Dance With The Devil [Open]

[Asher Devlin]

"Quickly and quietly."

That was the phrase of the night for the would be hunters. It was a test for the younger hunters of the Devlin family, the abduction of a wolf. Under the cover of night they moved, practically ghosts against the forested back drop. All of their clothing was dark, covered in foliage except for Asher himself. They had even taken the precaution of covering themselves in the musk of their target to make it that much harder to pick up their scent. This was no first time rodeo for the now clan patriarch. It was quite an amusing thought to be quite honest; humans hunting the wolves in the night on their own turf.

"No matter what you see or hear they are beasts. No quarter, down to the last child if they force your hand." he ordered. It seemed harsh but he held no interest in saving the lives of monsters. His families legacy dictated that when he had the chance he put down any monster he came across. Now, Asher was not always one to follow that strictly as he had a working relationship with several seedier men in the realm. Yet if he was given the opportunity he would slip a knife into their back once they outlived their usefulness. He was a dangerous man simply because he held no allegiance to no one but himself and he could not be bought.

Their target was a peaceful village on rivers edge which they made fairly quickly. Stopping about a mile or two out they checked their surrounding very carefully. Every village no matter how small had a few wolves out on patrol at night. They did not live in walls like the humans did so they had an increased need for sentries. The wolves of Arnul were a fearsome enemy that used guerrilla warfare to defeat their enemies. Making a few motions with his hand, the four other hunters he was with spread out and started to sweep the area.

While they covered the rear he pushed on forward to do a bit of recon. His slow approach would be almost as silent as the padded feet they were hunting. Several lights cast from fires at the heart of the small village cast shadows about; but from what he could make out there were four sentries standing guard tonight. Removing a black cloth roll from his back, Asher spread it on the ground to reveal a long bow inside. Laying in the cloth at it's side were four particularly shiny arrows that were made of pure silver.

Retrieving the bow from the ground, he notched an arrow and drew back the string. He would have to be very quick with his shots. Lining up slowly, he held his breath and exhaled as he released the string. Without even watching to see if his first hit the target he flew into a reload motion, notching another arrow and firing in a blur. Tossing the bow aside he started a retreat into the woods as he heard the growls that signaled that his arrows were buried deep in two of the guards. From here he expected them to give chase and that was where he would lure them into a trap.

Slipping behind a tree he waited for what he knew would come; the pursuit. Reaching into either side of his coat he removed a pair of silver hand axes. Cross them over his chest he waited as he started a count down for their approach. The very moment they moved past he went into one like a shot, throwing his axe and burying it into the wolfs spine. A loud whine echoed as he quickly made a run to retrieve the weapon. The second wolf was right behind him, pushing off the ground into a leap. Diving, Asher grabbed the weapon and went into a roll as the other sentry soared right over him. Rolling to his feet, he launched both axes forward as the wolf turned and made it's way back. Unfortunately for him he would catch both axes to the chest causing him to stagger.

Straight out of the roll he kept his momentum going as he charged. Once both of his hands made contact with the axes he drove the squirming beast back into the tree. Driving each blade further in he made the wolf writhe in agony until it turned back into a man. Once the change was reversed, Asher withdrew the axes and brought them to bear at it's throat. Removing the creatures head, he turned and let out a call that let the other hunters know that he had engaged and defeated an enemy. His call was returned three times; the fourth seemed to be missing which meant that he had lost one of his own tonight.

Now all four men moved towards the rendezvous point before engaging the town proper which was now alerted to the presence of an invasion.