Utterly Mad

Continued: [Sorry for all the continueds, eventually I may make this into a short story and want to put it all together ya know.]

Wile awoke to the sound of hooting owls and stepped over to his door. On the knob hung a set of unisex adventurer clothes, all leather padding as well as a patched up hood to keep the sun off your head.  Today was going to be fun! They were going to find the Patch plant, Wile loved all the smiles that the medical staff gave to those who delivered Patch to their doors. Wile calmly walked over to the Entrance of Kings, there waited the others.

Malcolm was first to speak to them all. "You all know the objective, find as much Patch plant as you can, remember no one stray too far from the Pack. If anyone is in danger call out and we'll rush over, but I don't want any false wolf cries all right?" Everyone in the group nodded and they made their way outside. On a rack there laid six torches, one for each person, they lit them and began to step into the woods surrounding Fortress.

The Guard set themselves up in a clearing, near the center of everyone, the others spread out throughout the woods. Patch plants looked mostly Red except for a long white rod which poked out of their center and rose about an inch. The rod could be broken down into medicine. The plants were very rare however which is why searching happened so often.

Wile wasn't just searching for a Patch plant however, he had something else in mind. White roses began to grow around this time of year as well, and he would be quite happy if he could gather one for Winter. He had a feeling she would appreciate it.

Wile was entranced in his search for either a Patch or a White rose, he was making an efficient semi-circle when he turned and realized he could barely see the light of the Guard. When he turned back, a pair of glowing yellow eyes met him.

A hissing voice spoke, the noise ran shivers down Wile's spine.
"Look what we have here, a boy, a child."
Another pair of eyes, these ones a bit higher up glared at him as well, these ones were red. A bolder voice spoke.
"Oh yes, this dear boy looks oh so mild."

And then the voices began to create some sort of sick song.
"Why come here boy, searching for a fight."
"We'll gladly provide one...it'll be our delight."
"We can tear your limbs asunder."
"With the speed of hurling thunder."
"Perhaps we'll snap you with our teeth."
"Yes...you'll never leave our bloody heath."

Wile shrieked and took off running, faster then he had ever run before towards the light of the Guard. A powerful loping sound fell after him, it was gaining on him. Stone and Malcolm were coming towards him...he just might make it...

A heavy force slammed into his back, sending him sprawling past Malcolm and Stone with a shriek of pain.

It hurt like the devil, but a quick examination showed their was no real terrible injury.
The yellow eyes glowed at Malcolm, they were just barely below his own, nearly five foot.
"Looky here, a Guardsman come to save the day..."
Malcolm shouted as he drew a blade and shield from his back, Stone did the same.
"Everyone! Back to Fortress!"

The glowing yellow eyes stepped out of the darkness, revealing their form. The creature was large and fairly lean. It held a single strip of fur down it's back, the rest of it's body appeared to be...skinless. It took Wile a moment to realize that this beast was once a tiger. A tiger turned into an Abomination.

Wile lay there for a few moments, watching as the beast pounced forward with incredible speed, slamming into Malcolm's shield and propelling him backwards and onto the ground. Stone followed up with a slash at the creature's front shoulder but the beast curled around and slapped the sword away like it was a toy.

Wile heard a slight thudding from behind him and turned in time to see the Pack. The dogs swarmed to their masters, leaping onto the Abomination in unison and snapping at it's muscular flesh. It shrieked in agony, twisting about and catching a dog with it's teeth, it shook it by the back, rupturing it's spine before dumping the body like trash.

Malcolm stood up, drawing his blade once more and jabbing it into the beast's chest. This time he was successful, it let out a horrific and gurgling roar and shook violently trying to get the dogs off. It snapped another one by the neck and almost instantly decapitated it. Malcolm lifted his blade up to finish the beast, but it would have none of his blade.

In it's dying move, the creature lounged into Malcolm, sliding it's claws into his chest and snapping it's jaws into the lower piece of his face. Blood spewed from the injuries on them both, before the beast fell over, dead.

Wile rushed over to Malcolm, who laid in the dirt, hand on his chest, head sideways. Blood poured out of what was once his lower jaw, and wheezing sounds came from his chest. Stone pressed Wile out of the way, holding a hand down to his master. The man was in utter agony, terrible agony that no human should ever feel. Stone drew his blade, received a very slight nod from Malcolm, and finished him off.

Wile shook his head in terror and stress as a pair of hands grabbed him from behind. He grabbed them back, they were soft and he thought he could hear slight sniffling behind him. Winter. He pushed himself out of his trance, standing.

"Winter, you need to get to Fortress."
"You need to come too, you aren't a soldier Wile."
He nodded, wiping a line of blood from a small gash over his eye away.
"Stone, we need to hurry back to Fortress now!"
"Go away."
Wile stepped over to Stone touching his shoulder in an attempt to show support.
"GO AWAY!" Stone turned, hurling Wile backwards and onto the ground.
"Stone...there will be time to grieve, but now is not that time. There is another one out there."
"Let it come." Stone replied as he jabbed his blade into the ground next to Malcolm.
"We will, but you can't fight it alone...it's unwise, Malcolm wouldn't want you to waste your life for revenge."
Stone shook his head, tears streamed down his cheeks as he took his blade back and called for the dogs. The dogs were the only things there that didn't mourn the loss of their pack mates...their hearts were already harder than stone.

They ran back to Fortress, Wile more or less jogged it because he felt a slight ache in his right leg. Winter stayed with him the entire time.
"They killed him, Winter." Wile said as they neared the Entrance of Kings.
"I know Wile, I know."

They were only about ten meters from the Entrance of Kings, it was open, a pair of Guardsmen stood watch there, waiting for the return of their commander and the others.

A voice, Eerie as the darkness and the beasts within it.
"You killed my little pet, I suppose it's good and time we fought now isn't it? Lick your wounds humans, i'll be your judgement."

Wile turned and in the darkness he noticed the glowing red eyes from earlier.