Underneath his black veil Stanley grins. The ash rises about him, obscuring all the landscape, the treetops, the valleys; all is here, this moment and nothing more. Beyond his sight the abomination wails, its screams growing louder, closer. All is now, no future nor past, all time is this time.
An updraft washes the hunter in a cold breeze, the air singing as it passes over his drawn blade. The soft whistle dies, and a broad shadow rises before the last swordsman. He can feel the thud of its footfall, the weight of its very step, as its head ascends into the cloudy sky.
With a leap he drives his point forward, flying with his sword before him into that foggy, red mist. Growling, the wolf swats the sword away, its boney claws striking the steel with a loud clink. Carried onward, Stanley braces his shoulder, falling into the hairy mass. They join in a clash of leather and fur, wobbling for a moment near that precipice, and then losing its footing, the wolf, with Stanley, falls, sliding down the ash covered hillside.
Breaking apart, the two powers roll away from each other, the moon dust gathering upon their persons. Standing, Stanley grasps his sword, pointing it at the various shadows veiled by the chaotic swirling storm of pollen. Everything is a gradation of red without form; nowhere can he see that abomination.
Behind him he hears an echoing howl, and turning carves a wild arc at the sound, swinging at nothing but air. Again the howl, again he cleaves, again it is but a phantom he’s struck. Closing his eyes, he shuts himself into darkness, and finds the rhythm of his heart, a pulse building in his chest, sending its waves even to his furthest extremities.
With the fall of its paw softened in the banks of pollen, the wolf upon all fours crawls step by step closer towards the last swordsman. Crouching even lower, the beast stops, preparing to pounce upon the pesky hunter. Â Its great mutated muscles spring, and it flies with its open maw ready to snap and drive its curved fangs into the soft human flesh.
Wolf Head
Part  1: The Job
Part  2: Foreboding
Part  3: Aftermath
Part  4: Into the Night
Part  5: The Struggle
Part  6: Expelled
Part  7: Out From the Bones
Part  8: Respite
Part  9: Sunset
Part 10:Â Transformation
Part 11:Â The Shepherd
Part 12:Â The Party
Part 13:Â The Wolf
Part 14:Â Partners
Part 15:Â Foreshadows
Part 16:Â Freedom
Part 17:Â Eavesdropping
Part 18:Â Resolve
Part 19:Â Men and Boys
Part 20:Â Caught
Part 21:Â Rescue
Part 22:Â Rescue
Part 23: Bough’s Shadow
Part 24:Â Moon Rise
Tale Told 