I would like to take this opportunity to warn readers that there will be violence in this story. I'll try to keep it at or below a PG-13 level, but if it ever goes beyond that feel free to let me know so I can fix it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Don't Starve or any of the characters

His time in this strange world had erased most of the unspoken rules that Wilson had held dear before he had been imprisoned. Still, it felt somewhat disturbing to be following a strange young girl through the forest. He still hadn't ruled out the possibility that she was some kind of vengeful spirit, though that seemed less and less likely.

"So… Wendy?" He asked, just trying to fill the silence that had pervaded since she started leading him. "Who else is here with you?"

She observed him over her shoulder curiously.

"I've been in isolation since my arrival." She said. "The only company I've had up until now would be my sister Abigail."

"Oh? Is she waiting back at camp?" Wilson questioned, ducking to avoid a low hanging branch.

"No. She's dead."

The matter-of-fact statement took the scientist completely off guard. He stopped immediately, staring in disbelief at the child.

"She's… dead?" Suddenly he felt a much darker hatred towards Maxwell. "I'm so sorry. If I had known you were here… I had no idea there were other people and-"

She cut him off with a shake of her head.

"She didn't die here." Wendy explained. "That was a long time ago. In here, she can come to visit me every once in a while. She's kept me safe from the creatures of the night."

He didn't know exactly how to respond to that. They calm manner in which she discussed it assured him that she was telling the truth about it having happened long before being imprisoned in this place. Still, having her visit?

Wilson had to hold back a look of sympathy. It seemed the girl's loss hurt her more than she let on. If she had invented some pretend manner of contacting her departed sibling, she must have taken it very hard.

"That sounds nice." He said, deciding against questioning her coping mechanism. "You'll have to introduce me to her sometime."

The barest hint of a smile flittered across her features at that. Silence returned once more as they got under way again, but this time it didn't feel quite so oppressive. If anything, the scientist was feeling better than he'd been since he was tricked by Maxwell. Something so simple as human contact truly could work wonders.

The peace didn't last.

Wendy stopped without warning, her grip tightening around the ax. She turned to stare off over her left shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Wilson asked, following her gaze but finding nothing more than trees.

"The hounds are baying…"

The ominous warning was confirmed by a far off barking noise. The scientist blanched at the sound. He had almost forgotten about the twisted animals that had been chasing him.

"We need to move! Now!" He shouted, taking her arm and dashing forward. He doubted they would stand a chance against a whole pack of those things, especially considering he had lost his spear somewhere along the way. Probably when he went off the edge of that cliff. Feeling in his pocket, he confirmed that his knife was still with him at the very least.

Wendy was having a difficult time keeping up with him. Her legs were shorter, and even though he was heavily underfed she couldn't maintain the same pace he had.

"Stop!" She panted. "Mister Wilson! Stop for a moment!" He had little other choice as she dug her heels into the ground and refused to go further. While she struggled to catch her breath, Wilson's mind was racing.

What did they have at their disposal? A knife and a rusty looking ax. Not exactly prime combat equipment. And since she couldn't keep up…

He would probably regret this sooner or later. Stepping forward, he grabbed her under her arms and hoisted the girl over his shoulder, ignoring the outraged sounds of protest.

"This is for your own good!" He declared, taking off once more. From her position she shouted something unintelligible, but undoubtedly offensive while battering on him with her free hand. At least she wasn't using the ax on him.

Carrying her on his shoulder was a lot more difficult than he had first expected. Even if she hadn't been resisting him for reasons known only to herself, she was still heavy enough to slow him down.

What's worse, the barking was getting closer. It sounded like one of the hounds had pulled ahead of the pack and was closing in on them with frightening speed.

Bursting past a knot of tangled branches, Wilson nearly stumbled and fell as he ended up in the middle of a clearing. The sudden absence of trees clawing at him caused a moment of hesitation. The girl on his shoulder took this opportunity to jam her foot rather painfully into his gut.

With a choked cry, he doubled over dropping her to the ground and gasping for air. It could have been worse had she kicked a little lower, but it hurt none the less.

"Don't. Do. That. Again." She hissed at him, glaring as though he had smacked her mother with a frying pan.

"I'm trying to help!" He shot back. "In case you haven't noticed, we're being-"

His sentence was interrupted as one of the leading hounds erupted through the tree barrier and bounded into the clearing. The beast growled menacingly, slowing its pace as it approached. It knew they couldn't escape now.

Wilson felt panic threaten to claim him. Each muscle locked up with a brutally cold sensation gripping his heart. But he wouldn't give up that easily, especially not when his new companion's life was in danger. Even if she was somewhat uncooperative.

The hound's eyes met his own. For a brief second, the two regarded each other in terrifying silence. The scientist's hands slowly moved towards his knife, an action that wasn't lost on the creature. Its baleful glare deepened as he fumbled with the hilt.

In an instant, the tension snapped.

The hound launched off the spot, headed directly for his all-too-vulnerable body. Wilson tried to bring up his own weapon but it was obvious that he was too slow. Thankfully for him, Wendy was faster. She wasn't physically built for swinging her weapon with great force, but the sharp edge more than made up for this shortcoming.

