for me."

I could understand why Malnark could think that this was beast was somehow related to the curi'nakra we had been hunting. But this was not the case. I knew this beast. I had fought it several times in Aaru. I had never expected to encounter it here of all places. It certainly had a sense of timing! How it had tracked me down was beyond me. Why had the Guardian Deities allowed them to pass through into the Mortal Realm? Had it found a way to escape Aaru, or had it been allowed out?

The spirit within me was going crazy. Revelling in the fear of the furs around me. Eager to fight the beast standing before me. This was not going to be an easy fight. I would need to use the spirits power in order to defeat this beast. I could not risk holding back. One mistake and it would kill me without hesitation. It was my nemesis. With a hide so strong that my sword could not pierce it, my wind bending all but useless against it. It growled once more, embers floated from its maw. It had an affinity for fire, and while I could use my fire bending to hurt it, I could not actually harm it with fire. Malnark's water bending might have some effect, but if he so much as flexed his nen in the beasts direction it would not hesitate to attack him.

"No one interfere!" I ordered. "If you attack, it will kill you!" I looked past the beast at my Uncle. "Order your warriors to retreat!"

He looked from me to the beast several times before nodding. The beast was as tall as I was when it was crouched as it was. If it were to stand up it would be over ten feet tall. Its body was lean, its limbs thin and lengthy, but it was stronger than it looked! Not only could it use nen but it was smart as well! This was no simple feral beast! It was waiting for the others to leave, allowing them to escape. It was here for me and me alone. Anyone else was just in the way.

"Malnark. You and the other escape to a safe distance. Do not interfere no matter what!"

"But Young Master!"

"You as well Jovani!" I barked. "You need to protect the others. If I die here you must carry out my mission! They will need you for that!"

"..."

Jovani was hesitant. His mission was to protect me, but I was ordering him to ignore his duty to me. As valuable as Jovani would be in this fight, I also could not risk his life in this particular fight. This beast was formidable, and while I knew Jovani could handle himself I would not be able to protect him. I would have my paws full just trying to survive myself.

"Very well Young Master."

Jovani seemed to understand the dilemma. He reluctantly withdrew and heeded my request. I waited for them to escape to the other side of the bridge before channelling my nen into my blade. I knew the beast would sense it and that would signal the beginning of our fight. The wolves had retreated further into the village, evacuating the nearby huts as they went. No one would interfere in our fight.

"All right then. I don't know how you found me here. But its time to finish this!" I growled.

The beast roared and then we both sprinted towards one another. As it reared back its arm to strike I slid between its legs. Using my nen enhanced strength I pushed myself leapt back up with one fluid motion. I tried to stay behind the beast as it turned to face me, out of the way of those razor sharp talons. I brought the blade of my sword across its lower back, but the steel bounced harmlessly off its hide. I dove forwards in a roll, narrowly avoiding its arm as it tried to strike me. I turned round and used my sword to deflect its attack by striking its wrist as it tried to impale me on its razor sharp talons. I stepped forwards and brought my sword across its belly. It growled in pain, but once more my attack had failed to pierce its hide.

I sensed the build up of nen in its throat and knew what was coming. I leapt away just in time to avoid being roasted alive as it breathed fire where I had been standing. It wasted no time in pursuing me, lashing out with its long arms to bring its talons to bear. I was forced to retreat for the moment. I ducked beneath its right arm and spun on my heel to bring my sword up in an upward slice, which caught the beast in the chest, throat and base of its muzzle in one fluid motion. Any other opponent would have been crippled, if not outright slain by such a blow, but yet again my sword failed to pierce its hide; managing only to knock its muzzle skywards from the force of the blow. I may not have succeeded in slaying the beast with that last attack, but I did succeed in stunning it for a moment. A moment which I seized to gather as much nen as I could into my right fist and land a powerful blow to its chest.

My attack blew the beast off of its foot-paws and sent it flying. It rolled head over heel over the ground before stopping in a crouched position, its talons embedded into the ground which had carved out grooves as it had stopped its backwards momentum. The beasts body was hard as steel, but it was much lighter than it actually looked. Its long, thin limbs made it tall, and while it had some impressive strength in them it was no heavier than me. It looked up at me, eyes still burning fiercely, and growled in frustration and anger. It leapt towards me and I managed to escape its clutches by using my wind bending and wings to propel me backwards out of its reach for the moment.

