Thin pale moonlight broke through the upper canopy of the forest. Broken shafts of silver radiance pierced into the world of flickering shadows, as the denizens of the forest realm performing their nightly tasks. The songs of the nightbirds rang from branch to branch, signaling the joy they found in their existence. Suddenly, a stray shaft of the moon's light fell on lone shape, and the land grew quiet, silence settled like a blanket of fear upon the creatures of the woods, and together they waited in the shadows as one. Quietly the Hunter moved across the forest floor, quickly the dark form searches, searches for that which it has sought all of its existence. And tonight the prey is near, the scent of it is strong in the air, and the Hunter is getting closer. He must complete the hunt, for the hunt is all that matters. He sniffs the air, warm, rich, and spicy is the smell of his prey's scent. The exertion of trying to elude the Hunter has made the tracking much easier. Moonlight falls on the silver mane of the Hunter and as the wind shifts it brings with it the newest scent of his prey to his nostrils. His eyes close in anticipation, "Close," he thought, "Tonight it ends." Elsewhere in the forest the flames of a small fire dance in the eyes of a man call Maluk, leader of the mercenary band known as the 'Black Talon'. As he sat, he cursed the gods of both good and bad luck for surrounding him with such idiots as the men he now orders. He turned to the newest edition of his band and the cause for his latest woe. "How is 'e Symon?" Maluk asked jerking his head in the direction of the wounded soldier, eyeing the boy's right arm, which was cradled in a make shift bandage soaked throughout with blood. "I do na' be thinking the lad will be making it through the night." Answered a short stocky man of middle years. "A damn waste if ye ask me, but stupidity is a fool's worst downfall." With that Maluk raised from his seat near the campfire and advanced towards the boy. Fear filled the youth's eyes as Maluk drew forth his worn longsword adorned with a blood red ruby in it's hilt. The Hunter closed as the pleas of a young voice were carried to him by the night's breeze. The soft glow of the campfire shone like a beacon to the supernatural eyes of the Hunter. "Tonight Maluk you will die." he growled softly, then suddenly the thoughts of the past flooded into his mind completely uninhibited, and he fell to his knees in agony as the events which brought him here were relived. He remembered a time when he was not the Hunter, a time filled with hope and love. He remembered a beautiful girl named Alisha whom he had promised the moon in heaven just for her smile. He was forced to relive the night where all that he held dear to him was ripped from him by the evil actions of a man and his band of thugs. The pelting rain, the cold mud is which his beaten and broken body had lain and the ignored pleas of the women he loved as she begged for their mercy. "Mercy is a thing fo' the weak, wench, maybe ye can find it where you're headed cause there is none in this world." He heard her last scream as the man known as Maluk brought down his sword on the neck of his lover. "MMMaaallluukkk!!!!, a scream of pure and unbridled rage torn through the night echoing from tree to tree until it died to a sob of grief. The Hunter raced for the camp, his eyes blazing with the fires of hell. "What tha ell was that?" asked Maluk as he spun in a circle, the boy forgotten as he sought that which could make such an inhuman sound. Pointing to two of his men Maluk said, "You go and takes'a look out there and sees what that was, if it's some type of beast I want it dead." The two men picked up their weapons and moved into the darkness. "If it is a beast, than it be's a cunning one." stated Symon, looking at Maluk eye to eye. "What ye mean by that old man?" Maluk asked returning the warrior's stare. "This beast knows you name." Symon answered simply. The flames of the campfire exploded into a shower of glowing embers as the bodies of both men Maluk sent out were hurled into the center of the camp. "Maluk, wha' in tha nine ells could've done this? Surely it is no man, yet it speaks your name." Symon asked bending to examine the bodies. Both men looked in the direction from which the men flew and spotted a moving shadow. Maluk turned to answer the question only to find Symon crumpled on the ground with a battle ax. belonging to one of the dead men embedded in Symon's back. "Come ye spawn of darkness, show yeself to me and die by me blade." Maluk screamed into the night, sweat forming on his brow. Laughter rang though the forest and the breeze picked up whipping Maluk's hair around. "Though I was granted the chance to avenge myself, it was not by the forces of darkness that embraced me fool." A shadowy figure emerged from the woods and moved towards Maluk slowly. The Hunter continued his tale. "One year ago you took the lives of two innocent lovers, the girl you slew, the boy you left for dead. A bad move Maluk. You see the forest saw what you did and was angered." A shaft of moonlight illuminated the figure of the Hunter as he drew closer to his prey. The light reflecting off his hair of silver and red eyes. "The guardians took pity on me and offered me a chance to avenge me and the one I loved from the evil which you did." Maluk watched in horror as the Hunter's teeth began to lengthen and grew points, the silver hair on his head sprouted all over the rest of his body and he grew twice the height of a normal man. "I accepted, as you can see but there comes a price, now that you are to die, I still shall wonder this forest as it's guardian ensuring that no evil shall happen here." Fear filled Maluk's heart as the monster before him spoke, "The souls of all those you have murdered cry to me, they cry for your blood Maluk and I shall grant them their desires." The Hunter's change was now complete and the Guardian now stood before Maluk, dwarfing the mercenary and casting him in the shadow of death. "Mercy.... please I beg of thee spare me.." begged Maluk, as the sharp talons of the Hunter closed upon his throat. "Mercy Maluk?, you know that there is no mercy in this world for you, nor is there any in the next." The grip of the Hunter tightened and the life's blood of his prey began to drip down his arm as the soul of his enemy is hurled into the depths of hell. The young man cowered in the shadows watched in fascination as the beast discarded the body of his would be murdered, awe turns to fear as the monster turned in his direction and said "You are no part of this, yet if you do not chose to change your ways I can find you." The boy held his breath then nodded in agreement. "A wise choice lad, and all choices come with a price. I can heal you, but your arm is beyond saving." The Hunter knelt beside him and placed his hands upon his head. A blue glow shone forth and the boy felt better, still weak but better. When he opened his eyes the Hunter was gone. Silence filled the taproom of the small inn as the old man finished speaking. Each patron seemed lost in their own thoughts concerning the tale they just heard. "A fine tale Great Father, allow me to buy you an ale." one man asked, digging into his purse. "Bah, tis a fairy tale nothing more." sneered a man wearing dirty leathers and several daggers. "The ghost that haunt the woods are not good but evil spirits." the man continued staring at the others daring them to argue. "So you think the tale I tell is for children, do you? Well friend that is your folly but tell me this, why do you see evil spirits when others see blessings?" asked the elder man rising from the chair beside the hearth in which he sat much of the night. The crowd laughed at that and the man stalked from the inn out into the night beyond. Sometime later the elder man himself walked out into the night, he turned to see a young boy, the innkeepers son, running towards him. "Great Father, I believe you sir." the young boy panted. The old man turned to him, the wind of the night catching his cloak throwing it wide to reveal his tunic, the sleeve on the right pinned closed at the shoulder. Below that hung against his leg was a worn longsword with a ruby in it's hilt. The light of the inn reflecting off the ruby. "If only all were as wise as the young." the elder thought, stroking the young child's face. And in the distance as if in an answer to his thoughts a mournful howl rung forth from the forest blanketed in the mist below. In the forest there dwells a creature bound by love and destined by fate to guard the woods against evil that thrives in mankind. The full moon glistens off the Hunter's silver mane, and his eyes search, waiting and watchful. Back to White Knight #14 Table of Contents Back to White Knight List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1999 by Pegasus-Unicorn Productions This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com