After the hours spent underground in the disturbing halls and cavern of the guardian it was nice coming out into the fresh air, even though the ghostwood was still eerily dark and oppressive, and there was a moist clinging scent with a metallic aftertaste everywhere… I took a deep breath and just relished the feel of the wind on my bare chest (if nothing else I needed to get back to camp to get a shirt).

  We started the walk back to the camp. I was glad Stalker had found me, because I didn’t really know the way back. Stalker and I quickly fell into our old pattern (old? It wasn’t more than three days since we left the cave!) where he would roam in front and then circle back to me, while I followed with the axe at the ready.

  The walk back would give me some needed time to think about what I would do next, short term I had to deal with Deggan. I had left the necklaces with Frino and decided that if he brought up the necklaces, I would play dumb and claim he must have seen my necklaces with dropbear claws, which I unfortunately had lost in the fight… Hopefully it wouldn’t come up, after all I brought great news and also I did save his life! I mean he was a grade A arsehole, but that had to count for something right?

  Long term I think I needed to find civilization, create a life for Stalker and me, maybe explore Limbo’s past? But slowly and safely! And on my own terms! (Like that was going to happen… But a man could dream).

  Stalker clearly was happy to be out, but every time I lost sight of Stalker a small nugget of worry bloomed in my chest. I was not over what had happened in the cavern and I felt all kinds of bad about it, especially after Stalkers comment about not being a kit. He was right of course… I would try to be better, but maybe after we got safely to camp?

  Where was he now?

  Ah, there he was!

  I checked up on Stalker, yes still there and not sprouting roots, branches or anything weird, maybe I could trust Stalkers assurances or Frino’s word about my friend just following his path, but I just wish I knew what it meant and that I didn’t have to worry about his safety.

  Stalkers mystery path aside, I felt that we had done great work in the archive, but the cost had been great as well. My return to life here in Limbo had been one unending string of traumatic events, my psychologists would have been equal measures shocked, sympathetic and salivating at all the work processing this would have given them… Seriously though by all rights I should have had at least one catastrophic breakdown, probably more, maybe this excessive worrying was part of it?

  I wonder if coming to Limbo did something to me? Then again I don’t see anybody else being a giant mess, so maybe it is something that…

  At this moment my Survival instincts kicked in and I threw myself forward in an inelegant drop roll, I felt the air whoosh behind my back as something large barely missed me! Getting up from the ground I could see that it was that monster again! It seemed like the green panther had tired of playing games and this time it went straight for the kill.

  Ok, we might be in trouble here, we were too far away from the Ghostwood archive and probably even longer from the camp. I couldn’t hear any signs of lumberjacks out here either. So this was it…

  Hopefully my two levels was enough to give us a fighting chance, also what the fuck was up with this beast? Who peed on his sugarcookie? Oh… right, but that was hardly a reason to stalk us through half the forest!

  Stalker growling, and looking almost tiny next to the donkey sized panther, was trying to flank it and emoted prepare wait bait Tiny protector attack pack he seemed confident, and somehow it felt like it was rubbing off on me!

  My breathing became less ragged and my heart rate slowed down from woodpecker on speed to merely way too fast.

  I was holding my axe with a lot more confidence and tried to get a tree at my back for possible cover and emoted back to Stalker yes wait prepare attack pack, I would wait for an opportunity and we would attack together.

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  Whenever the panther went forward for a swipe with its claws against me, Stalker would be there biting at its tail and hind legs, only to almost melt away when the panther tried to retaliate.

  The panther powered through Stalkers harassing and swiped at me with its oversized paw, with claws to match, and scored a glancing hit on my side, blood flowing from the fresh wounds, but I had moved fast enough to escape any serious injury and quickly chopped down with the axe and scored a hit in retaliation.

  No… That was wrong. It was not that I had moved fast enough. I had seen the panther move, the muscles tense and almost the intent to strike, before it lashed out with its paw! If anything my reaction speed had almost been too slow to take advantage of my new insights!

  It was only a few days since we last met this monster, but with Stalker at my side, a lumber axe in my hands and the added benefits of two levels, and a bunch of extra stats, I felt like a new person!

  We exchanged blows like that for what seemed a small eternity, but in reality was probably less than 2 minutes, when the panther finally had enough of the brave little pest and turned to face Stalker and as it went for the more nimble fox, I got a strange feeling, heat spreading through my muscles and my body tightened like a spring... The panther launched forward in an attack on Stalker, and the spring in me uncoiled!

  I shot forward and my axe hit with far more momentum than was reasonable, the slash going from the shoulder, all the way along its flank and ended just above its hind legs. What the hell was that? I managed to think as I staggered back from the attack, body still tingling from the burst of strength.

  Not a lethal wound, but one that was felt and with a roar the panther twisted so it could slash at me, I was still a bit off balance from my unexpected powerful attack, so couldn’t entirely dodge the attack, so it ripped me a new set of bloody lines across my chest!

  In doing so it had created an opening for Stalker, who used it to jump up and bite the unprotected throat of the much larger beast! Stalker managed to get a good enough grip that it hung, almost dangling, from the throat, not letting go!

  I could see the blood flowing freely and the beast went wild trying to shake off and escape the fox. I managed to use the situation to get in a few solid chops with the axe, nothing like the earlier almost unnatural powerful stuff though, still it all added up.

  When the panther at last flung Stalker away, it was with a tearing of the already brutal wound that it had and the blood was gushing out! Stalker however had not escaped that without injury and I could see bloody wounds on his side, he was clearly not doing too well and struggling to get up.

  The panthers movement noticeably slowed, with difficulty and none of its customary elegance it went for Stalker while he was down, seemingly forgetting me in its single minded focus on the little pest that had dared attack its throat!

  I stepped forward and started a rhythm of chops that would have made Sslaras proud, had we been cutting wood… I managed to get it down just before it reached my friend that desperately tried to get away from the larger beast. The green menace was no longer!

  I got a notification for the kill and experience, but all that was of no consequence as I knelt down next to Stalker… He was hurt far more than I had thought, in fact it was not looking good, and as I tried to patch him up, I emoted Tiny protector strong brave stay save pack guard Tiny protector telling him how strong he was and that his pack was here to guard and protect him.

  I couldn’t stop the bleeding, and I held him in my arms, my hands slick with his blood, I knew that he disliked my clingy signs of affection, but I didn’t care, he needed to know I was there for him!

  Tears mixed with the blood, when I suddenly felt something almost tugging inside my stomach, and everything went dark for a second… The tugging got worse and worse, as if something was drawn out of me, and then I saw the green glow starting from Stalker, slowly enveloping both of us and as I felt worse and worse, the blood flowing from Stalkers wounds slowed…

  As I passed out I thought, “what the hell is happening?” and emoted Tiny protector…?