Its attacks had grown fiercer, and it was all I could do for the moment to just remain out of reach. I ran into the square and towards one of the huts. The beast lunged forwards, its arms reared back to strike. I leapt against the wall of the hut ran two steps up the wall and them pushed off with every ounce of strength I could muster in my legs. The beasts claws raked the wooden wall of the hut, leaving inch deep claw marks in the wood as I back flipped over its head. I landed and then immediately ducked to avoid the swinging limbs as it spun round to attack me. I rolled between its legs, stood up and then landed three good blows with my blade to its midsection before rolling away one more.

All this running around was slowly draining my stamina, and I had yet to put a scratch on the damn thing! I drew on the nen of the spirit with me, felt its power surge through me, and focused it into the length of my blade and focused it to a razor sharp point. I brought my sword upwards to strike the beasts right arm as it attacked, my blade met its steel hard flesh and deflected its attack while finally managing to slice into the hide of the beast.

It roared in pain and backed away clutching its arm. My attack had only managed to scratch it. The scratch glowed bright orange as the fires within the beast were revealed. I watched as its wound slowly healed shut. I had managed to wound it, but it had barely been a flesh wound, and a wound that had healed within seconds. I had surprised it by wounding it, but it won't back away because of a little scratch next time! I needed to land a decisive blow!

I ran towards it, hoping to seize this opportunity. As I approached it swung its tail at me. I cartwheeled over the limb, landed and then lashed out with my sword. The beast backed away but immediately retaliated. I weaved round its attack and dashed forwards, slicing into its side with my blade as I ran past it. It yelped in pain, my attack once again slicing its hide to reveal the hot orange light of its flesh beneath before it healed a moment later. I parried the next two attacks from its claws with my sword, but was forced to back away as the third strike of its long arms nearly took my head off!I rolled to the right to avoid the whipping strike of its tail and then leapt up and over the sweep of its tail and brought my sword down upon the crown of its skull.

My sword bounced off of its hard head, leaving a glowing wound where I had struck it. The beast staggered back clutching its head, but was barely hurt. The impact from the blow had rattled the bones in my paws and forearms, leaving a numb tingling sensation in them which I attempted to shake off while the beast recovered from my last attack. I sensed the build up of nen in its throat once more and prepared to dodge, focusing my nen into my wings I propelled myself upwards with one powerful flap of my wings and somersaulted in the air and came down behind the beast. As I descended I raised my sword over my head and prepared to strike it the back, but before I could it spun round, caught me across the chest with its forearm and sent me flying backwards.

I heard the smashing of glass before the back of my head hit something hard. After I hit my head I fell to the floor and struggled to focus my vision. Everything was blurred and spinning. My chest ached from where I had been struck but none of my ribs seemed to be broken from what I could tell, my armour had absorbed some of the impact.

After a couple of moments my vision recovered somewhat and I realised I had been knocked through the window of a hut and into the back wall. My head and ribs were agony. The beasts head emerged through the window and it roared savagely at me. It was too big to come in through the window after me, but that didn't mean it couldn't breath fire at me. I managed to roll away in the nick of time. The intense heat from the flames washed over my muzzle as I missed being roasted by mere inches. I drew on my nen and reached out for the burning debris the beast had ignited and fired a stream of flames into its muzzle. It roared in pain and withdrew.

Flames could inflict pain but not wound the beast as it it was all but immune to fire. I picked myself up, grunting in pain as my body objected. I ignored the pain and grabbed the door to the hut and slipped outside as the fire began to spread through out the hut. I stumbled away, suppressing my nen so the beast could not track me and staggered into the alleyway nearby. I heard the crashing of wood as the beast attempted to force its way into the burning building. I had a few brief moments to recover before it noticed I was missing. After that it would track me down in short order.

How was I going to defeat it though? I had dropped my sword when the beast had struck me! By infusing the spirits nen into the blade of my sword had given me a weapon I could hurt the beast with, but now I had lost that. Now all I had was my daggers. One steel dagger and the other the one given to me as proof as my title as a daemon, and I couldn't risk breaking that one here. It was as strong as steel despite looking like it was made of glass, but I couldn't afford to risk breaking it here. I needed it to test furs for the taint. I pulled the steel dagger from its holster on my right thigh. I don't know how I was going to defeat this thing, but I needed to find a way!

