Rustle… rustle…

And… there I was, dick still wet from the urine I just load out to the tree that I am now using as the only thing dividing and hiding me from that… monster I just saw.

It was huge, it was at least twice the size of Nieve, it had a wolf’s head, a lion’s body, human… limbs from how weird its movement is and how awkward it look in all fours, hell it even has tails, but I couldn’t really tell what it is… it’s leathery… maybe rattle snake’s tail? But to sum it up… it was horrifying.

Rustle… rustle…

I could still hear it’s rustling, giving me signs that it’s still probably there which… was not a good sign, he must have smelled my urine and was still searching for me,

Damn it… okay… think… it has human limbs and it’s on all fours, maybe… I could outrun it? But… what if it straight up went bipedal? Shit…

As I was there thinking of either running or just stay still and hoping for the best, another sound of rustling leaves and bushes suddenly appears, where thankfully, it wasn’t another monster lurking in the woods, it was actually… Elin.

She walked slowly towards me while lifting her dress, avoiding it being ruined perhaps from the debris below, and as she saw me there, somewhat scared shitless, hiding behind a tree, with an exposed penis, she gave me a ‘shush’ hand gesture where when she got close to me, she said to forget about what I just saw and go back to the camp.

“And… of course, with a tidied-up pants!” She remark while giving a playful smile.

After I cleaned myself and was on my way back to the camp, I couldn’t help to take a peek at what she’s about to do with that monster, I looked and… it was… quite bizarre…. At first, I thought she was gonna shoo off that chimera of a monster and be done with it, but… she was actually caressing the beast… and the thing… was enjoying Elin’s gentle stroking at its body and head.

It then went off somewhere else to the woods, but… Elin… was following it… at that point something was up.

As Elin followed the monster, I too as well followed suite behind her, threading slowly as to not caught her or it’s attention.

Walking through the forest I could feel a soothing cold air from every step I follow towards Elin, it got colder, but not to the point of freezing, we weren’t really climbing up a hill, it’s more so because of how abrasive the winds were getting and it clicked on me as why it were.

We came out of the forest where a full frontal view of a vast array of trees could be seen from below, that monster lead us to a cliff.

It then sat at the edge of the cliff, staring at the full moon, not howling weirdly, only staring at it with no hostility towards it, no joy as well, just… staring… entrance maybe? but… that’s too early to tell. Elin then as well sat beside it where she continued stroking gently at its body and head, where I then hear her voice.

“I… wish we could fix this…” She said in somewhat melancholic tone, while caressing the beast.

It then turns its head towards her where it gave Elin a peck kiss, it… was kind of sweet really and made me second guess myself if this really was a monster.

“You don’t need to hide Lord Protector, he won’t bite!” Out of nowhere, Elin suddenly called me where I actually was about to re-enter the forest to hide myself from them.

“He?” Though I was caught off guard, I put on a confident mask by asking that.

“Yes… he… he is-” Elin was cut off

“Pawl…” Kristof answered, fully armed with a crossbow in hand beside me, while walking slowly and menacingly towards the both of them.

“Wait, what? And what are you doing with that crossbow Kristof?” I was bewildered by this information and was concern of what Kristof about to do.

“Yeah… what are you doing with that crossbow your royal highness!?” Another voice from behind, revealing herself to be Nieve, entering the fray by walking slowly behind us in her wolf form with her teeth readied for combat.

“Okay what is going on???” I was honestly confused at this situation, Nieve and Kristof was very hostile for some reason and Elin as well as… Pawl, was on defense.

“What is going on, is that Pawl is the chimera abomination that has terrorized Tuath for more than a generation!” He then took a breather and continued his explanation. “I’ve journeyed to many places seeing bizarre and mild things, one of them is this monster! I was told many tales about this beast from the local folk, it varies from it stealing livestock to… killing families. At first thought I believed it was just rumors and hearsay like the nymphs of lake zwilling, but… a year ago proofed me wrong, yes… I saw you with that dog in your mouth” Kristof said in a menacing tone.

After that explanation I could tell that Kristof was about to shoot, his hand was readied on pulling the trigger.

