After rounding the corner of the mountain to my surprise a small wooden hut was set up next to the den entrance neatly hidden behind some cut of tree to camouflage it… from this angle it's quite noticeable though. Walking by the new post I quickly headed into the Den entrance. The smell of smoke and ash from the last fire wafted out the cave entrance.

  Slowly walking to the back of the cave, I was quickly greeted by three dark figures jumping from the shadows throwing me across the room full force. Slamming against the cave wall I let out a large grunt, though it barely injured me it did startle me quite a bit stumbling to my feet. I quietly listened. They must have missed Snow, the faint sound of flapping filled the cave before all three figures froze.

Winter's Shaky voice echoed through the cave.

“...Fang, Snow? Is that you?”

“Yes, who else could it be..?”

Silence filled the cave. Before I knew it Winter had quickly lit the fire in the center of the room. The three shadows quickly faded into Winter, Dusk and Dawn… while Winter and Dusk aren't much different Dawn was almost fully grown standing around the same height as Winter…. Before they could let out another word I faintly ask.

“How long have I been gone for? ”

  Looking down, Dawn quietly stepped forward.

Looking at me once more before quickly gazing to the floor.

“About a month..”

A month… I was on the mountain for a month?!

“The village came…”

  My eyes shot wide dashing around the room, how'd I not notice it sooner where the others are? There was no sign of a struggle in the Den? Where'd they go? Lost in thought snow must have noticed tiredly landing on my head he tilted his head before looking down into my eyes. Closing my eyes, I calmed down taking a deep breath. I slowly opened them again. With a tired breath spoke.

“Where did the others go?”

Dawn's eyes quickly shot back to the floor. Before she softly spoke.

 

“Alex went to get materials a couple weeks ago… they must have followed him back to the Den… when they came it was in such large numbers… Alex told us to hid and take Brue with us… he took Meaire and went to the front of the Den.”

  Tears began to well in Dawn's eyes as she spoke.

“We only came out of hiding a couple days ago… Brue left last night.”

Peering over to a corner of the Den there was a small wooden table pushed far into the wall. Alex must have made it before he left… Walking over to the table there were tons of small hairline cuts. Like someone cut the table with a razor… or nail.

 

Taking a step back it came into focus.. The small cuts aren't just random. They were neatly deranged letters in a language I hadn't seen before…

“Brue did this?”

Dawns sniffles were echoing through the cave.

Taking a couple steps forward, winter quietly spoke.

“ It's Human Letters. I only knew a bit… but for what I can make out it says, “Village”, “West”, “Rescue” While it's not even half the words I can make a guess what he went to do…

Turning around I quickly headed for the Exit of the Den, before I was stopped by Dusk.

“You can't go to the village. I could barely do anything…” Looking off towards Winter and Dawn he quietly closed his eyes before walking behind me.

 

“We won't leave for a couple days… hopefully it will calm down soon.”

I let his words hit me for a second… I could barely keep from yelling at him… the best I could do was quietly walk from the Den. Snow quietly rested on my head as we headed to the front of the forest… it should be night by the time i reach the other side… Looking up through the broken tree branches the sun is just barely getting over my head.

  Brue must have made his way to the village by now. Moving through the brush line I quickly made my way to the exit of the forest while I wasn't the most familiar with this part of the forest, it was not like it was much different from the other hunting grounds.

…

..

.

  The smell of smoke wafted through the trees. I can't tell how close I really was to the exit but it couldn't be too far now. The sun was nowhere to be seen by this point. Only the faint hints of moonlight skimmed through the tree line. Snow had woken up from his sleep and was attentively watching our surroundings from my head.

 

“Snow, could you fly up ahead? I want to know how far we are from the village.”

 

  With a small Coo he quietly flew from the top of my head and vanished into the dark tree line. it hadn't been long before he came bolting down from a clearing between the branches and gently flew down to my back. A Dead silence filled the air before he spoke… even the crickets were silenced.

 

“...not too far, Danger..”