I heard the war-cry of the wolves echo around me. The fools were attacking the beast! I should have known they would rally themselves and attempt to defend their homes despite me warning them not to! It wasn't interested in them, it wanted me. But if they forced its paw it would not hesitate in killing them. Only a k'tan had a fighting chance against it. I pulled myself up and ran towards the wall of a nearby hut and leapt up onto the roof. I peaked over the top of the roof and watched as it breathed fire at the wolves. The wolves were unharmed, it was a warning shot. If they kept this up then it would kill them! I had very little love of the wolves, and I certainly wouldn't mourn their deaths. But this was my fight! It was only here because of me!

I drew on my nen and the nen of the spirit within me, the pain racking my body all but disappeared as it coursed through my body. I used my wind bending to propel myself towards the beast. The distraction the wolves created allowed my to jump on its back. I wrapped my arm around its neck and squeezed as hard as I could and then proceeded to repeatedly stab by dagger into its chest. The dagger did very little damage, but with the repeated nen enhanced strikes I was slowly chipping away at its hide. It roared in pain and began to lashed out wildly in an attempt to shake me off. I kept stabbing it, its hide now weakening and several stab wounds glowed bright orange as I pierced its hide over and over. Its wounds were healing as fast I was making them, but I kept on stabbing it.

It suddenly stopped trying to shake me off and I immediately realised its intention. I pressed my foot-paw into its back and pushed myself up and over its shoulder as it threw itself back in an attempt to crush me against the side of one of the huts. I rolled over the ground and immediately stood to face the beast. The wounds my blade had caused were nearly fully healed already, the blade of dagger glowed faint orange from the heat it had picked up from its blood. Hot as fire. I readied myself and waited for it to attack.

It lunged towards me. I sidestepped the first swipe of its claws but was immediately caught as it backhanded me with its arm. I was sent flying across the square and rolled over the hard flat ground. I picked myself up, but not quickly enough. It slashed me across the chest with its claws, tearing through my leather armour, the metal plates built into my armour the only thing stopping me from being seriously injured. It grabbed me and then tossed me effortlessly through the air into a group of wolves.

I knocked over half a dozen wolves as I crashed into them. The wolves scrambled away as the beast approached. I could barely stand. On the ground next to me, one of the wolves had dropped a mace. I grasped it and then as the beast reached down to grab me I spun round and struck it in the leg with the mace.

The heavy steel head of the weapon caused the beasts left knee to give way. It roared out in pain as it fell. I rolled up onto my foot-paws, ignoring the pain in my body. The beast snarled and roared at me. I silenced it mid roar by striking it across the muzzle with the mace. I summoned every drop of strength and energy I had left and kept hitting it with the mace. It staggered up to its foot-paws, and tried to stagger away from me. But I kept up my pursuit. I struck it in the side, in the back, dodged its razor sharp claws to strike it in the leg once more. When it fell to its knees once more I landed three consecutive blows to the side of its head before bringing the mace up in an upward arc and catching it under its muzzle.

That last blow toppled it to the ground. It landed on the flat of its back and grumbled in agony before sickening snaps bone echoed across the square. Slowly, and agonisingly, this arms and legs shrunk back to their original size, the patches of black, cracked skin faded and was replaced with brown fur as it returned to its original form. Exhausted and hurting from the fight I fell to my knees to catch my breath. Malnark and the others were running over to me, as the wolves slowly surrounded us; weapons at the ready.

"What the hell is that thing!?" My Uncle demanded.

"Heh." I chucked in amusement. "It's a wolf."

"A wolf!?"

Moments later the beast had finally reverted back to their original form. Their battered and bloodied form lay prone on the ground for all to see. They were starting to come to, but that was of no concern. The fight had been won already.

"I know this wolf!" My Uncle exclaimed as he looked down at them.

"Of course you do." I smirked. "He's from Rovarian Village. His name is Khaine. He's a wolven k'tan."

"A wolven k'tan!?" My Uncle exclaimed while mutterings ran through the other wolf.