“Okay… so… let’s take it easy here Kristof… how about you point that thing down before you hurt someone!” I pointed at his crossbow and tried to defuse this situation.

“Not a chance! That thing needs to die right here and now! And this silver tipped bolt should do the trick!” He continued his persistence.

“Stand down your highness, I don’t want to hurt you!” Nieve, who had readied her teeth, was about to jump on Kristof.

“Neither am I Lobo but this monster needs to be stop, now!” He again continued this image he conjured up of Pawl, and… he let loose of the bolt.

The bolt propelled outward to the air, thrown in an insane speed where it then struck Pawl in his chimera human arm, made Nieve opened her jaws and jumped at Kristof, and at that split second I made a judgement call.

I leapt forward and stretch my arm to block Nieve’s incoming attack, it worked where her jaws locked in on my hand instead of Kristof’s neck. Though it was painful as her fangs were already imbedded inside my arm, I took the initiative to grabbed Kristof’s crossbow forcefully from him.

“OKAY THAT IS ENOUGH!!!!” I yelled at them both. “I don’t know what the fuck is going on with your head, BUT YOU DON’T SHOOT SOMEONE WHO JUST SAVED YOU EARLIER!” I then continued to Nieve “and what the fuck is wrong with you Nieve?!?! YOU ALMOST KILLED THE GODDAMN PRINCE OF THIS KINGDOM!”

With that outburst of mine let loosed towards them, Nieve let go of my arm and Kristof backdown, I still don’t know what the hell was going on and it didn’t help with the only thing that was on my mind was my arm, I could feel the pain now, it was really fuckin excruciating and blood was leaking all over.

But Nieve then came forward and licked my arm where it… surprisingly felt nice and as I looked at her licking all over my wound, my arm was miraculously healed, the pain was gone, blood stopped leaking, and my arm even felt rejuvenated.

After that I grabbed Kristof’s arm and dragged him towards Pawl and Elin, it was still scary and somewhat jarring up close with Pawl, considering he was a goddamn giant chimera monster.

But… weirdly I felt no hostility from him, hell Kristof who just attacked him and now shitting himself cause how close he is with Pawl, wasn’t even leaking hostile aura at him. At that point I already suspect that he is most possibly sentient and most definitely aware of his surroundings.

I then extend my arm and reach to the bolt that pierced his human hand part, pulling it and throwing it away, Pawl of course let out a little scream but was comforted by Elin too sooth the pain, when looking at the wound it was kind of surprising on how it quickly healed up, I guess silver is just silver in this world or he isn’t an unholy being.

After that I proceed to apologize to them for what Kristof did to him and like what the Japanese did to their kids, or in my case a ward, when they’ve done something bad.

Grabbed his head and made him bow down to them both while ordering him to say a sincere apology, he of course was reluctant, acting like a brat and spoiled kid, but in the end he followed through and gave a somewhat sincere apology at Elin and Pawl.

“Okay, now can you two please explained to me what is going on with Pawl? And if I have to guess, it seems that him being… this, is the reason why he is not with your pack!” I was dead on the money of course as their Elin’s and Nieve’s was showing a ‘bingo’ face.

Elin then explained first on what Pawl is.

It was roughly 100 years ago, Pawl just got his permission from Nieve to venture outside of their territory, where he ventures out in a journey to see what the world was like, but somewhere down the line he was captured by a mage, an elven mage, Aedhyn le Sireadh, Elin’s father.

Pawl was then experimented upon many things by Aedhyn, one of which that has a ‘fruitful’ result is his human form, a merge between a familiar and a human, but… he didn’t stop and continued his experimentation on Pawl where it resulted on this...

At first I thought it was just some curse inflicted upon Pawl to be this beast and I wasn’t wrong, him being this chimera monster thing in the night is a result of a curse that Aedhyn did to him, but the limbs, the body parts that he got is near Frankenstein level of experimentation, he was sown and attach with it, I don’t know if he was awake at the procedure, I hope he wasn’t, but it’s… both horrifying… and disgusting to imagine it.

Elin of course reach the point where she was fully sick of her father's crimes against nature, which leads to her freeing and running away with Pawl. Along their journey they became friends, went on many adventures, fell in love, and the rest is history.

