Edited by: tommyjl7

Ah, this speed, this freedom! This feeling of wind pitting my face as I kept running across the forest, through the bushes, groves and bogs!

I was cursed. WAS, for I no longer am!

My father taught me everything he knew about hunting. Thanks to him I was able to learn how to track animals, how to sneak up to them, how to corner them and kill them… Yet, despite this knowledge I almost never succeed in my hunts.

Because I was cursed. No matter how well I planned my attack, no matter how much I focused, always something happened. Always. Twig would snap under my feet, my leg would stumble upon root, some other predator would jump out on my prey scaring it. Not only that happened. I would always accidentally push the bottle off the table, I would always trip in the bar making everyone laugh at me because of my clumsiness.

No matter what I did, bad luck would always chase me.

There was only one good thing that ever happened to me in this life – my beautiful girlfriend and soon-to-be wife, Marie. She was skilled and full of talent. Despite her lack of pure magical power she managed to reach certain level in witch-craft which would earn her praises from well-renowned magic associations. Many called her the blessing of our village, because despite her little mischievous tricks, she saved many lives of villagers.

And many of our friends would every now and then say that I am not worthy of her attention. No, not right to my face, but if they would get a little drunk and would think I was not around, I could hear them talking.

And what’s worse… despite that I wanted to disagree, I knew they were right. Sometimes I was thinking that Marie is with me out of pity, or that if she would find someone she would like, a traveling merchant, noble or magician, she would leave the village without thinking twice. That she would leave me.

I wanted to be worthy of her attention, I wanted her to be proud of her future husband, I wanted her to be proud of… me.

So when she suggested, that there may be a way for me to get rid of this curse, to make me the greatest hunter this village… no, THIS WORLD, has ever seen… If I would make so much money selling skins of animals, that she would no longer have to rely on the kindness of villagers… That, I would be truly worthy of her…

… I agreed without a second thought.

And may the night swallow it, it was best decision I made in my life.

At first, I was scared. It started innocently, with thoughts that were not mine. Or so I kept lying to myself that they were not mine, in reality, this was voice of my true self, buried deep at the bottom of my mind. It started crawling up, sneaking from the pit in my soul I called morality, scratching the back of my head.

Then, my body started adapting. I became stronger than strongest man in our village – lumberjack Sirius. I proved it sending him across the inn as he dared to touch MY woman! Ha, he will think twice before disgracing me in front of her again!

Weak fools, seeing that they would not beat me in fair fight, the whole inn jumped at me, tied me and chained me in the basement of my own house! AS IF I WAS SOME KIND OF ANIMAL! And Marie, all this time she was looking at me with fear. She would tell them

Don’t hurt Johann.

Don’t hurt Johann…

Don’t… hurt…

Why!? I was strongest in the village! I proved it to her! So why was she still scared that something would happen to me!? Instead of admiring me, instead of praising me!...

… she did what I was afraid she would do. She left me. She left the village. For almost a month I was lonely, visited only once a day by priest and village mayor that would throw me some food. RAW MEAT!... they really did act as if I was a mad dog on the leash.

Yet, when I tasted this raw lump of meat… I… I lost myself for the moment. It was… It was sooo sweet! And juicy! And fulfilling! Each bite was like taste of heavenly ambrosia, it was getting me more drunk than the most expensive, spiced wine I once drank during a harvest festival. It was addicting… the only thing that bothered me was the lack of blood. Despite not knowing its taste, I was hungering for it!

The days passed, then weeks, then months and years. Or maybe just minutes? I couldn’t tell, I have completely lost sense of time, in dark basement deprived of light I couldn’t tell how the time passed. Only visits of these two people that would throw me a piece of meat. I told myself that they visited me once per day, if yes, I spent in this hole 28 days.

The lack of grass under my feet, the absence of wind on my face, deprived of taste of prey in my mouth I was losing my sanity, or maybe my true sanity was emerging from below? Despite knowing that my efforts were in vain, I started thrashing in the basement, scratching walls, biting chain. I broke my fang, yet the following day another one replaced it. I grew a full sharp fang within one night!

And then it happen. The pure wild power descended from the mountains, I could sense it creeping down, traveling with wind I could now sense! And this wind, this breath of life filled me to the brim! My mind for a second was completely calm before it was filled with screams and yells and cries and pleas… and it was the purest form of ecstasy I have ever reached.