"I trained with him in Aaru." I added. "I don't know why how or why he is here, but he obviously came to hunt me down!"

"You trained with him?" My Uncle asked curiously. "In Aaru?"

"Yes." There was no way he wasn't going to ask more questions so I decided to add one more thing that would at least satisfy his curiosity for the time being. "I am also a wolven k'tan!"

Now that sent a ripple of chatter through the wolven ranks. I stood up, now finally having caught my breath. I tossed the mace away and stared into my Uncles eyes. His eyes met mine and there was a silent exchange between us. It was in this moment that we exchange more words than at any other point in our lives combined. He turned to Malnark with an outstretched paw. Malnark gave him the letter and my Uncle proceeded to read it. Once he finished it he sighed and shook his head.

"Secure him!" My Uncle ordered the wolves, pointing at Khaine. "Is he in any way connected to the curi'nakra!?"

"No." I huffed. "I'm certain of it."

"Don't harm him. I have some questions for him when he wakes up." My Uncle told the wolves who were lifting Khaine's limp form off the ground.

"Yes Alpha!" The four wolves replied in unison.

"Gerald, take your warriors and follow them. Make sure he doesn't escape!" My Uncle turned and ordered one of the other alphas.

"At once Prime." The wolf, Gerald nodded.

"Father explained what happened in Rengilar. A tragedy to be sure. One that I shall not allow to be repeated here!" He turned to a wolf on his right and said something to them that I couldn't make out, but the wolf nodded and immediately ran off to complete what ever order my Uncle had given him. "I shall allow you to test the wolves here. But I shall deal with any who show any signs of taint! Is that understood?"

"Before I go I will need to know how you intend to deal with them!" I countered.

"Very well." He nodded. "Now show me this knife."

I drew the knife from the holster on my lower back and held it out in front of me. The blade glowed with a faint white light. I allowed him to take it from me, and the blade continued to glow with a faint white light, just as it had done for me and Grandfather when he had been tested.

"If the blade glows red then the individual is tainted. If it turns black then we have our culprit." I explained.

"I see." He stared at the blade and handed it to the wolf on his right who took it tentatively. The blade glowed a faint blue in the wolfs paw. "Good."

He was testing the blade. I'm sure that he had picked a wolf that he knew, and that if it had turned red in his paws he would have become suspicious of the result. He passed the blade around, one by one until the two dozen wolves standing nearby had all been tested. None of them had tested positive for the taint. A good sign. Back in Rengilar we had found at least one fur for every ten that had been tested. By the time my Uncle had finished testing the wolves around us, the wolf who had run off from before returned with five wolves in tow. My Uncle handed the knife to that wolf first of all. He was clear. And then he gave it to the next wolf. They tested positive.

With a single command the nearby wolves seized this wolf and quickly detained him despite his protests. The next wolf was tested and they too tested positive. In fact all five wolves that had been brought here tested positive for the taint, the blade glowed a distinctive red while being held in their paws.

"It seems there is some truth to this." My Uncle sighed. "These wolves were part of the pack who were sent down to join us. They arrived with nearly two dozen others."

"Where are the others?" I asked.

"Missing."

"What do you mean missing?!" Malnark asked.

"All new recruits to the pack are sent out on a hunt, to provide food for their new pack mates." My Uncle explained. It wasn't unheard of for such welcoming ceremonies to be held. It was a way for new comers to bond with their pack mates by proving their worth to the pack. In this case as hunters and providers. "These five were the only ones to return from the hunt."

"What happened?"

"Apparently they were attacked. They didn't know by what, as they were not with the others at the time. When we sent warriors to investigate they found the remains of several wolves. Badly mutilated as if they had been ripped apart by some feral beast." My Uncle explained. "The Dark Forest is a dangerous place at the best of time. All sorts of vicious creatures live there."

"When did this happen?!" I asked.

"Three days ago."

"How many wolves were accounted for?" Malnark asked.

"It was hard to tell since the bodies were so badly mutilated. But we estimated that three bodies were never accounted for. We assumed that whatever had attacked them had dragged the bodies off. We were never able to find them and I wasn't willing to risk the lives of any more warriors to find them." My Uncle closed his eyes as if the decision still caused him some amount of pain. "But if there was a curi'nakra involved then it is likely they not only caused the bloodshed, but they used the chaos to escape undetected."

