We were just about to continue our questioning when I felt it. Just like about every citizen. A flicker of power, noticeable, yet gone before it could be threatening. Folks old enough to know what that meant had different reactions. Some grinned, some frowned. Most of them looked like kids when the traveling merchant brought new goods. It was true, in a way. His arrival could help our investigation tremendously. And ruin the rest of my unlife. But then again, if we failed, my life would be very, very short. I grabbed my cloak and apologized to Chester. He brushed it off with a laugh.

  "Eager to see the dealmaker. I get it. Best of luck to you two. Don't die too soon!"

  Juraj stumbled a bit and cursed a lot. Did it matter? Of course not. We were lacking in gear, power, and time. And there was a man who could help us with at least two of those problems. And so, off we went, to see the Grey Man.

  Jenkins

  That was my name. I was on the move. Had to be, for that damned merchant came again, and I was still alive. Damn him to hell, he's here too soon! I had almost fifty years to enjoy the bargain. Power in exchange for... well, something I wasn't prepared to part with yet.

  I started running, tossing my clothing aside. Four legs were better than two. It didn't matter that the moon wasn't full, not to me. The change was quick, sharp, and left me hungry as always. It was merely a muscle memory that led me towards the woods. I picked up the smell almost instantly. A human was wandering these woods!

  My nose led me towards an old ranger cottage. Half curious, half hungry, I followed it. The new forestmen should still be fair game. Or so I thought, when another scent hit me. Damn it! A damn bloodsucking leech had beaten me to it! ... Well, might as well check. The flesh should still be there.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Something caught the corner of my eye. A small symbol, etched into the wooden door.

  A growl escaped my canine lips. But oh well, fair is fair. If he was under Emm's protection...

  "I could kill her! I am strong. Fast." Words came out twisted by a throat never meant to use them.

  "Not that fast, buddy. Besides, from the few damn leeches living here, Emm is the most tolerable by far. Beat it." It wasn't often that I had to steer my wolf half from the backseat of my human mind. Was I getting old?

  No matter, for the night was still young and I was still hungry. A waft of rot caught my attention. Well, guess I'll be eating a carcass tonight.

  The scent was getting stronger. I had to be close. Drool was running down my muzzle. All I could focus on was a vision of meat, however old.

  Maybe that was the reason I hadn't noticed it sooner.

  More scents. Leaves, wood, soil, meat. All of them wrong, rotten, and twisted.

  Hunger was now twisting my insides as I shivered in the cold breeze...

  "When was the last time I even felt cold? I shouldn't..."

  My thoughts were cut short. Light. Two lights, right before me, greenish and flickering. Will-o'-wisps? Here?

  They started to lift up. Two feet... three...

  I stood there, frozen. A dark mass of a body was following them.

  Five feet... six...

  Forget wisps, those were eyes!! I stood my ground, half mad with hunger, ready to square up.

  Eight feet, ten...

  My human half was shouting something from the back of my mind.

  Eleven... twelve...

  I had to lean back to hold eye contact...

  Thirteen...

  Damn this! I turned back to flee. I ran... Or, I tried to. The soil was suddenly like muddy soup, swallowing my steps. The smell of decay was suffocating as I sank deeper with every step. I risked a quick glance behind me. The monster was nowhere to be seen.

  The false sense of security was short-lived. Pain, sharp, searing. It pulled me under. I took a deep breath of dirt and mulch, and inevitably choked. The pain seared again and again as it was chewing from down up. I remember dull teeth grinding skin, meat, and bone. I felt my consciousness slip. I felt my soul leaving the body behind. Even in the dark depths, I could see it eating the rest of what was me before.

  It didn't matter. Not now. Feelings were a thing of the past.

  That was, until those two flaming eyes looked at me. And I remembered how to feel. I was scared. All I could see was a maw full of dull teeth, ready for another bite.