Vivienne writhed, twisting her hands to touch the hardened torso behind her. Breathing deep she thrust out every bit of Sanctifying Fire she could muster. And nothing happened. The man laughed, a hearty, jovial sound. The knife against her throat loosened its threat. Vivienne kicked and twisted wildly, panic taking root in her chest. Looking out over the tiny camp, Vicious was nowhere to be seen. "Vee! Vee, run! Please! Please run!" She was almost sobbing now, hysteria rising. She and Vicious had already been through so much together, the thought of her being hurt felt unbearable. Out of the shadows came Vicious, unheeding to Vivienne's plea. She jumped on the man's back with a wild cry, her deft hands relieving his neck of a small golden amulet. Prize in hand, she sprang away, running back off into the brush. As the chain slipped away, the man let go of Vivienne, stalking forward to the bush where Vicious had disappeared. Vivienne fell on the forest floor; the air rushing out of her lungs. "Give me my amulet back, you damned thief!" The man was bellowing as he combed through the bushes. Hot rage twisted his face, consuming his attention. Vivienne rocked back onto her knees, trying to soothe the burning in her lungs. Out of the corner of her eye she saw slight movement. Vicious sat crouched in the brush, the opposite side of clearing from the raging man, still hidden. She motioned to a large branch on the forest floor near Vivienne, miming a swinging motion. Nodding, Vivienne picked up the branch. She is quite the little schemer. Quietly as she could, she got behind the man. Clutching the branch, she swung as high and as hard as she could muster. A solid crack resounded through the clearing. He turned to look at her, a slight smile on his face before his eyes rolled up into his head. His heavy body crumpled to the forest floor with a light sigh. Vivienne grappled for more air, her lungs feeling half full. She gripped the branch in her right hand as if it were the only thing keeping her attached to this plane. A hand wound its way into her left, the sudden touch sent her reeling back, only to see Vicious. The girl looked smug. Vivienne surveyed the slumped form of their attacker. "We need to delay him. Let's tie him to a tree and leave." The two worked together to drag the limp body over to a thick trunk. With the rope from his own belt, they bound his hands behind his back and wrapped the rest around his chest and the tree. —————————— They were off in less than 5 minutes. Vicious rubbed the amulet as they walked, tears gathering in her eyes. With an angry scrub of her face and a sniffle, she placed the trinket around her neck. Vivienne looked at Vicious, a question in her throat, but the girl shook her head. Vivienne said nothing. A few minutes up the road, they heard jingling horse harnesses. Vivienne stiffened, dread washing down her spine. The jingling sound didn't move. Vicious ducked off the road before Vivienne could stop her, dagger in hand. She followed Vicious through the brush and found her standing before a huge black caravan with two sleek black draft horses at the front. "Vicious, what are you doing?" Vivienne hissed under her breath. Vicious gave her a stare and rolled her eyes, grabbing a harness and cutting the tethers. With a slap on the flank, the horses took off into the dark of the forest. Satisfied, she put the dagger back in its sheath and walked back to the road. Who are you, Vee, to be this clever? They trudged on through the night, exhausted but too wary to stop. Early sunlight filtered through the heavy canopy as the pair made their way into the sleeping streets of Valogne. A signboard held various wanted posters.

WANTED

RAMPAGING VURKOLAK PAIR

Rampant livestock slaughter.