She whipped the ax towards the beast as it sailed past. Wilson's ears were assaulted by the sickening sound of ripping meat as the blade sunk into its belly, the creature's own momentum splitting it wide open.

The dog crashed to the ground, letting out several strangled whines. Blood pooling around the body, it shuddered one last time before going still.

The scientist could only stare in shock.

"You… you just…"

"Slew the beast." She finished, wiping her ax off on the grass. "Would you have preferred I try to reason with it?"

"Uh…" Was there any right way to answer that? Wilson was getting the distinct feeling that following her might have been a mistake. Never before had he seen a child so at ease with killing something in such a manner.

His self-doubt gave way to fear as the rest of the hunting pack emerged. The giant dogs skidded to a halt as they spotted the body of their fallen companion. Five pairs of hate filled eyes locked onto them.

"I don't suppose you can do that five more times?" He ventured. Wendy shook her head, frowning as she realized there were more hounds than she had assumed there were.

Hesitation soon gave way to anger as their pursuers began snarling and snapping at the two. The pack slowly advanced, forcing Wilson and Wendy to back away. This was it. He was going to die without ever getting home. Some guilty part of him wanted to blame the girl at his side, but he knew that wasn't true. With or without her, the beasts would have hunted him down eventually.

"Wendy." He said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I have a plan."

She shot him a sideways glance. It was clear now that she was getting worried from the way she met his gaze hopefully.

"I'll get their attention. When I do that, run for the trees. It's me they're after, so you might be able to escape." He could hardly believe the words coming out of his own mouth, but he said them all the same. Wilson wasn't a man who believed in heroic sacrifices. He was practical, and all logical senses told him that this was a terrible decision.

Still, it felt like the right thing to do. She had shown that she was capable of defending herself, so maybe she would be able to survive in this desolate place. On top of that she was a child. His life might not have been the longest, but from a scientific standpoint he'd had a significantly longer time in this world than she had.

He didn't look at her when he said it. He was worried what expression she might be wearing. Be it worried concern or cold acceptance, it wouldn't take much to break his nerve right now.

Taking a deep breath, Wilson stepped forward. The hounds perked up at the sight of his boldness. Their lips pulled back, revealing far too many wicked fangs.

"Not a bad set of teeth you have there." He commented. "But I've got a bite of my own." Brandishing his knife, he stared directly into their eyes. He remembered reading somewhere that eye contact was a challenge for dogs, and judging by their snarling it was working.

Time seemed to slow down as the hounds shot forwards. He could feel each heartbeat as they quickly closed the distance. It was an odd sensation. Clenching his jaw, Wilson prepared to make his final stand.

Fate however, had other ideas.

"WOOOOLLLLLLFFFFGGGAAAAANNNNNGGGG!"

The bellowing battle cry signaled the arrival of a hulking wall of muscle. The man-shaped projectile intercepted one of the hounds, swinging a hammer golf style and smashing the bottom of its jaw with a sickening crack. The unfortunate beast was lifted off its feet, cartwheeling in the air before bashing into the ground. It didn't rise again.

The other animals stopped dead in their tracks, just as shocked by the sudden intervention as Wilson himself. The hulking figure raised his weapon (which was really nothing more than a large rock tied to a stick) and pointed it menacingly at the pack.

"Angry puppy men want to fight?" He taunted. "I will show you how real man fight!"

Before he could even think of how to react, the scientist felt a hand grip his shoulder. As if this day couldn't get any stranger, there was a young woman standing next to him.

"You might want to stand back." She warned. "Give him some space."

"He's going to be torn to pieces!" He argued, his thoughts still stuck in his about-to-die mindset. She scoffed at his concern.

"Believe me, he's not the one in danger here." She assured. "The hounds don't scare him, so they're as good as done for." Something in her logic felt flawed to the young man.

One of the larger beasts let out a howl, signaling the pack to charge. The four remaining hounds closed in on the man with violent intent plain on their features. Wilson was sure he was about to witness a bloodbath ending in his bulky savior's demise.

He was partially correct.

As soon as the hounds drew closer, the large man let loose another battle-cry and swung his hammer in a wide arc. The attackers were forced to leap back to avoid being pummeled. One wasn't quick enough.

The first dog in the line took the blow directly to its jaw, pulverizing its terrifying teeth and sending it sprawling. It could only whimper pitifully while dragging itself away from the giant's reach.

The other three took advantage of his wide attack, darting back in as his momentum left him vulnerable. They made the distinct mistake of underestimating his speed.

The hammer lashed out first left, then right, slamming against two of the animals and felling them in the blink of an eye. The last hound was too committed to back out, and instead leapt for his throat in a desperate gamble.

The strongman used his free arm to block the attack. Wilson flinched inwardly as the hound's teeth sunk deep into the man's arm.

He simply stood there looking at the beast that hung from his outstretched limb. If he was in pain he did a good job of hiding it. For a moment, he maintained that position. It didn't last long. And when his mood shifted everyone else took an unconscious step back.

The man's expression darkened, something even the crazed animal took notice of.

