The flock of Bansheep had been following the Wolf's trail for some time now. It was very important that they fight the Wolf to determine where on the food-chain it stood... And if necessary, kill it to make sure that they remained at the top of it. There were few creatures who could rival a flock of Bansheep and that was how they intended to keep it.

The spider might be strong, but it always fled before any real fighting could start so its strength is uncertain.

The bees are bigger in numbers, but each individual is weaker than a Bansheep so they were not threat.

Hooves like steel and bones sturdier than those of a Glowshell's. Their small nimble bodies could withstand a lot of abuse before breaking.

And they were strong. Very strong. Their skill at breaking bones was a direct result of their lifestyle. Wherever the Bansheep roam, carnage would follow and beneath the grime Bloodclovers would grow in abundance. For a creature who only fed on plants, this was an unusual lifestyle indeed. The next target for their violent temper could now be heard further up ahead in the tunnels.

The Bansheep steeled themselves for what they imagined would be a close fight. What they didn't prepare for however was not one but two wolves walking towards them. The bigger wolf was the one they'd fought alongside when the humans attacked but the smaller one was new...

It was a lot smaller, possibly a cub, but surely it must be a wolf as well. It had the exact same patterns as the larger wolf and its eyes glowed yellow. It had a slightly rounder head and a rather short tail but otherwise, they were identical...

The Bansheep hesitated. If it had bred a cub then its mate must be somewhere in the tunnels as well. They had been sure that they could handle one wolf, three would put the odds against them. What to do?... The Bansheep glanced at each other. Their leader, a big male Bansheep, bleated in annoyance at the wolves. They had halted just a few meters away from the flock. What to do...

Fanv did her best not to tremble. The goats had looked rather harmless from a distance, small as they were. But their glowing red eyes screamed of malice and she had seen the damage they could do with their kicks. The hare walked next to her, ears curled up and limbs stretched out to match her own posture and movements. It was a bit eerie how the overgrown rodent could manage to look like a miniature version of herself despite the differences in anatomy. It must be magic... or a Skill maybe? Skills were like magic but worked a bit differently. They had a set effect so to speak, and they weren't tied to an element like spells were. If it was a Skill then she would guess its effect was to draw the eyes away from the differences between herself and the hare and point out the similarities instead. A small boost that did all the difference.

Letting her thoughts drift off was easier than meeting the glare of the Bansheep. They stood in front of them now, staring each other down and sizing each other up. Why didn't they attack? Was it because of Fanv's Skill? She only had one, [Frenzy] and she wasn't sure what it did exactly. It sounded like something a warrior would have. A berserker perhaps. Something that drove her mad and bloodthirsty. Could it instill fear as well? Probably not. So then why are the Bansheep not attacking-

A huge Bansheep stepped out of the crowd, followed by two others who were, while not as big, still pretty impressive. They all sported moss covered horns, dull and stained from mold and dried blood. The biggest one (the leader?), bleated in challenge. At that, the rest voiced their usual bone-chilling screams while forming a circle around Fanv, the hare and the three Bansheep. Wait wait wait, what's going on?

Then the leader jumped.

He slammed into Fanv with much more force than she expected and the blow made her stumble. One of the smaller ones ran around and flung itself onto her back, rearing and slamming its front hooves onto her spine, earning a sharp yelp from Fanv. The third, however, fell to the floor screaming as the hare bit into its neck, clawed limbs digging into its back and holding it there as the Bansheep thrashed about, trying to shake the hare off.

Fanv spun her head around and managed to nick the Bansheep on its front legs before it jumped off. The leader tackled her again, this time hitting the shoulder with the deep gash her transformation hadn't managed to heal. She howled in rage and felt the world go red around her.

The hare got flung off from the now frothing Bansheep's back. It held chunks of fur and flesh between its claws and blood coated both their pelts. They both had to duck as Fanv threw the other small Bansheep. It flew into a wall and a wet crack told the spectators of broken stone and ruptured muscles. The leader screeched in rage and charged the wolf again. It caught him by the horns with its front legs and for a split second, he saw its gaping maw before it slammed shut over his head.

The hare ran over to the thrown Bansheep and managed to puncture its throat with its needle-like teeth before the other one charged after it. The leader was fully concentrated on pulling and aiming random kicks to get the wolf to release his head. He felt a hoof connect and the next second the ground disappeared beneath him. The wolf had reared as he hit it and now it spun around and slammed him into the ground, jaws still locked over his head. He felt blood fill his lungs and his muscles screamed to stop moving. Then the wolf lifted him again. And again and again and again. Each time he connected with the ground he felt the strength leaving him. He felt his skull crack. How long had it been since something managed to break his bones? He didn't have time to remember, darkness drowned out the next blow.

The Bansheep leader was dead. Yet the mad wolf still flung his body around like a piece of cloth. It was frothing at the mouth and its eyes had turned bloodstained. It finally realized that the leader was dead when the spine snapped and the body went flying into the crowd. The other Bansheep were silent even as they backed away, leaving the wolf more room.

The hare dove out of the way as the wolf snatched the Bansheep it had been wrestling. The Bansheep screeched and then the wolf started shaking it. Bones crunched and blood filled the wolf's mouth. Its muscles burned and everything tasted of blood and pain. And it was loving every second of it.

As the wolf dropped the torn Bansheep the hare ran. It ran for the rodent tunnels and for a brief second it felt jaws snap just behind its tail, snagging a few strands of fur. It crawled deeper into the narrow tunnel and stared in horror at the wolf's jaws and claws as it scratched and dug at the stone that kept them apart. After some time it withdrew, leaving scratch marks and bloodstains and a frightened Dreadhare.

Maker shuddered as she watched her wolf tear the Bansheep apart. She grinned widely as waves of ecstasy washed through her. This was what it meant to be alive. This pure rush of emotion and energy. The pumping blood and howls that escaped when the mind couldn't handle it anymore. It was so intense and pure that it made her laugh. Yes. Strong creatures and their struggle to survive. The endless bloodbath and rush of raw emotions. This is what she lived for. This is beautiful!

Panting and shivering she felt the climax of the madness pass. She calmed down and watched her wolf tear at the walls, searching for anything within reach to hurt. She let her mind slip closer to it and pushed feelings of exhaustion and weariness into the wolf's raging mind. She watched it slow down and it pained her to watch it whimper and yelp as the adrenaline that had drowned out its pain finally left it.

She pushed it with her mind to make it move in the direction of the cave she had prepared. It halted along the path she showed it, lapping at wounds and fighting the urge to pass out on the spot. She released her hold on it when it reached the cave. It slumped to the ground, curling up and falling asleep within seconds.