Sticking to the shadows wasn't easy for a nine-foot-tall fairy-tale monster, especially one carrying a two foot long silver blade. Even so, WarCry managed to get within thirty yards of the other werewolf – Stokes, Nicky had said – before he even noticed. Unfortunately, that left enough time for Stokes to shift into a dark red crinos werewolf; not quite as tall as WarCry, he was still formidable.
Neither made a sound as they engaged.
Claws and teeth tearing, each trying to find an opening for a mortal strike, the two giants battled. Stokes made a lunge to tear out WarCry's throat and managed to get past the claws, but the silver-spiked collar made him pull back, nasty scorch marks around his muzzle as he snarled in pain.
Warcry kicked out with his right foot, lifting Stokes off the ground and sending him flying several feet to the ground. As he landed, he looked up and saw WarCry flying through the air to land on him, leading with the klaive. Stokes managed to roll fast enough to save his life, but instead of taking the blade through his chest, the silver sliced through the corded muscles of his left bicep. The cut smoldered as the arm hung slack.
Stokes lashed out with his right arm and scored his claws across WarCry's abdomen, drawing deep lines of red across the steel-grey fur. As he spun through the strike, WarCry tossed his klaive to his left hand and made his move.
The blade bit deep as it slashed across Stokes' back, laying open the flesh and slicing halfway through the spine. Stokes' legs went out from under him like a puppet with severed strings as he howled in pain.
Broken and bloodied, Stokes shifted back to human form and looked up at WarCry.
"Kill me," he begged. "Finish the job!"
WarCry, still in crinos form, spoke slowly to make himself understood.
"You'll be dead soon enough. I wouldn't be in such a rush."
With that, WarCry walked away, reaching down to wipe the blood off his klaive in the grass.
Behind him, he didn't see Stokes use his last working limb to pull a cellphone out of his pocket.
"Get me Krayven," he panted. With his last strength, he told the story of where to find WarCry.