Seek Tobias Fletch - Local Butcher

REWARD

500 Gold Eporan Crowns

Vivienne turned to Vicious, getting down on her level. "We should take this bounty. To keep running, we are going to need more money. Are you up for it?" Vicious nodded her head. "We can't stay in town though, let's go get this bounty claimed." The butcher's shop stank of stale blood and antiseptic. A skinny man in a white smock stood behind the counter, hanging a pig carcass for butchering. "Got some fresh pig here. Can carve it for you right now!" He gestured at the hanging carcass with his cleaver, a smile on his face. "Uh, no, thank you. We are actually looking for Tobias? About the Vurkolaks?" "It's about time someone stepped up! Those beasts are slaughtering all the livestock around the entire village! And just for fun too, they never eat them. There's a pair. We think they sleep off their nightly benders up in the old fort just north of here." Vivienne shifted slightly, perplexed. "If you know where they are, why hasn't anyone else dealt with them yet?" "We don't exactly have fighting people here, and no one wants to get turned, sheep be damned. That's why the reward is so high. Bring me their skins and I'll pay you." —————————— Old Valogne Fort sat imposing and crumbling on the hill to the north, just as Tobias had said. Its mossy black-stone facade had fallen to pieces decades before, leaving only the barracks with a semblance of a roof. Fool's gold flecks shone from the exposed bricks, sending glittering sun shards across the courtyard floor. The ancient stables, however, barely held together with what looked like salvaged bits and twine. Inside the ramshackle lean-to lay two mounds of slowly breathing fur, one soot black, the other a deep russet. Vicious and Vivienne lay in wait, observing the Vurkolak as they slumber, trying to come up with a plan of attack, and a plan of escape. "Okay Vee, I am going to sneak up there and try to get an idea of what we are dealing with. I've never actually seen a Vurkolak in wolf form. Well, a fully grown one, that is." She shot Vicious a conspiratorial smile and a wink. "If they charge and I go down, I want you to run back to Valogne and find someone to take you in." —————————— Skulking up the knoll, Vivienne tried to silence her foot steps and slow her breathing. Creeping, she stopped every few steps, hearing slight movement. As she crested the hill, she saw two pairs of glowing amber eyes staring right at her. A sinking feeling pulled at her stomach as the wheels slowly turned. They can smell me, like I can smell them. She called to the Sanctifying Fire, let it rise in her veins, and braced for the attack. Running toward them, hands outstretched, Vivienne got a split second shot. One hand on each charging beast, Fire blazing. And nothing happened. The raging pair bowled her over, their enormous pearl white claws just barely missing their mark. Why does this keep happening to me? Vivienne rolled head over feet down the hill, coming to a halt flat on her back at the base. Before she could gather her thoughts, Vivienne felt a hand yanking her backwards by the hood of her robe. With a flick she was tossed. Being unceremoniously thrown into a bush enraged her. "You bit off more than you could chew, Little Saint." Gods damn it, how did he find us so fast? Vivienne readied for another tussle, only to see the man striding across the field, and Vicious motioning her to stay down. Out of his pocket he pulled a flute. What's a flute going to do against these beasts? He brought the instrument to his lips and rapidly fired two tiny projectiles; the beasts going down nearly instantly. Their heavy bodies digging furrows in the wildflower field. Taking the rope from his belt, the man climbed atop each beast, tying their clawed hands and taloned feet. "You can come out now." He called. "Both of you." Vivienne crept from her bush, her shoulder throbbing already. Nearly hidden in the greenery, the Vurkolak had returned to human form. They're just teenagers? "I'm glad I got here in time. They would have flayed you alive. What were you thinking?" She felt stunned. He was reprimanding her like a child. "I'm not sure what business you think you have with me, but if you think for one gods thrice damned second that I'm going back to that hole of a cell-" The man threw his hands up in mock surrender. "Hey now just a minute. I may have grabbed you a bit too roughly back at the clearing. I'm a big boy. I can admit to my mistakes. And perhaps the knife to your throat was a bit too overzealous." Vivienne glared at him as coldly as she could muster. "Wanna get to the point then, Mr. Boy?" The man roared with laughter. "I like you! You've got zip. Look, you are quite valuable to the Exemplars and the Evoked. I'm here to see that you don't fall back into Exemplar clutches." He thrust a deep bronze, weather hardened hand toward Vivienne. "Milo Andilet-" The pair on the ground stirred, grunting against their bonds. The canvas tarp that was thrown over their now naked bodies rattling in the light breeze. "Hold that thought Saint." "My name is Vivienne, not Saint." She grumbled under her breath. Milo knelt down beside the squirming, whimpering tarp, putting out a calming hand. "Be still kids, we won't hurt you." —————————— They made camp in the dilapidated courtyard of the Fort. Milo sat walking the two young Vurkolak, Anya and Gergei, through creating a suppression potion.The group, save Vivienne, cloistered on fallen stones around a roaring fire. "Here's how it stands. Vurkolak, freshly turned without a clan, go into a frenzy for weeks or months on end. Usually, that end is a swift death at the hands of a bounty hunter." Milo looked from Anya to Gergei, letting the impact of his words take hold. "The Suppression Potion keeps you in human form. It delays the Hunt Lust, but not forever. Right now you both have a bounty of, what was it Miss Vivienne?" Vivienne looked up from her pacing to glare, "500 crowns." Milo snapped his fingers, turning back to the young couple. "Of 500 crowns on your skins. You need to disappear. I have friends that run a ragtag clan called the Adrift. Made up by clanless Vurkolak like yourselves. Go south into Adalsindis. Once you reach the depths of the Darachen your senses will guide the way. And for the love you have for each other, use the suppression potions." Inky twilight came, hiding the beautiful wildflower field from sight. Just as the light faded from the sky, Vivienne, still pacing, felt a rumbling shudder. She stopped. The world caved in around her, the thump of her body echoing and then blackness.