Fanv was working up a sweat. The previously small group of rodents had grown to at least 10 members now. Any they were all taking turns tackling, jumping onto and poking Fanv in the most irritating ways they could think of. Maker kept a watchful eye on all of them and intervened when the wolf was about to snap. They'd started with training in her human form but after about an hour of constant squeaking and hundreds of scratch marks covering her pale skin, they'd decided that the human for was way more patient than the wolf.

It was the wolf that had a short temper. Every time a rat jumped onto her tail and tugged she would spin around, jaws snapping and snarling. Each time Maker had pushed her invisible tendrils into Fanv's mind, stopping her in her tracks until she calmed down. They had a system for that now.

Freeze. Count to 5. Think of a fairytale creature (or rare monster) and describe it in detail. The number of details varied along with Maker's interest in said creature. She had given Maker access to her thoughts since her snout was unable to form proper words.

Chimera. A bunch of animals merged into a new creature. Traditionally a lion with three heads. One lion, one goat, one... what was the third one again? Snake? Yes, I think it was a snake. And the tail ends in a snakehead as well. Creatures that look like blends of three or more creatures are often called chimera unless their race has another name.

I like this one. Blending animals together would let me choose the best parts and replace the ugly parts. Say, would you like to have scales in some places? Maybe a second head-

Absolutely not. Being a wolf is good enough thank you.

A very persistent squirrel pounced onto Fanv's snout, chattering and shaking its head back and forth. Too damn noisy- get off!

Freeze. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. A creature, think of a creature...

Banshee-

No, you have already told me about that one.

Uhm, then... Centaur. Half horse, half human. They have the body of a horse but where the neck should begin a human waist starts instead, from there it's a human upper body.

Ooooh, I like this one too. Does it have to be a horse? Or a human? Can it be a fish or a cow? Or a spider?

Uh, I think there are variants. The spider one is called Arachne I think. The horse-human one is the most common in stories though. Apparently, they are real as well but very rare since others don't see them as a sentient race. They lost too many of their numbers to slavery.

You know so much about monsters and stories. I am very impressed.

I read a lot of stories when I was younger. Actually, I kept reading them after I got older. Up until I transformed and got chased away that is. I find myths and monsters very interesting...

Normally she would have blushed at that confession. But her canine body didn't really understand that function. And Maker wasn't really someone who judged. She was too innocently curious about everything to frown on adults doing childish things.

Fanv held her breath for a second. She felt a total of 4 rodents crawling along her body, pulling at fur and tickling her. Her body was shaking slightly but she felt more in control than ever. Yes, she could probably handle-

One of the rodents pissed on her shoulders. She whirled around in a heartbeat, jaws frozen just above the small trembling mole.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5.... Deep breath. Yes, this was working. Slowly.

Church-grim. Within some religions, there's a custom to bury an animal alive in the graveyard. The animal will then turn into a church-grim that acts as the guardian of the graveyard. It will politely ask people to behave. Graverobbers will be warned first. Then torn to pieces if they ignore the warning. Dogs or cats are the most common types of Church-grims, but there is a story about a human boy being turned into one once... They are considered a type of undead and were far more common a hundred years back or so.

I do not like this one. It is cruel to the church-grim.

Yes... It is a sad kind of creature...

The rodents nodded sadly as well. Apparently, Maker shared the stories with them as well.

It took several hours until Fanv felt satisfied with the results of the training. She could stand perfectly still as the rodents did their damn best to piss her off. One had even tried to poke her in the eye but she calmly shook her head until it fell off. Maker was floating in the air while humming. She was nearly in a better mood than Fanv.

Everyone was happy and pleased with the fruits of their labor. Then Fanv's stomach growled and the rodents were out of sight in a heartbeat.

... I thought they trusted me to not eat them by now...

Do not worry. It is all about instinct. Only a fool would remain within a hungry predator's sight.

I guess...

Now that she thought about it, how would she get food? Should she hunt? Hunt what exactly? She refused to hunt any of the rodents after all they'd done to help her.