I looked across the muzzles of the five wolves who were now being detained. I didn't know any of them. So where was Kaleb? We know he was amongst the wolves who had travelled down here to Banuke. I don't know if he was directly responsible for this, but so far he had been in all three places where wolves had been tainted with demonic energy. Was it coincidence, or was I just hoping that it was him? Growing up he had always been in the center of any trouble or hardships the younger wolves caused me. He was the one who had led the charge where my hut had been burned down and they had tried to burn me along with it! He was also the wolf who had raped me! Perhaps deep down I wanted it to be him! If he was the curi'nakra then I would finally be able to seek some measure of revenge on him because of it!

"What of Kaleb?" I asked. "Was he among the dead?"

"A lot of the bodies were badly mutilated." My Uncle frowned. "Most of the bodies were nearly impossible to identify.

So there was a chance that Kaleb was dead. Part of me hoped that he was the curi'nakra, in fact I wouldn't be surprised if he was. It was just the type of selfish thing I expect him to do. But then I will be the first to admit that I hated Kaleb more than anyone. And the fact of the matter is he was more likely to be a victim of the curi'nakra than actually be the fur I'm trying to hunt down.

It was strange that three bodies were unaccounted for. One of them would be the curi'nakra themselves. But what of the other two? Did they escape the massacrer and get lost in the forest? Perhaps wild beasts did dragged their bodies away. What if there was more than one curi'nakra?! I hadn't accounted for this possibility!

No... there would only be one curi'nakra, at least for now. It was not that easy to become a curi'nakra, there was a long and drawn out ritual to perform in order to become one. But with the help of a curi'nakra that process might be sped up.

What if something similar to Rengilar happened in the forest? Entire bodies had gone missing in the aftermath of the portals formation. But that had taken over one hundred tainted furs in order to open a portal. Of the two dozen wolves that went into the forest five were still alive. Was that enough to create a portal?!

"Where did the attack take place?" I asked with an urgent tone.

"About three miles into the Dark Forest."

The Dark Forest, one of the most dangerous places in the mortal realm. Over seven hundred miles long, it created a huge natural divide between the North and South of the Tribal Lands. It is said that the forest sprang from the carnage left by the great demonic war. Feeding on the bodies of demon and fur alike. If you believed the rumours then demons who survived the war reside within its depths. Demons or not, there were still a number of dangerous creatures that lived in those woods that could take out a hunting party of wolves.

Because of these threats most merchants and traders chose to navigate around the forest, making towns like Banuke a valuable commodity for all of them. Those willing to travel through the forest could cut days, or even weeks from their journey if they were willing to brave the dangers of the forest.

But before we could pursue the curi'nakra I first needed to finish testing the rest of the wolves and other inhabitants of Banuke village. It took hours, but eventually every fur was tested. Males, females and cubs alike. Only the five wolves from the hunting party had tested positive for the taint. My Uncle assured me that he would deal with the five afflicted wolves.

I wanted to argue and ensure that they were properly dealt with, but the curi'nakra was on the loose and I didn't have any more time to argue. I instructed him that he needed to burn their remains, and insisted that dealing with them sooner rather than later would be the most merciful course of action. But their fate was now in his paws. If they were lucky they would have a painless passing, but if left alive the demonic taint would ravage their body with any number of symptoms, until they eventually died.

Before finally leaving Banuke I paid a visit to Khaine who was tied up in a shed on the edge of the village. He was tied to a supporting post in the center of the shed with a thick rope, four wolves stood guard around him. He glared at me as I approached. The fur around his muzzle was slightly bloodstained.

"Come to gloat?!" He spat.

"Why are you here?" I asked. He smirked at me, as if enjoying my ignorance. "You know I'm on a mission, one of great importance! I don't know why your here, or how you found me but I can't fathom why you would interfere!"

"I didn't have to find you!" He chuckled. "I was told to come here!"

The only one who could possibly know I would be here would be the same deity who prophesied the curi'nakras presence in the mortal realm, and had declared that I was the one who had to hunt them down.

"So you were a test?"

"It was a test for the both of us!" He spat. "You won today, but I assure you next time we meet I will kill you once and for all!"

