-----Just then the final werebeast jumps in at Shema and Bradley. Its sudden move scares off two more of the horses even before Rinda can react. Quickly Shema's arm is caught in its vicious bite. The female guard opens her mouth in a silent scream of pain. Bradley thumps at the monster with his sword but seems to have no effect.
-----Not waiting for the corpse in front of him to hit the ground, Sol spins and moves in to strike at the one biting Shema.
-----Sarah raises her left hand and launches three magic missiles at the werewolf Sol is attacking. With her other hand she attempts to grab the reins of two horses from Rinda, trying to lighten the priestess' load.
-----Raven turns and runs to aid Shema also.
-----The magic missiles slam into the werewolf badly injuring it and causing it to release its hold on Shema. The female guard collapses to the ground holding her bloodied arm. The great beast roars in pain and turns to make a mad dash into the woods.
-----Raven and Sol are there on each side of the werewolf swinging their weapons. Both of them miss as the werecreature begins to move forward in its retreat. Raven suddenly leaps high and comes down on the creature's back driving his sword deeply into the back of its ribcage. With a final scream of death, the werewolf collapses on the ground with the ranger's weight on top of it. As Raven rises off the death creature, the forest is silent.
-----Rinda and Sarah stand by holding on to the three remaining horses.
-----"By Joren!" Romney swears and points at the first two werecreatures that were killed. There in the places where the black furred werecreatures were killed lie the naked bodies of two human males. The bodies lie facedown though they bear the wounds inflicted on them by Raven and Sol.
-----Already back to being blank-faced, Sol nods once to Raven wordlessly indicating his praise at the hunter's work on the last creature. He similarly acknowledges Romney's find with a queer sort of half nod. Taking quick stock of what has happened Sol then says to the group, "Romney, take everyone ten minutes back down the trail we came down and set up camp. Sarah, Rinda...can ye help Shema with her wound while ye head back?" He then turns to look at Raven once more, "Raven, if we're ever going t'catch up t'th' others, we're going t'have t' retrieve th' horses now...before they decide t'wander off further. But I don't think we should continue like this tonight. We can pick up th' thieves trail again early tomorrow."
-----Sol wipes his blade clean on the damp ground, then moves over and picks up one of the torches. He resheathes his blade before adding, "Or if one of you lot," Sol says to the guards, "are able t'coax panicked horses, ye can go with Raven instead. If there are any more o' these werethings about..."
-----Sarah coaxes Marlexana to the side of the injured guard. The daughter of the Lord Wizard had read in many books about how the plague of lycanthropism was spread. She knew it was critical to treat Shema the best she could. Sarah digs through her herbs, trying to remember something as a good cure for a spreading werewolf blood.
-----As Sarah digs through her herbs, Rinda sees what she is doing. As she holds Shema's arm straight to support it, she asks the mage, "Do you have any belladonna or wolfsbane?"
-----"Sol," Raven says while he quickly cleans the dark wereblood from his blades, "our swords were the only two that I saw that had any effect on the werewolves. If I could take Abram and Bradley with me, my wolf might help me track down the horses quicker. If you go with Sarah, Rinda and the rest that way you and your sword would be there to protect them if the worst happened. I think these werewolves were the only ones in their pack tonight, but it might do for one of us to be around just in case. What do you think?"
-----"That sounds like what I meant...Except with more sense." Sol agrees with Raven. He moves over to Sarah and takes the reins of the two horses she originally relieved from Rinda. Slowly he begins to head back down the track and stops after a few moments. Sol then proceeds to wait till Shema is ready to be moved.
-----"Yes! I have Belladonna!" Sarah says, triumphantly receiving the herb from her pouches. "I don't have any wolfsbane though, sorry. I need to remember to get that the next time we are in town." Sarah applies the herb to the guard's wounds as best she can.
-----"This will be good enough for now!" Rinda enthusiastically replies as she helps Sarah secure the wound with bandages. Shema then nods to Rinda and Sarah as they finish with her. The female guard then recovers her sword and grabs a torch.
-----Romney grabs another torch as Raven begins to head off with the other two guards and the wolf. Their parting immediately dims the light significantly and Sol and the guards huddle around Rinda and Sarah as they make their way back down the trail.
-----Sol leads them back down the trail for about ten minutes. At that point, they come across a place beside the trail road where the ground is flat and somewhat covered by the high overhead canopy of trees. Seeing that the place is at least suitable to rest for the night, Sol suggests they set camp here. As the two guards set the torches down to light the area, Sol keeps watch till Raven, Abram and Bradley return.
-----Rinda and Sarah go through the saddlebags of the remaining horses to secure what blankets and supplies they can.
-----After the better part of an hour, Raven and the two guards return leading three of the horses. "There's one more horse out there," Raven says as he joins everyone, "Hopefully I'll catch his tracks tomorrow."
-----Romney approaches Sol and asks, "How do you suggest we make the watches this night?"
-----"I think tonight's been a firm reminder of what we're heading into, so I'm going t'suggest a double watch whilst we're in Redmarsh, starting tonight. Romney, perhaps you an' Abram could take first watch. Wake Bradley an' me fer th' second. Raven, can you an' Shema take third? I figured you'd be best fer last watch so ye could wake us when ye feel it's a good time fer ye t'start tracking again." Sol waits to see if these arrangements are suitable for everyone else. . . which it is.