wondered if he would ever recover from the madness and recall who he was. The very thought of spending the rest of his days as a mindless ghoul sent a shiver down his spine. “No! I am Tarik Aziz Al Qadib! I will not forget my forefathers! I will not forget my grandfathers! Think damn you think!” he admonished himself. Just as the Risen reached the tree line on the far side of the field he heard the sounds of screaming coming from the farmhouse. On the shifting night winds he could clearly smell the scent of fresh human blood, and with his newly gifted senses he could hear the growls of a large beast. Without a doubt the shifter named Shawn had been tracking him all along, but the smell of food from the farmhouse had distracted the creature. Tarik paused unsure if he should try to help the farmers or use the distraction as a chance to put some distance between himself and this dangerous beast. Before he decided on his best course of action however, the back wall of the cabin exploded ou tward as the giant creature smashed its way out of the structure to continue its pursuit. It scanned around until it spotted the shocked Tarik across the field. With an earsplitting howl the shifter beast unleashed its rage at the infected by charging full speed at him. Tarik let his shoulders slump just a bit as he realized he now had no chance to run. Taking a deep breath, he released his death grip on the hunger, knowing this madness of the dead he had fought so hard to control was the only thing that gave him a chance at survival. Closing his eyes he opened himself up to the staggering amount of information now pouring in from all of his senses at once. He could feel the ground shake beneath his feet as the massive cre ature closed in on him and taste the smell of blood that hung heavy in the air. Trusting his instincts he let his weight sink low into his legs as he bent his knees and prepared to move. Shawn dove at the Risen at a full run but had no chance to strike him, as the Risen leaped to his right just as the shifter reached him. The wolf-man dug his paws deep into the soft tilled earth and flailed about to change the direction of his attack. Tarik launched himself at the massive creature as it passed and caught him full in the ribs with his right knee. The unexpected blow sent the wolf creature tumbling off to its right. Once he regained his footing Shawn crouched low and growled at his opponent with a new found respect. Tarik ’s senses screamed in his head with the sounds and smells of more wolf-beings closing in on them and knew he was running out of time. “I am not your enemy!” he shouted hoping to reason with the beast. As it was, his own pain and the smell of blood in the air made it difficult at best to concentrate. Even with his words of peace still ringing in his own ears he could feel his instincts driving him to attack and feed on this creature. The only thing still keeping his mind in control was his wish to not fail the Lady Anya. He could feel the power surging through his body at odds with his reason and screaming at him to drain the life from the wolf beast, but before either combatant could move, four hybrid shifters broke through the tree line to their left. Shawn swung his massive head towards the wolves now far more concerned with dealing with r ival shifters than the darkling he had been chasing. The newcomers circled the pair before the leader of them spoke, “A darkling and a puppy? I find this more of an insult than you’re trespassing!” he rumbled in a half barking-growl of a voice. Tarik hoped he would find a reasoning mind amongst them but doubted his luck. “We did not mean to trespass! This does not need to end in combat!” Before the leader could answer him, one of his pack mates answered for him by launching itself at Shawn. Tarik watched in amazement as the wolves clashed in midair growling and tearing at one another. Shawn, being the larger of the two by far, managed to