It was several days before they set off, and during that time the priest didn't see hide not hair of Catrina. He had to report to Aderyn that it was just going to be the two of them, and the woman shrugged, resigned.
"It's a pity." She said "Since she's actually seen the man, it would be a great deal easier to find him with her in tow."
"Do you- have any ideas for how to find him without her?"
Aderyn nodded grimly "A few. We'll have to make do with what we have."
They had two packs of food and water they brought along, and Aderyn persuaded the priest to change into normal trousers and a tunic. Once they were in the woods, he became very quickly glad for this, as it became obvious his normal priestly robes would have caught on just about everything, and sweltered him in the heat besides.
Aderyn wore her bow, along with a quiver of arrows, which made the priest somewhat more reassured. He had thought about borrowing a weapon of some sort from the village, but couldn't quite stomach the thought, so he had a large walking stick instead, which he was also very glad for as the day wore on.
Aderyn taught him bits and pieces about the woods as they walked, pointing out a track here, a track there. She knew a fair few plants that could cure maladies as well, though not nearly as many as Miss Lily did.
When they broke for lunch, the priest asked Aderyn what her plan for finding the Man in the Woods was. She looked decidedly displeased.
"Truth be told," she admitted "I was hoping we would find some tracks. See, everyone in villages say that the Man in the Woods is the King of the bandits. And a group like that would leave some kind of trail."
"Because there are so many? Perhaps we just haven't crossed their trail."
Aderyn shook her head.
"We've been walking near the river for quite some time. And Catrina said she saw the man near these parts, so if there was a camp we'd see some sign of tracks. People need to come for provisions, water being chief among them. Even if they hide far in the forest to keep away from the King's knights, a camp that size needs heavy stores to keep going."
"But- he is a bandit. The bandit king- isn't he?"
Aderyn purse her lips tight "That's only what village folk think holy man. And they say that because of what he does to the knights who come after him."
The priest tried very, very hard not to be afraid.
"Us who roam the wilds know that he's probably only one man. Those more prone to superstition say he's actually a beast, in the skin of a man. He's not gentle to those that roam into his territory and cause a ruckus. He can be downright cruel sometimes, from what I hear. If we didn't have this whole destiny shlock to haul us here, there's no way I would have come."
"So- how do we find him then?"
"I set several traps in the woods."
"Yes I noticed." He had decided to be politely tolerant, as he wasn't one to be judgmental of how others made their living. "But those weren't large enough for humans, by any stretch."
"You misunderstand."
The priest suddenly noticed that Aderyn's hands were shaking, and his hand slowly went for the staff. She smiled, all forced teeth and terror, but didn't bother going for her bow.
"We're already in his woods holy man. And I set traps here."
"Too right you did."
The holy man was on his feet in second, brandishing the staff like a proper warrior at every bush and tree. It was knocked out of his hands before he could blink, and the priest found himself pinned to the ground, facing the maw of an angry wolf.
The priest saw wolf, then man, then wolf, then something else entirely. His eyes focused, and he found a man crouching above him, with an expression grimmer than death itself.
The man was scarred with pale stripes up and down his chest, his eyes were dangerous and feral, and he wore the hide of the biggest wolf that the priest had ever seen. He carried to weapons, but his scarred knuckles were around the priest's throat.
Aderyn had come to her feet, but still hadn't gone for her bow. The priest expected to see her quailing like a frightened little girl, but she was actually glaring down the beast man with just as much ferocity, if not even more.
"Let him go." She said, and her eyes were burning coals.
The beast man looked amused. "And what if I don't?"
Without thinking, the priest clocked him in the jaw.
The beast man tumbled over backwards, looking shocked, and then was on his feet, snarling. Now Aderyn did draw her bow, and loosed an arrow at him, missing by barely a hair. He rushed her, and crashed her back into a tree, when the priest hit him over the head with the staff. The man grabbed at it, but this time the priest leapt backwards out of his grasp, and stood at the ready, brandishing the rod with his feet set wide and his eyes burning bright.
Aderyn stared at him "Holy man since when can you-"
"Since he needed to, that's when." The beast man growled, and let his pin on Aderyn go.
She started to reach for her bow again, but the man snarled something fierce, and she stopped.
"If I wanted you two to be dead, you'd be dead. Sit. We'll talk."
Suddenly, the priest felt exceedingly silly in his little stance, holding his heavy stick. He moved out of it, and nearly dropped the staff.
The beast man smiled and jabbed a claw- finger rather- at him and his stick.
"That's why the fight. In case you're wondering. We show our true colors best in peril, and he's still got a bit of it hidden." He looked at the holy man, calculating "Though- I probably could have taken you. I seem to remember that you always did wait until the dramatic moment to get really tough, and this isn't quite that."
Then, to both their great surprise, he reached forward and gave the priest an affectionate pat on the head. The priest stared at him, and at the fanged beast he wore as a hood.
"Did you kill that with your bare hands?" he asked.
"Sit." The man repeated. "We'll talk."
They both sat. The man looked at them expectantly, and it felt as if they were supposed to say something.
"Well-" the priest said "You seem to actually know more about this than we do. We recognize people, randomly. One of- us, seems to think that it's a sign of us being the chosen ones or something."
The man nodded "I don't know nearly as much as you think. There something different about us. I show it easy. You show it harder."
He glanced at Aderyn.
"The bow isn't your weapon. You're bare handed, like me."
Aderyn looked incredulous "You think I should punch birds?"
He shrugged, gestured to the wolf pelt "You're right, I took this thing down with my hands and teeth, and nothing else. Normal man couldn't do that."
"And the visions?" the priest asked "Have you had visions?"
"Always danger, always ends with a light. Sometimes I'm in danger, sometimes I'm protecting. Right?"
The priest realized that was it. That was exactly it. He found Aderyn was nodding as well. The beast man growled with pleasure.
"You." He said, jabbing a finger at the priest "I remember in specific."
"Me?" the priest asked.
The man nodded "You stabbed me. With a spear."
The priest looked scared, and tried to remember if any of his headaches had anything to do with that.
"I- don't think I would do that."
The beast man growled, and stood up.
"No difference. It was a good thing though, I know that. Made me as powerful as I am." He patted the priest again, with that instinctual but awkward affection "I hold no grudge for it."
He turned to Aderyn "But if you ever set traps in me woods again, I'll tear you apart. Destiny or no."
And then, in an instant, he was gone.