As another moment of silence rested over the group, a bush nearest Xander rustled suddenly. Everyone jumped up, unsure what to expect. Xander lowered himself to prepare a charge towards the first thing that moved.

  A second later the bush rustled again and something pushed through. In an instant everyone tensed up, except Xander who tried to bull rush as fast as he could with what little room he had. Head down and horns forward.

  He only got four swift steps in before he was nearly nose to nose with a small white rabbit. Xander halted immediately, tipping forward more than his balance should have allowed. His hind legs raising in the air behind him, only to land with an earth rattling thud from his weight.

  The group relaxed a little. Angel almost laughed, before Kaiya blurted out a quiet, "shit."

  Xander' s eyes widened as he let out a terrified snort and scrambled to back away immediately. Causing dirt to kick up from his hooves. Nearly trampling Dante and Valerik in his escape, they jumped aside.

  Kaiya ran forward swiftly and knelt down. This was not the first rabbit to scare the usually fearless bull. She grabbed the small bunny and gently tossed it back into the brush to shoo it away.

  Less than a second later the bush shook violently. There were sudden snarls, and a painful tiny squeal. Then drops of blood splattered the tan elf. As she knelt in front of the bush, with a blank horrified stare now on her face.

  Abruptly, a massive wolf jumped out of the brush and pounced on her. Kaiya's head cracked the cold dirt, racking her mind. Causing her ears to ring. Her breath was violently stolen from her.

  Crushing pains in her chest and shoulders as the weight of the wolf pushed sharp claws into her armor, the tips pressing into her skin underneath. The familiar trickle of blood beginning.

  The wolf could have easily been twice the size of a normal wolf, were it not emaciated. It had several patches of flesh and fur missing. Sickly green ichor leaking from its wounds. Rabid frothing dripping down its fangs.

  Giant teeth barring down towards Kaiya's face, she used every muscle in her soul to hold off the beast. She feared it wouldn't be enough. In the battle of strength, it had nearly won.

  All at once the weight lifted from her. Xander barreled into the wolf, goring it with his horns, and ramming it into the nearest tree. Splintering the bark under the impact. Leaving the blighted wolf limp, and falling to the floor with a soft hud.

  Kaiya began to stand back up, battered and breathless. Already, a second wolf charged her as well. This time she grabbed its chest, gripping its matted fur tightly. Then used its momentum to throw it over her.

  As she rolled back off the ground she saw it land in the campfire, scattering the logs and fire. It caught aflame, the fire spreading quickly along its fur. The wolf didn't even flinch or howl in response. It only got back up to try again.

  By this point, four more wolves had exited the tree line and began to flank the group. Valerik took a step back as shadows clinged to him, causing him to vanish in the night.

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  Angel kicked the wolf that was now on fire. It angrily lashed back out towards her. She struggled to block and deflect its claws as it slashed out at her over and over again.

  "The damn guards took my ‘Bitch Be Good Stick’. Could really use it now" she grumbled angrily, still dodging evisceration.

  One of the new wolves began to charge towards her, but stopped short and fell limp, as Valerik reappeared from the shadows, kneeled down with a blade, sunken hilt deep into its chest. He pulled his dagger back out and stood up, staring down the rest of the wolves that were now trying to surround them.

  The third wolf leapt towards Kaiya, again, who was trying to close in on Xander but crashed face first into a wall of dirt and rock that had sprung up from the ground before pouring back down. Kaiya noticed this and stopped, turning to see Dante. His hands in the air towards her, and a stunned look on his face.

  The wolf snarled and began to get up, Kaiya quickly looked around the ground searching, she found her prize and picked up the best sized stick, the one that hit Dante not long ago.

  She then swung it downwards and slammed it into a nearby rock. As it swung, the long stick grew into a more solid and heavy branch.

  When it hit the large stone, kaiya surged her magic through it once more. The wood and stone welded together, vines grew around the heavy stone to try and hold it in place.

  She picked up her new warhammer with both arms, and swung again with all her might at the lunging wolf.

  The dense stone collided into its ribs mid air. with a sickening thud followed by a ripple of cracks, the momentum brought it to the ground. The wolf finally laid still.

  As Kaiya picked the hammer back up, the rock stayed lodged into its rib cage, leaving her with only a solid branch staff. She then looked towards Angel and threw it to her.

  Angel caught it mid air before even looking to see.

  “Nice throw!” she cheered before swiftly holding it forward as her wolf pounced. Its ravenous fangs stopped mere inches from her face, gnawing on the branch.

  She grinned and said "that's better".

  The sickly wolf growled viciously at Angel, dark green drool sliding down its fangs, coating the branch. Angel bared her teeth and growled back at it before headbutting the wolf, knocking it off of her.

  As it landed on its large paws, ready to attack again, she took a step back. Spinning around she swung the branch with both hands. It crashed into the wolf's head with a loud ugly crack. The branch snapped in half and the other end flew into a tree, almost taking out another branch with it.

  "Stay." She snarled to the limp body, as she charged back into the fight.

  The last two sickly wolves had flanked the group and charged at Dante who was backing away. Kaiya began to try and intercept but was too far away.

  "Watch out, kid!" Angel shouted. Valerik took a step forward, a blade of shadows appearing in his hand. As he took the second step he vanished into the darkness.

  Dante spun around as the wolves had pounced into the air. His arms stretched out towards them. The air around him condensed, Suddenly both of them halted mid air. They were immediately flung back into the woods as the air pulsed forward abruptly.

  There was a single pair of yelps in unison. Followed by a series of thuds, each growing quieter and further.

  There was only a moment of stillness. Then, Valerik appeared in a burst of shadows in front of Dante. Two blades held out, ready to strike where they should have been.

  He saw nothing there instead. Then, he spun around to see Dante, with a calm smirk on his face, followed swiftly by confusion and bewilderment.

  “Huh..” was all that left Dante's lips.

  They both looked at each other for a moment. A thousand questions neither had time for unsaid. Before walking back to the fire in cautious silence.

  Dante stepped on a twig and snapped it, causing everyone to jump and aim his direction. They all looked around anxiously for a while, waiting for the next assault.

  It never came.

  After a short time of silence and anticipation, Angel finally spoke up. "So, that sucked.” As she sat back down by the fire. “But, hey, how did you make that rock hammer thing?" Looking towards Kaiya.

  "It's a gift of mine." She replied calmly, reaching over to grab the same branch from the ground near Angel. She sat back in place, holding the decent sized branch in her lap, and laid her hands on it with her eyes closed. Surging creation and willpower through it.

  A moment later the branch began to vibrate, and condense itself to become more solid. The bark melding into smooth rounded edges. As subtle as it started it stopped, and Kaiya opened her eyes. She held out the quarter staff towards Angel.

  Angel grabbed it and spun it around. "Nice balance." She muttered, enormously studying it.

  Kaiya chuckled, "keep it."

  Xander had stepped away and nestled a bush into a makeshift bed. Kaiya began to settle in, leaning her back on him.

  "If we're gonna sleep, now's the time to do it." She said, before cozying in.

  Angel walked off to test her new toy. Dante followed Kaiya's idea and sat down next to a tree and tried to get comfortable, he was out cold in minutes.

  Valerik looked at the dying fire and sighed, giving studious glances towards his newfound company. He then stepped back into the shadows of the tree, and reappeared on a branch a few yards up the tree.

  Angel came back into the camp with the branch staff in hand. "This is way better than my old.. one." She trailed off, as she looked and saw everyone sleeping, or trying to do so. "Finally. Time for sleep." She muttered to herself before following suit near the low flames under the night sky.