"Back with the firewood already?" Tateland asked his large friend as he fed his pet weasel that sat on his shoulder. The barbarian dropped an armful of logs that any other man would have found impossible to carry. "I see you brought the whole forest." The large barbarian gave him a confused look. "I was kidding."
They sat around the fire, eating rabbits caught by Slaut while he was out for the wood. Suddenly, a howl ripped through the air, closer than Tateland would have liked.
"Go, Horgal," he whispered to the weasel. The rodent ran off into the forest. Seconds slowly turned into minutes, and Tateland's little companion never returned. Another howl sounded. Slaut stood, gripping his battle axe firmly.
"Not real wolves," the barbarian stated as he listened. He then slowly started to make his way to the forest. Tateland quickly followed him, fearing for his safety if he were alone in the coming night.
They walked through the trees, Tateland reaching out with his feelings, searching for his lost companion. Then, a large wolf jumped out from behind a tree, growling. Slaut threw his axe through the air, barely missing the wolf and hitting a tree. Tateland quickly started to cast a spell to shoot at the wolf. From behind, he heard another growl. He turned to see a wolf clamp its jaws onto his legs.
Tateland yelled out in pain as the teeth were torn away by Slaut. The massive barbarian threw the wolf at its companion, both then running.
"Move," Slaut said, grabbing his axe from the tree, "Wolves come back soon."
"I thought you said wolves didn't make those howls?" Tateland asked as he leaned on his friend for support.
"Wolves didn't. Something bigger." Tateland quickly tried to move back to camp, Slaut having to help the injured wizard.
They reached the camp without further incident, or so they thought. As they returned to the spot where their fire had been, a massive wolf jumped out of the forest, growling, ten meters to their right. But as it came closer, they could notice that it was more than just a wolf. It stood on its hind legs as it once again howled. The form of the wolf was more human than a real wolf's. Slaut pushed Tateland out of the way as the beast pounced. It forced Slaut to his back and stood on top of him, trying to bite the barbarian's neck.
Tateland quickly recovered from the massive push. He stood to his feet, ignoring the steadily increasing pain in his leg. He carefully took aim and started chanting. Flames leapt from his fingers, hitting the monster's side. It didn't flinch, but Slaut could smell the burnt flesh and hair. It was definitely in pain and even more angry than before. Tateland pulled out his quarter-staff and hit it in the head. It forgot about Slaut. The wolf-like beast pounced at the poor Wizard, knocking him to the ground.
Slaut took the chance and threw his axe again, this time hitting its mark. A furry leg fell to the ground as the rest of the creature struggled to run back into the woods.
"Slaut…" Tateland struggled to say, "Gather the supplies…go…into the mine." The barbarian couldn't agree more. If they were to remain safe from anymore harm, they had to go into the mines. Slaut quickly packed everything up and then threw the wounded wizard over his shoulders. They went about halfway down the tunnel when they decided to stop and rest. They would be safe, for now.