Sakura peered into the darkness anxiously. "They're late. Do you think anything happened to them?" she asked anxiously to Black, who was guarding Tranquil while she was asleep. He shrugged and replied, "I don't know, but you know we can't leave this camp." But he too looked around, hoping to spot them.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps behind them. Whirling around, Sakura cried, "Mika! You're back at l..." Her voice died out in shock. It wasn't their friends at all. Instead, there was a pack of howling wolves surrounding them. It was Vagabond and his trusty pack of Wolves.
Black quickly spring up and stood by Sakura's side. "Quick! Form a barrier around Tranquil," he said, eyeing the beast uneasily. As they edged closer towards the sleeping priestess, one of the Wolves decided to have its meal now. "MAGNUM BREAK!" Sakura cried, killing the stray wolf almost instantly. Bad move. Angered, Vagabond howled once more and signaled the pack to attack. "Uh-oh..." Black muttered. "HAMMER FALL!" he cried, and killed a few wolves at a time.
"What's going on?" murmured a sleepy voice. Tranquil had woken up due to the noise! "Tranquil, stay low!" Sakura cried, as she fended off some wolves with her 6 Zweihander. Startled, Tranquil looked up, only to find herself face to face with the beast, Vagabond. Too surprised and shocked to scream, she merely stood there gaping. Black, worrying for her safety, immediately rushed by her side, only to stop in surprise. Instead of attacking, Vagabond stopped growling and actually...whined. Even more surprising was that it allowed Tranquil to pet it.
"Tranquil, what are you doing?" he asked softly, fearing the Vagabond might injure her if it was startled. She looked at him in wonder. "Black, I know this wolf. I don't know why, but I do know this wolf!" she said in wonderment, glancing at the quiet Vagabond. Even Sakura stopped fighting and gaped at the strange sight. "Eh, this is the first time I've seen such behavior," she said.
Once more, Tranquil looked at the beast and knelt down beside it. "You're trying to tell me something, aren't you? What is it? Do you recognize me?" she asked softly. Vagabond whined and edged closer, before setting off towards the dark. "Hey, wait!" she cried, and pursued it. "Tranquil!" Black and Sakura cried simultaneously and rushed to her side.
Ignoring the rest, Vagabond continued to run, stopping only to make sure that they were still following. "He wants to show us something. I know it!" Tranquil panted as she tried to keep up. Black and Sakura exchanged worried glances. Variante and Mika were still missing, and they are leaving camp. Will it lead to disaster?
Suddenly, Vagabond stopped on its tracks and lifted its mighty head, sniffing the air. Panting, the others stopped too and slumped onto the barren ground, tongues lolling. "Wh-what is it, Vagabond? Did you find something?" panted Tranquil. It growled and bared its fangs in return. Something was moving swiftly around them. Startled, they formed a tight circle and prepared to fight the swift shadow.