That Night...?

[Yukika Inoue]

The red head, full of vigor, charged down the dirt trail towards Darkshire. Her sword was in hand ready for any encounter that may come. Growling from the giant weedy grass in the distance was a familiar howling. She was in for a fight. The shield on her back welded through the air and into the locking mechanism of her bracer. The distant howling told her there was more than one, but they were still a leap away.

Pyrrha kept her eyes peeled, scanning the horizon of grass and hills for any subtle movement that dared threaten her. The air grew heavier somehow; her breathing increasing with the adrenaline. The only sound being the narrow foot falls of heels on solid dirt. A sharp sound of sifting grass slid the huntress to a stop. Her shield forward and her sword back, she quietly listened in to echolocate her enemy. Another slash of grass and snarling growl of a Beowolf ambush. The black beast ate steel from the huntress’s shield, driving it straight into the dirt with a dusty cloud. The air thickened in an earthen smokescreen as the Beowolf met it’s last to Pyrrha’s Xiphos. The steel destroyed the darkened flesh of her enemies chest.

When the smoke cleared, she was surrounded by the pack. They snarled at her like rabid dogs, but she didn't even blink an eye. She scanned the group of Grimm: Six Beowolves, not counting the one she just gutted. One of them was an Alpha. The bigger one roared viciously at her, commanding the pack to tear into her. Little did they know - They’re dealing with a huntress.

The Beowolf behind her jumped in, lashing at her backside. She pivoted to her side and bashed the shield into the Grimm’s face, knocking it to the ground dazed. Two more reached in with their jaws and claws. She jumped forward out of the way of the two night stalkers and towards the Alpha. It snarled and swung it’s black thorns at her. The shield caught the blow, sending it's arm wide. With a spin she slashed it’s chest, a red glowing inside pierced through the blackness. It’s as tough as it looked; even with a gash across it’s chest, it was still fit enough to kick her in the stomach. She slid back in her boots into the group of Grimm, but that didn't slow her down. Her sword drug across the arm of another Beowolf, slicing it clean off. The Beowolf took a swing with its remaining arm but swung wide over her head. The black creature fell to the ground and dissipated promptly. Four left.

Claws reached in at the huntress, tearing at her skin- Wait, is she bleeding? Why didn't her aura absorb it? She bashed a wolf forward, knocking it on it's back and stomping her heel into its forehead. She took up a more defensive stance, keeping the shield high. She mentally reminded herself the basics: Hold, don’t hide. The wound hardly hurt, but drawing blood was nigh-impossible against a huntsman. The four arced around her, forming a perimeter around her. It made it difficult to escape.

“Move!” She yelled, bashing her shield at another Beowolf’s face. They smartened up against that move, it backed off just as she reached in, but her sword still found it’s way into the creature’s chin. The monster dissolved into a black mist. The others backed off a little, except for the Alpha. It charged her crazily, swinging its head around maniacally. Pyrrha readied herself for the attack with shield up. She charged forward and rammed the shield into the Grimm’s chest, knocking it flat on its back. Wasting no time, she switched Miló to it’s Javelin form and drove it into the Alpha’s head. The other two turn tail and run as soon as the black mist surrounds the huntress. She rose the polearm behind her head and shot it towards one of them. The force drove the wolf some distance before it rolled to a stop. The huntress watched the last one disappear into the grass. After retrieving Miló, she sighed and returned it to it’s Xiphos form, then returned it to her back. Without much of a word, she continued on her way to Darkshire, not far off in the distance. About twenty minutes later, she found herself at the front gate. She took a deep breath and approached the watch-guard.