"You are welcome to try!" I countered. "So tell me, what was to happen if you had managed to win!?"

"Then I was to take over your mission!" He smirked. "The only reason you were given this task was because that deluded old bitch said you needed to lead the hunt! Unlike you I have completed my training!"

If Khaine had been chosen then he might have been able to find the curi'nakra in Rengilar before they had left for Banuke! I would acknowledge that much. But if they had been in Yanzomien, Zangar or New Zangar then I was the best choice. I could gain access to three of the four potential towns that the curi'nakra had been residing in far more easily that Khaine could have. Unfortunately the prophecy had not been specific enough to decipher where the curi'nakra was hiding.

"I won, this mission is still mine to complete!" I growled and stared down at him. "Don't come after us! Next time I won't spare your life!"

I turned and began to leave when he spoke.

"Trust me, next time we meet I will be the one killing you!"

I just kept walking and ignored him. Our rivalry would last the rest of our lives. In Aaru we had come to respect one another as warriors, fought against each other countless times, and had become something between enemies and friends. We had become rivals! Khaine may have managed to complete his training before me, succeeding in taming the spirit within him. I got lucky today. If I hadn't grabbed that mace when I had... but there was no point on dwelling on that. Next time I fought Khaine he will have undoubtedly become stronger. As a new wolven k'tan he would undoubtedly meet with Zaraki Kamir, and would probably receive training from his senior.

If I could somehow complete my own training I was confident that I would become more powerful than he could hope to become! I had been told numerous times that my potential was great. I was the first to ever possess two k'tan powers. Individually they were powerful, but what would happen if I could combine them? The Guardian Deities were as curious as I was about that fact. As I left the hut holding Khaine I was met by my Uncle and the others. Jovani handed me my sword which he had found while we had been testing the wolves for taint.

"If you're done you should leave town!" My Uncle huffed. "My warriors have not questioned my aiding you in your mission thanks to the appearance of Khaine. If he had not shown up I doubt they would have agreed to your tests, even if I had ordered them to!"

It was the same as in Rengilar. The only reason we had managed to succeed in testing the residents was because of Zaraki Kamir and my Grandfather. Even here in Banuke we were only able to complete the tests because my Uncle was the Alpha Prime. Suddenly I realised that Khaine was wrong. I had not been chosen for this mission because I could gain access to three draconian controlled villages. It had been ordained that I had to take this mission, but for the sole reason that my grandfather and Zaraki Kamir would listen to reason.

The Guardian Deities had even sent Khaine here to create a chance for me to gain their trust. Our conflict had redirected the wolves hatred for long enough to make them compliant with the test. Khaine's transformation was quite demonic in appearance, and our fight had made them forget about the fact that I was in fact half dragon for a short time. I was not overly happy that we were being used like this. I doubt Khaine would be happy knowing he had been a tool in allowing me to succeed in my mission.

"We're going." I agreed. "I trust you will do what needs to be done!"

"Don't worry about me!" He snorted. "Leave now and I won't have my warriors hunt you down!"

"We appreciate your patience during this whole ordeal." Malnark bowed his head slightly.

"I don't want a dragon thanking me!" He spat. "Now get going!"

He stormed off and after a silent glance between one another we all nodded, agreeing that now was the time for us to depart while the going was good. We had tested our luck for long enough. The flow was still promising for our departure, but there was a staleness threatening to overcome it. The hatred of the wolves would soon overcome their senses and they would likely attack us once more.

We made haste to where we had hidden our wagon. I could feel eyes upon us. I was not surprised that my Uncle had us followed, I would have done the same thing in his place. They were going to make sure we were not going to meet up with another draconian force and attempt to take the village we had just spent the last few hours scouting. So long as they continued to simply watch us I didn't mind them following us. I suspected that once we crossed into the Dark Forest they would stop following us.

Once we had met up with the wagon we immediately headed South. My Uncle had provided a rough map which would lead us to where they had discovered the bodies of the massacred hunting party. The bodies had been put to rest, but I had no doubt we would recognise the spot when we came across it. It might give us some clues as to where the curi'nakra went. It would be even more difficult from this point on. I would need to track them through the forest, braving the dangers that lay within its borders while doing so. But once I found their trail I would find them and once I caught up to them, I would kill them!