I almost don’t remember pulling the chain off the wall, I barely can remember kicking the heavy doors on the ground, yet what I remember from that night was the very moment I left the basement and walked into the field, the moment when I saw the three moons illuminating night. I had this urge I couldn’t stop, I raised my head, closed my eyes and howled.

Ha! The villagers came to stop me! Same people that previously threw me into the basement. I broke their legs, twisted their arms, dislocated their joints. They were like a ragged dolls before me. I wanted to slit their throats open, I wanted to drink from them like from a crimson fountain!.. yet the voice called me. It called me to the forest, promising more power, more freedom!

… More power. Was that even possible? Though I didn’t want to believe it, this voice was given to me by Marie, my wonderful, beautiful, golden-eyed Marie. And it never lied to me, because neither did Marie ever lie to me. So I trusted it, and started running.

I was cursed. Now, I am blessed. There is no creature in the whole forest that could stand against me! I will kill them all! I will collect a heart of every beast of the forest and present them to the Marie, then, she will see how strong I became, she will see how reliable I am! She will see me as worthy partner! And we will be happy! Truly, truly happy! I will give her protection, I will give her fo…

It’s her. Marie! The wind brought her delightful aroma to me!

She came back to me! She understood how wonderful I have become and came back! Everything that the voice said was true! I am coming for you my lo…

NOT YET!

The voice roared in my head.

What do you mean, not yet!? I am strongest, now I can…

YOU FOOL! YOU ARE NOT EVEN CLOSE TO BECOMING WHAT YOU CAN BE! DEEPER IN THE FOREST! THE SEVENTH MARK! YOU MUST OBTAIN THE SEVENTH MARK!

No! I want to see Marie…

SO SHE COULD LEAVE YOU!?

W-wha…

SHE LEFT YOU FOR A MONTH. SHE THOUGHT THAT AS SHE WOULD RETURN YOU WOULD BE FULLY DEVELOPED, BUT, YOU WERE DEPRIVED OF EMBRACE OF THE FOREST, YOU HAVE YET TO MATURE. SHE SET THE RITUAL IN MOTION, SHE WENT TO THE BALD MOUNTAIN TO SEND THE POWERS SO YOU COULD BREAK FREE AND FINISH THE RITE!

She… the powers… The reason I was able to escape was…

SHE NEVER LEFT YOU. SHE WENT TO PERFORM ANOTHER RITE SO YOU COULD ESCAPE AND GREET HER AS TRULY DESIRABLE SPECIMEN. AND WHAT WOULD SHE SEE? A HALF-BREED? A GOOD FOR NOTHING PATHETIC LOSER?! A WEAKLING!?

No! I am not a …

YOU BEGGED FOR POWER, SHE WAS THE ONE WHO GAVE IT TO YOU, YET DESPITE BEING GIVEN EVERYTHING ON SILVER PLATE, YOU FAILED TO FULLY USE THE POTENTIAL SHE GAVE YOU!? WHAT WOULD SHE THINK SEEING YOU FAILING AGAIN!? THIS TIME, SHE WOULD LEAVE YOU FOR SURE!

No! She wouldn’t…

SHE WOULD. AND SHE WILL. IF YOU WILL NOT OBTAIN EVERY GRAIN OF POWER SHE BESTOWED UPON YOU!

H-how am I supposed to do that.

SEVENTH MARK SHALL APPEAR AS THE SEVENTH NIGHT WOULD COME,

THE ROOTS SHALL GROWN AND BREAD THE FRUITS.

TILL THE TASTE THE TASTE OF SIN, YOU SHALL NOT BE INVINCIBLE.

WALK IN MOONLIGHT OF THE NIGHT, SAVOR TASTE OF SILVER SUN.

I WILL DO THE REST.

SURVIVE FOR TWO MORE DAYS, YOU CAN DO THAT MUCH, CAN YOU!?

I do…

GOOD. THE FOREST WAS RAIDED BY PATHETIC WEAK CREATURES CALLING THEMSELVES HUNTERS OF THE NIGHT. THOSE MISERABLE WEAKLINGS CAN’T STAND THE SIGHT OF TRUE GLORY. THEY CAPTURED YOUR WOMAN AND ARE FORCING HER TO BREAK THE RITUAL…

No! No they can’t I will not allow them!

