Libbey whole body tensed up upon seeing the large carnivore. She was an animal person herself, but she only interacted with the herbivores of the forest. She was deathly afraid of all other creatures, ever since she got attacked by a mischievous fox.
The old villager, Nate had nearly the same reaction as Libbey, since he too was aware of the viciousness that a wolf process.
Cain, on the other hand, had a different reaction.
"Is that a timber wolf?" the lumberjack inquired excitedly.
"Is he? Is that furball's specie name?" Artemis asked in a curious tone, while looking down at her fluffy companion.
"Yes. This wolf here is a type of timber wolf. This is my first time seeing such a large timber wolf. How were you able to make it so obedient? It looks as gentle as a little rabbit," exclaimed the lumberjack with excitement.
'Rabbit…DID THAT HUMAN JUST CALL ME A RABBIT! I have the urge to show you how gentle as a rabbit I can be,' thought the furball as he glared at the lumberjack with a malicious glint.
The older hunter chuckled inwardly at the lumberjack's words. This wolf would bite anyone who was brave enough to utter the word 'obedient' in his presence, but this guy did stop there and actually compared the young Miss' partner as a rabbit. He felt he had to quickly clarify things or this revengeful breast would regard the lumberjack as his dinner.
"This wolf is only obedient for the young Miss and our lady boss. If I was you, I would choose my words carefully. He had actually bitten a few hunter, who had mistaken his gentle manner towards the young Miss as being a completely submissive animal."
"Oh!" uttered Cain, while looking at the wolf.
'Damn human. You should be on your kneels begging for my forgiveness. I'll let this one side for now. Maybe I could have a taste later once my mission is complete," the furball pondered as he flicked her tail lightly, while secretly devising a plan of revenge.
"Like I mention before, Artemis will be fine, since she has Ace here for protection. He's gonna stand guard somewhere near the house. If the young Miss gets taken, then he'll be able to follow closely behind and confirm where the creature's den is located," explained Bruce decisively.
"Makes sense. You're a very dependable timber wolf, Mr. Ace," Libbey praised with a slightly forced smile. After hearing what the older hunter said, she was unsure on rather she should be relied or terrified, so unlike her father, she praised the wolf instead of insulting the creature's nature.
Ace perked both of his ears up, holding his head high in an arrogant and profound behavior. 'Damn right, human. Gravel at my feet and pay due respect to this young lord.'
A smile formed on Artemis in response to Libbey words of praises. "Yes, furball is a very reliable companion," she commented in a light affectionate tone as she rubbed the top of her partner's head. She then made eye contact with the wolf before she continued speaking. "I'll be staying here for the time being. Make sure you don't stray too far away from this cabin. Once night falls be aware of your surroundings and take notice of anyone who enter this house. If you do see anyone just howl once after the person has left."
Ace nodded his head before standing up on all fours to retreat from the house and back into the forest.
All the village members were a bit stunned at what just happened. The whole time the young female hunter spoke the timber wolf 's complete focus was on the young lady. It even nodded its head a few times as she spoke and the way the young lady spoke to the wolf was in a calm and gentle manner as if she was talking to another person. They were all in a trance until the voice of the older hunter snapped them back to reality.
"I believe we have covered all the bases now that Artemis and Ace are both in place. It's time to return to the village elder home," announced Bruce as he stood from his seat.
"No problem. Just let me fix dinner for my father, and then I'll go pack a few things before we head out," responded Libbey as she stood up as well to take away the tray that now contain a few empty cups and half of the fruits that she brought over.
Before the young lady could even leave for the kitchen, her father interjected in disagreement. "No need to do that my daughter. I know how to fend for myself when you're not around," he said firmly than turned to the other the young lass that was still seated. "Artemis, my dear, do you like deer meat?"
Artemis nodded. She was not a big meat eater, but she did eat just about every type of meat, if it was offered to her. The only exception was rabbit meat, because she did not want to break her mother's heart, since her mother has a deep fondness for rabbits.
The lumberjack grinned, and then looked towards his daughter in spoke in authoritative yet fatherly tone. "Then it's settled. I'll cook dinner for me and this young lass. Libbey my dear, you go pack your things. I'll see you in the morning."
Looking at her father, Libbey hesitated for a bit, but only for a moment. She eventually nodded her head obediently, then headed to the kitchen to put the fruit and dirty dishes away, before heading towards her bedroom.
Before she left her home with the elder hunter and Mr. Nate, she told Artemis a few things about what the women in her village were like. She also convinced Artemis to let her hair down from its high ponytail hold. All the women in their village had long hair, which hanged down over their shoulders and backs. With her current appearance, she now looked as if she really was a women from their village.
Within a few hours it was time for bed and everyone was on high alert mentally. Artemis removed the amulet from around her neck and placed in beside her pillow before falling asleep on Libbey's bed.
When she woke up the next morning and saw that she was still in Libbey's room, she knew that there was a possibility that the first night would be a bust. Once she helped completed some of Libbey's morning tasks, she walked to the village elder's home with the lumberjack, Cain. She was quickly informed that no one was attacked last night by her uncle. Her uncle also informed her that he spoke with her brother, Travis and there was no issued on his end as well.
The village elder felt extremely uneasy. He voiced his deepest fear that maybe the creature caught wind of their bait and switch idea. Many of the villages agreed as well with what the elder was thinking, however the two hunter believed otherwise. They knew even if the creatures knew of their plan, they would still come back eventually. Trickster demons consider themselves as superior and cunning beings. They would always find a way to get what they want.
Two days has now passed and the village people seemed to be more relaxed. That night, everyone, except a wolf and a man, slept soundly. The man was sitting patiently on the steps of a huge cabin, while eating a fruit that was native to the area. His eyes were focus up, staring at the stars, while his mind was clear listening for a particular sound.
An hour went by…... two hours went by…. three hours went by, then at three hours and twenty minutes a howl echo from the woods. The lips of the man carved up into a smirk.
While the young Miss was undercover, he took the time to investigate a bit further into the women that had disappeared and noticed there was a pattern. Every girl would usually disappear for about a week. The next girl than would be taken a weeks later after the return of the previous abductee.
According to the last abduction attempt, even though it failed, today would be a week later.
If the tempt did not failed, then Nate's daughter would be returning today and the daughter of the lumberjack would then be abducted. The man estimated that there was a 50% chance that the next victim would be the daughter of Nate or Cain's daughter. When he heard the howled just now, he assumed that the creature wanted to escape death and decided to skip the attempt of abducting Nate's daughter again. So, their plan of infiltration into the demon's hideout was now currently in progress.
The man effortlessly called forth his winged partner and attached a slip of paper to its leg. Shortly after the bird took off, he silently took a stool towards the village lumberjack's home.
At the same time deep inside the forest, the large timber wolf was in pursuit behind the creature who just snatched his benefactor. He made sure to blend in well with the forest as if he was a shadow tailing his prey. His distance from the creature was at least 120 yards away.
After tailing the creature for two hour, it finally slowed down its speed and stopped in front of a carve. The timber wolf lower itself down into the tall grass of the forest as he watched his lady being taken inside the carve.
A few seconds later another person emerge from the carve, but this time it was a different creature carrying an unconscious woman.
The timber wolf visually surveyed the land, taken in all the structural formation of the surrounding area, then he disappeared into the darkness of the forest.