Wolf Attack

*Owooooo!*

Four pairs of glowing yellow eyes appeared not far away from the shelter, and the next moment, three of them ran in different directions while one stayed there, staring at me.

"Was that a wolf?" said Elizabeth as she stepped out of her tent, followed by Fabrizio.

"Nobody moves and stay in the light of the campfire!" I screamed to the people behind me, while taking a step back myself towards the campfire. I didn't want to destroy my shelter if a fight broke out...

Argent also stood up and aimed at the dark woods.

"Do you guys see anything?" asked Fabrizio, completely tense.

"Yes, we are surrounded," I said, while staring at the creature that didn't move and simply stared back at me.

Elizabeth stepped a bit closer to Fabrizio and asked shakily, "Surrounded? By... By what?"

"I guess we'll find out soon enough, but whatever happens, stay in the light and don't run!" I responds to her and wait for the creature to take action.

*Grrrr!*

Suddenly, the creature in front of me started to growl. So I readied my knife to defend myself. But the next moment, I sensed another creature jumping towards me from the side, so I turned as quickly as I could towards it.

However, it was too fast and was already above me. The very next moment, it collided with me and forcefully slammed me to the ground. The impact was so intense that I felt my spine crack upon hitting the ground, rendering me unable to move my body.

While its friend was tormenting me, the creature that had been observing me leapt over both of us, propelling itself towards Argent and the rest of the group.

Meanwhile, the creature that was above me—a hybrid between human and beast with large claws, sharp fangs, and yellow eyes, wearing hunter clothes—drove its left-hand claws into my right arm, causing me to drop the knife.

Then, it prepared to rip my face off with its right hand. But I collected myself and gripped its wrist with my left hand, and tried to hold it back.

"No! Help!" In the background I could hear Elizabeth and Fabrizio screaming, and Argent started shooting at the beast that attacked them...

*Grrrr!*

Yes, it was not a good idea to fight that thing in close combat unprepared... It was far stronger than me, and I could feel it driving my left hand back, while trying to drive its claw into my heart at the same time, all while growling at me.

My right hand couldn't move because it was already pierced by the creature, so I used its left hand and redirected the claws toward my shoulder by relaxing my grip at first, then moving its clawed hand with all force to the right spot as it pushed down its arm.

Still very uncomfortable... but better than getting pierced in the heart. Thanks to my immortality, I maintain my consciousness even if gravely injured, as long as the wound is not instantly fatal. So wounds like this are not a problem...

Then, I gripped its right wrist again, and now we were in a standoff. Well if you can call it that, because I was bleeding like hell, while the creature was totally fine.

But to my misery, it used its last weapon, the fangs, and tried to bite down on my neck. But as its ugly face came down, I headbutted it, feeling its nose crack under the hit.

*Grah!!!*

This made it angry, and it let go of my right arm, now aiming to pierce me with its left arm. Feeling my right arm heal almost immediately, I grabbed the knife and drove it straight into its ribs.

*Augh!*

It let out a cry, then simply fell lifeless onto me.

---

I push the body off me and stand up, only to see the other creature grabbing Argant and throwing him against the tree before jumping towards Elizabeth.

But in the last second Fabrizio pushes her away, and the creature crashes into him, instantly biting down on his neck and tearing a chunk out of it, gruesomely killing him. It then shifts its attention back to Elizabeth.

Since I am too far away, I grab a knife and throw it towards the creature, hitting it in the back. However, it moved, and the knife failed to hit the vital parts.

*Grah!!!*

The creature growls as it tries to grab the knife behind its back. It fails initially until it uses a tree to dislodge it. Then it turns angrily around and jumps towards me.

"This won't get me twice." I sharpen my senses and focus entirely on my perception, to sense every move it makes.

*Owooooo!*

Shifting my body to the side, it lands next to me, and becomes angry after missing me. Then it starts clawing at me, but I anticipate its attacks and evade them.

I am unsure if I can truly hurt it effectivly by hitting it. However, there is one thing that works even against me, at least for a while...

So after making up my mind, I evade another claw attack, then step to its side, and stomp down on its calf. This causes it to drop on its knee.

In the next moment, I grab its head and twist it with all my strength, breaking its neck in the process. Afterwards, it collapses and ceases movement, but I can sense it remains alive somehow even after that.

Well, at least it's out for now... two more to go... I sense them still in the woods, likely waiting for their victims to run towards them while the other two attack.

I run towards the rifle that is lying not far away from Argant and grab it. I aim towards one of the creatures that is hiding, but sadly it realizes that I know its location and jumps to the side at the last second, causing the bullet to only hit its shoulder.

*Augh!*

Hearing it cry out, I reload the rifle. However, I can already sense the other creature running towards the wounded one, grabbing it, and moving it behind some trees before running away with it.

