Ahead of Al and Leon, he kept his torch high.
With any luck Silver would keep an eye on him alone, though it was a fool's belief. Of all the beasts he'd encountered, many times over what the overgrown mutt was, Silver was more cunning. Rather than fang and claw, it was a predator much like himself, perhaps greater.
Silver knew and understood what risks to take, but was hungry.
As soulless they were an unlimited delicacy, so long as they kept pressing on through the woods. It was too tempting a catch not to pursue.
There was no limit to Silver's bloodlust.
Al whistled, above leaping across stiff branches.
The moon was full, there wasn't a breeze, and the last leaves fell weeks ago. Nothing but a few flurries fell on the village so far in winter, whatever unholy luck it was on their side.
He nodded, letting Al know he was aware.
Another hundred paces or so, and he'd arrive at the caves.
Hand over his torch, he listened.
Nothing so far, and Al whistled again.
He took off, dashing over a slope. Never in all his years had running been so easy, and he picked up the pace, springing a deep stride so fast the torch withered.
No more than several seconds passed and he darted up to the rocky void.
Eyes appeared within the entrance, some yellow, others white as the moon. He pivoted, spinning just out of claws reach, a werewolf lunging from the cave's shadows. In a few strides he was already a hundred paces away, the beasts howling in pursuit.
Al sparked her own torch.
She cursed, heaving pebbles down at the growing black horde. One branch after another, her feet may as well have been feathers. So light, yet so powerful, her leaps cleared dozens of meters in a single bound.
Both improved their speed, their stamina, something any ordinary human wouldn't have done in just under a year's time.
And even werewolves, all fours, twice as fast as any grey, timber, or dyre wolf, needed to break out in full stride.
They couldn't outrun them forever.
However, Leon could.
Silver dove from the trees, pursuing him as other werewolves scaled trees ahead.
Al loosed arrows, all ignited. The beasts wailed, leaping out the way, and some slipped, weary of taking a hot arrow through the belly. She waved her torch within arm's reach of a yelping werewolf. As it ducked, she leaped atop its head, then sprung off.
"Spineless bastards!" Silver spat, gaining on him. "To be soulless and cowardly? Your gods make you a mockery!"
He threw his torch back, missing Silver by inches.
The alpha roared, bursting out faster than the rest.
"I'll flay you first, wretched soulless cunt from a who-."
Fire roared, a straight line through pursuing horde.
Like a rigid fiery spark of thunder, flames burst, hundreds of meters within the woods. Silver wailed, scurrying away, as others howled engulfed in fire. Their coats smelled of burnt bread, some beginning to cook like meat.
Leon, a few paces ahead, stood before the line of oil he spilled along the way.
Faster than the two of them combined, the earsling who clouted him with a practice blade, beat him until he was bloody, trained him until he couldn't walk, was finished laying down their trap almost a minute before he took off from the caves.
Just as Al said so.
She loosed arrows from above, fiery steel heads. Between eyes, through throats, and into bellies her arrows landed. Werewolves within the trees closed in on her, though a wave of her fire rinsed scimitar turned them away.
"Fight you spineless dogs, fight!" Silver demanded, approaching from the shadows. "They are soulless wenches, feed on their lifeless hearts!"
Fangs longer, several meters taller, limbs longer with more muscles, Silver hissed with a smokey breath.
Werewolves, fleeing the growing forest fire, were snatched by the alpha, who heaved them his way.
He shuffled, swinging at the same time, decapitating one werewolf. The other he thrusted with his hammer, caving in its belly. A swing upwards split the beasts jaw. Hammer down, he crushed its skull, then span to slice off another swinging paw. The third werewolf wailed, he hammered its ribs apart, then stabbed it through the heart.
Like a dream he'd long forgotten, it was better than whenever he wasn't humping Al.
A warlord, slayer of monsters, he felt renewed.
Silver roared, shaking the ground, rattling his bones.
"He's mine!" He shouted, Leon twirling a bloody blade.
"Is he now?" The earsling said, taking to his side.
He growled, steam rising out his sockets.
Leon smiled, sword sheathed, then backed away.
Silver lunged, as he expected.
A side step, barely half speed, and the beast clawed into the ground, splitting rocks. A strong beast, much stronger then its lesser form, but slow. Sloppy, predictable, and not a shred of thought between its ears.
Again, Silver lunged, swiping at the same time. He knocked away a heavy paw, though another missed him as he ducked. Silver slammed down, and he rolled between tree trunk like legs. A swing of his sword and he severed off the alpha's tail.
Silver roared, and he believed the beast may have been about to breath fire.
Nothing but curses, drool, and a black panting tongue. Silver swung mad. He smiled, leaping and shuffling out of the way. He rammed his hammer into the beasts belly, forcing it back. Claws over the belly, Silver coughed.
Sword pointed at the pup, he laughed, "Take some joy in knowing I'll wipe my ass with your co-."
Silver sprung, jaws open.
Though he dove, sword sized canine's dug into his thigh.
Loud enough so the gods could hear, he shouted, cursing while raining his hammer down on the craft son of a cunt mutt's skull. He didn't stop until Silver's eyes plopped out, skull in pieces beneath long silver hair.
Aside from fire cackles, nothing more echoed.
Al and Leon parted Silver's jaws, allowing him to drag himself off bloody teeth.
While helping him to a tree, Al nagged him, gripping about 'arrogance' and something called 'showboating.'
"All you had to do was kill it," she growled, tightening a white wrap above his wounds. "I know it must feel good to be somewhat whole, bu-."
"Thank you," he muttered, looking at Silver's twitching corpse.
"What?" She stuttered, then sighed. "I guess there's some form of progress."
"A little," Leon said, approaching them with a few of Silver's claws. "Your thrust was good, but, you probably could've done with just going with the hammer."
He stared at the easrsling, who wasn't one at all and in truth among the best fighters he'd encountered.
"Or, ya' know, don't fuck around so much," Leon said, tossing he and Al a claw. "I'll loot some more. Werewolf claws go for a pretty bargain in Draynsville."
"Draynsville," Al said, helping him stand.
They exchanged a look, then kissed.
After collecting enough pup talons to feed a village for a month, Leon joined them on the way back to the village.
When they arrived the sun was rising, red light over the horizon.