There are other animals you can prey on in the tunnels. Sniff around a bit, explore.

Maker reassured her. Ok, sniff around huh. She lowered her head to the ground and took a deep breath. The cave reeked of the smell of rodents. There were traces of blood and goat as well, probably from her fight with the before. A clear wet smell lingered as well. If wet could be called a smell that is. It reminded her that there should be an underground lake nearby like Maker had said.

She followed the smell of water and soon she was trotting down the dark tunnels. The lake was a fair walk away but the scenery was truly breathtaking. A huge cave filled with clear, still, water. A faint veil of mist covered the surface, giving it a mysterious vibe. Huge stalactites hung from the ceiling, some nearly touching the surface of the lake. And all around the lake were thin strips of land, moist dirt and a thick blanket of fungi. The mushrooms were all shapes and sizes one could imagine. They were a glowing white with a tint of blue hiding in the shadows of the shiny surfaces. The blueish light made the cave look cold and eerie. Some mushrooms had climbed up the walls and others stretched out over the water.

A flicker of movement behind one of the stalactites caught her eye. A bird? It looked like a raven. It 'kawed' quietly before landing vertically on a stalactite. Sharp claws and nimble, finger-like toes held it steady on the stone surface.

Fanv watched the scenery in awe for a moment, then she snickered to herself and took a deep breath. She let out a 'kaaaw' herself (tho it sounded more like 'kaaooowh'), imitating the bird playfully.

It answered back, louder this time. Then it dropped from its perch and plummeted towards the water. It threw out its wings at the last second and swooped along the clear surface, creating ripples as it went.

Then about a hundred more that had been hidden in the shadows followed. and they all flew towards Fanv. What the hell?! She turned on her heel and ran back towards the tunnels. Angry birds hot on her tail.

They didn't follow far into the tunnel, however. Most likely because the narrow walls made it harder for them to fly. Fanv was out of breath when they finally left her alone. She took the chance to rest before she continued her search for food. Her stomach kept telling her to hurry.

After some 'sniffing around', she found a trail to follow. The scent of blood wafted towards her from further up ahead. As she entered the cave where it should be coming from she had to stop in her tracks. It was the cave she had fought the Bansheep in and the corpses still lay there, half-eaten and rotting. And all around the room, the Bloodclovers bloomed. But it wasn't the clovers that caught her eye, it was the flock of Bansheep that roamed around feeding on them.

They had all lifted their heads and turned their gaze towards her. Now their creepy red eyes stared at her, but other than that they didn't move. One of the smaller goats stood alone in the thickest patch of flowers. It bleated at her and then went back to feeding. Soon the others followed its example, only throwing a glance at the dumbfounded Fanv every now and then.

She stood still for awhile, watching the Bansheep suspiciously, then when they did nothing, she took a careful step into the cave. The Bansheep didn't react so she kept going, slowly making her way over to the closest cadaver. It was the biggest of the goats, the leader. It lay there, headless and torn. Small bite marks covered the exposed bones, probably from the rodents.

Fanv took another look around to make sure the Bansheep didn't sneak up on her, but they all peacefully grazed. Not one of them reacted when she took the first bite of the corpse. She didn't really pay any attention to the rotting meat, she just let her body go on autopilot, tearing at the stiff tendons and dried flesh. She kept her attention on the goats, making sure that they weren't tricking her or planning something. Feeding in the middle of their flock felt risky, but they didn't do anything to confirm her suspicions so she kept on eating.

After she felt full she hurriedly went back to the tunnels leading to her den. The Bansheep didn't follow. The whole thing felt a bit surreal. Once back in her cave she curled up in a corner, facing the entrance should anything decide to visit her. She felt tired. So very tired. She barely noticed her bones starting to pop and break.

You are one quick evolver, my darling wolf~

[Creature Werewolf(Fanv) evolved into Visvarg]

[Dungeon Title unlocked!]

[Monster den]

[You have gained further freedom in modifying future evolutions of creatures in your possession!]