  Walking a bit more through the fallen tree’s, faint sounds of fire began to echo off the forest trees. It wasn’t long before they grew louder as the light of the fire danced against the nearby tree trunks. I could faintly start to make out voices not too far out.

Quickly ducking behind the nearby tree line I slowly made my way to the right to find a better look. At this point the once old and darkened trees started to thin out… I was losing cover faster than I thought I would, looking out into the darkness I could just barely make out large patches of grass covering the large open plain. Trying to get a better look and taking a few steps out from cover i could just barely make out a worn beaten path leaving away from the forest.

 

  “Hey did you see that!”

  I quickly ducked back into the tree line making sure to hide my path darting to the left. I quickly followed the tree line back to the left of the fire making sure to stay out of the light that was quickly traveling to my previous position.

Their voices echoed just barely off in the distance…

 

“Sorry, Gren I thought I saw something move…”

A ruff man's voice quickly interrupted him.

“Nothing here! Get back to your post and don’t leave!.” barked the voice as it faded to the distance… They can't be too far from that path if they saw me…

Anki?

 

*Ping

How long will Aura manipulation work for a human form?

*Ping

  Stretching my neck I gave it some thought before moving to the edge of the first line until I was only just barely out of view… Taking a deep breath, my whole body relaxed…

It's enough time..

  Within the next few seconds a large plume of smoke wrapped around my body before slowly fading into the air… what was left was a small boy no older than 18. Hair darker than the night sky with eyes that glowed through the night like a hungry tiger… with skin paler than the winter moon…

Taking a single step forward, My knees practically gave beneath me . I slowly stood to my feet before shakily stepping forward from the brush.

With a cough a small squeal-like voice escaped my throat.

  “~Hello”

The lights from the fire quickly shifted and three bright figures came running down from the fire. Within the few seconds they were inches from me. Holding my hand up to my eyes I blocked the bright light of the touches.

*Ping

The ruff voice echoed from one of the three voices once again.

“ Who and where did you come from?”

 

By the time my vision adjusted to the light. I was shouted at once again.

“ Did you not hear me who and where you come from!” the voice barked once again.

*Ping

I was barely able to crock out a couple words before the plume of smoke began to pool beneath my feet.

Unlike before my voice shook and rose with violence almost as I spoke from the depth of my soul.

“I'm… The White Demon.”

  Before I could let out another word the thick plume of smoke engulfed my sight. Using charge and jumping from the smoke cover I quickly tackled the closest person to me laying into his neck the best I could. Within the next second screams rang all around.

 

“ it's just a Demon wolf! Don't be scared to kill it!” The man barked as I could see a large figure toss his torch to the floor before the sound of metal echoed around.

  The screams became silent as a few figures gathered arms and moved closer.

While it was dark I could just barely make out 4 people including the large man… lucky i took out one, looking down blood dripping down my chin to the body beneath me, A brilliant idea took my mind gabbing the half warm body by the leg I quickly pushed a large quantity of my mana into the body before throwing it as close to the incoming people as possible.

  They must have been stunned by the thought of their friend's body because four out of the five people slowed their pace and moved next to the body while the largest of the five quickly brushed past the body charging me straight on… at this point he should be out of the blast zone…

Without a second thought a large blue explosion rang through the field with a bright flash of blue light that quickly dissipated as fast as it came... Leaving shards of ice and snow in its wake covering the whole area. The four body’s stood solid to the floor not moving an inch. Rushing faster as he noticed his fallen comrades he desperately rushed forward until he was just feet in front me of. With this much distance it wasn't hard to see him at all.

*Ping

  He was an older barefoot man dressed in ragged clothes moving inch by inch; he stood about five foot nine with a single arm that he gripped tightly around his sword handle. His blade is just barely larger than his own arm decorated in five small rings hanging from the back of the blade. Reaching it out he pointed it right at me.

“Come at me you damn wolf!” the man shouted as he drug his weapon above his head slamming it to the floor. Creating a large gash in the floor the rings rang as they clanged against the metal.