So I stop aiming at them and check on Argant. He seems to be fine, but unconscious. So I put him in the recovery position and walk towards Elizabeth, who is crying while holding Fabrizio's lifeless body in her arms.

---

I kneel down next to her and say, while placing a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry for your loss. He was a very brave man."

"If... If only I hadn't allowed him to come with me on the trip... he would still be alive. Why did he go so far? He was just a friend of Jack, and before the trip, I didn't even know him..." said Elizabeth while sobbing.

"Someone like him doesn't need a reason or a deep connection to help people out. In the old times, people like that were called heroes... Sadly, most heroes don't get a happy ending." I say while standing up and assessing the situation.

The creatures are gone, my shelter is safe, and my wounds are completely healed. It's a shame that the boy died, but at least he died while fighting for what he believed was right.

Such sacrifices would have been celebrated for three days and nights a few hundred years ago, but sadly people no longer celebrate death; they mourn it.

Elizabeth turns around after noticing me standing up and looks shocked at my blood-stained and ripped clothes. I look down at myself too and say, "Don't worry, it looks bad, but it's not my blood." I lie through my teeth. No need to disturb the woman more than necessary.

She nods at my words and places Fabrizio's head onto the ground, saying, "I need to find my daughter. If these strange creatures are out here, she is in real danger!"

*Bang!*

"These are not strange creatures. They are simply werewolves and nothing else, probably hunting in these woods for food or fun. And your daughter is probably already dead," says Argent while shooting the werewolf that had its neck broken by me, ending its life for good.

"How can you say that? You said she is probably still alive..." said Elizabeth, while completely ignoring the shot.

"This was before I saw the name of the family who runs this place and met some pureblood werewolves here. If it were just some normal woods, I would have found them and gotten my money already," said Argent with a cold tone.

I listen to them and then say, "Those were werewolves? Shouldn't they have a snout and more hair?"

"No need for that, kid. They can still rip you apart without that. It's a wonder that you survived somehow without any damage," said Argent, reloading his rifle with what appeared to be silver bullets.

Kid... even after living for millennia, people who look older think they can call me that...

I sigh and then walk towards my shelter, taking out the notebook and throwing it at him.

He catches it and says, "What is this... 'How to Hunt for Idjits'?"

"Isn't that what you are? Some supernatural hunter?" I asked him.

"I only hunt in my free time and only for wolves. I don't care about other stuff!" says Argent somewhat angry, after looking inside the notebook and throwing it back at me.

Does he have a personal vendetta against werewolves or something like that...?

I let the topic slide, pack my sleeping bag, put it in the backpack, and walk towards the dull knife, then place it back into the sheath.

Yeah, that was enough relaxation for the next few weeks... time to go back on the road.

"Wait, where are you going? Do you want to die?" asks Argent, while Elizabeth looks only shocked at me.

"The werewolves fled, and I'm not planning to wait until they come back. They have too much advantage here, and who knows how many of them are really out there? I suggest you follow me out of here," I said to the two.

Like everyone else, I'd rather be the hunter than the prey, and I can't do that if I don't have real advantages and equipment to deal with the foes.

So the best thing would be to leave the woods, gather more information, and then come back armed with a fully loaded M4 filled with silver ammunition...

"But my daughter and her boyfriend are still here... I won't leave, and if you, Argent, want your money, you won't leave either!" said Elizabeth desperate.

That is a death sentence... The werewolves won't play around next time. They will all attack without mercy and all at the same time. They will probably kill Argent first because of the rifle, then knock me out, and finally take all the time in the world to kill Elizabeth...

"Even if I don't like to back down, the kid over there is right, and like I said, your daughter is probably dead anyway," said the youngling, preparing to leave as well.

"No, we can't... we can't leave! We need to save my daughter, at least!"

I sighed at the stubborn woman, then walked towards her and said, "Do you have a picture of your daughter or something else that has a deep connection to her?"

"Yes... here, but why?" She takes out a small picture of her daughter and shows it to me, confused.

"Don't let go of it. Close your eyes and remember how you held her for the first time in your hands, the first word she said, and the first steps she took."

She does as I say, and I grab the other end of the picture, trying to feel their connection. A connection between a loving mother and her child knows no barriers or distances...

After a while I could feel her daughter alive and not far away, surrounded by at least two more werewolves...

Sighing again, I let go of the picture and took out Bobby's notebook. Then I sit down by the campfire and start to read about werewolves and their weaknesses, while the other two look at me, confused.

~~~

Werewolves:

Weaknesses: Silver (of course, Idjit), can't transform on non-full moon days

How to destroy: decapitation, hitting vital spots with silver weapons

~~~