“Then what of those rumors about the livestock you stole from the farmers? The families that you killed?!” Arthur who still dead set on this rumors pressed it.

“Okay we do admit stealing some livestock from herders on the road, because we didn’t have any money to even buy a loaf of bread, but the family murders? No! He might look like a crazed monster that’ll kill anything on its path, but Pawl is actually aware of all of this!” Elin stated and confirmed my guess on the true nature of Pawl’s monster form.

“Wait… seriously? So, he isn’t filled with a huge bloodlust or anger?! Alright… that’s…” Kristof out of speech at this revelation, realized at how ignorant and an idiot he was.

Pawl then tap Kristof’s shoulder with his hand, probably trying to say it’s okay.

“So how long will he stay in this form?” I asked Elin.

“Until the crack of dawn, he’ll be back to his-” Elin then suddenly stopped talking for no reason. “No… this can’t be…” Elin’s pupil shrank as she saw something in front of her, something… she was sure of to not ever see again.

“Daughter… Pawl…” a heavy voice coming from behind, latched with a cold sensation.

All of us then turn to the direction of the voice where he has shown himself to us, Aedhyn le Sireadh, it was quite a surprise and… quite a horrifying turn of events.

““Growl…..”” Pawl and Nieve growled at Aedhyn with full furiousness.

“Father… how did-” Aedhyn cuts her off.

“It was quite easy really, that merc, Alain spilled the beans with a couple of upfront bag of gold, but… enough of that, come now daughter your adventure with that waste is over!” His eyes sharpen with disgust at Pawl as he demands back his daughter.

“No!” Elin full of fiery anger after hearing that comment her father made about Pawl, rejected with full force, literally, she cast a hurling gust of wind at Aedhyn.

“I see that your magic is still as sharp as your mother’s, but… you’re still no match with a Mage, Witch!” Though the hurling gust of wind was powerful, Aedhyn still managed to hold his ground, he even had the chance to praise his daughter’s magic, but he went no nonsense mode after that.

Aedhyn than conjure his own wind magic where it engulfed Elin and trapping her, the wind acted as a grabbing mechanic for Aedhyn to pull off Elin from us, but he was struggling a bit where it gives us time to retaliate.

Pawl and Nieve went headfirst towards Aedhyn, Kristof draw his sword and I borrowed his dagger where we then followed suite as well.

As Pawl and Nieve was close towards Aedhyn, they jumped with their jaws open, fangs ready to tore of his limbs. Aedhyn counter this with roots coming out from below, grabbing their legs and pulling them to the forest, while they were somewhat preoccupied with the roots, me and Kristof were close enough as a second wave of attack towards him.

Kristof about to swing his sword from head to toe, aiming at his head while I, full charge ahead at his arm about to stab it, he was cautious of this of course and I expected him to take the bait by defending himself from this two pronged attack, losing his focus of the magic he conjured up.

It… didn’t work, we did got his attention with him dodging that attack, but from the fact that Elin was still incapacitated, we knew right away that he wasn’t going to falter just by a minor inconvenience.

As he was dodging left and right from our attack, Pawl and Nieve just now managed to freed themselves from the root, with that a four pronged assault was in action, Me and Kristof, assaulting from his front while Pawl and Nieve, charging with full speed at him from behind, it was perfect, he was going to be completely incapacitated by this attack.

But… with a mix of underestimation and as well as pure bullshit, he casted another wind magic where it hurled to all directions, launching us far away from him.

Pawl and Nieve was now truly incapacitated with that blast crashing them towards the trees, Kristof as well got hit by a tree, but me… got the shortest of the stick.

I got blasted way to far where it rolled me out of the forest and into the cliff leaving me with two hands clinging to life at the rocks I held over my head. It was bad, but wasn’t that bad, I could lift myself up, though I would need to summon muscles that I don’t even know I had, but that wasn’t the problem, if I lift myself up I would only engage myself in another fight, alone even, I debated myself either to stand against him again or just wait, I chose the former.

Getting back again about to face against him alon- and he is gone… shit…