FEAR NOT, YOUNG PUP. I WILL TAKE CARE OF THE GROUP THAT TRIES TO BREAK THE SPELL. YOU BETTER MAKE SURE TO KILL THOSE THAT WISH TO BIND YOU AND THROW YOU ONCE AGAIN INTO THE BASEMENT, DEPRIVING OF GENTLE CARESS OF THE MOONS. YOU CAN EITHER RUN FOR TWO MORE DAYS… OR KILL THEM. DECISION IS YOURS TO MAKE.

They came to hunt me down? ME!? I AM the new KING of the forest! My claws can pierce stone! My fangs can tear a soul to shreds! And they think that they will be the one hunting ME?!

There is no greater offence I could imagine! Their hearts shall be my wedding gift for Marie! UNLEASH THE HOUNDS OF THE FOREST! HUNT BEGINS!

Group of Japer continued moving onward. It has been two hours since they encountered the jacket-trap.

After seeing the creature young hunter was able to classify their opponent. So called perfect lycanthrope.

Curse of lycanthropy is actually extremely common, yet there are as many variants, as the one that casts the curse. There are those who lose their sanity during the nights when at least one of three moons is full. That happens around every week or two. These curses are quite easy to break. You either need to kill a caster, destroy an item, or fix the sin that was a cause of receiving such curse in the first place.

Perfect lycanthrope is different. Mind and body of victim turns more and more into beast the longer he stays in the form, changes are usually impossible to be undone after the finishing of the ritual. After seven days.

Jasper cursed quietly. He was partly prepared. Silver blade, that could cut through unholy nature of the beast, wolfsbane that could dull the senses of the beast and cause it severe pain… but that’s it.

They were lacking intelligence. Usually, they would follow the werewolf into its lair and fight it there, but in order to do so, the beast cannot know it is being followed, otherwise, it would never return to its home. And that’s the bummer. The beast knew.

Rule of hunting werewolves number one: Never fight the werewolf in the open forest. Never.

Yet here they are, deprived of time they had to break the first rule.

- “How long will we have to wait?!” dragoness hissed in anticipation.

- “We have to lure him in.” he responded calmly

- “Well, I do not see how exactly is that suppose to w…”

- “Exactly…” Jasper cut in the middle of her speech “… you do not know. In that case allow someone who does know doing the deeds that needs being done, fine?!”

She hissed in anger. Though it is dangerous to simply start chatting in the middle of forest that is werewolf domain, Jasper decided to share piece of his knowledge.

- “Werewolf may be savage, but in a little part his mind remains human. This makes him think like human. And humans love to show off their possession. Or land they own. They would mark the land they claimed to be theirs with totem-like structures made of bones and body parts of their preys. Destroying it would enrage him and force him to confront us. We have to locate few totems, then build a reinforced camp between them, destroy the totems and run as fast as we can to the camp, were we would fight.”

- “… tactic of the coward…” she noticed, that wasn’t supposed to be an insult, she merely stated that she is not a fan of such complex solutions.

- “No, it’s a tactic of mere mortal that hunts beasts that cannot be harmed by normal weapon. Here, have this.”

Jaspy passed her a vial with dense, green paste like substance.

- “What is it?”

- “Wolfsbane. Non-silver blade normally would not do him any harm so…”

She grinned widely.

- “I don’t need that.”

- “I have told you that…” she pulled her two handed sword from behind her back and allowed him to inspect it.

It was made of crimson metal, shining like a rust, yet it was obvious that just my touching the edge he could lost his fingers.

Meteoric blade.

It wasn’t the silver that mattered. It was the purity of metal. Silver was deemed to be the best metal to fight against evil. Mostly because it was relatively easy to obtain it. Yes, it was pricey as hell, but in every bigger city you could get one from the blacksmith.

Silver was meant to reflect the light of the moon and stars.

Meteoric metal was made from the core of star that fell from the sky.

In other words, werewolf was about to have a very, very bad time.

Jasper wanted to say something, yet his brain started screaming after his delicate senses smelled the aroma of blood. With the corner of his eyes he noticed awkward silhouette of structure.

On the skeleton of some huge animal, probably bear someone (or something) put a head of deer with huge antlers. The remaining of animals were splashed around in such brutal, savage way that even scavengers would prefer staying away from it.

Jasper once again raised his hand in the air ordering his team around. Up until now, werewolf would only play with them with occasional traps. After trespassing his home, his attacks would now became quite a bit more… personal.