* Although his directions were clear and probably accurate, Tomas the runesmith could do little do make the journey from his home to Old Meg's hut any quicker. The trip was nearly ten miles through forest, along the hedgeruns between two farms, and now into the forest again. There are no bloodwoods here, just a forest of pine atop a lonely hill just past the roadside farmlands. * The hedgerun leading to this hill actually sported an overgrown pathway that was probably trafficked by superstitious or desperate pioneers seeking Old Meg's help. Tomas said that she did not keep to herself the way he did himself, and that most of the Evenor folk had at least heard of the woman. She was not old, Tomas insisted, but she apparently wanted people to think that she was. * Whatever path existed in the forest has completely overgrown by now, and Tomas' directions become useless beyond the assertion that Meg's hut lies at the peak of the hill, and that it was the only structure thereon before the woman disappeared and her hut burned. * So it is now that the recruits stand at the edge of the forest with about an hour of daylight left and the cold of a true autumn night creeping in with the coming darkness. * Dral1 looks around. "We better get there soon." Not that I can't, I'd prefer not to spend longer than we must out here. * LaughingBear nods. "Me too." Race you all up the hill! But, Dral, I have short legs! * Klizurk laughs. "And armor really slows me down." You'll just have to work harder, then! Master always says a little hard work never killed anyone! * Dral1 runs up the hill. * LaughingBear chuckles in resignation and books it up the hill after Dral1. * Dral2 laughs and follows the group up the hill. "You're all very spirited tonight!" * Klizurk runs up after them, laughing. * The race--uphill and through a sparse but scrubby pine forest--is at least as much a contest of speed and endurance as it is of quick reactions. Fallen trees, sudden dips in the terrain, and low-hanging branches all conspire to turn the sprint into a full-blown obstacle course. * The more energetic dral has a definite lead when the recruits run across some invisible threshold: the air grows bitingly cold and still, and the dim light of dusk seems to turn gray and heavy. WOW! * LaughingBear shivers. "Did it suddenly become colder?" * Dral2 slows to a stop when he feels the change in the air. "Yes. And unnaturally so." * Klizurk blinks as she slows down a bit. "Yes, I'm not sure what to make of it." * Dral1 doesn't slow down at all! * The tree Dral1 just passed as been stripped of bark from the ground level to about four feet up, and an unfamiliar mark has been deliberately burned into the wood. * LaughingBear starts to slow, but he picks up speed again to keep up with Dral1 as best as he can. * Dral1 skids to a stop and takes a deep, deep breath. * Dral1 frowns and keeps walking forward. * Klizurk draws her sword and readies her shield. "Something's amiss, though." * Grayish-white shapes move between the trees and underbrush, quiet and weirdly patterned. At first glance they appear to be wolves, but a second glance proves that impression false. That is, unless there is a breed of wolf that can survive without skin or flesh. I don't think I've ever seen those in the forest before. * The almost-wolves slink closer, revealing themselves one by one as they approach. As with ordinary wolves, these seem to be part of a pack. Nearly half a dozen wolves make their presence known soon after the first. They seem to be coming from all angles as they draw quietly near the recruits. * Klizurk prepares for the inevetable attack as the wolves draw nearer. * Dral2 looks from one wolf to another. He takes on a battle stance and gets ready for an enemy advance. * Dral1 quickly unwinds his chain from his forearm and lets it droop, swinging freely. * Fash readies her bow. I think this is a good sign that something is here. * LaughingBear takes in a breath. "Spirit wolves." * A faint, bluish glow becomes apparent around each wolf as they draw near. The glow is hazy and somewhat nebulous, but it seems attached to the wolves somehow, as if it were a fire on the bones of these creatures. * Three more wolves can be seen farther back, though they are remarkably smaller than the others, and their bony bodies seem to lack the blue glow of the larger wolves. * LaughingBear runs up by Klizurk at the first sign of trouble and channels spiritual blessing toward the kith. * Dral1 blurs into motion, chain swinging, but his concentration fails him as he notices more wolves, and he just gouges some bark off a tree. * Dral2 begins chanting in Druidic. * Fash sights a wolf flanking the party and quickly looses two arrows in its direction. One of the arrows strikes true, sticking from the foul beast's side. * The bluish glow around the wolf surges briefly, and Fash's arrow clatters to the forest floor underfoot. The skeletal wolf then sits back on its haunches and lifts its head to howl silently into the night. The creatures rush in as one. * Dral1 whips his chain around as the first of several wolves darts in on his flank. * The struck wolf staggers under the force of the blow. It continues on to attack the dral, though its bluish glow is considerably fainter than before. * The rushing wolves snap and nip at the recruits, but in most cases quick reflexes and sturdy armor manage to keep their yellowy teeth from connecting. One of them--the largest one of the bunch, is his wide stance and heavy bones are any judge--manages to nip Dral2's leg. A wave of shocking cold accompanies the bite, but the blow is ultimately glancing and the wolf doesn't get a good grip with its jaws. * Klizurk hisses as she rears up with her sword, striking the wolf and the ground at the same time as she stomps her foot into the ground, drawing the force of the impact to cause her body to toughen against any counterattack. * The blade slices through the bluish mist surrounding the wolf, dragging tendrils of the stuff through the air but failing to connect with solid bone. Nevertheless, the creature recoils slightly from the attack.