--The following evening was surprisingly cold for a summer night. They had stopped some time ago. The two women sat next to the campfire, across from the man, who was sharpening his crude, two-handed sword. The sword did not count many years in his service, but it was chipped in numerous places, showing signs of heavy use. Old lady Magda was cozying up by the fire, trying to warm up her hands, while Sophie’s curious eyes examined Zarak. However, she shyly turned away as soon as he looked up at her. A dark forest spanned on one side of the road, behind them, while plains of grass danced in the wind, to the other side of it. A distant howl could be heard.

-So, where are you from? – Magda asked.

--Zarak stopped and looked up at her, but he remained silent. Magda met his stare with her own, and a pair of raised eyebrows.

Zarak, sharpening on – I thought ladies didn't speak to thugs.

-I'm being polite, boy. You should do the same.

After a short pause, Zarak replied – I'm from nowhere, really.

-And where is this nowhere?

-Doesn't matter. One mud hole same as the other. Once you've seen a few, you seen them all.

-So... Why did you take up a sword, instead of let's say, a plough? A peasant's life to dull for your taste?

-Sure.

-How informative.

Sophie chuckled. The other two suddenly went silent, their stern eyes peering at her.

She shrunk, gripping her cup of tea.

All was quiet for a while, when Zarak upped and said – I'll scout the area.

--Whilst he was pissing on a tree, a bit into the woods, he noticed a pair of yellow eyes glaring at him from the bush ahead. A shadow leaped out, flashing tooth and claw.

--Back at the camp, the two women heard rustling and growls. They stood up, flooded with dread, staring at the forest as if it were death itself. Zarak came flying out of there like an arrow, a couple of wolves hot on his trail. He swung his sword behind him to dissuade the wolves and cried out “Grab the fire!” The women promptly complied, grabbing burning sticks from the campfire and aiming them at the beasts. The horses fidgeted and neighed in terror.

--As the dust from this intrusion settled, the young man’s eyes got attuned to the darkness around the camp. He could make out the silhouettes of wolves, circling them. Maybe a dozen. He cut the horse's straps to let them loose. Sure enough, the two horses bolted into the darkness and some of the wolves pursued, barking. However, the wolves wounded the horses almost immediately, making their escape seem quite unlikely. The two women thought they were released to give them a chance to survive, unhampered by the wagon’s harness. Zarak on the other hand thought something along the lines of… “Poor beasts, nasty way to die. We got much better chances now, though.”

--Just as he thought this, a pair of wolves jumped him.

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-Thank you for reading. The third update will be on Friday morning. If you liked the story, please rate, follow or favorite. Cheers.