"Bad doggy." It was almost absurd how terrifying such a silly phrase could sound.

The hound sensed an imminent danger, and tried to escape. Unlatching its jaws from his arm, it fell to the ground and made a break for the edge of the clearing. It had taken all of three steps before a meaty hand grabbed a hold of its tail in an iron grip.

The man yanked the dog off its feet, and, impossibly, began dragging it in circles. His momentum quickly sped up with each rotation. Before long, the hound was spinning in his grasp with its feet in the air.

"You! Don't! Bite! Wolfgang!" He shouted, each word punctuated by a further burst of speed.

Everything about this situation seemed so entirely wrong, and yet Wilson couldn't tear his eyes away from it. The beast and the man had become an almost indistinct blur as they spun faster than he would have thought possible given their relative masses.

With a mighty roar, the man hurled the creature with every ounce of his incredible strength. The hound flew like it had been shot out of a cannon, clearing the top of a large tree and disappearing with a series of terrified yelps.

The sound of breaking branches and a massive crash a mighty crash assured the group that gravity was indeed still working as intended.

Silence fell in the clearing as the scientist, the bereaved child, the fire starter, and the strongman all let the impact of what had occurred sink in. Wilson was the first to break the veil.

"How- who- what- I don't-" He had an incredibly difficult time of formulating his words into any recognizable questions. "Who are you!? What in the name of science is going on!?"

The young woman laughed a bit at his outburst.

"That's gratitude for you." She remarked. "I told you he was fine didn't I? Anyway I'm Willow, and he, as you might have guessed, is Wolfgan-"

"I am Wolfgang! Mightiest of men!" His interjection was followed by an impressive pose that pushed his chest out as far as it could go. Willow only spared him a mildly annoyed glance.

"Right. Anyway, we saw the cliff off in the distance start breaking up and thought there might be someone else living around here." She said, ignoring Wolfgang's deflated disappointment at the lack of attention. "Looks like I was right. So, who might you two be?"

The scientist was unsure of what to make of them. On one hand, they had just saved his life as well as Wendy's. On the other, he'd made a point of avoiding people who defied the laws of physics up until now. Then again, Maxwell didn't seem too respectful of logic either…

"My name is Wilson." He said at last, deciding that trusting them couldn't put him in any worse position than before.

"And this is…" He gestured to the girl at his side, but continued when she made no move to introduce herself. "…Wendy. She found me earlier today."

"Nice to meet you." Willow said, an eager relief in her features. He could understand that. After being alone for so long, meeting not one, but three, people in the same day had left him a bit lightheaded.

"So then." She began. "Do either of you happen to know the way out of this forest? I've been stuck in here for way too long, and I could really do with some nice open plains."

"Actually, I just came from the plains." Wilson said, much to the delight of the young woman. "I was staying out there before the hounds showed up. Though I'm not sure how to get back."

"You're not?" She questioned, her expression becoming crushed in an instant. "How can you not know if you were just there?"

"I was running for my life!" He defended. "I didn't exactly get much of a chance to look where I was going after I got thrown off a cliff."

"I know the way."

All eyes turned towards Wendy. It was the first thing she'd said since the two newcomers had arrived.

"You do?" Willow asked once more, hope edging into her voice. The pale girl nodded.

"Abigail flew up high the first day I was here and told me." She explained. "She gave me an idea of the landscape."

"Who is Abigail? Is another girl?" Wolfgang asked, scratching his chin.

"She's my sister."

"Wait, there's another person out here? Where is she now?" Willow asked.

"She's not here right now." The girl explained for the second time that day. "She died a long time ago." That threw them off.

The young woman was about to ask the obvious question in this situation, but a look from Wilson warned her against it.

"All right…" She said, not sure whether she should be pursuing the matter or not. "Well, dead sibling or not, if you know the way out of this place then lead on. The sooner we're free from all these trees the better."

"Not tonight." Wendy said, pointing at the sky. "It's getting too dark to be traveling. Sinister forces are at work, and without Abigail here it would be too dangerous."

Wolfgang frowned. "Little girl has fancy words."

"Yea, she does." Wilson agreed. "But she is right. It'd be hazardous to go out in the night. I've heard a lot of strange sounds and I'd rather not see what was making them. I suggest we make a campfire here and wait until the morning."

Willow, who had been looking increasingly distressed, immediately brightened up at the mention of a campfire.

"That sounds like a plan." She said, pulling out a lighter. "I got dibs on the lighting. What say you gentlemen help me get some kindling?"

Wolfgang immediately jumped up.

"I get much firewood!" He declared. "Make mighty fire! Mighty like me!" Without waiting for anyone's permission, he began smacking away at trees with his hammer. It wasn't a very efficient way of getting wood, but Wilson wasn't about to get in his way after the earlier show of force.

The scientist sat down and leaned against a nearby rock. To think in the past twenty four hours, he'd gone from being alone, to chased by hounds, to nearly drowning, to being chased again, all to end up finding three other people in this crazy world.

Closing his eyes, he took the first relaxing breath he'd had in a long time.

This was going to get interesting.